Each one of us is different. We all have different likes and dislikes. We all have different hopes and desires. But there is one thing we all need; there is one thing we all long for – and that is love.

Our culture, and most cultures around the world, is filled with the concept, or the idea, of love. We talk about it. We sing songs about it. Probably three-quarters or more of the books which are written have some sort of love interest in them.

But what is love? Love is one of those things which is very hard to define, but is easy to describe. Unfortunately, our culture has often confused love with sex and lust. But they are very different things. It is entirely possible to have sex without love and to love with no hint of sexual activity. People often use the word ‘love’ as a mask for their own greed and carnal desires.

Some would say that love is a strong attraction. But that misses the mark too. It is perfectly possible to love someone who is utterly repulsive.

So what is love? In 1st Corinthians 13, the Apostle Paul writes, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NIV)

But there is another quality of love which Paul does not mention in that passage. One of greatest characteristics of love is that it gives. This is especially true of God’s love for us. I want to read you several passages of Scripture which emphasize this:

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that he gave…”

Romans 5:5 – “…God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”

Galatians 2:20 – “…The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Ephesians 5:2 – “and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us…”

Ephesians 5:25 – “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her”

2 Thessalonians 2:16 – “…God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope…”

God didn’t give to us because we are such wonderful people. He gave because of His love. We were unlovely, but God loved us anyway. We were unworthy, but God loved us anyway. We were His enemies, but God loved us anyway.

God didn’t just give us things. God showed His love for us by giving us Himself in Christ. Romans 5:6-8 says, “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Each week we gather to remember the extent of God’s love. The bread we eat reminds us of Jesus’ body which He sacrificed for us. The juice reminds us of Jesus’ blood which cleanses us from sin.

How much does God love you? He loves you so much that He died for you. When you take the emblems, this morning, remember that God loves you.

The emblems remind us of something else, too. We need to love, just as God has loved us. The Apostle John writes, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” (1 John 3:16-18)

As we partake let’s not only remember that God loves us, let’s also ask how much we love other people. How much are we willing to sacrifice for them?

I was reading a blog the other day and the writer pointed out that today even the poor have access to healthcare which was not available to kings and the wealthiest of people 100 years ago. Diseases which were incurable then are treated and cured routinely now.

Regardless of how much progress the medical profession has made. There is still one thing for which nobody has found a cure. That thing is death. It’s not for lack of trying. Overcoming death or the hope that we’ll at least find a way to extend life has been on people’s minds throughout history. Lots of people have gone on quests to find the fountain of youth. If you read science fiction it’s amazing how often the idea of eliminating death shows up in the stories. People send me emails all the time about these miraculous pills which will stop the aging process.

All of these attempts to somehow find away around death are doomed to failure. Those seeking a cure for death do not understand its cause. They are looking for a physical cure to a spiritual problem. They are trying to treat a symptom instead of dealing with what caused the disease. Death came to our world as a result of sin. As long as sin is with us, death will be with us also.

Is there no hope, then? The prophet Ezekiel saw a vision depicting the people of Israel of his day as a bunch of dry bones. He writes, “The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “O Sovereign LORD, you alone know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life…”’” (Ezekiel 37:1-7 NIV)

What is impossible for man is possible for God. The One who gave us life to begin with can give us life again.

Not only can God cure death, for those of us who belong to Christ, He already has. Just as Ezekiel saw those dry bones come to life again, we who belong to Christ also experience new life. It’s a two-stage process. First God gives us spiritual life. In Ephesians 2:4-6 the Apostle Paul writes, “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,” (NIV)

Not only do we have a new spiritual life now, we also have God’s promise of eternal life in a resurrected body. Paul writes in 1st Corinthians 15:19-23, “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.” (NIV)

The cure for death was not easy or without cost. Jesus had to die so that we might live. That’s what we’re here to remember. The bread we eat represents His physical body – the body He gave so we might receive a new, resurrected body. The juice we drink represents His blood – the blood He gave which gives us life.

We’re also here to celebrate. Yes, unless Christ returns first, we will die. But death is not the end. Jesus has already given us the cure. We will live forever.

