W.D.J.D.

 A couple years ago the WWJD –  “What Would Jesus Do” bracelets were all the rage. People everywhere were asking themselves and each other “What would Jesus do if He were in my situation. Well, while that is a very good question to ask, it’s really a secondary question. There is a much more important question to be asked—W.D.J.D.?   I have put together this little letter and included it on our site because I believe that the letters on the top of this page are very important. I believe it is the most important thing you will ever hear as it offers you what no one else can – hope – peace – forgiveness – and a purpose for living.

 The letters you see on the top of this page are an acronym. An acronym that poses the most important question a person could ever ask. The answer to this one question holds the key to all of life—and the many perplexing questions many of us have about it. This question has profound implications for your life. Whether you choose to ignore the question or choose to seriously search out the answer to the question—there are consequences. I’d encourage you to read on so that you can avoid the negative consequences and experience the positive ones.

 What you ask, do these letters stand for? They stand for Why Did Jesus Die?

 Yes, that is the most important question you could ever ask. Why—because the answer very simply is that Jesus died to solve a problem you have. A problem you may not even realize you have—a sin problem.

 “My sin problem” you might be thinking, “What problem—I mean everybody does stuff wrong, right?” Well, yes—you are right! The Bible has said that for years. It says in Romans chapter three, verse twenty three, “all have sinned” and fall short of the glory of God.”

 That’s me all right!

 If I were to compare myself to some people I know, I probably wouldn’t look like that bad of a guy—but, the second part of the verse kind of sets me straight. It says, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Notice who the verse compares me to? God, NOT those around me. Hmmm—I think I’m in trouble. Compared to Him, well… let’s just say I don’t stack up so well! How about you?

 “Well” you might say, —“God’s a loving God right? I mean—He’ll let me in right? I mean really now, do you think a loving God would send me to hell because of a few things I’ve done wrong?” Those are good points; good questions that I’ll admit I’ve asked myself! Interestingly, the Bible takes the time to answer these questions for us. In Romans chapter six, in the first part of verse twenty-three it says, “the wages of sin is death.” You know what a wage is right? Its something you earn because you worked for it. If your boss decided not to pay you anymore—you’d probably decide to quit, am I right? Of course you would because it is not only fair that you get paid—but it’s probably the only reason you bother to work! Well, according to this verse, “the wages of sin is death.” The right and fair thing I deserve is death. That is the fair “reward” for my sin. Its what I have earned.

“Big deal!” you’re probably thinking, “I’m going to die eventually anyways!” Well, your pretty safe on that bet, but unfortunately physical death is only part of what this verse is referring to. You see, when the Bible speaks of death it either refers to physical death, spiritual death, or both—physical and spiritual death. When this verse in Romans says, “the wages of sin is death,” it refers to both a physical and a spiritual death. You know what a physical death is—six foot under; my soul separated from my body. Spiritual death refers to another kind of separation though—my soul separated from God.  This verse says then that what I deserve as a fair and just reward for my sin is death—physical separation from my body and separation from God Himself.

Most people know that physical death is coming but, what most people don’t know is that they are already dead spiritually. That’s right—we are separated from God already because of our sin, and thats fair because that is our reward for sinning—our wage. If you think about your life you’ll know that this is true. You know how sometimes you feel like God is a million miles away and has nothing to do with you or your life? Well, that is a result of sin. You have separated yourself from God by sinning. Unfortunately so have I. As a matter of fact, everyone has. Remember the verse we started with? It said, “all have sinned.” That separation from God makes life pretty miserable sometimes. There is no hope. No Joy. No purpose for living. But, these are not the worst things that occur because of our separation from God. The worst part is this: if we die physically while we are still dead spiritually, our separation from God will extend into eternity. We will forever be separated from God in a place called hell. I do not say that to scare you or freak you out, I’m simply explaining to you what the Bible says happens as a result of our sin.

“Pastor Mark!” you are probably saying by now, “Get to the question you started with. Why Did Jesus Die?  Before we can clearly answer that question we have to ask ourselves this question, “Can I in some way cover up this sin of mine?” I mean hey, can’t I do a lot of really great things for people and make up for the bad I’ve done? Well, I’ve wrestled with that question to, and when I turned to the Bible to seek an answer I found two verses that came as very bad news. The first is found in Isaiah sixty four verse six which says, “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.” The other is found in Ephesians two verses eight and nine. These verses say that we cannot be “saved” from our sin penalty, because salvation from our sin penalty is “not by works, so that no one will boast.” These verses clearly show that God is not impressed with the good things that I do. They are as “filthy rags” He says—and, we cannot work our way into heaven or else we’d all be “boasting” of our good deeds. Wow, He sure knows me well, and I’m sure you can identify as well.

