How Now Shall We Live? Series

Who really killed Jesus?

What crime did Jesus commit?

Just how badly did Jesus suffer?

Why did Jesus die?

Couldn’t there have been another way?

How now shall we live?

Good Friday: What did He say and when did He say it?

How now shall we live?

Series: The Passion of the Christ: True or false?

Text: Selected

hello

By God’s grace and for God’s glory…

1. … I will rebuild my relationships.

Who are you at war with? Your husband? You wife? Your ex? Your parents? Your kids? Your boss? A former friend? Who are you at war with? Do you understand that Jesus died to bring people who are at war with one another together?

Jesus [died] for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one.

John 11:51-52 (NIV)

The primary emphasis in this passage is national, racial, and cultural. Jesus died to bring Jews and Gentiles together – to make them one.

But a secondary application of this passage is personal. Jesus died to bring all of us together – even the people you are struggling with.

What you have to know is that the ground is level at the foot of the cross.

The cross is where…

…somebodies become nobodies.

Some of you here today might think you’re hot stuff. That you’re really together. That you’re better than others. But when you look at the cross, you realize that it was your sin that put Jesus there. I won’t think more highly of myself than I ought to think.

… nobodies become somebodies.

Some of us here today might think we don’t matter too much. That we aren’t worth very much. That nothing I do ever really works out right. That God doesn’t really give a rip about me. But when you look at the cross, you realize that He really loves you. I won’t think les of myself than I ought to think.

The ground is level at the foot of the cross. It’s at the cross that we’re all the same. We all are humbled and lifted up there.

Jesus [died] for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one.

John 11:51-52 (NIV)

Recently, I received one of the most moving letters I’ve ever received. A woman has been attending this church for several months and has been able to hear from God for the fist time in many years. She’s come to know Christ in a personal way. I can’t share all the details of the letter. But here’s a little:

I begin my spiritual journey as a survivor of domestic violence. My children and I left our home in the middle of the night after a beating. We went to the police department where I filed charges.

The children and I settled into our modest apartment. The children shared the one bed we had. I slept on the floor until I was able to purchase a mattress. I slept on a mattress on the floor for over a year.

I saw the movie “The Passion on Christ” today. In Mathew 27, the chief priest decided to put Jesus to death. In Mark 14, they struck him with their fists. If the chief priests would strike Jesus with their fists and condemn him to such a violent death, what would men do to men? What would man do to woman?

There is a sound that is made when a fist hits flush – when your face is slapped, when your body receives a punch. During the movie when I heard those agonizing sounds my body revolted. I actually ducked as if the punches and slaps were directed at me. I found myself curled up in a ball in the theater seat. The girlfriend I brought to the movie held my hand and comforted me. The brutality of the film at times overcame me and I had to shield my eyes. I cried as I saw Jesus take those punches that were meant for me. The suffering that I experienced was small and insignificant compared to what my Lord and Savior endured for me.

When the movie was over, I got in my car and called my ex-husband. I told him that I forgave him. He cried on the phone and told me that he was truly sorry for what he had done to the children and me. He asked for my forgiveness. He said he would work with me to raise our children.

When I hung up the phone, I felt an unspeakable joy. Not an earthly joy but a deep-seated peace. I know that things will not always go as I want them to. But I am assured that God is in control and he will take care of my children and me.