Speaking of Jesus, the writer of Hebrews tells us, “…we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet was without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15 NIV)

I think that one of the greatest temptations Jesus ever had to face occurred just a couple of days before His death. John records the incident in chapter 12, verses 20 through 33: “Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the Feast. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus. Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me. Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him. Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.” (NIV)

The text does not tell us what the Greeks wanted, or what they said to Jesus. Whatever it was, it was something which obviously upset Jesus. This is speculation on my part, but here’s what I think happened. In John chapter 7, Jesus warned the Jews that He was going to be with them only a short while longer (John 7:33). They would look for Him, but would not be able to find Him. This started some questions. “…Where does this man intend to go that we cannot find him? Will he go where our people live scattered among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks?” (John 7:35 NIV)

I think these men heard the speculation and rumors and decided to offer Jesus a place among themselves. “Jesus, it’s obvious that the powers that be, here in Jerusalem, are opposed to you and are planning to take action against you. Come with us. You can live with us and be our teacher. Our people will accept you. They don’t honor you here, but we will honor you.”

Jesus pointed out that there were two problems with the Greek’s proposition. The first problem is that it was based on a wrong world-view. Their concept was that you have to protect yourself from harm. Avoid confrontation. Preserve what you have. Jesus used the metaphor of a seed to point out that participating in God’s glory and eternal life are not obtained by playing it safe. In order to reproduce, a seed must first die. If we want eternal life, we can’t hang on to our natural, worldly passions, emotions and way of thinking. Just like a seed, we have to die in order to live.

The second problem with the Greek’s proposition is that it was based on a wrong concept of discipleship. A true disciple or follower does not ask his teacher to conform to his expectations. On the contrary, the definition of following is not gratification of our own expectations, but serving. A true follower, a true servant will be where his teacher is. He will conform to the expectations of the teacher. We call ourselves Christians. We claim Jesus as our Lord. Yet, how many times do we try to manipulate Him into endorsing what we want rather than asking what He wants?

Even though Jesus recognized the fallacies in the proposal the Greeks made Him, He was still shaken by it. Why would that be? Think about it. Jesus had publicly declared Himself as the Messiah, the King of Israel. Ever since, He had been involved in greater and greater controversy with the authorities. There could be no doubt how things were going to end. The authorities were going to kill Jesus at the first opportunity. And now, right at the last minute, Jesus is offered a way out. He could go teach among the Greeks and escape the cross.

In His agitation Jesus asked a similar question to the one He was going to ask later in the Garden of Gethsemane, “…what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’?” (John 12:27 NIV) Then, He reminded Himself that it was for this very hour that He had come. If He turned away from the cross now, His entire ministry would have been pointless.

Jesus made His decision. He would face the cross. His decision was validated by a voice from heaven. He had passed the test.

There are two consequences of Jesus’ decision. The first is that judgment would be pronounced on the world and the prince of the world would be driven out. In the cross it looks like the world has pronounced judgment on Jesus. In reality it is the world which has been measured and found wanting. Having refused to believe in Jesus, the world has brought condemnation on itself. Similarly, it would look like Satan had won when Jesus was crucified. In reality, through the crucifixion God has destroyed Satan’s power and rule.

The second consequence of Jesus’ choice to go through with the crucifixion was that it would draw all people to Him. If I am correct, the Greeks offered Him safety and honor. The irony is that it was only through sacrifice, only through the crucifixion, that Jesus would receive true honor. The Greeks wanted Jesus to come to them. Through the crucifixion all peoples, not just the Greeks, would come to Jesus.

That’s why we’re here today. We’re to draw near to Jesus. We’re here to remember what He did for us on the cross. The bread reminds us of His body which He sacrificed for us. The juice reminds us of His blood which paid for our sins.

But the bread and juice not only remind us of the cross, they remind us that Jesus overcame the temptation to turn His back on the cross. They are also a symbol of hope. Jesus overcame temptation. Through His strength, we can overcome it, too.

