The centurion watching Jesus saw the earthquake, and

feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.

2

In this issue:

3. United with Him in His Resurrection Ken Legg (Australia)

6. Christ’s Appearances after His Resurrection Mathew Bartlett (UK)

10. Pontius Pilate: Behold the Man! Mathew Bartlett (UK)

14. Happy Mother’s Day Mathew Bartlett (UK)

15. The Returning Lord Reinhard Bonnke (CfaN)

18. The Sufferings of Christ Mathew Bartlett (UK)

22. Christ’s Appearances after His Resurrection Mathew Bartlett (UK)

24. The Exaltation of Christ Mathew Bartlett (UK)

Back: Britain’s’ Cheapest Gospel Tracts Bible Studies Online

www.biblestudiesonline.org.uk

Living Word is published in the UK by Sharon Full Gospel Church, 7 Park View, Freeholdland Road, Pontnewynydd, Pontypool, NP4 8LP Editor: Mathew Bartlett

©Photos - above: Marcin Winnicki. Cover: © Philcold. Wooden background: Dave Bredeson Left from top: Jozef Sedmak, Connie Larsen, Jacob Gregory. Back Cover: © A. J. Cotton

3

When United with Christ in His

resurrection, Christians live by

grace. Grace is all about what God

has done for us and is doing in and

through us by His Spirit. Legalism

nullifies grace by making it all

about what we attempt to do for

Him, thus subtly promoting

reliance upon the flesh.

It was no different in the days of

the New Testament. For example,

the Galatians fell into this error

and Paul said to them, ‘Are you so

foolish? Having begun in the Spirit,

are you now being made perfect

by the flesh?’ (Gal. 3:3). This is

why it is so important for

Christians to be clear about the

doctrine of their union with Christ.

In the last chapter we saw that our

salvation is certain because we

were baptised into His death.

Our judgement has taken place at

the cross. Not only did Jesus die

for us but we died with Him.

The old condemned person we

were in Adam has been crucified.

Sadly, many stop there. But Paul

says, ‘For if we have been united

together in the likeness of His

death, certainly we also shall be in

the likeness of His resurrection’

(Rom.6:5).

Having died with Christ, we have

been raised with Him as a new

creation. He is now our life. ‘I have

been crucified with Christ; it is no

longer I who live, but Christ lives in

me’ (Gal.2:20). As Paul said, if we

have been united with Christ in His

death, we shall also be united with

Him in His resurrection.

If we believe the first statement is

true, then let us believe the

second is true also. Through the

finality of the cross we are forever

reconciled to God.

By means of our union with Christ

in His resurrection, we are

empowered for life and godliness.

‘And this is the testimony: that

God has given us eternal life, and

this life is in His Son. He who has

the Son has life; he who does not

have the Son of God does not have

life’ (1 Jn.5:11-12).

Order ‘Grace: The Power to Reign’

PDF AUS $9 Print AUS $19

United with Him in His

Resurrection

By Ken Legg Image © James Steidl

Image © Bernard Dunne

Let’s Talk About Prayer

Though prayer is 'the Christian's vital breath' it raises many questions: if God is in control of everything what's the point of praying? how is prayer related to healing? what about 'unanswered' prayer?

In this remarkable book Tom Holland uses a series of conversations between a pastor and members of his congregation to help us think through these and other questions in the light of biblical teaching.

Available from all good Christian bookstores

4

Faithbuilders Bible Study Guide – Mark

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The Prophet of Messiah: Zechariah

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Faithbuilders Bible Study Guide – Matthew

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Esther: Queen of Persia

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6

Every Easter Sunday we celebrate

Christ’s rising from the dead. But

that was not the end of the story.

The Bible says that Jesus appeared

again and again to his disciples in

various ways over the 40 days

following his resurrection, giving

them many infallible proofs that

he was alive. What was the

purpose of these post resurrection

appearances of Christ?

They Were Regenerating

When Christ appeared to Mary

Magdalene, the women, the

eleven disciples, and all the others

in the upper room after his

resurrection, his purpose was that

by believing in him (as the Christ

who had died and was risen) they

might be born again to eternal life.

This new birth is called

regeneration. In the upper room,

Jesus Christ breathed on his

disciples and through the

operation of the Holy Spirit they

were born again—or born from

above—with a new spiritual

nature, the nature of God.

It is the same for every one of us

today. Jesus died and rose again

for you. He wants you to believe

this even without seeing him.

There is enough power in his

resurrection to bring you from

spiritual death to spiritual life.

That is why the Bible says “if you

confess with your mouth that

Jesus is Lord and believe in your

heart that God raised him from

the dead, you will be saved.”

(Rom. 10:9 ESV)

One of the apostles, Thomas, was

not with the others when Jesus

appeared to them on the first

Easter Sunday, and he refused to

believe their story without seeing

the risen Christ for himself. When

the Lord appeared to Thomas one

week later, he rebuked him for his

unbelief, and said "Have you

believed because you have seen

me? Blessed are those who have

not seen and yet have believed."

(John 20:29 ESV)

Today when you believe on the

Lord Jesus Christ who died for you,

and who rose again and is alive

today, you will experience a

spiritual regeneration—you will be

born again and receive the gift of

eternal life.

You may remember that before

his crucifixion all of Jesus’ disciples

failed him. Not only did they fall

asleep in the garden of

Gethsemane (when Jesus had just

commanded them to watch and

pray), but they all forsook him in

his hour of need and fled for their

lives.

Whilst all of them had failed the

Lord, the one most keenly felt his

failure was Simon Peter. He had

followed Jesus to the High Priest’s

house where he saw the Lord

stand trial before the Sanhedrin—

but when challenged by a young

servant girl, Peter denied his Lord

three times.

Peter wept bitterly over his failure,

as Satan sifted him as wheat. But

Christ had spoken of his

restoration even before his failure.

When Peter declared “Lord, I am

ready to go to prison with you and

die with you.” Jesus answered,

“The cock will not crow till you

have denied me three times. But

the Lord said this “Simon, Simon,

behold, Satan demanded to have

you that he might sift you like

wheat, but I have prayed for you

that your faith may not fail. And

when you have turned again,

strengthen your brothers.” (Luke

22:31–32, 61)

Peter watched his Lord’s

crucifixion afar off. During the

three says that Jesus body lay in

Christ’s Appearances after His Resurrection

Sermon Outline by Mathew Bartlett

Image © Connie Larsen

7

the tomb, he no doubt thought

that he had failed too miserably to

be restored. But he had not taken

into account the resurrection

power of Jesus—its ability to

renew and restore. After all, the

power that brings life from death

is able to transform any situation;

it will restore the failing, revive the

fainting, and renew the

backslider’s faith.

So on the first day of the week,

before he appeared to all the

disciples together, but after he

had been seen by the women,

Christ appeared privately to Peter.

We are not sure of the details of

this encounter. After Peter had

discovered the empty tomb, we

are simply told that he left,

wondering about what had

happened (Luke 24:12). But by

that night the apostles said “The

Lord is risen indeed and has

appeared to Simon!” (Luke 22:34)

They were not prepared to accept

the testimony of the women—but

Simon, whom they held as their

leader (after Christ), that was a

different matter.

Peter had experienced

regeneration, but there was more

work to be done. He now had to

experience restoration.

On another occasion when Jesus

appeared to them, quite early on

in those 40 days, Peter and some

other disciples were fishing on the

Sea of Galilee. The Lord stood on

the shore and called out “Children,

have you any fish” No they replied,

for although they had fished all

night they had caught nothing (see

John 21:1–14). In their hearts they

could remember the very first

time they had encountered Jesus

and were challenged to follow

him. On that occasion too they

had fished all night and caught

nothing. Following his resurrection

the Lord repeated the miracle that

had first convinced them that he

was the Son of God.

Christ had taken them right back

to the same place and the same

experience they had when they

first met the Lord. He has to do

the same for us sometimes. The

trials of life, and the problems we

encounter, can cause us to lose

faith, and lose sight of Jesus. But

how gracious our Lord is, the God

of restoration brings us back to

himself to restore our faith in God.

I notice the one great difference

between this second miracle and

the first miraculous catch of fish—

on this second occasion the nets

were not broken; a symbol of the

power which had conquered death

and of the person for whom

nothing is impossible. If Christ

wanted the nets to break they

would have; but if Christ said they

would not break, then they would

break not even if a hundred Great

White sharks swam into them.

When they got back to shore,

Jesus invited the disciples to have

breakfast with him, for he had a

fire already burning with hot coals

and the fish was already cooked.

Now, I wager anything that Christ

did not dirty his hands getting that

meal ready—it was spoken into

existence by the word of God—yet

it was real fish (had he not spoken

fish into existence on Day 5?) and

it made a very good meal.

