The Death that Defeated Eternal Death
Day 20
by Gini Crawford, MSW
Finding heaven
Death or not? My husband was riding his bike. Suddenly a woman on a dirt path near him aimed her gun at him he thought, but she ended up shooting a rattlesnake. Talk about a not knowing what-to-believe experience. He thought death was aiming right at him.
As you know, life can have you believing one thing, but the truth can be something different. Some people think if they are good enough or follow certain religious laws, some benevolent force or deity will allow them to defeat death and go to heaven. I guess that is their hope. The afterlife is forever, so you need to make sure you know the truth about your eternity and not just think you do.
There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. Proverbs 14:12 ESV®
We celebrate Christmas and Easter, not because of a jolly fat man and a super bunny, but because these two holidays tell the story of why and how we can go to heaven. The why is because Jesus Who created life has the power, ability and authority to pay for the sins that brought death to us, and that is what He did. The how is we need to believe in the One Who died for us – giving us heaven. (John 3:16; 2 Timothy 1:9-10).
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. / ...so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. / But as it is, he (Jesus) has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many... Romans 6:23; Galatians 2:16; Hebrews 9:26-28 ESV®
Heaven or not? Did you know you have a choice about what will happen to you after you die? You can chose heaven through believing in Jesus and what he did for you, or eternal death in hell through your own endeavors. What's your choice?
The crucifixion and God's wrath
We deserved God’s wrath and condemnation because we are sinners. Yet, God loved us too much to leave us to bear His wrath, so God the Father had a plan that God the Son would accomplish.The plan was Jesus Christ would bear God's just wrath against our sin. (Romans 5:8-10).
Matthew 27:45 says, "Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour." An unnatural darkness fell upon the earth for three straight hours as God's wrath fell on Jesus as He hung on the cross. The darkness was a symbol of the judgement that should have fallen on us, but instead was falling on Jesus. Can you imagine how dreadful it was for Jesus, when the fury of God's anger against sin, which had been stored up for eons, was unleased on Him? The anguish from the Father's judgement and wrath was so intense, even though Jesus and the Father are one, that Jesus felt forsaken by the Father, as shown in Matthew 27:46: "And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, 'Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?' that is, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'" (Psalm 22:1).
In John 19:30, Jesus cries out "It is finished, ... he bowed his head and gave up his spirit." No person took Jesus' life. He chose death, so we could have life. The work it took to save us had just been finished on the cross. God's wrath against our sin was totally satisfied. Forgiveness of our sins was accomplished. (Luke 23:46; John 10:17:18; Ephesians 1:7). A person normally dies a slow death by crucifixion, but this wasn't a normal death. It was the death of the Creator - the God of the universe - for us.
Think about it, the eternal God of perfect holiness and righteousness allowed the Son of His triune Being to take the punishment for our sin by His death. Such is the love of our God for us to have suffered an agony that no human could come close to taking - for love. (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 John 4:9-10). Why would anyone not want to know and love our Triune God?
A boy went to a Bible camp. He loved the activities until the nightly Bible devotional. He would then distract everyone and put his hands over his ears. At the end of the camp the kids were asked if any wanted to put their faith in Jesus Who died for their sins. The boy who didn't want to hear, to the surprise of all the counselors, was the first to come up. They asked him, "Why?" He said, "I know, I am naughty but Jesus loved me enough to suffer and die for me anyway. Why wouldn't I want to follow Him." What are your feelings about Jesus’ crucifixion?
Life Application
Mediator between God and men
The only mediator between God and humankind is the man Who is God in the flesh. Mediator means someone who intervenes between two, either to make or restore peace and friendship, or to validate a covenant. Our mediator, Jesus Christ, intervened and made it possible by His death to restore our relationship with God that had been wrecked because of sin. 2 (2 Corinthians 5:19; Colossians 1:19-22). Do you think of Jesus as your mediator when you pray?
For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all... 1 Timothy 2:5-6 ESV®
A mother saved her young children when her apartment was on fire by dropping them out a second story window to a man - she died from the smoke. Jesus out of love, became our mediator and saved us from the fires of hell by His death. The woman that gave her life for her kids is in heaven, because she believed in the God Who gave His life to rescue her from death. How has Jesus being your mediator impacted you personally?
Jesus is your mediator with God, so it just makes sense to go to Him in prayer. Rest your head upon the shoulders that took God's wrath for you. Grab hold of the hands that were crucified for you. Believe me, in Jesus you will find a love and peace that is not of this world. Read Isaiah 9:6-7, 53:3-12; Romans 5:8-10. Briefly summarize these passages about Jesus and what He did for you.
When I think of what Jesus suffered for me out of love, I think of what Paul said in Romans 7:24-25, and have the same heartfelt cry: "Wretched man (woman) that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" You too?
Reflect on Isaiah 53:5-6.