Why do we take Communion? Why do we participate every Sunday in this thing we call the Lord’s Supper? There are a lot of reasons. However, I want to concentrate on just one of them.

In the middle of a passage we often read at Communion time is a phrase that we probably don’t give enough attention to. It’s so familiar we sort of coast right over it. It says, “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” (1 Corinthians 11:26 NIV)

According to this verse, whenever we eat the Lord’s Supper, we’re making a statement. We’re telling the world two things: 1) Jesus died, and 2) Jesus is coming back.

When we eat the bread and drink the cup, most of the time we concentrate on ourselves – our relationship to Christ, what we’ve done wrong during the last week and the areas we hope to improve in. We ask for forgiveness and the strength to overcome our temptations and faults. While looking inward is good and necessary, we also need to remember what we’re telling the world.

Why is it important to proclaim the Lord’s death? From the world’s point of view, what we do here is silly. It doesn’t make sense. Why celebrate somebody’s death? Though it may seem foolish, the truth is that it is only through Christ’s death that we can be reconciled to God. In this same letter where Paul tells us we proclaim the Lord’s death when we eat the Lord’s Supper, he writes, “Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,” (1 Corinthians 15:1-3 NIV)

To put it plainly, if Jesus didn’t die, then we can’t be saved from the consequences of our sins. That’s why it’s important to proclaim His death.

We not only proclaim His death, we proclaim that He’s coming back. Why is that important for people to know? The writer of Hebrews puts it this way, “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” (Hebrews 9:27-28 NIV)

Jesus died to take away sin. He’s coming back to bring salvation. That’s what people need to know and that’s what we tell them when we eat the bread and drink the cup.

In our daily lives we have to make many choices. Often those choices are mutually exclusive. If we do this, we cannot do that. For example, when we’re driving our car down the street, if we choose to turn left, we cannot simultaneously turn right. The very act of turning left automatically closes off the possibility of turning to the right at that instant.

The same principle holds true in spiritual things. We have to make a choice whom we are going to serve. Whatever choice we make closes off the other. For example, Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” (Matthew 6:24 NIV)

The Israelites seemed to have a hard time understanding the concept. They tried time and again to serve both God and idols. But the choices are mutually exclusive. It’s either God or the idols, not both. That’s why the prophets repeatedly urged them to make up their minds about who they would serve. Elijah told the people of his day, “…How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.” (1 Kings 18:21 NIV)

Just as God offered the Israelites a choice, He offers one to us today. And the choice we make is every bit as important as the one they had make. Choosing one option automatically takes away the other.

Here’s how the writer of Hebrews describes the situation in chapter 9, verses 22 through 28. He contrasts what the Israelites had in the Law of Moses to what we have in Christ. He writes, “In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” (NIV)

In chapter 10, verses 26 through 29 he goes on to say, “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?” (NIV)

According to these passages, we can’t avoid death. Some day all of us will have to face it. Some day all of us will face judgment. We will have to answer for what we’ve done. While we don’t have any choice about whether we will die and face judgment, we do have a choice about how we will die. We can choose to die outside of Christ or we can die in Him. The choices are mutually exclusive. We can’t be both in and out of Christ at the same time.

As we just read, Jesus sacrificed himself to do away with sin. If we choose to accept His sacrifice, we will face the judgment with no sin held against us. We will be declared innocent. If we choose to reject His sacrifice, our sins will be counted against us at the judgment and we will be punished.

The bread we eat and the juice we drink each Sunday remind us of Jesus’ sacrifice. We can rejoice that because of His sacrifice we have a choice of how we’re going to approach death and the judgment to come. As we partake let’s renew our choice to accept what Jesus did for us.

(I prepared this meditation to go along with a sermon on Psalm 8.)

At some point in our lives just about all of us ask the question, “Why am I here? What is my place in the grand scheme of things?”

In trying to answer that question we run into one of the contradictions in human nature. On the one hand we have a pretty good opinion of ourselves. In fact, pride is one of our besetting sins. We tend to think that, at least in some ways, we’re better than others – or, we’re certainly not as bad as they are.