Having ministered to the stomachs

of the disciples, refreshing them

after a night of toil with food and

friendship, Jesus turned his

attention once again to Peter,

whom he invited to walk with him

in private conversation along the

beach, a little out of earshot of the

others. Jesus did not want to

embarrass Peter in front of the

others. In the past Jesus had

rebuked Peter in front of them all,

but here was a matter to be dealt

with in private. It was between the

two of them.

Peter had denied his Lord three

times and the Lord knew how to

restore him. Three times he looks

into his soul and asks “Do you love

me most of all?” (John 21:17)

Peter was hurt that the Lord

demanded he say it three times.

When a wound scabs over, if it is

infected, it must first be reopened

before the poison can be taken

out. The Lord did not bring up

Simon’s failure because it had not

been forgiven. He was not telling

Peter that he needed to repent all

over again; he was simply healing

the wound. He was restoring Peter

so that he could start again. And

Peter responded to the

restoration.

The word of God tells us today

that those how fall into sin are to

be gently restored in this way—

the word used for ‘restore’ is the

same as that which is used for

setting a bone after it has been

fractured.

We have been forgiven so much;

we ought to help others find

forgiveness too. James writes that

“whoever brings back a sinner

from his wandering will save his

soul from death and will cover a

multitude of sins.” (James 5:20)

Even the adulterer at Corinth was

(after discipline) fully restored,

which was the intention of the

discipline all along—there was no

other reason for it. Paul said “I

wanted you to know the proof of

my love for you…Now you ought

rather to forgive him and comfort

him.” (2 Cor. 2:4-8)

If you have failed the Lord, or

failed in your faith, the risen Lord

Jesus Christ is still able to restore

your soul. As the scripture says, “If

we confess our sins he is faithful

and just to forgive our sins and

8

cleanse us from all

unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

God’s restoration is never partial,

only complete. In the words of an

ancient hymn “perverse and

foolish oft I strayed, and yet in

love he sought me, and on his

shoulders gently laid, and home

rejoicing brought me.”

Instructing

Luke recounts how after his

resurrection, the Lord Jesus Christ

appeared to them over 40 days,

and spoke about the kingdom of

God. Whatever did he teach them

about? We have some of his post

resurrection teaching recorded for

us.

He instructed them in the

fulfilment of scripture.

On the road to Emmaus, Jesus,

beginning with Moses and all the

prophets, explained all things that

were written about him in the

scriptures: “Was it not necessary

that the Christ should suffer these

things and enter into his glory?"

(Luke 24:26) On appearing to his

disciples again he “opened their

understanding to the scriptures”

(Luke 24:45).

The preaching of the gospel

His opening their minds to

understand the scriptures meant

that now they could preach the

gospel. He instructed them in this.

He said, in effect, “I am sending

you just as my father sent me. I

am giving you a message of

forgiveness.” (see John 20:23) The

apostles announced the grounds

on which sins may be forgiven;

being at the same time

forewarned that their mission to

preach the gospel would

eventually reach every creature.

The Coming of the Holy Spirit

And behold, I am sending the

promise of my Father upon you.

But stay in the city until you are

clothed with power from on high."

(Luke 24:49 ESV)

The Second Coming of Christ

As Jesus gathered his disciples at

the top of Mount Olivet, the last

time he appeared to them, with

over 500 present at once, they

asked him again “Lord, is this the

time you will restore the kingdom

the Israel.” To which Jesus replied,

“It is not for you to know the times

or seasons.” (Acts 1:6–8)

© Jozef Sedmak

It was at this time that “as he

went, behold, two men stood by

them in white robes, and said,

"Men of Galilee, why do you stand

looking into heaven? This Jesus,

who was taken up from you into

heaven, will come in the same way

as you saw him go into heaven.”

(Acts 1:10–11)

In the midst of all this post-

resurrection instruction, perhaps

the most famous part of it, was

the great commission.

Christ’s post-resurrection

appearances were commissioning

Go into all the world and preach

the gospel to every creature. He

who believes and is baptised shall

be saved and he who believes not

shall be damned. Teaching them

to observe all things whatever I

have commanded you. (Mark

16:15–16 and Matt. 28:19–20)

In the great commission Christ

gave his disciples:

Purpose

Go into all the world and preach

the gospel... We have a message

of salvation to proclaim and we

must proclaim it fearlessly to all

mankind, regardless of whether

they accept it or not. Theirs is to

accept or reject, but ours is to

proclaim it without prejudice. God

is not willing that any should

perish. Pentecostal pioneer

missionary and apostle William

Burton said when he arrived in

central Africa “We couldn’t got the

wrong place—we had to preach it

to them all.” For all our lives we

have a purpose.

Every little church across the

countryside, and the big churches

in the cities, all have an equal

share in this purpose—to make

the gospel message known to all

people so that they might be

saved. Let’s get on with the job.

Through platform preaching, tract

distribution, personal witness, and

in many other ways, the gospel

must be made known. Every

church should have a prayer

meeting and every prayer

meeting, whatever else it may

contain, must always contain

fervent prayers for the lost, for it is

God's heart and God wants us to

enter in and share his burden

through prayer.

9

Power

You will receive power after that

the Holy Spirit has come on you

and you will be my witnesses.

Having instructed them to preach

the gospel in all the world, Jesus

then delayed them. Remain in

Jerusalem until you have been

clothed with power from on high.

There is no point going to work

without your tools. And the tools

given by a supernatural Christ for a

supernatural task are necessarily

supernatural.

And these signs will accompany

those who believe: in my name

they will cast out demons; they will

speak in new tongues; they will

pick up serpents with their hands;

and if they drink any deadly

poison, it will not hurt them; they

will lay their hands on the sick, and

they will recover. (Mark 16:17–18)

So then the Lord Jesus, after he

had spoken to them, was taken up

into heaven and sat down at the

right hand of God. And they went

out and preached everywhere,

while the Lord worked with them

and confirmed the message by

accompanying signs. (Mark 16:19–

20)

The tragedy of evangelism today is

that many who go forth to preach

who have not yet received this

power from on high. They are like

men going to dig the road with a

tea spoons—they have not got the

proper tools for the job. Far

worse, it is disobedience to the

Lord Jesus Christ and irreverence

for God’s way of doing things.

When Paul preached he said my

preaching was not with wise and

persuasive words but with a

demonstration of the Spirit and of

power that your faith might not

rest in the wisdom of men but in

the power of God. When we

preach the gospel today we must

do so in the fullness and power of

the Spirit of God; we must expect

supernatural manifestation to

confirm God’s word.

Presence

Go into all the world…And lo I am

with you always to the end of the

age,

Wherever we go with the gospel,

whatever challenges we face, even

the rejection and persecution of

the people, God is still with us. The

Lord Jesus Christ accompanies us.

It was because of that presence

that the apostles could sing when

locked in jail, bleeding from a

beating. It was because of that

same presence that the earth

shook, the prison doors opened

and a number of souls were added

to the church.

We cannot stop the progress of

God. He will build his church and

no man can stop it. Let opponents

of the cross atheists write as many

books and produce as many films

as they like—no one can stop the

Lord from accomplishing his

purposes.

Let us be humbly encouraged by

this. We are weak but God is

strong. On one occasion, Moses

said to God “if your presence goes

not with us let us not go up

hence”, but God in reply assured

him “My presence will go with you

and I will give you rest.” (see Ex.

33:14-15)

To Joshua, the Lord said—as he

says to us—“I will be with you, I

will never leave you nor forsake

you.” (see Joshua 1:5 and Hebrews

13:5)

The Prophet of Messiah

The encouragement which Zechariah's prophecies brought to the Jews at the time of their return from exile helped them to rebuild not only their temple but also their national identity. Yet Zechariah's message of hope pointed beyond the glory of the temple to one greater than the temple: the Anointed One (Messiah) who would become both priest and king forever over all nations.

Available from all good Christian bookstores

The Prophet of Messiah: The Book of Zechariah

Paperback: £9.99 & free UK delivery.

KINDLE: £4.99

Available as an ebook in most formats.

10

Introduction

The name of Pontius Pilate will

always be associated with the

crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ.

He was Roman governor in Judea

at that time of our Lord’s

execution. Historians tell us that

he was a capable man of shrewd

judgment, trained in Roman law

and in the giving of correct rulings.

However when Pilate met Jesus, it

seems that he stood before him to

be judged than to judge; and when

Jesus Christ stands in the

judgment hall of our mind, heart

and will, we must all face:

I. An Inescapable Question

“What shall I do then with Jesus

which is called Christ?” (Matthew

27:22). As the Lord Jesus Christ

was brought before Pontius Pilate,

Pilate was faced with an

inescapable question. It is this very

same question that every man

must answer. God we see to it that

at some time in your life you will

be confronted with this question,

and your answer to this question

will affect your whole eternity. No

one can ever escape this question,

for put quite simply, “He who

believes on the Son has everlasting

life, he who does not believe the

Son shall not see life, for God’s

wrath remains on him.” John 3.36

God sent his only begotten Son

into the world to be the Saviour of

men. The one Pilate saw standing

before him is the One who came

into the world to save sinners. He

is none other than God of very

God. He created the world, and

sustains it by his power. Pilate was

wrong to suppose that he had

power to dispose of Jesus - but he

was right to recognize that he

could not avoid this question,

neither can you or I, for:

1) Jesus has the Foremost Place in

History

“What shall I do then with Jesus?”

