Extra Ordinary Jesus - Death Series

How many of you have ever thought about dying? How many of you have thought about what would be the best way to die? I have, and to tell you the truth, the way I want to go is in my sleep with a smile on my face! I want to go to bed in the night, close my eyes and just drift off.

I have seen people die. I sat in the hospital when I was young and watched my gran die, and it wasn't nice! It wasn't comfortable for her! I saw the panic on her face, the distress as she cried out for water, and I don't want to go that way! I want a peaceful, painless death!

And if I can't have that, then I want to go instantly! I don't know if it is me or if other people have ever thought like this, but I remember one time with my friend, we went to Cardiff Castle, which is a big castle in the capital of Wales, and we went on a tour there and at the end, in the gift shop, we began looking through a book of torture.

And as we were reading and looking at the pictures we were discussing what would be the best way to go. We were Bible college students at the time and full of zeal and sure that someday we would be martyred and we were looking for the best way to die.

And let me tell you, none of them were peaceful or pain free! I don't want to go into any detail but trust me, they were ALL terrible! But we had to choose a way, and we came to agreement that the guillotine would be the best way as the blade was guaranteed to severe the head and death would be instantaneous.

And if I had my choice right now, if I was in control of the universe and I could decide how my end would be, the 1st thing on my list would be no death at all! Enoch walked with God and was then no more! Elijah was taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire!

And the Bible speaks of the Rapture, when Jesus comes again and those who are His will be taken up into heaven, not tasting death at all! That's number 1 on my list!

Number 2 is a painless, peaceful death in my sleep. And number 3, the bottom of my list would be an instantaneous death.

And today I want us to look at the Death of Jesus! This is probably the most important thing that has ever happened in history! The Birth of Jesus was a fantastic event, but His death is the reason He came! While His birth changed history, His death changes lives!

And the 1st question we have to ask is 'Why did Jesus have to die?' we began to answer that question when we looked at the purpose for His coming, and that was sin. To Adam and Eve God said that there is punishment for sin 'If you sin you will die'.

And just to recap on that basically sin is 'not doing what God wants us to do.'

This is God's universe, we are God's creation and we are to live under God's rules. If you go to the UK you live under UK rules. If we live in Korea, you live under Korean rules, Korean law. And if we break these rules, these laws then there are consequences, there are punishments.

God has set out His standards. This is what is acceptable to Him! This is how He wants people to live, and anything short of that, anything short of His standards, not my standards or your standards or the world's standards, but His standards is sin! And there are consequences to sin!

And those consequences are separation from God which ultimately lead to death and eternal separation in hell. And you know what, it doesn't matter if we agree with that or not, if we think that is harsh or not, that is the way it is!

God is holy and demands holiness. God is just and demands justice! God is perfect and demands perfection! He demands perfect holiness and perfect justice! God's holiness and sin can't be together! He hates sin and can't look upon it and WILL destroy it!!!!

Even the smallest of sins! If I lie, it is a sin and therefore will be punished! If I steal, that is if take something that isn't mine, then I sin and will be punished! If I murder, then I sin and will be punished! If I'm angry with someone, if I covert something, if I put anything before God then I sin and I will be punished!