North Ryde Christian Church

Despite the way some people may react, death is not that big a problem in a video game. You may lose your loot, position or game but there’s always another life. On the contrary, the Bible says real human death is a once off occasion, life is not repeatable, it’s a one time only offer. And what comes next is crucial.

“People are destined to die once, and after that to face judgement.” Hebrews 9:27

Post death divine judgement sounds like an old fashioned idea, and it is. The idea that God will judge us and our lives after we die has been around since the beginning of recorded history. It’s a scary idea and out of fashion in our post-christian culture. But the Bible says it’s true. As much as God’s eternal judgement may seem dreadful, from another perspective it gives life meaning and can comfort us as we face injustices in life. Post death divine judgement means that what we do here and now matters. There is an objective standard of right and wrong. There is a witness to every secret crime and cruelty. When all the land’s judicial systems fail, when corruption perverts truth, there is still justice for those who got away with it.

The idea that when our “game is over” everyone of us will re-spawn before God’s impartial judgement can be both terrifying and comforting. But the above verse brings great hope as it continues.

“Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgement, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; 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

The Bible teaches that their will be two types of judgment – believers (who trust that their sins have been forgiven through the death and resurrection of Christ) will be rewarded (Romans 14:10; 2 Corinthians 5:10), and unbelievers will be punished eternally (Revelation 20:11-15).

The good news of Jesus is that He Himself bore our punishment so that those who trust in Him, or, as this verse puts it, are waiting for Him to return, can be confident they will be forgiven for everything and spend eternity in the loving company of God. Will you take this one life you’ve got seriously? Do you want to be sure that, on the other side of death, you will be forgiven and welcomed by a loving God (2 Corinthians 5:10)? Trust Jesus. Depend on what He’s done to bring you forgiveness. Be confident of where you will be when you re-spawn.

Prayer: Dear God, I admit I don’t live according to your perfect standard. I admit I have secret sins. It’s scary to know you see them all and will judge me for them. Please forgive them in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Acknowledgement: This article was sourced from Outreach Media, Sydney, Australia.
Images and text © Outreach Media 2023

Everyday in the world about 190,000 people die. That averages as 8,000 deaths per hour and two deaths every second. In Australia we do a pretty good job at keeping death out of conversation and mind. However there’s no denying it is an inevitable and ordinary part of life. Death isn’t, in a manner of speaking, anything special. So why do we have a public holiday – an extra long weekend with Good Friday and Easter Monday, in remembrance of one man’s death? What has the death of one specific, Jewish man who lived 12,217 kilometres and 2,000 years apart from our lives today got to do with us?

Let me tell you the two reasons why thousands of kilometres away and thousands of years later millions of people stop to remember the death of Jesus Christ.

Firstly, Jesus’ death wasn’t an ordinary death. He did die in a rather common, though brutal, way for first century Roman occupied Jerusalem. Crucifixion was a preferred method of executing non-Roman criminals in Jesus’ day. Jesus was just one of 1,000s crucified by the Roman government in those days. However the Bible testifies that, unlike the thousands of others who died on a cross, Jesus’ death had a very special divine and eternal purpose. The eyewitness accounts of Jesus, preserved for us today in the Bible, make it clear Jesus was the perfect, sinless, universe creating God-become-human. When He died He was God dying on behalf of us God ignoring sinners. The death of Jesus is the expression of God’s sacrificial love for us and the means by which we can be freely forgiven for our rejection of Him. The undeserved death of Jesus is the substitution of our deserved death. The death of Jesus is the act and evidence that we are deeply and unrelentingly loved by the God who made us. This is worth remembering, celebrating, honouring. This is reason for the whole world to stop.

Secondly, Jesus didn’t just die. The eyewitness accounts of Jesus’ contemporaries and disciples report the extraordinary event of Jesus coming back to life. This is not something they expected as they huddled together grieving the death of their teacher and loss of hope He would save them. Yet as they met the resurrected Jesus they were convinced Jesus had conquered death and indeed was their saviour – not just in this life but the life to come. They went from fear and despair to people willing to share the miraculous message of who Jesus is and what he has done whatever the cost.

Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26

What’s so special about Easter? The crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus is the historical proof of the creator God’s gritty, agonising, death-defying love for you. Will you accept this love? Will you humble yourself enough to admit you need it? Will you accept His promise of life eternal?

Prayer: Creator God, I believe Jesus is who He said He was. I believe He is God almighty who died in my place to bring me forgiveness and eternal life. Forgive me for rejecting you. Help me now to live knowing your love and looking forward to eternal life with you. Amen.

Acknowledgement: This article was sourced from Outreach Media, Sydney, Australia.
Images and text © Outreach Media 2023

Here’s a link to the Good News archive (in a new window).