(Matthew 27:22). Some have been

foolish enough to question the

actual existence of a man named

Jesus of Nazareth. But when Pilate

asked this question, Jesus himself

was standing in front of him in

person; he could neither ignore

nor avoid him.

In the same way, Jesus in an

unavoidable figure in history. Let

me illustrate. What year is it? It is

2014 A.D. - A.D. Stands for Anno

Domini or year of our Lord,

meaning it is 2014 years,

approximately since our Lord Jesus

Christ was born. Prior to that,

dates are given as years B.C. or

before Christ. We cannot look at

any event in history without

encountering Christ in the date.

We cannot look at art or literature

through the ages without realizing

how profoundly Christ has

influenced artistic and literary

history Just look at the vast statue

of Christ the redeemer towering

over Rio de Janero, or at Leonardo

Da Vinci’s painting of the Last

Supper. Consider classic books

written about him such as

Paradise Lost and Regained by

Milton, Ben Hur, a Tale of the

Pontius Pilate: Behold the Man!

John 19:5 Images © Philcold

11

Christ by Lew Wallace or even

Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, in which

the man cast away on a desert

island is converted to Christ.

We cannot consider the history of

civilization, without noticing His

stamp on culture and custom. For

example, my own land of Wales

has been mainly Christian, not

pagan, since the time of the Celts.

St. David lived in the 6th century,

when Christianity was already well

established.

The fact that faith in Christ

remained a predominant feature

in Celtic life can be seen by the

Celtic crosses such as those at

Margam and Penally which are

over 1200 years old. We could go

on and on, but wherever you look

there is no escaping Christ, for he

has the foremost place in history.

2) Jesus has the Foremost Place in

Eternity

“What shall I do then with Jesus

which is called Christ?” (Matthew

27:22). Whether or not Pilate

understood the full meaning of the

title “Christ” is not clear; but Jesus

endorsed His divine claims when

He told the governor that His

“Kingdom was not from this

world.” (Matthew 27:11). Jesus is

not of this world. He had ever

lived with God His Father in

heaven.

When God sent his son into the

world, he put on flesh, becoming a

man like you and I, yet without sin.

Even in this state of voluntary

humiliation, one could not help

but notice that everywhere Jesus

went, he was King. Not merely

King of the Jews, but the king of

eternal ages; king of kings and

Lord of Lords. The one standing

under the judgment of ate that

day was the one who will One day

appear to judge the living and the

dead. (Acts 10.42)

God has exalted His Son and given

Him the name that is above every

name, that at the name of Jesus

every knee will bow, of things in

heaven and on earth and under

the earth, and every tongue will

confess Jesus Christ is Lord to the

glory of God the Father. Since

Jesus has the foremost place in

eternity, we must be careful how

we answer the question “What

then shall I do with Jesus who is

called Christ.”

Did Pilate truly know who it was

who was standing before him?

There is some evidence which

suggests that Pilate knew more

than is generally supposed.

Alexander Whyte in his history of

Bible Characters claims that in one

of his reports to Caesar Tiberius,

Pilate had written: “Jesus the

Christ, as He is called, is worth

more to my administration than

any legion of my armed men. He is

the most peaceable and

inoffensive of men…I shall not lift

a single finger against this ‘King of

the Jews,’ as His disciples call Him,

till I am commanded by Caesar so

to do”

II. An Important Question

“What shall I do then with Jesus

which is called Christ?” (Matthew

27:22). Since Jesus Christ is the

most important person in time

and eternity, this is the most

important question you will ever

face,

Pilate realized that he had never

stood before anyone like Jesus

before. If we read just briefly the

account of his interview with

Christ, we get a feeling for the

perplexity Pilate faced. Even

though he claimed the power to

release or crucify Jesus, He ends

up as he stands before the

Saviour, trembling from head to

foot.

Consider:

1) The Witness Analysed

"You have brought this Man to me,

as one who misleads the people.

And indeed, having examined Him

in your presence, I have found no

fault in this Man concerning those

things of which you accuse Him;”

Luke 23:14 It was not the witness

of His disciples, nor of those who

followed Him, nor of the many

who had been healed during his

ministry. It was the witness of

those who were hounding Him to

death. Pilate, having analysed

their evidence, had to say, “I find

in him no fault at all” (John 18:38).

Pilate was saying, in effect, that

every claim that Jesus Christ had

made, for which they were

accusing Him of blasphemy, was

absolutely true. He was faultless.

Christ had claimed to be the son of

God, and even Pilate found no

reason to refute him.

Have you ever faced the fact that

the One who stands in the

judgment hall of your mind, heart

and will is not merely a man of

history, not some Jew in a far-off

land, not some obscure name, but

God Himself, the Saviour of the

world, the King of kings, the Judge

of all? This is the most important

issue you will ever face.

2) The Warning Verbalized

Even as Pilate sat on the judgment

seat, weighing up the whole

situation, a message came to him

from his wife, “Have nothing to do

with that righteous man: for I have

suffered many things this day in a

dream because of him” (Matthew

27:19). We do not know the

contents of her dream, but one

thing is certain: it was God-sent,

because it upheld the absolute

innocence of God’s beloved Son—

“that righteous man.”

12

I wonder if the heavens were

opened and she saw a throne, and

one sat on it who looked like a son

of man, from whose face the

whole earth fled away. Could it be

that she recognized this figure to

be Jesus of Nazareth, who was

now standing before her husband?

Did she hear the wails and cries of

those who called for the

mountains and rocks to fall on

them, and hide them from the

wrath of this lamb of God which

was about to fall on an unbelieving

world?

We read in the light of Christ’s

coming in judgment, the kings of

the earth, the great men, the rich

men, the commanders, the mighty

men, every slave and every free

man, hid themselves in the caves

and in the rocks of the mountains,

and said to the mountains and

rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from

the face of Him who sits on the

throne and from the wrath of the

Lamb! Rev 6:15-16

As Pilate stood before Christ, he

faced his most important decision.

The most important decision you

will ever face, is a decision you

must face tonight, “What will you

do with Jesus which is called

Christ?”

The decision cannot be put off

forever, for “Today is the day of

salvation.” None of us knows if we

have tomorrow. It is a decision

which will determine our whole

eternity. how shall we escape if we

neglect so great a salvation, (Heb.

2:3)

III. An Individual Question

“What shall I do…?” (Matthew

27:22). You may be in a crowd, but

Jesus and you stand alone at this

moment, as Jesus and Pilate did

on the memorable day. Yet his

attitude was:

1) Marked by Carelessness

With an air of indifference he

looks out on the mob and says,

“Take ye him, and judge him

according to your law” (Matthew

18:31). He thought he could rid

himself of Jesus with a snap of the

finger and a shrug of the shoulder,

but it didn’t work. It won’t work

for you either. You cannot ignore

the claims of Jesus. Your future

meeting with him is inevitable -

you could be called away to stand

before him at any moment. How

will you stand then?

2) Marked by Cowardice

“As soon as he knew that was

under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent

him to Herod” (Luke 23:7). Pilate

sends the pure and perfect Son of

God to Herod, a man totally

unrestrained in his sinful

indulgence; a man to whom Jesus

never spoke, but whom he called

“that fox” (Luke 13:32). Here is a

man who proved that there is a

point in time when God will cease

to speak.

The Lord said, "My Spirit shall not

strive with man forever,” (Gen 6:3)

But Herod sends Jesus back to

Pilate, and Pilate, hearing the

tramp, tramp of marching feet,

knows that he has to face Jesus

again. Fearing to face this

important issue did not get Pilate

off the hook, and it won’t do you

any good either. We must face up

to our solemn responsibility.

Christ's call is still repent and

believe the gospel.

3) Marked by Cleverness

"Which of the two do you want me

to release to you?" They said,

"Barabbas!" (Mat 27:21)

Knowing that at the time of the

Passover it was the custom to

release a prisoner to the people,

he reasons, “If I put Barabbas, the

robber, against Jesus, they will

certainly release Jesus. They would

not want to do less than stone

Barabbas to death.” But such is

the condition of the human heart

that they lift their voices and call

for Jesus to be crucified. So Pilate’s

cleverness fails. We cannot get out

of this decision by any amount of

cleverness.

