“And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.” John 3:19-20

Why do people not come to Jesus? It’s because no one likes to have his deeds exposed and reproved as evil and wrong. Instead, we would prefer to justify our actions and keep our sins and shortcomings hidden and out of sight. It is for this very reason that people do not come to Jesus, the Light of the world (cf. John 1:1-5; 8:12).

To come into the presence of Jesus Christ, the holy Son of God in human flesh, is to come into the light; for Jesus lived a holy life, and He teaches us what true holiness is. The light reveals our utter sinfulness and our failures to measure up and keep God’s commandments, even when our failures are in the thoughts and attitudes of our hearts (consider Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and His many rebukes to those who were outwardly righteous in His day)!

And, in our day, too, people reject Jesus and do not come to Him because they do not want to face up to the fact of their own sinfulness and shortcomings. They don’t want to hear that even their best righteousnesses are “as filthy rags” in God’s eyes (cf. Isa. 64:6). Nor do they want to repent of their evil ways and turn to Jesus for forgiveness and for His help and strength to amend their ways and live in accord with God’s holy Word!

Therefore, they stand condemned for refusing to come to Jesus, the Light of the world and their only hope of salvation. Instead of coming into the light and admitting and acknowledging their utter sinfulness and then turning to Jesus and His shed blood for cleansing and forgiveness, they turn away from the light and continue on in darkness!

This is why church services in which God’s Word is faithfully proclaimed are so poorly attended. People would rather not hear the truth! They do not want to have their sins exposed and reproved for what they are! And they do not want to repent and turn to Jesus for cleansing and a new life!

On the other hand, as we read in 1 John 1:7-9, “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

And why? Because “Jesus Christ the righteous … is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:1,2). Jesus was lifted up and suffered and died on the cross so that we might look to Him in faith and not be condemned on account of our sins but receive God’s gift of eternal life. It is as Jesus said in John 3:14-15: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”

To walk in the light is to let the light of God’s Word shine upon our lives, revealing our sins and shortcomings, but then looking in faith to Christ Jesus and His atoning sacrifice on the cross for pardon, forgiveness, and life everlasting.

God, grant that we do not turn away from Jesus and His Word but come to the light, repent of our sins, and trust in Jesus Christ for our salvation!

Dear Lord Jesus, the true light of the world, shine into my heart, expose and reprove my sin, and cleanse me through faith in Your shed blood. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]

“Oh, that my words were written! Oh, that they were inscribed in a book! That they were engraved on a rock with an iron pen and lead, forever! For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!” Job 19:23-27

Have you ever considered the words you would like inscribed on your tombstone? It may sound morbid to speak about epitaphs at Easter, but in light of Jesus’ resurrection on the third day, it’s not morbid but a message of hope.

Whether or not it will happen, I don’t know. Still, I’ve always thought it would be nice to have these words from Job 19:25-27 etched into my headstone: “I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another.”

Why? Because death is not the end! You and I, as believers in Jesus, have hope! Because of the events of that first resurrection Sunday, we can be assured that we, too, will be raised up from death and the grave.

It is as St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming” (1 Cor. 15:23).

Or consider Peter’s words in 1 Peter 1:3-5: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

Because Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after suffering and dying on the cross to pay the just punishment for the sins of the world, because the tomb was empty when the women arrived to anoint the body of Jesus, because He appeared to the women, to Peter, to two on the road to Emmaus, to the eleven in the upper room, and even to more than 500 people at one time — most of whom were still alive at the time of Paul’s writing (cf. 1 Cor. 15; Mark 16) — we can have hope and the certainty of our resurrection on the Last Day!

Jesus said, “Because I live, you will live also” (John 14:19). Those words would mean little if Jesus did not rise from the dead. If Jesus did not rise bodily from the grave on the third day, we would still be dead in our sins and without hope (cf. 1 Cor. 15:17ff.). But the Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:20: “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” It tells us that Jesus was “delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification” (Rom. 4:25).

Jesus paid in full for our sins and was raised up on the third day, showing that God accepted the sacrifice of His Son and that we are indeed justified and forgiven when we place our faith in Him. Jesus’ resurrection is proof that we and all who believe in Him will be raised up to the eternal joys of heaven when He returns on the Last Day!

Therefore, we can say with Job: “I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another.”

Though we die and decay in the grave, our crucified and risen Savior will raise up our bodies to life, and we will see Him who died for our sins and rose again to give us life everlasting, and we will be like Him! (Cf. 1 Thess. 4:13ff.; Psalm 16:11; 17:15; 1 John 3:2.)

“I know that my Redeemer lives; what comfort this sweet sentence gives …”

O my risen Savior, grant that I live and die in the confidence which Your resurrection gives, and raise me up on the Last Day to the eternal joys of Your kingdom. Amen.

[Scripture is taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.]

“Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, ‘If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.’ But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.’ Then he said to Jesus, ‘Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.’” Luke 23:39-43

Like the thief on the cross who mocked and blasphemed the Lord Jesus, so also today many speak against Jesus Christ and His Word rather than acknowledging their sins and turning to Him for forgiveness and life.

Rather than admitting their faults and failures, people find it easier to speak against the truth and reject Jesus, the Light of the World (cf. John 8:12), who shines into the darkness of our hearts and lives. It is as the Bible says in John 1:4-5: “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”

Jesus explains this further in John 3:19-20 when He says: “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.”

But rather than joining the world in its blasphemy and mockery of Christ, the second criminal spoke the truth and acknowledged his sin and guilt, saying to the first: “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.”