On the other hand, we have this sneaking suspicion that we’re insignificant. In comparison to the vast universe out there, not only we ourselves, but the whole of mankind is really small potatoes. In chapter 2, verse 6 the writer of Hebrews says, “…What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?” (NIV) That’s a quote from Psalm 8 where King David asks that question after he looked up at the night sky and saw the multitude of the stars. Compared to everything out there just what is mankind anyway? Why should God care about us?

A lot of people wonder about that. For example, I was reading a novel the other day. In it one of the characters says, “…to me those stars look pretty randomly scattered. And think about their size and distance! How can anything on this earth matter? We’re microbes on a grain of dust. Life is a stupid and insignificant accident, and when it’s over we’re just dead meat.” (Herman Wouk, War And Remembrance, Pocket Books, 1978, p.377)

However, King David and the writer of Hebrews have a very different answer about our worth when they contemplate the heavens. The heavens not only display the glory of God, they also disclose the glory of mankind. They write, “You made him a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor and put everything under his feet…” (Hebrews 2:7-8 NIV)

In verse 5, the writer of Hebrew already said that the world to come will not be subjected to the angels but will be under the rule of mankind. But here we run into a paradox. Verse 6 of Hebrews 2 asks the question why God should care about mankind at all? Verse 7 says that in the order of creation man is lower than the angels. How can man be lower than angels, yet have more honor and dominion than they do? In order to understand we need to take another look at how things began. When God created this world, He intended man to rule over it. Genesis 1, verses 27 and 28 say, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”” (NIV)

However, mankind has never fulfilled God’s purpose. One of the consequences of Adam’s and Eve’s sin was a fundamental change in our relationship to the world around us. Genesis 3:17 says, “To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat of it,’ Cursed is the ground because of you…”” (NIV)

Fortunately, God also promised that one day the curse will be reversed. John writes, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away…” (Revelation 21:1 NIV) Then he adds, “No longer will there be any curse…” (Revelation 22:3 NIV) According to what we read in Hebrews, this new earth will be under man’s dominion, just as in God’s original intent.

Since we have messed up our heritage through sin, and mankind is lower in the creation than the angels, then how is it that angels are sent to serve us and how is it that we, and not they, will rule over the world to come? The answer is in the passage we’ve already looked at in Genesis 1:27. God created man in His own image; He put something of Himself in us. Though, because of our sin we have totally distorted that image, God still cherishes it and wants to redeem it.

Now if we are created in God’s image, that also explains why He chose us to rule rather than the angels. By definition, God rules. If we are made in His image it follows that we also must rule. Otherwise we cannot fulfill or satisfy the nature that we have.

But this raises another question. The description we’ve been reading does not seem to match reality. Hebrews 2:8 candidly admits that we don’t see everything subject to mankind. “…In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him.” (NIV)

The solution to this dilemma is in verse 9. “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.” (NIV)

When we look at Jesus, we see the same pattern of being made lower before being exalted, of defeat before victory. He had an exalted position. Then He was made lower than the angels. He tasted death. Afterward He was crowned with glory and honor. In other words, Jesus is the prototype or forerunner for what will happen to us. Since we have Jesus’ example of how this works, we can be confident that the promises made to us will come to pass also. If we look through physical and material eyes, our current position is very low. Yet, when we look at things from the perspective of God’s will and promises, we have already been crowned.

Jesus was crowned because He suffered death. Without the death there wouldn’t have been the crown. This is one of the reasons we gather each week to remember Christ’s death. The death we commemorate in the bread which represents His body and the juice which represents His blood, point to the glory He received. It’s also a reminder of the honor and glory we anticipate. Paul points out in Romans, chapter 6 that we receive new life by being baptized into Christ’s death. Because we share in His death, we will also share in His glory.

Not too many days pass in which we do not get a rather pointed reminder about the uncertainty of life. We read or see on the news about a devastating earthquake. Thousands have died in an instant of time. In some other place, terrorists have massacred another village. A few days later we hear about a commuter train derailing, killing and maiming dozens. The list of such incidents goes on and on.

