Death Before Life
“From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.”
It is the Easter season that we are entering into and we need to remind ourselves that where there is no crucifixion there can be no resurrection.
Jesus showed very clearly that to have a victorious and successful life, there has to be death. That is why the symbol of the Christian faith is the cross - the cross of suffering, the cross of dying to self. Self-preservation is not the Christian way, remember the adage: “I’m all right Jack!”
That attitude is not God’s way. That is why Peter was rebuked sharply by Jesus if you read the next verse, where He says: “Get behind me Satan“ Matthew 16:23, because Peter said: “You are not going to die, Lord” - because he did not understand.
You know, as a farmer I know for a fact that you can take good seed and you can preserve it in an airtight, controlled environment for years and years and years and it will not die - but it will not produce anything either. If you take that seed and you put it into good, moist, fertile soil, the seed will die but it will produce and multiply a great crop.
This Easter, don’t forget to remember Good Friday. It saddens me when I hear of many ministers who are not concerned about Good Friday. They are only interested in Resurrection Sunday. Now, nobody rejoices more than me on Easter Sunday, oh yes - I can put on my dancing shoes and I can dance before the Lord because my Master is not dead - He is alive!
However, there needs to be dead before there is life, in my humble opinion, the greatest event in the entire Christian calendar is Good Friday. Jesus had to die a criminals death on the cross so that you and I could live forever. Take time out and meditate on the greatest event that the world has ever seen.
I want to tell you that Jesus Christ is the Saviour of my life. My biggest enemy is not the devil - his neck was broken on the Cross of Calvary. My biggest enemy is Angus Buchan and when Angus Buchan dies, then Jesus can live through him.
So have a wonderful Sunday. Sit aside, have a cup of tea, a cup of coffee, sit in the garden and remember what the Master did for you and me.
God bless you and have a wonderful day.