Have you seen the TV series, The Fixer? It features businesswoman Alex Politzi who goes to failing businesses, and she analyses the problems, and puts solutions in place, and turns around businesses that seemed destined to fail. She seems to do the impossible. What we need is someone to sort us out, we need new management, we need someone to sort out our old problems of sin and resolve its consequences, and to set us on a new path. God is the fixer of our souls. The Father loves us with an everlasting love. The Son died on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins. The Holy Spirit changes us on the inside, makes us holy. ‘So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.’ (Romans 6:11, NLT)

What does Easter Sunday mean to you? For many people it means something to do with Easter Bunnys, Eggs, daffodils, and so on. For others, it is about going to Church to remember Jesus being raised from the dead. Yet, for many Christians, Easter is like a ‘remembrance service’, where they remember someone who died a long time ago. Is that what we’re doing? Simply commemorating an event that occurred many years ago? There are several centenary commemorations coming up in the next few years, such as the Easter rising, the other one, in Dublin in 1916? For many people, they are a walk back into history – like the recent centenary of the Titanic in 2012. It’s fascinating to go to the Titanic exhibition, and see how they built the ships back then, and how they decorated the Titanic, and so on. A trip down memory lane is interesting, but irrelevant to many people. If we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, are we just going on a trip down memory lane? Or does it have far more importance and relevance to our lives here and now? What does John want us to know? In John’s gospel (John 20:1-31), we read about the first people who encountered Jesus alive, after his resurrection. While Paul later comments that there were hundreds who saw Jesus alive (1 Corinthians 15:3–8), John focuses on those who initially discover the empty tomb, as well as some select aspects of his post-resurrection days: Firstly, the tomb is empty – Jesus is risen (John 20:1-18). Jesus broke the spell or curse on humanity, death, so that those who trust in him would be raised again to eternal life. Secondly, the disciples are commissioned to offer the message of forgiveness to the world (John 20:19-23). Jesus’ followers as a whole have a duty to take the gospel to those who have not heard it, so that they can receive forgiveness through faith in Jesus. Thirdly, those who believe in Jesus, without seeing his body, are blessed (John 20:24-29). We walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). Fourthly, John summaries the purpose of his gospel, that by believe in Jesus people may have eternal life (John 20:30-31, Romans 6:4, Romans 6:10–11). The good news about Jesus resurrection isn’t simply a nostalgic trip down memory lane, commemorating the death and resurrection of a cherished religious leader. It is arguably the most significant event in human history, since because of Jesus’ atonement for sin and resurrection from the dead, people today can know forgiveness from their sins, no matter how serious they have been, as well as know that they have eternal life with God forever. Celebrating the resurrection of Jesus isn’t simply commemorating a historic event that has little contemporary significance. It has enormous significance for everyone, because acceptance of the gracious and merciful offer of forgiveness is the only way to avoid a future encounter with God in judgment, as well as experiencing the firstfruits of eternal life by walking in the Spirit here and now (Matthew 16:27, Luke 24:44–48, Ephesians 1:13-14, Romans 6:10-11). Praise God for such great salvation, offered freely to everyone…

At the crucifixion of Jesus, there were different responses by different groups of people. But Jesus’ death wasn’t simply a historical event – people today are still responding to his death and resurrection, along very similar lines to how the people responded about 2,000 years ago when it occurred. The readings for today’s sermon are an accumulation of different aspects from the gospels of Matthew Luke and John: John 19:16-22; Matthew 27:39-44; Luke 23:34; John 19:23-24; John 19:25-27; Luke 23:39-43; Matthew 27:45-54; John 19:31-42. So we openly oppose Jesus? The religious leaders mocked and opposed Jesus. So too did the four soldiers who were only interested in benefiting from Jesus’ effects, his clothing. Initially too, the two criminals who were crucified on either side of Jesus both mocked him. People today often mock Jesus, from using his name in vain to openly opposing him and denying the facts of his life, death and resurrection as recorded in the Bible. Do we sit on the fence? There were soldiers who were impressed, with one even declaring that Jesus was truly the Son of God. Pilate, too, was not convinced of Jesus guilt. In fact, he was convinced of his innocence. Yet, he was more concerned to keep his job than to do what was right. People today often think that they are sitting on the fence with respect to trusting in Jesus. But Jesus said that if anyone is not for him, that they are against him (Matthew 12:30). So, Jesus tells us that no-one sits on the fence; they are either for him or against him. Where do each one of us stand – clearly for Jesus or not? Do we follow Jesus? It is encouraging to see secret believers such as Joseph of Arimathea (and possible Nicodemus too, although while his actions point in that direction, we are not told specifically that he was a secret disciple of Jesus) coming out and being openly in support of Jesus, by giving him a decent burial. There were other faithful disciples too, who kept vigil at the foot of the cross. And we must not forget the criminal who changes his mind, and turns to Jesus for eternal life, which was affirmed by Jesus on the cross. The question for us is, which of these groups of people, or which character in particular, do we identify with? Many think that they identify with the faithful disciples, but in reality they identify with the unrepentant criminal or the four soldiers – this is because they only seek what they can get from God, how he can help them in their needy lives, but they never commit themselves completely to him, and put him first in their lives. Whether we are religious or not, we can do what the repentant criminal did, and turn to Jesus. His prayer was simple, and Jesus knew his heart. We too can pray a simple prayer such as this one, and receive the same blessing of eternal life that was his. How have you responded to Jesus?