I have sinned and so have you. That sin has separated me from God, and if I remain separated from God—I’ll spend eternity separated from Him in a place called hell. I have earned that punishment by sinning. It is fair for God to punish me. He did not make me sin, I chose to. It is not only fair for Him to punish me, it is just and although God loves me and wants to have a relationship with me and be reunited with me—He is a just God, and He must do the right thing. He must punish sin. He is like a judge in a court room:  

 A young man walks into a courtroom guilty of speeding. He was caught going 93 miles an hour in a 35-mile an hour speed zone. He walks up to the judge and the judge reviews his case. He looks up at the young man, and without smiling he loves him. Thats right, he loves him. You see, the young man is his son. He loves his son very much and he would do anything he could to help his son out. But… he is a honest, fair and just Judge. He loves his son but he must do the right thing. He must do what is just, what is fair. He must follow the law and enact punishment on his son. He doesn’t enjoy it. He just does it because that is his character—he is a fair, honest, and just man.

 God is the same way. He loves us very much. He created us so that we could have a relationship with him. Thats the way life was designed to be. In the beginning when God walked and talked with Adam and Eve in the garden, things were perfect. There was no sin. The man and the woman weren’t separated from God. They walked and talked freely with God. Then one day they chose to rebel against God—they disobeyed Him and ate of the fruit of the forbidden tree. God was forced to remove them from the garden. They became separated from God. As we have already discovered together, this was the result of their sin. God had warned them, yet they chose to sin—and they reaped the consequence. Was God un-loving—no. Was God fair—yes. Was God just—yes. They were just reaping the consequences of their actions. The consequences they were told would come. Maybe you have never been warned. Maybe this is the first you have ever heard something like this. If so, I apologize for not somehow getting you this news sooner.

 If we were to stop this discussion right now, you and I would be hopelessly separated from God and would eventually be condemned to an eternal separation from Him in hell. But, the story doesn’t end here. God didn’t just throw up His arms and give up on Adam and Eve. He immediately took the initiative and provided a way for them to have a way back to Him. A way for them to be reunited with Him and have a relationship with Him. God took an animal and made a covering for them of skins. The significance of this is incredible because the Bible says in the second part of Hebrews chapter nine verse twenty-two “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” God could not just ignore their sin. “The wages of sin is death,” remember? In the Old Testament, which records the time before Jesus was born, the priests would sacrifice lambs on an alter for the sins of the people. The lambs had to be perfect, spotless lambs without any defects of any kind. This was important because as sin brought death, so a perfect, spotless life could bring life. The perfect lamb would die in the place of the sinner, so that the sinners sins could be forgiven. It may sound a little strange, but it is the requirement for the forgiveness of sins. It was God who met that requirement in the Garden of Eden by providing for Adam and Eve through the blood of an animal. God provided a way—but who paid? The lamb! The lamb paid with its life! It gave all it had to forgive their sins—because “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness..”

 With this information we can now finally answer the question we started with, Why Did Jesus Die?   All through the Old Testament animals were sacrificed for the forgiveness of sin, but at the same time God was predicting that there was one coming Who would be crucified. One Who would provide a way once and for all for men and women to have a relationship with a God. The One of whom the Old Testament spoke, the Messiah—He came. His name is Jesus Christ. All of the prophecies in the Old Testament were fulfilled in Him. He was born of a virgin, in the line of Shem, in the line of Jesse, within the tribe of Judah, crucified (“hands and feet pierced”—and this description was prophesied 800 years before crucifixions were put into effect by the Romans!) rejected by His own people—the Jews, the Gentiles believed in Him, He was betrayed, by a friend, for thirty pieces, of silver, that were cast on the floor, of the temple, and used to buy a potters field, and on and on the list goes. Yes, some of these prophecies could be fulfilled by others—some even by you, and me …but not all 60 major prophecies with their 270 ramifications. In fact, if you can find someone who meets even half of the criteria, whether they are alive or dead—Fred John Meldau, (author of “Messiah in Both Testaments”,) is ready to give you a $1000 reward. No one has laid claim to that reward yet & they won’t. Mathematicians much smarter than I have taken the number of prophecies predicted and fulfilled in Christ and subjected them to the principles of probability and found that based on the principles of probability—coincidence is ruled out. Peter W. Stoner in his book “Science Speaks” shows that just 8 of these prophecies fulfilled in one man has a 1 in10¹⁷ chance of coming true. That is a 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000 chance. He compares that to a man placing 10¹⁷ silver dollars all over the face of Texas. It would cover all of the state two foot deep. Now take one of the coins and mark it. Toss it in the pile and mix it all up. Blindfold a man and let Him walk all over the state & with only one chance—bend over and pick up the coin. That my friend is with just 8 of the 60 some prophecies. In fulfilling prophecies Jesus Christ did the impossible. (This paragraph adapted from a section in “More Than Just A Carpenter” by Josh McDowell)

 In dying on the cross, Jesus Christ did what was impossible for us to do on our own. First Peter chapter two in the beginning of verse twenty-four it says Christ, “bore our sins in His own body on the tree.” Jesus died in our place. I deserved that death—yet God loved me and you enough to send Jesus to die in our place as the perfect, spotless Lamb of God. A one time, perfect sacrifice—for sins. Who paid? Jesus did, with His blood, because “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”

 In Hebrews chapter nine, it says Christ did not “enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.”

