Apostle’s Creed (3)

BruneiSermon 25th August, 2013 Written By Rev Law Hui Seng Posted By Teresa Han Main Idea: Jesus’ resurrection, coming back and judgment. Objectives: 1. To understand the significance of Jesus’ suffering, crucifixion, death and burial in relationship to our life. 2. To understand the meanings of His resurrection; sitting at the right hand of God; His coming back; and the judgment of the quick and the dead. A. Introduction - In my last sermon on the Apostle’s creed, I preached to you on how God is Almighty; how we Christians believe in the person of Jesus; and His conception by the Holy Spirit. - Today’s sermon will focus on Jesus’ suffering, crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection, sitting at the right hand of God, and His coming to judge the quick and the dead - “suffered under Pontius Pilate,was crucified, dead, and buried; - He descended into hell. - The third day He arose again from the dead; - He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.” - I pray the works of Jesus will inspire you and challenge each of you to be His great disciples. B. Suffered under Pontius Pilate - Why the name Pontius Pilate is so significant in the Apostle’s Creed? What is the importance of Jesus’ suffering in the creed? What is the purpose of suffering of Jesus for our faith? - Nobody can deny the historical facts of the creed. - Pontius Pilate is a historical person who existed. - Jesus was crucified under his hand; He suffered, died and buried under his political rule. - To all us Christians throughout the centuries, ‘suffered under Pontius Pilate’ means the Son of God for the purpose of redeeming us, He entered history. He suffered and died under Pontius Pilate, a real human. Nobody can deny it. It happened in time and space. It was not made up story. It did not happen in some imagination or through some psychological effects. - Therefore, Jesus Himself embraced the world by becoming a human being. As He went through the motion of a human being and even suffered, we will be ever to find the meaning of our earthly suffering and a way out of it. This is the meaning of suffered under Pontius Pilate. - Jesus is word of God became flesh 2,000 years ago at Bethlehem, doing preaching, healing and deliverance all over the places at Galilee and Jerusalem. - At the age of 33, he suffered under Pontius Pilate. What He did can be seen, touched and measured. No wonder John said in 1John 1:1 ‘That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched – this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.’ - The suffering of Jesus. - If Christians/ disciples of Jesus like you and me can understand Jesus suffering, then, one can practice his or her faith in our life and society. It can help those who face trials and suffering in life. - Normally we understand Jesus’ 33 years of life on earth by focusing on his miraculous birth and His great suffering. We do this at the expense of not relating His process of life to His works of salvation. - As a result, because we focus on the supernatural and so we neglect His ordinary life and we do not relate His ordinary life to our ordinary life. For example, how we do not ask Jesus to empower us to forgive others or ourselves. - We always find it hard to relate His life long teaching to our lives. For most Christians, we do not dialogue with Jesus 33 years of life. - So we need to put Jesus life into its proper perspective. His whole life is very much linked and it is an integrated whole. We need to do this correction. - When we do that, for example, to understand the concept of forgiveness on the sermon of the mount, our method will not be to ask: How to love our enemies? Taking Jesus life as a whole, we should ask who is this person who teaches us to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us? The standard answer of course is the Jesus who died for us sinners. - The bottom line then is not whether I can forgive or not; or the heart of the matter is not whether I have the ability to forgive or not. The heart of the matter is what Jesus has achieved for all sinners, including our enemies or those who persecute us. Then loving our enemies become no big deal. - What has this kind of approach of understanding Jesus to do with the suffering of Jesus? There are 3 aspects of Jesus’ suffering. - Firstly, as long as we do not compartmentalize Jesus life, His whole life is a definition of suffering. For example, how He was denied a proper birth place; His nature of call or mission was not understood by His parents; when He was tempted in the wilderness, He was alone; living among the sinners, He experienced how sin brought about rejection; while healing the sick, He empathize with them; in His last days, He was rejected by different levels of leaders; and eventually He died a sacrificial death. In His last few days of earthly life, He was rejected by Judas, Peter and even God the Father on the cross. - Secondly, Jesus suffering is for a great purpose. He died for the great purpose of redemption. - Thirdly, as we understand Jesus’ birth till His death as suffering, we can see how He identifies with those who suffered in life. - Let us see how Jesus’ suffering is related to us. - Suffering and Christians. - Suffering does not only inflict on our body but very much on our inner hurts. Things like I do not deserve this. It causes people to be bitter, doubting our own values, self-condemnation, self denial is the climax of suffering. A lot of us because we have not overcome our inner hurts, we become more and more self-centered. In other words, bitterness appears in other forms. It is sin in every form; it is sin who causes us to distance ourselves from Him. - Good news today for you all, the suffering of Jesus ministers to our suffering. - Jesus’ suffering is for our deepest sins and inner hurts. He understands our deepest hurts because He has gone through it. C. Was Crucified - It was such a shameful thing for Jesus to be regarded as a criminal though He was without sin, but still sentenced to death. The punishment on the cross on those days was the most humiliating instrument of punishment .- Today, we use the cross as a symbol, the church uses it as a design, some hang it on our necklace, we sing about the cross, etc. Is there anything good about the cross? - In fact, His crucifixion was foretold in the Old Testament. In Luke 24: 26, 27, Jesus said, ‘Did not Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory? And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scripture concerning himself.’ - When Jesus was tried, He did not answer much but whatever He answered, it had to do with His identity. His answers caused Him death. And Jesus, for the purpose of mankind, He knew the consequence of His identity answers. - Mark 14:61, 62, ‘…the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?” “I am,” said Jesus, “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” - Jesus’ death was the triumphant of the power of darkness but it is the turning point for mankind’s destiny. Now, people of all kinds have a hope of salvation. D. Dead, and buried; He descended into hell. - The consequence of crucifixion is dead, burial and descending to hell. It is an absolute consequence of all human death and now Jesus has successful redeemed it for us.- From God’s perspective, no matter how human beings try to go to God, it is absolutely no way because Christ has to do it for human beings. - It shows that the created human beings have no way to save ourselves. - Is dead the end of everything? To people who do not believe it, they say it is. But the Bible says otherwise. - The term hell here is not referred to as a place of punishment, it is equal to the Greek term Hades or the Hebrew term Sheol. It means a place of stay for the dead. - 1Peter 3:19 (Jesus preached to the spirits in the prison); 4:6 (gospel was preached to those who were dead). - Those who choose Jesus can be assured that we will not go there. For us we go to paradise.- All the more the next phrase of the creed talks about resurrection. E. The third day He arose again from the dead - 1Corinthians 15:4, says ‘that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.’- The creed has singled out a belief, which is real and a fact. - If it is a fact, then, it has these significance: 1. The date of its happening was the third day after the crucifixion; 2. The resurrection is proven by evidence, i.e., people saw Jesus who was alive, also the empty tomb; 3. The resurrection actually caused the formation of the church by first century Christians. - Jesus lived with disciples for 40 days. This gave them hope. In fact, before this, the disciples had gone back to their own profession and buried their faith behind their mind. - Acts 2:36, ‘…let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this, Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord, and Christ.’ - This is where we Christians believe we will resurrect like Jesus because He has the power to resurrect us. 1Corinthians 15:20 ‘But Christ has indeed raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.’ F. He ascended into heaven - How do we understand ascension? The resurrection of Jesus, does it refer to His bodily resurrection? How His physical body who lived with the disciples for 40 days disappeared?- Acts 1:9 says, ‘After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.’ - New Testament does not emphasize the resurrected body like it emphasizes the birth and death. - John 20:17, Jesus said to Mary, ‘Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father…’ And then in verse 27, Jesus said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, see my hands, Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” - How then Jesus ascended to heaven ?- Luke clearly recorded the independent incident of Jesus ascension. Luke 24:50-51, ‘When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven.’ - It was a real event which happened in time and space and full of miracle and mystery. Mind you, when you read books by theologians like Macquarrie, Moltman, Kung, Barth and Tillich, you have to be careful as they do not believe in ascension of Jesus. This is because they do not believe in miracle. - Now, how does ascension relate to our life today? - Firstly, ascension is the pivotal point between word becomes flesh and Christ coming back again. We need to be accountable to Him for what we do on earth. - Secondly, it singles the end of a time period. It marks the beginning of another period, a time of faith. - Thirdly, it marks the beginning of a new relationship, where the relationship between human being and God is no more limited by time and space. G. And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty - An important reference that supports this part of the creed is Psalms 110:1, ‘The Lord says to my Lord:”Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your heart.” Jesus used this verse to answer the question of the great high priest about His identity. He said in Mark 14:62, ‘… “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” This is the famous Messianic text and because of this confession, He was sentenced to death. - Jesus’ disciples also a verse like to prove that He is the Messiah.- With that Messianic identity being proven from the Old and New Testaments, now let us move on to the meanings of sitting on the right hand of God. - Sitting on the right hand of God means the King who will judge the quick and the dead. He holds all the authority in heaven and earth. - It also means He is now the priest, interceding for us, redeeming our sin, representing God in pronouncing forgiveness of our sins and His acceptance of us. H. from thence he shall come - The past of Christ, His present work and future work all cannot be separated. - His coming back gives hope of salvation and eternal life; and we need to watch out for His coming back (like a thief) and be prepared to give an account for our life on earth. - This makes whatever He taught to the disciples meaningful. He can check on us every now and then whether we obey His word. Confuscious or Buddha cannot do it. I. To judge the quick and the dead - His coming back is to judge the world. Does this make us fear Him? His judgment is about eternal death in and eternal life in heaven. - The judgment is not the same meaning as the present court judgment according to the law of a country. - The standard used is the justice of God. It is not only a future event but it is also something immediate. Meaning to say after ascension, Jesus continue to judge us every now and then. - How? By whether we respond to His salvation or not. Whether we repent or not. By our conscience and the Holy Spirit who convicts us of our sins. J. Conclusion - Can you now explain your faith more clearly as you get to understand more of the Apostle’s Creed? - I pray that it will not be a mere knowledge to you but it is something that empowers your Christian life and holiness on earth.