“Who is Jesus?” “Who condemned Jesus to death?” “Why was Jesus condemned to death?” Today’s readings are: John 18:28-38; Luke 23:5-15; Matthew 27:19-20; John 18:39-19:15; Matthew 27:24-25 Who is Jesus? Jesus is a king: ‘Jesus answered, “My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world.”’ (John 18:36, NLT) Jesus is the Way, the Truth, the Light: ‘Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.’ (John 14:6, NLT) Jesus is the Saviour of the world: ‘The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’ (John 1:29, NLT) Who condemned Jesus to death? While it is tempting to accuse the Romans, and not the Jewish leaders, for fear of being seen to be anti-Semitic, the inescapable truth from the passages of Scripture listed above is that Pilate and Herod didn’t want to condemn Jesus. Instead, the Jewish leaders, and later the crowd also, forced Pilate’s hand into condemning Jesus to death. Pilate ceremoniously washed his hands, trying to absolve himself of guilt. While it was a gesture, he remained guilty of Jesus’ death, to some extent. However, it was the Jewish leaders and the crowd who unmistakeably took the responsibility onto themselves: ‘Pilate saw that he wasn’t getting anywhere and that a riot was developing. So he sent for a bowl of water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. The responsibility is yours!” And all the people yelled back, “We will take responsibility for his death—we and our children!”’ (Matthew 27:24–25, NLT) However, it was not only Pilate or the Jews who put Jesus to death – it was humanity. The Jewish or Israelite people, as those who were the most privileged by God above all nations, rejected God (see Luke 20:9–19). Yet, no other people or nation, or religion then, or since then, would have done any different. While it is clear that the Jewish people condemned their Messiah to death, there is absolutely no excuse for self-righteous superiority by anyone, such as some Christians in later centuries, for blaming the Jews alone for Jesus’ death. This is because each nation or people, or us as individuals would have done exactly the same thing – because we are all sinners, and turn from God (Isaiah 53:6). Moreover, Jesus knew what he was doing, and he came to earth to die on the cross, because of our sins. As sinners, we are all responsible for Jesus’ death on the cross (Acts 3:18, Matthew 16:21). We are all responsible for Jesus being condemned to death, and so no-one has any justification in hold an anti-Semitic view on this matter. They would have done the same thing, had they been there themselves, and their sin drove Jesus to the cross. Why was Jesus condemned to death? This can be easily answered by quoting some of the most popular verses in the Bible: ‘“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.’ (John 3:16–17, NLT) If we trust in Jesus alone for our righteousness and forgiveness of sins, we will receive God’s grace and mercy, and know first-hand why Jesus died on the cross: ‘For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.’ (Romans 3:23–24, NLT)

We are all familiar with miscarriages of justice, either around the world, or closer to home here in the north. Many people have experienced a family member or someone they know go through a miscarriage of justice. Some of us may have gone through a miscarriage of justice ourselves. But if we haven’t gone through a miscarriage of justice in the civil or criminal courts, through the legal system, most if not all of us will have gone through a miscarriage of justice in the courts of public opinion, or in the courts of those in family, at work, among friends. Some have even gone through injustices or miscarriages of justice at the hands of church leaders, where their situation has not been fairly or justly dealt with. But there is one injustice, one miscarriage of justice that stands out above all those that we have experienced, or could experience. It is that of Jesus before his crucifixion. Yet, this injustice, this miscarriage of justice, was God’s plan, so that sinners who deserve to be found guilty before God on the judgment day can be declared not guilty. ‘For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.’ (2 Corinthians 5:21, NLT) The readings for today’s sermon are: John 18:12–14, 19–24, Matthew 26:57–68, John 18:28–32.