The point is that we do not know when or where some life-threatening event is going to occur. Though we don’t like to think about it, such an event could happen to us. This is why financial planners, consultants and other experts put so much stress on making a will. If the unthinkable should happen, who will take care of your dependents? Who will get your stuff? Will it be distributed the way you want, or will the state decide?

Making a will is not always easy. It can be stressful deciding who will inherit what. While it can be sort of fun designating that a certain heirloom will go to a particular person, there can also be concern about whether your decisions about who gets what will cause arguments and jealousy.

On the flip side, being named a beneficiary in someone’s will or receiving an inheritance can be a tremendous blessing. It’s a thrill to receive a check from someone’s estate especially when you had no idea it was coming to you.

What does all this have to do with the purpose for which we are gathered here this morning? Those of us who are Christians are part of God’s household. We’ve come together on family business. If you’ll pardon the play on words, one of the things we’re here for is to read and talk about our Father’s will. The legal documents He’s given us (the Bible) say that we’re named as beneficiaries. We have an inheritance coming when we reach our majority.

What is the inheritance we’ve been promised? We don’t really know – at least not the details. Yes, He’s giving us a makeover. We’ll be getting a new body. We’ll have a new place to live. But the Apostle Paul indicates that it’s really far beyond what we can even think or imagine.

Now the pesky thing about inheritances is that they don’t come into effect until after someone dies. Uncle George would get a bit upset if the family tried to distribute his property while he’s still using it. It’s only after Uncle George dies that his beneficiaries inherit the property.

It’s the same way in God’s household. The only reason we are receiving an inheritance is that there’s been a death in the family. Our older brother (Jesus) has died. It’s His death that triggers the provisions of the will.

Another thing to remember about wills is that a newer one always takes precedence over an older one. When someone writes a new will, any provisions or instructions in the old one no longer apply.

The writer of Hebrews describes it this way in chapter 9, verses 11-18. He’s contrasting the effects of the old will God established under the Law of Moses with the will which Christ’s death brought into effect. “When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance – now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living. This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood.” (NIV)

Jumping down to verse 27, he writes, “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” (Hebrews 9:27-28 NIV)

As I said before, we’re here on family business. We’re here to think about our inheritance. More than that, we’re here to remember our older brother, Jesus. We’re here to remember His death, His sacrifice which brought the will into effect so that we can inherit eternal life.

When He comes back to take us to our inheritance will we be waiting for Him?

We all go through struggles or hardships from time to time. But no matter how rough we have it, it’s pretty easy to look around us and see someone else who arouses our pity. For example, we might be feeling sorry for ourselves because we have car trouble. But then, we see someone who doesn’t have legs and cannot walk. All of a sudden, our transportation problem doesn’t seem quite so bad.

We might be having trouble paying our bills. But then we read about someone who has been kidnapped and sold into slavery like the girls captured by Boko Haram in Nigeria. Maybe we don’t have all the things we’d like, but at least we’re free.

There are people who are even worse off than those who have physical handicaps or have lost their freedom. Several years ago, I was helping to fix up a storefront so it could be rented. One day I forgot to lock the door and a wino wandered in. I climbed down off my ladder to see what he wanted. He was just curious about what I was doing. We chatted a bit about this and that when, all of a sudden – without warning – he began to cry. “I was in the Bataan Death March,” he said. “I saw 3,000 men die.” Then, he turned around and stumbled out the door. I stood there with my mouth hanging open. I didn’t know what to say or what to do.

Later, I tried to help the man, but was unable to do so. He couldn’t overcome the horror he’d experienced over 30 years in the past. I couldn’t get through that barrier.

As much as we might pity a person with poor health or physical handicaps, as much as we might pity a person who is destitute or has lost his freedom, as much as we might pity a person who has been traumatized by torture and unspeakable horror, the Bible tells us that there is another kind of person who should be pitied even more.