We appreciate, perhaps now more than ever, the sacrificial and life saving service of our doctors and nurses. A survey in 2021 showed that doctors and nurses are the professionals we Australians trust more than any other. Paramedics and surf lifeguards are also held dear in our Australian hearts. How important and comforting it is to know there’s someone there to save us if our life is at risk. In a moment of life and death there is nothing more vital than being rescued and nothing more beautiful than our rescuer’s face.

Have you thought of Jesus as your rescuer? The overarching story of the Bible, from beginning to end, is that we humans need rescuing from more than just physical death. Because we have all rejected our God and creator we are in grave spiritual danger. After our physical death we face God’s just judgement and eternal condemnation. It’s a hard thing to think about. It can sound so harsh and feel so far from our current daily experiences. But the Bible is clear – our sin (rebellion against God) means we are in real, serious and permanent danger from God’s justice.

The reality of this danger is what makes the message of Jesus “good news.”

When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.  Romans 5:6-8

This is where what Jesus did to rescue us from eternal danger is even greater than our sacrificial doctors, nurses, paramedics and lifeguards. Jesus gave up His life to rescue us, to secure our forgiveness and eternal life. Sometimes we hear of someone dying to save the life of another – the dad who saved his child from drowning but was unable to get himself to shore safely. Like this scenario Jesus gave up His life for ours. But unlike this example Jesus didn’t die to save His innocent loving child, He died to save the children who have shunned Him and hurt Him. And Jesus didn’t stay dead either, rather He rose back to life again and conquered death for all in doing so. Jesus wants to rescue you from eternal danger. He died and rose again, so that you could have a perfect eternal life with Him. He did this despite the way you’ve ignored or rejected Him. Are you ready to be rescued by this amazing Saviour?

Prayer: Dear God, Please forgive me for ignoring and rejecting you. I accept Jesus’ eternal rescue. I’m thankful that He died and rose back to life again to save me from eternal condemnation. I receive this rescue and gift of eternal life with you in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Acknowledgement: This article was sourced from Outreach Media, Sydney, Australia.
Images and text © Outreach Media 2023

We can not live well without love. It is a universal truth as much as it is a cliche. Love lost, love unrequited, love received – these are the real events that make our lives and mark our memories. Without true love in our lives, whether it be a parent, a child, a lover, a friend, or a pet, we limp along surviving but never thriving. And it is not a coincidence that as the oft- quoted Bible verse declares, “God is love” (1 John 4:16). God is love, and He has created us to exist, to thrive, in His love.

But what does “God is love” really mean? Some conclude that the prevalence of suffering in this world precludes the existence of a loving God. That makes sense. If God is all-powerful and all-loving, why would He allow the terrible suffering that has darkened each one of our lives?

The Bible is a very long love letter that describes why. God’s love is holistic and long-sighted. He doesn’t give His beloved ice cream for breakfast because it will make them happy in the morning. When the humans He has created to thrive in His love reject Him – He loves them enough to let them experience the natural consequences of their choice. And the natural consequence of living outside God’s love is suffering. That is not to say that the suffering in a person’s life is a specific or proportionate consequence of their sin. Rather, because of our common rejection of the God who is love, we live in a world, in bodies and relationships, that are broken and love deficient.

Yet God loves us still. He doesn’t delight in the suffering we have brought upon ourselves. On the contrary, with a grieving and love-filled heart, God steps into our suffering. Jesus going to the cross is that moment in the movie where the heroic lover sacrifices himself to save their beloved – even after the beloved has denied him.

“This is real love—not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins” 1 John 4:10.

Have you accepted the strong, forgiving, self- sacrificing love of God? Have you acknowledged that you have not loved God but He has loved you? Have you read His love letter to you? Perhaps you could start by reading 1 John (a letter recorded towards the end of the Bible). Whatever love you are blessed to have in your life there is none stronger, deeper, or better than God’s love for you.

Prayer: Dear God, open my eyes and heart to the depths of your love. Help me to see that, though I haven’t loved you, you have loved me. I receive the gift of Jesus’s sacrifice to take away my sins. Please fill me with your love. Amen.

Acknowledgement: This article was sourced from Outreach Media, Sydney, Australia.
Images and text © Outreach Media 2023

Jesus was born into the world like any other baby. Two people recognized that His coming was a major event.

First, an elderly man Simeon was waiting for the promised Jewish Messiah to come and rescue Israel from the Romans and restore them as a nation (Lk. 2:25-35NLT). He went to the Jewish temple when Jesus was there as a 40-day old baby and declared that He was the Messiah that they were waiting for. The Bible says that on “that day the Spirit led him to the Temple”. Simeon praised God for keeping His promise and he told Mary that the baby “has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose Him. As a result …  a sword will pierce your very soul”. This is a reference to Christ’s suffering and death.