Everyone fails at something, sooner or later. Christians fail to follow Jesus as they ought to, too. How do we cope with failure? How do we cope with having failed God? Do we languish as persistent failures in our own minds, thinking that we can never do anything right? Do we give up trying to do better, not striving to reach our potential in serving God? How can we deal with past failures properly, completely, without minimising them or brushing them under the carpet, and without learning from our mistakes? Peter failed doing things his way Peter is a great example of someone who failed, repeatedly, to follow and understand Jesus. Despite some great insights initially, he failed to understand what Jesus’ mission on earth was all about. After being the first person to see and declare that Jesus was the Messiah, he then rebuked Jesus for saying that he needed to die on the cross. Jesus had to correct him, not for the first time (Matthew 16:23). Yet, Peter went on to become one of the foremost leaders of the early New Testament church, preaching his first and most famous sermon at Pentecost. Be restored and follow Jesus’ way Peter was first called to follow Jesus on the shore of the Sea (lake) of Galilee. His restoration probably occurred at or near that place too in John 21. While Peter denied him around a charcoal fire (John 18:18), Jesus restores him around a charcoal fire too (John 21:9). While Peter denied Jesus three times (John 18:15-18, 25-27), Jesus gave him the opportunity to restate his love for him three times (John 21:15-17). Crucially, Jesus’ way is not to ask what we will do for him, but to ask whether we love him or not. If we love him, putting him at the centre of our lives, then we will not only do the things that he wants, but he will give us the strength to do them too (Phil 4:13). It is costly but worth it Jesus went on to tell Peter that he would, in fact, die for his sake after all (John 21:18-19). All of Jesus’ followers must not be surprised if they are persecuted for his name’s sake. We ought to take up our cross daily and follow him (Matt 16:24-25). Yet, it is worth it by far: ‘Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.’ (Romans 8:18). And suffering as a result of love for Jesus will not only result in living eternally with him where there will be no more pain, sorrow, suffering, instead of being punished for our sins in Hell forever. Suffering now also builds character (Romans 5:3-5). Moving on from failure Many people have failed, and still carry around the psychological scars of one failure after another. Yet, Jesus wants us to have our failures resolved through repentance, which is only possible because he died on the cross to atone for our sins, our failures. Only by turning our backs on past failures, through accepting forgiveness for what we have done, can we move forward with joy as we anticipate doing great things for God. Praise God that we can move on from failure to following…

Isn’t it great to know that in John 17:1-26 Jesus has prayed for believers to grow in holiness and to be kept from evil? Isn’t it also great to know that Jesus has prayed that unbelievers in the world would hear the truth and become believers? This prayer, which comes at the end of a teaching conversation, is sandwiched between the Passover or Last Supper on the one hand, and his arrest and subsequent trial, crucifixion and resurrection on the other hand. This prayer covers so many topics, that it is difficult to analyse it. One method is to see John 17:5 being his prayer for his glory (he is glorified when sinners turn to him and are made righteous, because of his death on the cross); John 17:6-19 being about the disciples with him, and John 17:20-26 relating to future believers. However, since most of what he prays in John 17:6-19 applies to future believers also, and Jesus comments in John 17:20 that he is praying for them too, we are then left with a large section John 17:6-26 which relates to all believers. How should we analyse this? One way is to look at Jesus’ prayer requests, his purposes for praying, and his supporting reasons in prayer. 3 requests For his own glory in John 17:1 and John 17:5. For the holiness of his followers in John 17:11, John 17:15 and John 17:17. For the unity of believers together, and with the Father, in John 17:21 and John 17:24. 7 purposes That God may be glorified in John 17:1 and John 17:24 That believers may be united with each other and with God in John 17:11 and John 17:22-23 That the scriptures might be fulfilled in John 17:12 That believers may have joy in John 17:13 That believers may become more holy in John 17:19 That the unbelieving world might believe in John 17:21 That the love between the Father and Son might be experienced by Jesus’ followers in John 17:26 4 reasons To give eternal life to his people in John 17:2 Because his followers are not in the unbelieving world any longer in John 17:14 So that the world may know that Jesus has been sent by God, through the sending of his people into the world in John 17:18 and John 17:23 Because the Father loved the Son since before the beginning of the world in John 17:24 8 words What Jesus prays for or about can be summarised under eight topics, which are considered in more detail in the audio download: World Holiness God’s Word Evangelism Unity Glory Love Joy Jesus has prayed for both those who would become believers, as well as those who were already his disciples. Thank God that he has prayed for his people, whether not yet believers, or already believers by now.

