The Centrepiece of Scripture…

On Sunday morning I had the amazing priviledge of being able to speak on the centrepiece of the whole of Scripture. The passage was John 19: 16-42 – the crucifixion, the death and the burial of Jesus.

It was our 8am communion service and below is the outline:

A terrible tragedy, or the plan of God? (vv16-27)

Jesus is made the centrepiece of a horrible torture and death, showing He was thought of as nothing more than a common criminal – what a thought, the Son of God was treated as a common criminal! We see God’s plan in two ways: 1. The sign above Jesus is in all three major languages – the sign fulfils divine purpose in proclaiming Jesus! 2. What the soldiers think of as just a nice garment is actually God fulfilling Psalm 22:18. He fulfils prophecy about Jesus! A terrible tragedy, or the plan of God?

A pathetic death, or an incredible victory? (vv28-37)

The greatest ever substitution takes place as Jesus dies for sinners. The same Man who offered the woman at the well living water now cries out that He is thirsty. This shows for the first time in eternity that Jesus is thirsty for the prescence of God. He is cut off from the Father for the sake of sinners, and He does this willingly. The cry of ‘It is Finished’ is a cry of victory – that Jesus has defeated Satan. It is truly finished for all who trust in Jesus. The roman soldier proves beyond doubt that Jesus was dead – JC Ryle comments: ‘Little indeed did that reckless Roman soldier dream that he was a mighty helper of our Holy religion, when he thrust his spear into our Lord’s side.’ A pathetic death, or an incredible victory?

The end of the King, or the sign of His reign? (vv38-42)

Jesus is buried in a new tomb. This again shows that He could be the only person missing from the tomb when it was discovered empty three days later. Jesus is also buried in a garden. Sin first entered the world through one man in a garden. Sin then is defeated by one man in a garden. Jesus reverses the curse of Eden and brings life for all who look to Him. This should lead us to praise! John Calvin once said ‘Every rememberance of God’s mercy should at once stir us up to glorify Him.’ We should do just that in light of the cross.

Jesus not Easter Eggs!

Lets get people talking about Jesus, the real meaning of Easter, and not the amount of Eggs they get! I received this e-mail this morning which looks well worth doing:

Dear Xander,

I just wanted to let you (and the readership of your blog) know about a campaign to get Delirious (writers of songs such as I could sing of your love forever and Majesty) to number 1 in the UK pop charts this Easter Sunday!

This is the perfect time of the year to make a positive impact through actions that are both cheap (Under £2 to download both versions of their single) and quick (can be done in under 5 minutes).

They have released a song called History Makers (live and studio versions)which is currently number 10 in midweek position but we have until Sunday to get it higher, and get people talking about God, at Easter…rather than the usual pop tat!

Info here; www.invadetheairwaves.org.uk

Song can be bought here;

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/bestsellers/dmusic/ref=sv_dmusic_2

or here;

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewTop?id=130&popId=1&genreId=34
All versions of the song count towards the final chart position, the more buys, the higher it gets!

Lets get downloading!