Let’s read about it in 1st Corinthians, chapter 15, starting in verse 12. “But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.” (1 Corinthians 15:12-19 NIV)

Did you get that? Paul writes that if Jesus did not rise from the dead, those of us who call ourselves Christians and who put our faith in Christ, should be pitied more than anyone. Why should we be pitied? Because out faith is worse than useless, our hope is misplaced – we’re counting on something which won’t happen. Even worse that that, we are still in our sins. We haven’t been forgiven for the wrong we’ve done.

However, the truth of the matter is that Jesus did rise from the dead! When the disciples came to the grave, they found it empty – in spite of the fact it was guarded by Roman soldiers, with orders to make sure that Jesus’ body stayed right there.

There are times when we doubt. There are times when we question whether we’ve put our faith in the right thing or in the right Person. One of the purposes for Communion, or the Lord’s Supper is to remind us again of the facts. Yes, Jesus died. The bread we eat reminds us of His broken body. The juice we drink reminds us that His blood was poured out as a sacrifice on our behalf. Yes, Jesus was buried. But there is much more to Communion than remembering Christ’s death.

Jesus instructed His disciples to eat and drink in remembrance of Him, but He said to do it until He comes again. When we eat of the bread and drink of the cup, it reminds us that Jesus not only died, but that He rose again. It reminds us that death is not the end.

Scripture tells us that if we die with Christ, we will live with Him as well.

Not only does Jesus give us new spiritual life, because He rose from the dead, we have confidence that we will rise from the grave also.

Because Jesus overcame, we have a sure hope that we also will overcome. Because He lives forever, those who put their faith in Him will also live forever. Because our faith is grounded in the fact of Jesus’ resurrection, we don’t need anyone’s pity. On the contrary, our faith, the forgiveness we have and our hope should be the envy of everyone who has not submitted himself to Christ.

Today as we eat the bread and drink the juice, let’s rejoice in Christ’s resurrection. Let us renew the hope we have, because He rose from the dead.

How many of you play chess? I’m absolutely no good at it, but occasionally it is fun to play against a computer program set on “easy”. I don’t play often. When I do, it’s purely for recreation.

However, to others chess can be serious business or a passion. I once had the privilege of visiting a royal palace in India. One courtyard in particular impressed me. It was laid out like a giant chessboard with alternating squares of red and white. At two opposite ends were elevated balconies which overlooked the board. The emperor would sit in one balcony. Visiting monarchs would sit in the balcony on the opposite side. They would play against each other using real people for pieces. The stakes were sometimes very high. If you won, it might mean that you gained territory from the other king. If your opponent captured your queen, she had to join his harem. Similarly, depending on how the game went, you would gain or lose the services of the councilors and courtiers who occupied the squares on the board.

One of the strategies a master chess player will sometimes use, is that of sacrifice. He deliberately lets his opponent take a piece for no obvious reason. It may not seem to make sense. Why weaken your own hand by giving up a piece? However, as the play develops, it turns out that the sacrifice put him in just the right place to exploit the other person’s position. The sacrifice becomes the key to victory. He turned an apparent weakness (losing a piece) into overwhelming strength.

In a sense, all of mankind was in the same fix as the people occupying the squares on that royal chessboard. God and Satan faced each other across the board. The stakes were high. The play would not just determine who our master would be, but was for our very souls. Whoever won would control our eternal destiny.

For a long time, it looked like Satan was winning. God opened the game by placing mankind in a wonderful garden. Satan enticed Adam and Eve to sin and got them kicked out of the garden. God responded to man’s resulting wickedness with the flood while sparing righteous Noah and his family. Satan countered with the Tower of Babel. To offset that, God chose Abraham and his descendants the Israelites to proclaim righteousness. Satan’s reply was to get the Israelites tied up in idolatry and exiled from their homeland. God sent Jesus to show us how to live. Satan arranged to have Him killed.

Move and counter-move, all through history it looked like Satan had the upper hand. It appeared that he was successful in undermining and undoing everything God attempted. But unknown to Satan, God was playing a deep game using a strategy He’d decided on before the game even began. Just when things looked hopeless, the perfect time came for God to sacrifice the most important piece on the board. God took death – Satan’s own weapon – and used it against him. Because of that one move, the game is over. Sure, there’s still some movement on the board, but it’s only cleaning up the details. God has declared “checkmate!” and there’s nothing Satan can do to get out of it.