 One of the first verses I included in this letter to you was Romans chapter six, verse twenty-three. Lets look at it one more time. It says,  “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We have already looked at the “in Christ Jesus our Lord” part. We have seen clearly what Christ did for us. We have answered the question Why Did Jesus Die? He died for you and for me—to solve our sin problem, and reunite us with Himself; that He might have a relationship with us. What we have not looked at is the middle part of the verse. The “but the gift of God is eternal life” part. What does that mean. It means simply what it says. God is offering you a free gift. The gift of eternal life. No—not life as in you’ll live forever and escape death. Life as in—you’ll escape death spiritually. God has provided you with a way to be united with Him and have your sins forgiven. The price He paid was extremely high. It cost Him his Son.

 I have a two little boys—Corban (5) & Christian (3). I wouldn’t give them up for you. I wouldn’t subject either of them to a slow death on a cruel cross—for you. I might, if hard pressed, be willing to give up my own life—but the life of one of my sons, never! But God was willing. Christ was willing. What do you have to do to get this gift of eternal life? What do you have to do to have your sins forgiven? What do you have to do to enter into a relationship with God? What do you have to do to receive this wonderful gift that Christ’s blood purchased? You simply do what you would do to receive any gift. You reach out, you receive it, and you accept it freely as being for you. You wouldn’t whip out your wallet at Christmas after having opened your gifts and say to the giver / givers of the gifts—“So, how much do I owe ya?” It would be insulting! Gifts are free! Purchased in love! The only payment you can give is to openly receive the gift, give a warm smile, a genuine “Thank You,” and turn and show everyone there what you just received. Such is the case with God and this gift He offers you. Romans chapter ten verses nine through eleven, and verse thirteen say, “if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, "WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED."        for "WHOEVER WILL CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED."”

God offers this gift freely. He asks only that you believe that Jesus was who He claimed to be—the Messiah, Gods Son—and that He died and rose again, for your sins (and mine). If you believe that, He then asks in the above verses that you confess with your mouth “Jesus as Lord.” That means simply that you realize Christ paid for your sins. You realize you cannot get to heaven apart from Him, or without His help. You are trusting in His work on the cross to be what gains you forgiveness of sins, a relationship with Him, and entrance into heaven. By confessing out loud to those around you that you are accepting what Christ did for you, you make Him Lord of your life. People will hear you say that you believe in Christ and that you believe what He taught about the forgiveness of sins. This will have a profound impact on your life—as I’m sure you can see. Some things in your life might need to change; but are not necessary for you to receive the Gift God offers. Those changes are just one way you have of saying “Thank You” to Christ for the gift… one way you have to please Him with your life. In 2 Corinthians chapter five and verse nine it says, “We have made it our goal to please Him.” Sounds like a great goal to have! Personally, that has become my goal – to Please God in every area of my life. I have made it my goal to be a God Pleaser! But… I cannot please God till I have entered into a relationship with Him by accepting the gift that He offers me through His Sons death on the cross.

John chapter three and verse sixteen summarizes best everything that we have discovered in this letter. It says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” This is a very personal verse that you could easily fit your name into. Please “read” your name into the blanks to follow. "For God so loved ______________, that He gave His only begotten Son, that if ___________ believes in Him ____________should not perish, but have eternal life.

Below is a sample prayer. It holds no spiritual value or merits on its own. I include it only to give you an idea—a way if you will of expressing yourself to God. Maybe it would be best for you to simply read it, then in you own words, right here, right now—close your eyes and pray it from your heart to God.

If you have any questions or comments please call me at the church at (315) 487-0368, or e-mail me at (pastor@growingplace.org ). If you have just prayed a prayer similar to the one above, I’d like the honor of being the first person you told! Would you do me the honor of giving me a call or emailing me? If you are a bit confused about all of this… but are afraid to call me… please read this letter over and over until you understand it—or till God impresses upon you the need to call me. Thank you for the opportunity and thank you for reading all the way to this point.

Forgiven & Grateful,

Pastor Mark