JESUS GIVES LIFE RIGHT NOW

     Many Christians hope they'll live forever in heaven, but
            aren't sure.

     The Bible says we can be certain, because eternal life begins
            the moment we believe.
          1) Not in the distant future.
          2) Salvation is not something we must wait for, but a present
                possession and joy.
          3) Past tense - we HAVE crossed from death to life.

     Being alive in Christ should give us a new perspective on life.

         Festo Kivengere is a Christian bishop in Uganda, Africa, a
            country that was terrorized by dictator Idi Amin.
         In 1973 three men in his church were executed by firing squad.
            Festo told of what happened.

 

         "People were commanded to come to the stadium and witness the
            execution.
         Death permeated the air as a silent crowd of 3,000 watched.
         I had permission from the authorities to speak to the men before
            they died, and two of my fellow ministers were with me.
         They brought the men in a truck and unloaded them.
            They were handcuffed and their feet were chained.
            The firing squad stood at attention.

         As we walked onto the center of the stadium, I was wondering what
            to say.
         How do you give the gospel to doomed men who are probably
            seething with rage?

         We approached them from behind, and as they turned to look at us,
            what a sight!
         Their faces were all alight with an unmistakable glow and radiance.
            Before we could say anything, one of them burst out:
         "Bishop, thank you for coming!
            I wanted to tell you.
         The day I was arrested, in my prison cell, I asked the Lord Jesus
            to come into my heart.
         He came in and forgave me all my sins!
            Heaven is now open, and there is nothing between me and my God!
         Please tell my wife and children that I am going to be with Jesus.
            Ask them to accept him into their lives as I did."
         The other two men told similar stories, excitedly raising their
            hands, which rattled their handcuffs.

         I felt that what I needed to do was to talk to the soldiers, not
            to the condemned.
         So I translated what the men had said into a language the
            soldiers understood.
         The military men were standing there with guns cocked and
            bewilderment on their faces.
         They were so dumbfounded that they forgot to put the hoods over
            the men's faces!

         The three faced the firing squad standing close together.
         They looked toward the people and began to wave, handcuffs and all.
            The people waved back.
         Then shots were fired, and the three were with Jesus.
         We stood in front of them, our own hearts throbbing with joy,
            mingled with tears.
         It was a day never to be forgotten.

         Though dead, the men spoke loudly to all of Kegezi District and
            beyond.
         There was an upsurge of life in Christ, which challenges death
            and defeats it.
         The next Sunday, I was preaching to a huge crowd in the hometown
            of one of the executed men.
         Again, the feel of death was over the congregation.
         But when I gave them the testimony of their man, and how he died,
            there erupted a great song of praise to Jesus!
         Many turned to the Lord there.
                                                                   
   

        New life in Christ brings three new relationships.   (William Barclay)
      A. A new relationship with God.
          1) Instead of a judge, he becomes our father.
          2) Old sins are not held against us.
          3) A special closeness and courage flows into our lives.

      B. A new relationship with our other people.
          1) Hatred should become love.
          2) Selfishness should become service.
          3) Bitterness should become forgiveness.

      C. A new relationship with ourselves.
          1) We are usually our own worst enemy.
              a) Weakness becomes strength.
              b) Tension becomes peace.
          2) Inward change, both sudden and gradual.
              a) Old habits conquered.
              b) New way of thinking.

   JESUS LOVES YOU 

I ASKED JESUS HOW MUCH HE LOVED ME ????

I read a long, long time ago that I will never forget. It goes like this: 

I asked Jesus how much He loved me

He answered "this much"

Then He stretched out His arms and died for me.

Jesus stretched out His arms so wicked people could nail Him to a cross.

That's how much He loves us.

He stretched out His arms to take on the sins of the entire world.

That's how much He loves us.

He stretched out His arms so His blood could be spilled as a sacrifice.

That's how much He loves us.

He stretched out His arms so we wouldn't have to.

That's how much He loves us.

The Cross of Christ is the clearest, loudest, most powerful "I love you . . . infinity!" ever proclaimed.

If you are anything like me, whenever you think about the Cross and the love that Jesus showed, one word keeps popping into your head.

"Why?"

Why would He willingly face the most agonizing and unbearable scenario ever invented?

Because it wasn't.

Believe it or not, there was an alternative scenario that Jesus was unwilling to face. It's a scenario where He is separated from the ones He loves. It is a circumstance where, because of our choices, we have no choice but to spend an eternity in a place called hell.

And that's the scenario Jesus would not allow to happen. Our evil sins against a holy God broke our relationship with Him, and no earthly plan could ever fix it. Which is why Jesus left heaven and took on flesh as a human. In order to pay the price for our sins, He had to give up His life.

Think about it - Jesus chose death over living life without you. Here's the way the Bible describes it:

When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, no one is likely to die for a good person, though someone might be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God's sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God's judgment. For since we were restored to friendship with God by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be delivered from eternal punishment by his life. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God--all because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us in making us friends of God. (Romans 5:6-11)

Did you notice how often Paul uses the word "us"? As in you and me. What makes it even more powerful is that when Jesus was crucified, He took on your and my personal sins. It was a Cross meant for you and me, but Jesus took our place.

There is a play where in one scene you see a little boy working in his parent's carpentry shop in first century Jerusalem. He is arguing with his parents because that day his job was to make a cross. The parents insist that he help because Rome is paying them to make crosses, and without the money they will starve.

A few scenes later you see the boy weeping. "What is wrong?" his parents ask. He sobs through the tears, "I went to the market place and I saw Jesus of Nazareth, the Man we love to hear preach. Mom and Dad, He was carrying my cross! They took Him to Golgotha and nailed Him to MY cross."

The parents try to reassure him, "Oh no, son, that wasn't your cross. There are many other people in Jerusalem who build crosses. That couldn't have been yours."

"Oh yes, it was! When you weren't looking, I carved my name on the cross I was making. When Jesus was carrying His cross, He stumbled right beside me, I looked, and my name was on His cross!"

All of our names were on that Cross, so that all of our names could be written in the Book of Life.

So the next time you see a cross and ask: "why", picture Jesus saying - "Because I love you." And the next time you are down and discouraged and ask - "How much do you love me?"

Remember that He stretched out His arms and died for you.

Head: What you need to know about this truth

Jesus died on the Cross to take our place and make complete payment for our sins so that we could spend an eternity with Him forever in heaven! He chose to die for us rather than live without us. 

Heart: What you need to feel about this truth

Absolutely and completely loved. Jesus died for us when we were His enemies, He lives for us now that we are His friends. Other people in our life may let us down now and then, but Jesus never will. As a Christian, you can never truthfully say that no one cares about you or loves you, because Jesus proved His love by His sacrifice. Take a few minutes and meditate on this truth.

JESUS LOVES YOU