Bring out all the arguments you

can against Christianity. Convince

yourself if you like, that there is no

God, or that evolutionary chance

created the world, but you will

never avoid your destiny. Let me

read it to you.

And I saw the dead, small and

great, standing before God, and

books were opened. And another

book was opened, which is the

Book of Life. And the dead were

judged according to their works,

by the things which were written

in the books. (Rev 20:12)

4) Marked by Compromise

So then Pilate took Jesus and

scourged Him. And the soldiers

twisted a crown of thorns and put

it on His head, and they put on

Him a purple robe. Then they said,

"Hail, King of the Jews!" And they

struck Him with their hands. Pilate

then went out again, and said to

them, "Behold, I am bringing Him

out to you, that you may know

that I find no fault in Him." (John

19:1-4)

Pilate stepped out on Gabbatha to

declare the absolute innocence of

Jesus Christ and then dares to turn

around and order that He should

be scourged. Then taking the

bleeding Christ of God, he sets

Him forth as a spectacle of

innocent suffering, thinking that

this would satisfy their thirst for

blood; but the people cry out for

His crucifixion.

13

So Pilate finds that carelessness,

cowardice, cleverness and

compromise have not worked. No

matter what he did he found that

he simply could not escape from

the Lord Jesus Christ—and dear

reader, you cannot escape from

Jesus either.

You may hide in the privacy of

your room, but Jesus will look

down on you there. You may

throw yourself into your work, but

Jesus will be there with you. You

may drink yourself stupid, but

when you wake up with an aching

head you will still hear those

words, “What will you do with

Jesus?”

Finally, when you plunge into the

river of death you will emerge to

meet Him—no longer as Saviour,

but as Judge.

What, then, will you do with

Jesus? The issue is important,

individual and inescapable. You

must either crucify Him or crown

Him. Ask Him to come into your

life as Saviour, Lord and King.

Jesus is standing in Pilate’s hall, Friendless, forsaken, betrayed by all; Hearken! what meaneth the sudden call? What will you do with Jesus? Refrain: What will you do with Jesus? Neutral you cannot be; Someday your heart will be asking, “What will He do with me?”

Jesus is standing on trial still, You can be false to Him if you will, You can be faithful through good or ill: What will you do with Jesus? Will you evade Him as Pilate tried? Or will you choose Him, whate’er betide? Vainly you struggle from Him to hide: What will you do with Jesus?

Will you, like Peter, your Lord deny? Or will you scorn from His foes to fly, Daring for Jesus to live or die What will you do with Jesus? “Jesus, I give Thee my heart today! Jesus, I’ll follow Thee all the way, Gladly obeying Thee!” will you say: “This I will do with Jesus!”

A Hymn by Albert B. Simpson (Public Domain)

Image © Philcold

14

In the United Kingdom this year,

Mother’s Day was celebrated on

6th

March.

But don’t worry if you live in

Australia, Canada, New Zealand or

the USA, you’ve still got time – it is

celebrated in your countries on 8th

May 2016. In fact, the only other

countries to share the UK date are

Ireland and Nigeria!

But whatever country you live in

(and Living Word is currently being

read on almost every continent on

earth—just no readers in

Antarctica yet!)—it’s never the

case that we should only honor

our mothers once a year.

When God created humanity in

the beginning he ‘created them

male and female, and told them to

‘be fruitful and multiply’ (Genesis

1:27-28).

Since the time God created Adam

and Eve (the mother of all living)

every human being has had a

mother; without whom we would

not have come into existence (1

Corinthians 11:11).

That is why the word of God says:

"Honor your father and mother,"

which is the first commandment

accompanied by a promise,

namely, "that it may go well with

you and that you will live a long

time on the earth." (Ephesians 6:2-

3)

If we keep this particular

command of God, then we can

expect the blessing of a good and

long life without some of the

problems we might otherwise

face.

And let’s face it—we’ve only got

one mother, and they won’t be

with us here in this life forever. So

let’s make the best of them now.

By the way, the word ‘honor’ in

the original text carries the idea of

practical help and also financial

support. Our moms were their

when we needed them – can they

count on us to return the kindness

and be there for them?

To be honest, I don’t think I really

appreciated my mother until I

became a parent myself and

understood just what goes into

the parenting role.

Some of our mothers are already

in heaven with the Lord and

Saviour.

This Mother’s Day in our church,

we placed flowers in a simple

table ‘garden’ of resurrection to

remember each and every one of

them – until we see them again

when Jesus comes!

So happy Mother’s Day to all

Mothers, it’s not just once a year!

Image © Ruth Black

15

In this Bible study I would like to

share four aspects with you. The

Bible tells us that these are,

amongst others, signs of the

impending return of Jesus.

1. All things will continue as

they were from the beginning.

The disciples asked Jesus what

these signs would be. He warned

them not to consider disasters as

such since they would always

come – wars, rumors of war,

nation against nation,

earthquakes, and famines. Life

would be normal not abnormal –

people marrying, eating, drinking,

sleeping, or working. All these

things would go on right up to the

day of His coming, just as they

have to this day.

2. Jesus especially

emphasized that there would be

false prophets, false teachers, and

false messiahs.

Scripture speaks of the Antichrist.

Deceivers have always been an

active part of this evil world.

History is largely made up of such

individuals, who use the truth in a

distorted misinterpretation for

their sinister aims. Their satanic

character has been constantly

evident by their wickedness carried

out blasphemously in the name of

God. Wholesale murder, (which is

the contradiction of goodness),

became a pious act as an offering

to God. The persecution of good

men and women stains the pages

of history with their blood.

The 19th century saw an extension

of errors. In the West, aggressive

anti-Christian forces, calling

themselves ‘liberal’, arose.

Thousands of churches have

become sources of unbelief,

preaching against the Word of

God, denying the power of God.

Atheism, with its many unpleasant

faces, is now rampant.

Superstitions have taken deep root

while the truth is suppressed. The

horoscope has been edited in, and

the Bible edited out. Spiritist,

paranormal, pantheistic, and

mind-power cults have multiplied

by the hundreds. Others claim the

to be Christians yet deny every

Christian truth, such as the

Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, and

the Moonies. All of them

“deceiving and being deceived” as

Jesus said.

The Returning Lord by Reinhard Bonnke Image © Grace21

16

The ground is well prepared for

any kind of Anti-Christ. He can

take into his system every Christ-

denying cult, every man- made

religion, and shape them into a

single universal anti- Christian

organization complete with false

miracles, signs, and wonders.

Everything is ready.

3. A revived Israel

In chapters 43 and 44 of Isaiah’s

prophecy, Israel’s future is

foretold. “I will gather you from

the west; I will say to the north,

‘Give them up!’ And to the south,

‘Do not keep them back!’” Then it

says “You are My witnesses,” says

the LORD.

Those who now put their trust in

the Son of God, Jesus Christ, are

also ‘chosen’, as Israel was chosen.

Jesus said “you did not choose Me,

but I chose you (John 15:16), and

you shall be witnesses to Me”

(Acts 1:8).

Jews are witnesses to the Lord

(Jahveh or Jehovah), and Christians

are witnesses to Christ, but both

together become a sign of the

times.

Jesus described it in this parable:

Now learn this parable from the fig

tree: When its branch has already

become tender and puts forth

leaves, you know that summer is

near. So you also, when you see all

these things, know that it is near –

at the doors! (Matthew 24:32-33).

We see today the fig tree

beginning to show the signs of the

coming summer of God. God has

brought about what He said. Israel

is now a nation in its own right,

and in its own homeland.

4. A revived Church

Then Isaiah foreshadows the sign

of a revived Church in chapter

44 verse 3

“I will pour water on him who is

thirsty, and floods on the dry

ground; I will pour My Spirit on

your descendants, and My blessing

on your offspring.” The promised

outpouring of the supernatural

blessing of the Spirit of God is,

according to Scripture,

characteristic of the last days,

when Israel is re- gathered. Joel

chapter 2 describes the presence

of Israel back in her homeland with

the land once more changed from

a desert to fertility. Then we read:

“Then you shall know that I am in

the midst of Israel: I am the LORD

your God and there is no other. My

people shall never be put to

shame. And it shall come to pass

afterward that I will pour out My

Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and

your daughters shall prophesy,

your old men shall dream dreams,

your young men shall see visions.

And also on My menservants and

on My maidservants I will pour out

My Spirit in those days” (Joel 2:27-

29).

This special outpouring began on

the Day of Pentecost. Peter

declared “this is what was spoken

by the prophet Joel.” At the

beginning of the 20th century, the

last century of the second

millennium, these two things

began to happen together – Israel

becoming a gathered nation

again, and the same wonders as

on the day of Pentecost taking

place, with ordinary people

speaking with tongues and

prophesying. There has been

enormous world-wide

development abundantly

fulfilling God’s promise.