Second, the elderly widow named Anna received divine revelations and spoke for God in a time period between the two testaments when scripture was silent (Lk. 2:36-38). “She never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer”. She continued to serve God in her old age.  When she saw Jesus “She began praising God” and from this time she “talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem”.

Simeon and Anna recognized that this was a major event. But how could a child of poor parents be important (Lk. 2:24)? Of course, we know that this was no ordinary child, and we know about the rest of His life.

How can we recognize an important event? We could ask, are there any eternal consequences? Using this criterion, the football World Cup is not important. It has no eternal consequences. But each birth and death has lasting importance for that person. They both have eternal consequences. And the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus has lasting importance for everyone. It’s more important than the World Cup! The birth was the precursor to the most important events in Christianity, which are the death and resurrection of Jesus. One’s response to this determines their eternal destiny.

Simeon and Anna showed up when Jesus visited the temple. Like Simeon and Anna showed up and recognized Christ’s birth, do we show up at church to recognize and remember His death?

Prayer

Father, we thank you for faithful people like Simeon and Anna who follow the Holy Spirit to recognize significant events that have an everlasting impact. Help us to be more like them.

And we thank you for sending Jesus to die so that our sins might be put away forever. Thanks for keeping your promises when He came to earth, and we expect more of your promises to be fulfilled when He returns.

So, we offer thanks and praise for all that you have done through Jesus.
In Christ’s name, Amen.

G Hawke

It’s particularly upsetting when a Christmas gift gets lost in the post – one that you’ve carefully chosen and wrapped and sent with love to that special someone you can’t be with over Christmas. With Australia Post making over 2 million deliveries a day it’s no wonder some Christmas parcels go missing. Such as the fruitcake that 3 year old Beau baked with his grandma and sent to his great grandparents. That lovingly made fruitcake only had to travel 150 km and should have taken about a week to get to Beau’s great grandparents. But because of an old barcode left on the re-used parcel box, Beau’s fruitcake travelled approximately 7,000 km and took almost two months to arrive.

Whatever parcels you have received, sent, lost or even found in your life, the original Christmas delivery can not be lost. The Bible tells us that God chose and sent His precious son, Jesus Christ, to us because of His great love. God chose and sent His precious son, Jesus Christ, to us as the gift of divine forgiveness, the gift of salvation, the gift of reconciliation with God. Jesus was sent from heaven to us to show us God’s love and take the consequences of our wrong doing on Himself when He died on the cross.

“This is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.  God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him” (John 3:16-17NLT).

This original Christmas gift is a strange and wonderful one. It was delivered perfectly on time by God Himself, it doesn’t have a use by date, it can’t break or deteriorate and it is available to all who will receive it. The question is have you received it?

Prayer: Dear God, You really love me. You love me so much you sent your precious son Jesus to suffer the consequences of my sin and bring me forgiveness and reconciliation with you. Thank you. I receive this everlasting gift with joy. Please help me from now on to live in peace with you. Amen.

Acknowledgement: This article was sourced from Outreach Media, Sydney, Australia.
Images and text © Outreach Media 2022

God deserves our praise and worship because He created the universe and everything in it (Rev. 4:11). This should be obvious (Rom. 1:19-20). Creation is huge and complicated. Scientists will never understand it all. It looks like it’s been designed. And God not only created matter and energy, He also created the laws of science and mathematics. So, He’s the source of everything that’s good.

But people’s rebellion against God spoilt His original perfect creation. So, we live in a flawed world that can be cruel. And because we all rebel against the holy God, everyone will face God’s judgment and deserves to go to hell forever.

But the Bible says that God also deserves our praise and worship because the death of Jesus Christ satisfied God’s demands for payment for our rebellion against Him (Rev.5:9-10). He took our hell so we could have His heaven and reign in His kingdom. So, He is the Saviour (or rescuer or liberator) of those who accept His salvation.

How do we remember people? How do we remember Queen Elizabeth? Often by photos or by remembering how they looked. Photos of the person who died are usually shown at funeral services. We also remember occasions by taking photos. But we can’t remember Jesus that way because He lived before cameras were invented!

Jesus asked His followers to remember Him in a particular way – in the Lord’s Supper, which involved sharing a simple meal – bread and wine, which was the most common food and drink at that time. It was interactive and corporate, not static and individual like a cross or a crucifix, or a photo.

Prayer

Father, we admire your power shown in creation and your love shown by Jesus that fuels our praise and worship. You are indeed the source and the Saviour.

We thank you for sending Jesus to die so that our sins might be put away forever. So, we offer thanks and praise for all that you have done through Jesus.
In Christ’s name, Amen.

G Hawke