Interestingly enough, our word “checkmate” comes from the Persian “shah mat” which means “the king is dead”. At God’s command, King Jesus sacrificed His life to “checkmate” Satan and, in doing so, give us life.

The winning move took everyone by surprise. Paul writes to the Corinthians, “When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power. We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” (1 Corinthians 2:1-8 NIV)

Each week we gather to remember and to celebrate the winning move which conquered death and broke Satan’s power. The bread we eat and the juice we drink remind us of the sacrifice which won the game. Yet, there’s also a lesson we can learn from it: Often the only way for us to overcome the opposition we face is through sacrifice. God turns our weakness into strength. Speaking of Jesus the Apostle Paul writes, “For to be sure, he was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God’s power. Likewise, we are weak in him, yet by God’s power we will live with him to serve you. (2 Corinthians 13:4 NIV)

Are you losing in the game of life? Do you see no way out of your situation? Then, sacrifice self and ambition so that His power may “checkmate” the forces which are against you.

Today as we eat and drink, let’s not only remember God’s winning move, but ask ourselves what we need to sacrifice in order to win.

Our minds are wired in such a way that when we hear a name, we automatically associate certain attributes or characteristics with it. Whether it is true or not, whether it is deserved or not, the image or description pops into our mind. For example, when we hear the name of a particular company we immediately think, “high quality products”. Similarly, we associate another name with “excellent customer service” or “quick delivery”. Advertising people call this branding. Companies spend fortunes trying to ensure that only positive connotations are branded into our brains, because once a company gets a reputation – good or bad – it’s mighty hard to change it.

We do the same thing with people. For example, if we’ve had a bad experience with someone as a child the person’s name can have bad connotations for us throughout the rest of our life. Similarly, certain names have very pleasant connotations. Good or bad, deserved or undeserved, it’s hard to change the image which is imprinted in our minds.

What are some of the associations our minds make when we think of Jesus’ disciples? When we hear the name ‘Judas’ our minds supply the words ‘thief’ and ‘traitor’. ‘Peter’ brings to mind ‘impetuous’ and ‘rock’. We think of James and John as the “Sons of Thunder”. Andrew has the reputation of always bringing someone to Jesus. In each of these cases, the disciples’ reputations are well deserved.

However, one disciple has a reputation which I think is inaccurate and undeserved. It’s Thomas. We call him “Doubting Thomas” because he said he wouldn’t believe Jesus rose from the dead unless he saw and touched the wounds. I think Thomas has gotten a bum rap. If you read the accounts carefully, it becomes plain that the other disciples doubted the resurrection as well. It was only Thomas who had the guts to verbalize it.

It’s unfortunate that people focus on his doubt and forget what Thomas did in John, chapter 11. Jesus and the disciples were in Perea when they got word that their friend Lazarus back in Judea was sick. After a couple of days, Jesus informed the disciples that it was time to go back to Judea and raise Lazarus from the dead.

Most of the disciples were aghast. “The authorities tried to kill you the last time we were there and you want to go back?”

Here, Thomas shows more loyalty and dedication than any of the other disciples. It is he who steps forward and gives the others enough backbone to go with Jesus back to Judea. I think his reasoning went something like this: “Jesus is going to Judea. They want to kill Him there. Since I am His disciple and have committed myself to following Him, I will go to Judea with Him even if it means my death.” It seems to me that Thomas, out of all the disciples, was the one who really understood what following Jesus meant. He, more than any, was willing to pay the price.

Not too long before this Jesus had told them, “…If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?” (Luke 9:24-25 NIV)

Here’s a question for us: We call him “Doubting Thomas” but are we as dedicated as he? Are we loyal enough to follow Jesus into a situation which we know full well might mean our death?

Hebrews 6:12 says, “We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.” (Hebrews 6:12 NIV)

Before us are the emblems which remind us of Christ’s death on a cross. Are we, like Thomas, willing to take up our cross and follow Jesus?