The Church in the twentieth

century has seen its greatest

world-penetration since this

outpouring of the Holy Spirit in

signs and wonders. At present

reckoning about one in every ten

people on earth has been touched

by the Christian Charismatic-

Pentecostal revival.

Jesus said that “this gospel of the

kingdom will be preached in all the

world as a witness to all the

nations, and then the end will

come” (Matthew 24:14). At that

time, it seemed only a laughable

hope, but today it is close to

realization. With it has come the

greatest witness to Christ, and also

the greatest bloodbath of Christian

suffering and martyrdom of all

time. It is the satanic testimony

to the nearness of Christ’s return.

He sees the signs of the times and

that, with the coming of Christ, his

freedom is coming to an end.

This tremendous twin sign of Israel

and the Church is put in a nutshell

in the book of James.

“Therefore be patient, brethren,

until the coming of the Lord. See

how the farmer waits for the

precious fruit of the earth, waiting

patiently for it until it receives the

early and latter rain. You also be

patient. Establish your hearts, for

the coming of the Lord is at hand”

(James 5:7-8).

The reference to early and latter

rains relates to the rains of the

Holy Spirit (Joel 2:23). In Israel, the

early rain fell in September, and

the latter rain between December

and May, with no rain from June

to August. The two seasons of rain

are those of the early church, and

of the times immediately prior to

the end before God puts in the

sickle, with a dry season during

those middle centuries. The latter

rains fill out the seedlings and

produce the final crop. This is the

harvest that Christ is coming to

17

gather. He will harvest the world.

John the Baptist, the last of the

great prophets of Israel said of

Christ: “He will thoroughly clean

out His threshing floor, and gather

His wheat into the barn; but He

will burn up the chaff with

unquenchable fire” (Matt. 3:12).

But what does this mean for us?

Apart from these signs, life on our

planet will proceed as usual. Jesus

made this very ‘normality’ a sign in

itself. He said:

“But as the days of Noah were, so

also will the coming of the Son of

Man be. For as in the days before

the flood, they were eating and

drinking, marrying and giving in

marriage, until the day that Noah

entered the ark, and did not know

until the flood came and took

them all away, so also will the

coming of the Son of Man be”

(Matthew 24:37-39).

Jesus also compared the last days

with the last days of Sodom and

Gomorrah: “Likewise as it was also

in the days of Lot: They ate, they

drank, they bought, they sold, they

planted, they built; but on the day

that Lot went out of Sodom it

rained fire and brimstone from

heaven and destroyed them all.

Even so will it be in the day when

the Son of Man is revealed” (Luke

17:28- 30). This double reference

by Jesus to eating and drinking

seems to be based on another

prophecy:

“Look, this was the iniquity of your

sister Sodom: She and her

daughter had pride, fullness of

food, and abundance of idleness;

neither did she strengthen the

hand of the poor and needy. And

they were haughty and committed

abomination before Me; therefore

I took them away as I saw fit”

(Ezekiel 16:49-50).

Such words could be a perfect

description of the world today.

Pride has exalted human thought

above the Word of God. Never has

there been such fullness of food -

material affluence and

satisfaction. Leisure pursuits are

multiplied into major

preoccupations. This age has

twisted them all into abnormal

interests, and even perversions, as

a means of pushing God out of life.

God will not tolerate it forever. In

the days of Noah, God waited 120

years. In the days of Sodom, they

had years of witness by Lot and

Abraham. The coming of Christ will

mean great tribulation for the

godless, the Christ- rejecters, and

even the plain indifferent. For the

believer it means glory. Christ will

gather together His elect, the dead

and the living, from the four

corners of the earth, to be with

Him forever.

In this intellectual and arrogant

age, our Gospel message becomes

again the same as Paul preached

in Athens: “God...now commands

all men everywhere to repent,

because He has appointed a day

on which He will judge the world in

righteousness by the Man whom

He has ordained. He has given

assurance of this to all by raising

Him from the dead” (Acts 17:30-

31).

What now?

Do you know this Coming One? Are

you prepared to meet Him now?

You will certainly meet Him one

day. The Bible tells you to repent –

in other words, to stop loving and

practicing sin. You cannot do this

on your own, only God can enable

you to turn to Him and away from

sin. If you are not a believer in the

Lord Jesus Christ, the Coming One,

yet know that you should be, then

say the following prayer and you

will be prepared to meet him.

Dear heavenly Father, I

come to you in the name of Jesus

Christ.

I come with all my sins, burdens,

and addictions.

Wash me now with the precious

blood of Jesus shed on Calvary.

Break the chains of sin and Satan

in my life and family.

Mark me with your precious blood.

I want to be yours, spirit, soul, and

body, for my time on earth and in

eternity.

I put my faith in you alone, Lord

Jesus Christ. You are the Son of the

Living God.

I believe with my heart what I now

confess with my mouth: You are

my Savior, Lord, and God.

Now I am born again – a child of

God. I believe it and receive it in

the name of Jesus.

Amen.

Article reproduced

with kind permission

of Christ for all

Nations

18

At the end of Luke’s gospel we

read how Jesus explained to two

of his disciples on the road to

Emmaus that the prophets had

foretold “the sufferings of Christ

and the glory that would follow”.

Nowhere is the truth of this

statement more readily seen than

in Psalm 22.

Although scholars have attempted

to identify the person spoken of by

David in this Psalm in different

ways, anyone familiar with the

New Testament should plainly see

that the Psalm could not describe

anyone other than the Lord Jesus

Christ.

The Psalmist, thousands of years

before Christ was born, describes

in even greater detail than any of

the writers of the gospels, the

sufferings of Christ, before going

on to speak of the glory that

should follow. Here then is a

Psalm of pure prophecy. In it we

shall consider:

The Persecution of Christ

Under the inspiration of the Holy

Spirit, David vividly describes the

persecution which Christ suffered

at the hands of sinful men. It is

Christ who speaks through David

and complains of being despised

and insulted by men.

He is despised and rejected by

men, A Man of sorrows and

acquainted with grief. And we hid,

as it were, our faces from Him; He

was despised, and we did not

esteem Him (Isaiah 53:3 and v6).

The Psalmist describes Christ as

being hounded to death by his

enemies. In v12 we read of many

strong bulls of Bashan surrounding

and attacking the son of God. The

bulls of the fertile region of

Bashan were well known for their

size and strength. Humanly

speaking, the enemies of Christ

were too strong for him. They

were fat, in the sense that they

enjoyed prominence and the

goods of this world. But they were

brute beasts with no sense other

than to feed their own appetites.

Such men do not fear God or

regard godly things. It would be a

terrible situation for any man to

have to face even one raging bull

of Bashan. Yet Christ endured

greater hostility that this from

sinful men. The writer to the

Hebrews says

“For consider Him who endured

such hostility from sinners against

Himself” Heb. 12:3a

The enemies of Christ are

described in v13 as hungry lions

tearing their prey with wide open

mouths. Spurgeon says, “They

could not get the blasphemy out

of their mouths fast enough, so

they had to open their mouths

wider that they might gape on the

son of God.” These blasphemers

would not be satisfied until they

had devoured and destroyed

The Sufferings of Christ and the

Glory that Should Follow - Psalm 22 Image © Bernard Dunne

19

Christ body and soul. No wonder

that in v 16 they are also described

as dogs.

The dogs of the east are not

domestic pets, but vicious,

unclean animals, roaming in packs

to secure their prey. The Hebrew

title given to this Psalm will

perhaps shed further light on the

meaning intended here. It is “the

hind of the morning” and the

picture being painted is one men

beginning early in the morning to

hunt down and destroy their

innocent and harmless and

defenceless prey with packs of

bloodthirsty dogs. So now the

dogs are surrounding Christ, and

whilst they could only kill the body

and not the soul, their words

nevertheless caused tremendous

distress to the soul of the dying

Saviour.

Notice in v7-8 the taunts which

were made of Jesus as he hung on

the cross. It is terrible to laugh at

another’s misfortune, but to laugh

the dying Son of God is another

matter. Yet they arrogantly and

fearlessly slander him and touch

upon that which was more

precious to Christ than anything,

his relationship with God. (V7) In

the gospels we read..

Likewise the chief priests also,

mocking with the scribes and

elders, said, "He saved others;

Himself He cannot save. If He is

the King of Israel, let Him now

come down from the cross, and

we will believe Him. "He trusted in

God; let Him deliver Him now if He

will have Him; for He said, 'I am

the Son of God.'“ (Matt 27:41-43)

Then not only do we have set

before us in this Psalm the mental

sufferings of Christ caused by

persecution, but also His physical

sufferings. In v16 we see that the

same crowd who reviled him also

nailed his hands and feet to a

wooden cross. Psalm 22 vividly

describes the physical sufferings of

Christ.

v15 Speaks of the dehydration and

fever which would have taken hold

of the one being crucified as they

were exposed to the powerful

noontime rays of the Eastern sun.