The book and film based on ‘Operation Market Garden’ The WWII film ‘A Bridge Too Far’ is based the true story of Operation Market Garden, a failed Allied attempt to break through German lines at Arnhem across the river Rhine in the occupied Netherlands during World War II in September 1944. Several bridges were to be captured in the occupied Netherlands, with the main objective of outflanking the Germans. Capturing the bridge at Arnhem was crucial for the success of the operation. Yet, while other bridges were captured, for a variety of reasons the allies failed to capture the bridge at Arnhem. The title of the book on which the film was based comes from a comment made by the deputy commander of the First Allied Airborne Army, who is said to have told Field Marshal Montgomery before the operation, “I think we may be going a bridge too far.” Building bridges According to the Bible, Christians ought to build bridges with those of other faiths or none, in order to be able to communicate the good news about Jesus effectively. Alistair McGrath even titles one of his books on effectively communicating the gospel ‘Building Bridges.’ Jesus was so used to building bridges with people that he was even at one point accused of being a drunkard (wrongly), like the people he spent so much time with (see Luke 7:33-34). Paul also taught that Christians ought to build bridges, or fit in with the context in which we find ourselves, all for the sake of being able to effectively communicate the gospel and save souls (1 Corinthians 9:19-23). A bridge too far Yet, in John’s gospel, Jesus tells us that we ought not to be surprised when we cannot build one particular bridge with people (John 15:18-16:4). He teaches that we must accept that those who are not his followers will at some point persecute believers. It won’t always happen, because sometimes they lauded Jesus. But they also persecuted him, to the point of death. Jesus tells us that the follower must not expect any different treatment than the master. And that some people will even persecute his followers in the name of their religion, under the mistaken assumption that they are doing God a service! This is all because they do not know him – they do not have a saving relationship with God. As a result, it is futile for believers to try to be completely accepted by the world. If we do, we end up compromising either our beliefs to make them more acceptable to an unbelieving world, or our actions as we sin on occasions because we don’t want to appear to be too different from others. If we try to cross the bridge named ‘Love of the world’, then we will end up compromising our faith. Jesus told us not to be surprised if persecution comes our way, so that we would not lose our way (John 16:1). No matter how culturally-sensitive, culturally-relevant, or how well we fit in with our neighbours, friends, family, etc, for followers of Jesus there will always be one difference that we cannot, and must not, try to bridge. Being a follower of Jesus makes people different to those who aren’t his followers, and that cannot, and should not, be minimised for the sake of getting closer to people. In other words, in the process of building bridges with others who are not yet followers of Jesus, we ought to build as many bridges as we can. But, there is a limit – we must not attempt to go a bridge too far!

We don’t have to live in a monastery or on top of a pillar, to get close to God In the past, and still today to some extent, people went into seclusion in monasteries in an attempt to get closer to God. The idea was not only that they would have more time on their own to spend in prayer and reading, but that they would be more cut off from the rest of the world. The idea was that by being more distant from people, that one would be more distant from sources of sin that tempt us away from God. One very memorable method was introduced by Symeon the Stylite (stylite means pillar), in the 4th to 5th century, near Aleppo in Syria. In order to get away from the ever increasing number of people who frequently came to him for prayers and advice, leaving him little if any time for his private devotions, he discovered a pillar amongst some ruins. He made a small platform at the top of this four metre high pillar. His well-wishers later replaced it with others, the last one being apparently over 15 meters high. There is a little merit in this approach, as we are often tempted by others. But the problem is that we take our own sinfulness wherever we go. The question is, how do we get closer to God, without resorting to such extremes, which are impractical for most people anyway? Trust in Jesus by faith The first thing, is to be reconciled to God, by faith in Jesus. A simple prayer is all that it takes, like this prayer. How to know God more, as a believer Assuming that someone is already a believer, a follower of Jesus, how can they get to know God more? The question is not how can they get to know ‘about’ God more, since we can read many books about theology etc, and read the Bible from cover to cover, to get to know ‘about’ God more. The question is more about drawing closer to God, ‘knowing him’ more, instead of knowing more ‘about’ him. In John’s gospel, Jesus makes it clear that in order to know God, to have him abide with us, that we need to love him. But the way to love him is to obey him. In other words, we should obey God, in order to love God, in order to know God more. ‘Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”’ (John 14:21, ESV) ‘Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.’ (John 14:23, ESV) The results are a growth in holiness, which is a knowledge of God in practice that cannot easily be quantified or described on paper (or screen). Jesus tells his followers that to obey him means not only to love our neighbour, everyone, but also to love fellow believers. If we do so, we are loving Christ. If not, we don’t love him. One of the tests, therefore, as to whether we know God or not, is not only do we obey Jesus’ commandments, but do we obey the commandment to love fellow believers: ‘And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’’ (Matthew 25:38–40, ESV) Loving God can be seen in practice, through our action to everyone. As Jesus said, ‘“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.’ (Matthew 7:15–20, ESV) We need to obey God, to love God, to know God!