Christ says my strength or my

vitality, literally my moisture, is

dried up like broken pottery and

my tongue swells with

dehydration and sticks to the jaws

of my parched mouth. All Christ’s

bones are put out of joint in the

violence of the crucifixion (v14),

the distension of his body making

them appear prominent (v17).

Christ describes himself as being

poured out like water and his

heart, having no more physical

strength in it, was melted within

him. Medical doctors believe that

the presence of water in the heart

of Christ indicates that He died of

a physically broken heart. Other

events surrounding the cross of

Christ are portrayed too. (v18) The

soldiers who crucified him casting

lots for his clothing

“And when they crucified Him,

they divided His garments, casting

lots for them to determine what

every man should take”. Mark

15:24.

John gives us a remarkable insight

into the crucifixion when he says,

“After this, Jesus, knowing that all

things were now accomplished,

that the Scripture might be

fulfilled, said, "I thirst!" John

19:28

Then they gave him vinegar to

drink in fulfilment of Psalm 69:21.

There is no doubt that the

Psalmist’s utterance indicates that

Christ would die, as it says in v16,

he is brought to the dust of death,

or the grave. Some have asked

why the spear thrust into Christ’s

side is not mentioned here, but

this is not a difficulty, because as

the prophet is speaking of Christ in

the first person, it would not be

reasonable to suppose that he

would refer to an incident which

happened after Christ was already

dead and had become insensible.

The Prayer of Christ

The prayer of Christ begins with

his cry from the cross v1. In spite

of all his sufferings at the hands of

men, the greatest suffering of

Christ was that which he endured

in being separated from God as he

took on Himself the sin of the

world.

At that time, when Christ

apparently needed God’s

deliverance more than ever

before, none was forthcoming. Yet

the power of the Holy Spirit within

Him enabled Him to endure even

these sufferings, for the cup which

the Father had given him had to

be drunk. So, through the power

of the Holy Spirit, He endured the

awful agony alone.

God remained aloof even when

Christ was reduced to wordless,

incoherent cries of agony and

distress, the roaring of v1. His

prayer was shut out from God

whilst he became sin for us. v2.

Yet even in that extremity of

experience he continued to trust

in God. He continued to hope on

the basis of God’s past dealings

with the nation of Israel and with

Himself personally.

In v3, He Israel’s God, is holy.

When the Ancestors of the Jews

had trusted in God, he delivered

them. They cried out to God and

he answered them and they were

not put to shame. (v5).

20

Yet Christ’s experience of God’s

provision and protection could be

traced back to before his birth. v9.

Indeed even as a tiny baby, God

had delivered his Son from the

plots of Herod when all the baby

boys in Bethlehem were killed.

With this confidence He prays in

v11,

“Be not far from Me, for trouble is

near; For there is none to help,”

and v19 -21, “But You, O LORD, do

not be far from Me; O My

Strength, hasten to help Me!

Deliver Me from the sword, My

precious life from the power of the

dog. Save Me from the lion's

mouth And from the horns of the

wild oxen!”

Christ’s prayer seemingly

remained unanswered as men

were allowed to vent their sinful

hate and fury on the Lord Jesus

Christ. Yet once death had spent

its fury on him, it was then that his

prayer was answered and that

Christ was fully vindicated by God

in his resurrection.

The Purpose of Christ

Of course, the purpose behind

Christ's death was that he might

make atonement for the people

and take away the sin of the

world. Christ died for every man.

He died for our sins. The

punishment that men deserved

was death and eternal separation

from God. But Christ has borne

that curse and punishment for us,

that we might be saved and

redeemed from the curse and

penalty of sin. His purpose was to

taste death for every man so that

he might “bring many sons to

glory”.

When he died Christ cried It is

finished. The work of redemption

had been done. In other words, on

the basis of Christ’s once and for

all sacrifice for sin, God is able to

forgive and justify men and

women who are sinners and to

give them eternal life, thereby

saving them forever, about which

the writer to the Hebrews goes

into much greater detail.

The Glory of Christ

The pause between which occurs

in v21 covers the three days

between the “It is finished!” of

Christ and the “Amen” of God

when Christ rose from the dead.

After illustrating the sufferings of

Christ the Psalm abruptly changes

in v22 to a song of victory. This

song heralds the glory to come

after Christ’s sufferings and

resurrection. What glory it is!

In Philippians 2 Paul writes that

because of his obedience to death,

Christ has now been raised from

death and exalted to the right

hand of God. He has been given

the name above every name and

that every knee shall bow to him

and every tongue confess him as

Lord.

Let is briefly examine the things

which accompany Christ’s

exaltation to Glory. With his glory

Christ has obtained:

The Spoil of Redemption

Spoil is what a victor takes as a

result of his victory. Christ's spoil is

that he is able to give everlasting

life to all who believe in Him. v26.

By his death he has redeemed

men and women and purchased

them for God with his own blood.

It was for this joy which was set

before him that he endured the

cross. Isaiah says that he shall see

the result of the travail of his soul

and be satisfied. We are the spoil

of redemption, and we belong to

Christ.

In heaven we shall realise the

extent of these spoils, for we shall

see countless millions, saved and

washed in the blood of Christ

standing perfect before the throne

of God, worshipping and serving

him without fear forever. When

Christ died, he alone was the son

of God.

But because of his death, we too

are called the sons of God; Jesus is

not ashamed to call us brothers

(v22), for we too have been made

holy through him. The death and

resurrection Christ have made it

possible for men and women to be

born again - born of God- that

they might become children of

God. (v30).

The Song of Redemption

v22b-25. In Revelation we read of

those in heaven that “ they sang a

new song,” Around the throne of

God the countless millions will

never forget the great cost which

bought them pardon and life

everlasting. What is the new song

which they sing?

“You are worthy, for you were

slain and have redeemed us to

God by your blood Out of every

Image © Philcold

21

tribe and tongue and people and

nation, And have made us kings

and priests to our God; And we

shall reign on the earth." Rev 5:9-

10.

It’s a song which even angels can

never sing. It’s the song of the

redeemed. We were sinners

condemned, unclean and on our

way to hell, but Christ has saved

and cleansed us.

The Scope of Redemption

The redemption which Christ has

purchased for man is available to

the whole world. In v 27 it says,

All the ends of the world shall

remember and turn to the LORD,

and all the families of the nations

shall worship before You.

In Isaiah it says,

“Indeed He says, 'It is too small a

thing that You should be My

Servant To raise up the tribes of

Jacob, And to restore the

preserved ones of Israel; I will also

give You as a light to the Gentiles,

That You should be My salvation

to the ends of the earth.'“ (Isaiah

49:6)

When Christ died he died for every

man. Today the gospel is being

preached worldwide so that, as we

read in Revelation, men from

every tribe and nation and kindred

and tongue will be among his

heavenly retinue when he returns

to reign as King of Kings and Lord

of Lords.

Throughout all nations, the

redemption of Christ is all

embracing. Whoever will call on

the name of the Lord shall be

saved. That is the scope of

redemption.

The Span of Redemption

“And He shall reign forever and

ever...” Rev 11:15.

Christ has purchased for us a life

that shall never end. He is the

founder of an everlasting

Kingdom, over which he shall reign

throughout all eternity. There shall

never be a time when the

redeemed of the Lord shall cease

to praise and serve him. Psalm

145.13 says,

“Your kingdom is an everlasting

kingdom, and Your dominion

endures throughout all

generations.”

Not only has Christ been exalted

to the highest place, he shall

remain there unparalleled and

unrivalled for ever. Before him

every knee shall bow. He is king of

Kings and Lord of Lords forever.

Conclusion

How grateful we are for the

sufferings of Christ which have

obtained so much for us, and how

worthy he is of the glory that

should follow. We too will share in

the glory which shall be revealed.

Yet there is an eternal glory which

is and ever shall be his alone. As

the apostle Paul says.

Now to the King eternal, immortal,

invisible, to God who alone is wise,

be honor and glory forever

and ever. Amen. 1 Tim 1:17

The Prophecy of Amos

The virtually unknown prophet Amos bursts onto the pages of history with a warning relevant to his time. He confronts the nation of Israel with the unchanging nature of God and warns them to repent before judgment falls. As we study a period in the history of a nation that had turned its back on God, we draw disturbing parallels with our own time.

Available from all good Christian bookstores

The Prophecy of Amos: A Warning for Today

Paperback: £9.99 & free UK delivery.

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22

Last Easter we

received an email

from an atheist

challenging us to

reconcile the

statements made in

the synoptic gospels

and John and by Paul

in 1 Corinthians 15

concerning the order

in which the post

resurrection

appearances of Christ

took place. Of course,

we only have SOME

of Christ’s

appearances, for he

appeared to them

over 40 days

speaking of the

things pertaining to

the kingdom of God.

Yet, for those of

which we have

record, it may be

useful to list them in

order, and so gain a

better picture of what

happened on that

resurrection Sunday

and in the days

subsequent to it.

Post – Resurrection

Appearances of Christ In the order they occurred by Mathew Bartlett. Image © Jgroup

23

(Matt. 28:1-2; Mark 16:1-4). Just

before sunrise, Mary Magdalene

and Mary (Mother of James

Mark 16:1) and Salome (whose

name Matthew omits) went to

anoint Jesus’s body with spices.

They witnessed an angel rolling

away the stone from the tomb.

This same angel tells them that

Jesus is alive, but in response:

‘Then they went out and ran

from the tomb, for terror and

bewilderment had seized them.

They said nothing to anyone,

because they were afraid.’ (Mar

16:8). At this time they did not

wish to share the information

directly with the disciples. It is

possible that they brought other

women with them to verify the

story first, for later other women

including Joanna arrive in the

garden (Luke 24:10).

It seems that Mary Magdalene

came back to the garden before

the others, still somewhat

shaken and unbelieving (John

20:11-16). There she met the

risen Christ, whom at first she

supposed to be the gardener.

She was not yet allowed to touch

Jesus; it is as if he has paused for

a moment before briefly

ascending to heaven, and then

returning to earth.

Soon afterwards, the other

women re-join Mary and enter

the tomb that they see an angel

(perhaps the same one) who

tells them again that Jesus is

alive and that they should tell his

disciples that he is risen. (Mat.

28:5-6; Mark 16:6-7 - Mark adds

Peter's name separately).

Luke records that they saw no

body in the tomb (Luke 24:3).

Until that time, Only Mary

Magdalene had seen Jesus, but

as the women were about to

leave, Jesus himself met them,

and this time permitted them to

touch him. (28:9).

The women now went to tell the

apostles, who refused to believe

them (Luke 24:11). However,

Peter and John ran to

investigate. Both saw the empty

tomb, which John describes

special detail, but they did not at

this time see the Lord and only

John was prepared to believe He

was risen (John 20:8).So these

disciples (Peter & John) went

back to their homes (John

20:10).

If Paul (1 Cor. 15:5) intends that

Peter saw Christ before the

other eleven (as Luke 24:34

implies) then this must have

occurred privately between his

return home and the evening

meal.

Luke 24:34 also implies that the

other apostles (except Thomas)

believed the word of Peter

(though not the women) BEFORE

they saw Christ for themselves.

Whether Peter returned to the

garden to try to figure out the

truth or whether Christ met him

where he was we have no

record.

Later that day Jesus appeared to

two of them on the road to

Emmaus (Luke 24:13). They did

not realize who he was until

evening when they ran back to

Jerusalem, where all present in

the upper room meet the risen

Christ (Luke 24:36). Thom was

absent (John 20:24).

Eight days later Thomas was with

the other disciples when Jesus

again appeared to them (John

20:26).

We are not given details of all

the 40 days of appearances, but

we know that when the disciples

returned to Galilee as Christ

commanded, they met the risen

Christ for the third time

collectively whilst they were

fishing and it was at this time

that Peter had his personal

interview with Christ.

The disciples had travelled to

Galilee at a pre-arranged

meeting place, where over 500

saw him at once and were given

the great commission (Matthew

28:16; 1 Cor. 15:6).

At some point during these 40

days, Jesus appeared to his

oldest brother James and to all

the 'apostles', which may be a

reference to EVEN MORE

disciples further to the 500 who

ALSO received the great

commission. So the risen Christ

must have been seen by MANY

HUNDREDS.

Then Jesus led them out as far as

Bethany, and lifting up his hands,

he blessed them. Now during the

blessing he departed and was

taken up into heaven (Luke

24:50-51). This Ascension Day

was 40 days after Easter Sunday.

At this time Jesus told them to

remain in Jerusalem until they

received the Holy Spirit (Acts 1).

There was to be one more

appearance, not in vision, but in

the same form seen by Peter and

the eleven; this was to Paul on

the Damascus road. Paul's words

in 1 Corinthians 15:8 imply that

this particular level of revelation

will not be repeated,

UNTIL WE ALL SEE HIM

FACE TO FACE.

24

David asks the question, "Who will

ascend the hill of the Lord? And

who will stand in his holy place."

Perhaps David had in mind the

worshippers who went up the hill

of Zion to the temple to worship

God. Who would God hear and

receive? Yet there is a greater

meaning here. For when David

asks, "Who shall ascend..?" he is

actually asking, "Who shall enter

into the very presence of God in

heaven and remain there, to

minister eternally before him?"

We are certain that there is only

one answer to this question. Only

one person in history has ever met

these requirements, and that is

the Lord Jesus Christ.

For Christ has not entered the holy

places made with hands, which are

copies of the true, but into heaven

itself, now to appear in the

presence of God for us; Heb 9:24

In these verses we see that the

exaltation of the Lord Jesus Christ

is entirely proper, right and fair.

1. The Justice of Christ's

Exaltation

Christ's Exaltation is Just because

of his Pre-Existence

It is not unreasonable to suppose

that since Christ is the mighty

Creator who came from heaven in

the first place, it is quite right for

him to return there. David begins

this Psalm with the words, "The

earth is the LORD s, and all its

fullness, The world and those who

dwell therein. For He has founded

it upon the seas, and established it

upon the waters. v1-2

Jesus Christ Himself is credited

with the act of Creation. The

Scripture insists that Christ is the

Son of God who was there in the

beginning. Speaking of Jesus, the

apostle John says, In the beginning

was the Word, and the Word was

with God, and the Word was God.

He was in the beginning with God.

All things were made through Him,

and without Him nothing was

made that was made. John 1:1-3

In writing to the Colossians, Paul

says:

He is the image of the invisible

God, the firstborn over all creation

[that is, begotten before all

creation, meaning He Himself was

not created]. For by Him all things

were created that are in heaven

and that are on earth, visible and

invisible, whether thrones or

dominions or principalities or

powers. All things were created

through Him and for Him. And He

is before all things, and in Him all

things consist. And He is the head

of the body, the church, who is the

beginning, the firstborn from the

dead, that in all things He may

have the pre-eminence (Col. 1:15-

18). The writer to the Hebrews

says:

God has in these last days spoken

to us by His Son, whom He has

appointed heir of all things,

through whom also He made the

worlds. (Heb. 1:2).

Jesus often referred to "coming

from Heaven" or "Coming from

the Father" and of "returning to

The Exaltation of Christ

In Psalm 22 Jesus was the lamb of God taking away the sin of the world. In Psalm 24 He is the exalted King, the Lion of Judah.

Mathew Bartlett

Images ©Rgbe, Josée Massicotte, Lee Torrens

25

the Father." e.g. Jesus said to

them, "If God were your

Father, you would love Me, for I

proceeded forth and came from

God; nor have I come of Myself,

but He sent Me. John 8:42

"I came forth from the Father and

have come into the world. Again, I

leave the world and go to the

Father." John 16:28

"And now, O Father, glorify Me

together with Yourself, with the

glory which I had with You before

the world was. John 17:5

It was fitting that Christ who knew

the glory of being as one with God

his Father in heaven should return

to the place where he came from.

And it is perfectly fitting that God

the son should be so exalted.

Christ's Exaltation is Just because

of his Sinless Perfection

Jesus Christ is the one person who

has never sinned in action- he has

clean hands. He is the only one

who has never sinned in thought

or motive - He has a pure heart.

He is the only one who has been

faithful to God in all

circumstances. Even in the desert

where He fasted alone for forty

days and nights being tempted by

the devil, when the tempter came

to Him and showed Him all the

kingdoms of the world and their

glory in a moment of time, saying

all these will be yours if you bow

down and worship me, Jesus

replied "You shall worship the Lord

your God and serve him only."

Nor was Christ ever guilty of

perjury. He never made a false

oath or told any lies whatsoever.

Even when Caiaphas the High

Priest had the audacity to put him

on oath to the Living God, Christ

answered honestly. Caiaphas said

"Are you the Christ, the Son of the

Blessed?" Jesus replied "I am. And

I tell you that henceforth you shall

see the son of man sat at the right

hand of God and coming on the

clouds of heaven."

Christ's Exaltation is Just because

of his Obedience

Christ Jesus, who, being in the

form of God, did not consider it

robbery to be equal with God, but

made Himself of no reputation,

taking the form of a bondservant,

and coming in the likeness of men.

And being found in appearance as

a man, He humbled Himself and

became obedient to the point of

death, even the death of the cross.

Therefore God also has highly

exalted Him (Phil 2:6–9).

Jesus Christ always did the will of

his Father. The reason he left

heaven and was born as a baby in

Bethlehem was to accomplish his

Father's plan to save sinners.