We don’t like being left alone Cristiano Ronaldo: “I don’t like being alone.” Anne Hathaway: “Loneliness is my least favorite thing about life. The thing that I’m most worried about is just being alone without anybody to care for or someone who will care for me.” Jennifer Lopez: “I’ve always had a huge fear of dying or becoming ill. The thing I’m most afraid of, though, is being alone, which I think a lot of performers fear. It’s why we seek the limelight – so we’re not alone, were adored. We’re loved, so people want to be around us. The fear of being alone drives my life.” People don’t like being alone. Although some prefer being alone, because of the hurt that sometimes comes from relating to others, it is still far better to be with others in a safe, supportive and encouraging context. We don’t like being left leaderless Despite the moans we make about poor leadership, life would be a lot worse if we had no leadership. Imagine Man. Utd. without Fergie? Or a school without a principal? Or work with no management? After initially enjoying the freedom, what would result would soon be either anarchy or others, probably less able, stepping in to lead. We all need leadership, whether it is good or poor, and whether we like it or hate it. The Church needs leadership Much could be said about how church leaders in different denominations could have led their people better, not only in recent years, but throughout the centuries. By far the best leader was Jesus himself. He led his small band of disciples over a short three year period. But soon, Jesus would no longer be with his disciples. He was going to leave them. Yet, he reassures them that this would only be temporary. He is not forsaking them, but only leaving them for a while, before returning to them afterwards. It may be difficult for them, but Jesus explains that just like a woman giving birth to a child, the pain of childbirth is quickly forgotten (relatively speaking) when she is overjoyed by the birth of a new baby. Jesus promises that he will come again ‘“In a little while you won’t see me anymore. But a little while after that, you will see me again.”’ (John 16:16, NLT) Jesus does not simply explain that he is going to the cross and that he will rise on the third day. Although his trial, crucifixion and resurrection are imminent, his wording is deliberately(?) less specific, and can be understood in a wider sense, or in three such senses. You will see me – The Resurrection In a little while, Jesus will die on the cross and be buried. But a little while after that, they will see him resurrected, after conquering death. You will see me – The Holy Spirit In a relatively little while, Jesus will not only have died on the cross, but he will soon ascend to the Father in heaven. Yet, he promises that he will come back. Jesus speaks about the role of the Holy Spirit in a few places in John 14 and John 15, but he speaks mostly about him in John 16:4-33. Luke writes in Acts 16:7 about the Holy Spirit but describes him as “the Spirit of Jesus.” Paul writes similarly in Philippians 1:19 that “the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps us.” Jesus can be understood to teach that when the Holy Spirit comes at Pentecost, to lead, guide, comfort, and direct the New Testament Church, that it is himself who is coming back to lead the Church. Referring to seeing God, he has used the same words in John 14:9 previously to teach that “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” It is quite natural, then, to understand him to mean also that when the disciples receive the Spirit to lead and guide the Church, that it is Jesus who comes to them. This may be reading too much into the text, but then again it may not. You will see me – The Second Coming In a relatively little while, Jesus will not only have died on the cross, but he will soon ascend to the Father in heaven. Yet, he promises that he will come back finally when he returns to judge everyone. Jesus teaches in John 16:28 that, in the widest sense, he has come into the world from the Father, but he is soon to return to the Father at the ascension. If this is what Jesus means by ‘“In a little while you won’t see me anymore”, then it is only natural to conclude that “But a little while after that, you will see me again” he must be referring to the second coming. Jesus has not left his followers alone Whether it is the immediate resurrection from the dead, the intermediate coming of the Spirit of Jesus at Pentecost to empower and lead the Church on earth, or his future coming in glory to judge the world, Jesus has not left his followers alone: ‘I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live.’ (John 14:18–19, NLT) Even if believers are abandoned by others, Jesus is always with us. Praise God for such love and grace, for his presence and leadership, both now and into the future. ‘And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”’ (Matthew 28:20, NLT)