Although Jesus was always perfect

with regard to his sinlessness, yet

by suffering death and sorrow he

has become perfect (all we need)

as the author of eternal salvation

for all who believe in him. It was

God's plan, not Christ's that he

should suffer and die on the cross

for our sakes. As a man, Christ had

a will of his own. But for our sakes,

in the garden of Gethsemane the

night before his crucifixion, he

prayed "Father, not my will, but

yours be done" and he went

through with the shame and agony

of the cross.

It is for this reason that Paul says

God has highly exalted him.

Summary

This great Christ, who is creator

and master of the universe, for our

sakes he humbled himself to

become a man and lived a life of

spotless purity, always doing what

pleased his father God in heaven.

He suffered all the pain and woes

that a human man can suffer, and

completed his obedience by dying

on the cross for the sins of the

whole world, so that we may have

eternal life. Little wonder, then

that such a mighty Saviour should

be in the words of Paul

Therefore God also has highly

exalted Him and given Him the

name which is above every name,

that at the name of Jesus every

knee should bow, of those in

heaven, and of those on earth,

and of those under the earth, and

that every tongue should confess

that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the

glory of God the Father (Phil 2:9–

11)

2. The Triumph of Christ's

Exaltation

Christ's Exaltation is Triumphant

because He has fulfilled the Word

of Scripture

Then He said to them, "These are

the words which I spoke to you

while I was still with you, that all

things must be fulfilled which

were written in the Law of

Moses and the Prophets and the

Psalms concerning Me." Luke

24:44

For hundreds of years before Jesus

came God had sent prophets with

His word, predicting the days

when God would send His Son to

earth to be our Saviour. They told

of His birth to a virgin (Isa. 7.14) in

Bethlehem (Micah 5.2). They told

of Herod's trying to kill Christ

when He was still an infant (Jer.

31.15). They told of His flight to

Egypt to escape Herod (Hos. 11.1).

They told of His living in Nazareth

as a boy (Matt 2.23) and of His

moving to Capernaum as a man

(Isa9.1). They told of his entering

Jerusalem (Zech. 9.9) on a donkey

and of his being betrayed by a

close friend (Ps 41.9) for thirty

26

pieces of silver (Zech. 11.13). They

told of his unfair trial (Isa 53.8)

and of his being handed over to be

crucified (Ps 22. 16). They also told

of his resurrection (Ps16.10).

Christ came as the fulfilment of

the words of the Scripture. After

all that had been written about

Him was fulfilled, we see Him

returning to heaven in triumph as

heaven's appointed King.

Christ's Exaltation is Triumphant

because He has finished the Work

of Salvation

In Mark we read "When he had

spoken these things he ascended

to heaven where he sat down at

the right hand of God." This speaks

not only of taking up his rightful

place of authority, but of a work

completed.

The ascension shows that Christ

had by His death and resurrection

accomplished all that was

necessary for the redemption of

all mankind. John Baptist said,

behold the Lamb of God who

takes away the sin of the world.

God so loved the WORLD. God is

not willing that ANY should perish,

that is why Christ has provided the

means of salvation for every man

and woman and child that has

ever been born.

Just as the resurrection gave God's

Amen to the "It is finished of

Christ", so the ascension and

exaltation of Christ give the Amen

to the great commission "to go

into all the world and preach the

gospel - make this full, free

salvation which I have obtained

known to everyone. And lo I am

with you always."

Christ's Exaltation is Triumphant

because His Victory is

Unchallenged

It was usual in David's time and in

history since, for a victorious King

to return with his army in

triumphant procession with the

spoils of victory. In the battle of

Calvary, the Lord of glory has

fought and won on his own. He

has shown that he is strong and

mighty in battle. By enduring the

shame and agony of the cross, he

defeated death, and all the hosts

of Satan who - for all their

professed wisdom did not know

the wisdom of God which had

foreordained that Christ should

die for our sakes.

If they had, says Paul, they would

not have crucified the Lord of

Glory. (1 Cor..2:7-8)

So now this Psalm pictures Christ

returning in triumph to the ivory

palaces of heaven, the undefeated

and unchallenged victor, leading

the souls of the redeemed dead in

his procession to the shouts of joy

of millions of angels. The

everlasting gates of heaven, into

the presence of God himself, open

to Him of their own accord that He

might rightfully enter in.

3. The Blessings of Christ's

Exaltation

We have already mentioned that

the Lord Jesus has not returned to

heaven empty handed - he has the

spoils of victory. What His death

and resurrection have

accomplished for us, He is able to

bestow from heaven because of

His exaltation.

Through His Exaltation Christ

gives the Blessings of His Power

The exalted Christ has power to

give His church the gift of eternal

life. Jesus said, "I give them

eternal life, and they shall never

perish; neither shall anyone snatch

them out of My hand." John 10:28

"You have given Him authority

over all flesh, that He should give

eternal life to as many as You have

given Him." John 17:2

By His Power God brings us into a

relationship with Himself whereby

we share in His own nature and in

the divine life. "As His divine

power has given to us all things

that pertain to life and godliness,

through the knowledge of Him

who called us by glory and virtue"

2 Peter 1:3

By that same power, we are kept

eternally:

who are kept by the power of God

through faith for salvation 1 Peter

1:5

This blessed existence will never

end, and we shall know God and

enjoy fellowship with him forever.

If what you heard from the

beginning abides in you, you also

will abide in the Son and in the

Father. And this is the promise

that He has promised us--eternal

life. 1 John 2:24-25

Through His Exaltation Christ

gives the Blessings of His

Presence

Paul is at great pains to show, in

Eph. 4.9-10, (as Peter also explains

in 1 Peter 3.19) that Christ when

absent from His body for three

days, descended into the lowest

place, the place of departed

spirits, and there proclaimed

deliverance for those saints, such

as David, who had lived and died

in hope of His coming, but who

had never seen it. Then in His

resurrection and ascension He

ascended to the highest place so

that He might fill all things.

When Christ walked as a man on

earth, as a man He could only be

in one place at a time. Yet now the

exalted Son of God is able to say

27

to His followers I am with you

always and everywhere in every

situation until the world ends. He

is able to say to countless millions

of believers all over the world at

the same time "wherever two or

three gather in my name, I am

there in the midst of them."

Notice that Christ is not saying

"The Holy Spirit will be there."

Although I'm sure that He is. He

says "I will be there" Christ in His

exalted glory is omnipresent -

everywhere at the same time,

although invisible to us, yet real

and tangible in His presence.

Through His Exaltation Christ

gives the Blessings of His Promise

Jesus taught His disciples about

many promises which God had

made, but there was one thing so

special that he referred to it as

"THE promise of the Father."

And being assembled together

with them, He commanded them

not to depart from Jerusalem, but

to wait for the Promise of the

Father, "which," He said, "you

have heard from Me; for John

truly baptized with water, but you

shall be baptized with the Holy

Spirit not many days from now."

Acts 1:4-5

Jesus had often spoken publicly

about this promise: On the last

day, that great day of the feast,

Jesus stood and cried out, saying,

"If anyone thirsts, let him come to

Me and drink. He who believes in

Me, as the Scripture has said, out

of his heart will flow rivers of living

water." But this He spoke

concerning the Spirit, whom those

believing in Him would receive; for

the Holy Spirit was not yet given,

because Jesus was not yet

glorified. John 7:37-39

Peter said "This Jesus God has

raised up, of which we are all

witnesses. Therefore being exalted

to the right hand of God, and

having received from the Father

the promise of the Holy Spirit, He

poured out this which you now

see and hear. Acts 2:32-33

Jesus had told His disciples "It is

to your advantage that I go away;

for if I do not go away, the Helper

will not come to you; but if I

depart, I will send Him to you.

John 16:7

It is because of the exaltation of

Christ that we experience the

blessings of His promise through

the power and presence of the

Holy Spirit in our lives.

Through His Exaltation Christ

gives the Blessings of His Purpose

God's purpose for all who trust

Christ as Saviour is that they may

be conformed into Christ's

likeness. In order for this purpose

to become an on-going reality in

our daily lives, Christ has given

certain gifts to every member of

His body, so that the church may

build itself up in love, every

member growing into His likeness

until Christ may be seen in and

through us. (Eph. 4:7-13)

Every member of the church has

an important part in the fulfilment

of God's purpose. Let us never

despise the gifts God has given,

however insignificant some might

seem. We must use them for his

honour and the good of the

church of Christ (1 Pet. 4:10).

Through his exaltation Christ gives

us the blessings of his power, his

presence, his Promise and his

purpose. May we never fail to lay

hold of all these until we all come

to the unity of the faith and of the

knowledge of the Son of God, to a

perfect man, to the measure of

the stature of the fullness of Christ

AMEN. Photo Lion © Sallytaz Lamb,

Leetorrens

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