While we would not normally look to a criminal, a thief, as a role model, in this case, he is a role model for us. We look not to his example as a common criminal but to his example as a penitent sinner. He didn’t hide his sin or make excuses for it. He was honest in regard to his sin and his guilt. He acknowledged his sin and the punishment he justly deserved, and he turned to Jesus, as Jesus was dying on the cross to pay the price for the sins of the world, seeking pardon, forgiveness, and life eternal!

And what happened? “He said to Jesus, ‘Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.’”

It’s as David said in Psalm 32:3-5: “When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,’ and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.”

Jesus did nothing wrong, but He was crucified and condemned for our sins and the sins of the whole world. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6).

When we, like the thief on the cross, humble ourselves before Jesus and confess our sin and failure to obey God’s holy Law, He is gracious and merciful to us and will forgive our sins for the sake of His holy and precious blood, shed for us upon the cross.

John writes (1 John 1:5 — 2:2): “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.”

From Jesus’ words to this dying thief, we see that He is merciful even to the worst of sinners. No matter how great our sins have been, when we look to Christ for mercy, His blood covers them all (1 John 1:7)!

We also learn the glorious truth that the very day a believer dies, if he trusts in Jesus Christ for mercy, his soul shall be with Jesus in paradise! With the dying thief, we pray, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And on our dying day, we have the assurance of Jesus’ words: “Today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

Dear Lord Jesus, we know that You have done nothing amiss but are holy and righteous. We, on the other hand, are miserable sinners, deserving of Your eternal wrath and punishment. For the sake of Your holy and precious blood, shed for us on the cross, cleanse us from the guilt and filth of our sin and remember us when You come in Your glorious, eternal kingdom. Amen.

[Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.]

If you wish to listen to the hymns played above and see the words, they can be played and viewed at the links below. The words are also available in the Lutheran Service Book.

Jesus, I will Ponder Now

Stricken, Smitten, and Afflicted

Glory Be to Jesus

Were You There

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” Romans 5:1-2 (Read Romans 5:1-11)

A common Biblical greeting is the word “peace” (Shalom in Hebrew and Eirene in Greek). But the word, as it is here used in the Bible, does not refer to earthly peace among nations but to peace with God. What does it mean to have peace with God, and how can we have that peace?

When we remember that all of us are by nature enemies of God and in rebellion against Him – not loving Him, trusting Him or seeking to honor Him with our lives by obeying His commandments – and that we are, as a result, under the wrath and condemnation of God our Maker, the prospect of having peace with the LORD God restored is indeed inviting, for not to have this peace is to stand condemned to eternal punishment in hell.

To have peace with God is to be pardoned and forgiven. It is to be acquitted by Him for all our transgressions of His perfect and holy law, and it is to be accepted back into fellowship with the LORD God who fashioned and made us in our mothers’ wombs. And that peace was won for us by the holy life and innocent sufferings and death of God’s only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, in our stead, and it becomes ours when we trust in Christ and His perfect sacrifice for sin (cf. v. 5-11; 2 Cor. 5:18-21).

The Bible says: “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father” (Eph. 2:13-18).

Whether Jew or Gentile, Jesus won for us peace with God the Father by the shedding of His holy and precious blood in our stead, for all sins. And that peace of sins forgiven is ours not by anything we do to please God but through faith in what Christ Jesus has done for us when He died on the cross and rose again in victory over sin, death and the devil.

For Christ’s sake, God is gracious to us and offers to us in the Gospel His pardon and peace that we might repent of our sinful ways and look in faith to Christ Jesus and His cross for forgiveness for all our sins and life everlasting.

And, when we have God’s pardon and forgiveness through faith in Christ, we also “rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (v. 2) and “rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation” (v. 11), for we have the certainty that, as Christ was raised up from the dead on the third day, so we will be raised up on the Last Day unto life everlasting with our God and Savior!

Dearest Lord Jesus, we thank You for shedding Your blood on the cross and making atonement for all our sins that we might have peace with God and the certain hope of the eternal joys of heaven through faith in your name. Amen.

[Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.]

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 3:16-17

As Jesus explains in these well-known verses of the Bible, He did not come into the world to judge and condemn the world “but that the world through Him might be saved.” And Jesus’ words and purpose apply to His church in this world, as well.

Had God sent His Son into this world to judge this world, as it says in Psalm 130, verse 3, “O Lord, who could stand?” All of us would be found guilty! Not a single one of us has kept all that God commands in our thoughts, desires, words, and actions. Ecclesiastes 7:20 says that “there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin.”

So, how thankful we can be that Jesus was not sent into the world to judge the world but, instead, to live a holy life for us and then atone for our sins by suffering our punishment when He was crucified and died on the cross! And that’s what He did when He came into the world. He died for our sins — for the sins of all — and rose again on the third day that we might repent of our sins and look to Him and His cross in faith and be counted just and righteous in God’s eyes, pardoned, forgiven, and made acceptable in His sight!

As Christians, we sometimes forget this and think God has left us in this world to exalt ourselves and condemn others. The Bible is quite clear when it tells us that Jesus will be coming back to judge the world. He will condemn those who do not repent and look to Him for pardon and forgiveness but continue on in their sinful ways. As Apostle Paul wrote to the Thessalonians (2 Thess. 1:7-8), “The Lord Jesus [will be] revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Our job as followers of Jesus Christ is not to write off and condemn people to hell because of their sins but to warn them of that coming judgment and to call upon them to repent of their sinful ways and look to the cross of Jesus for pardon, forgiveness, and life everlasting. Yes, that demands we teach what it is God calls sin and what He says of sin, but the goal is that all would repent and look to Jesus in faith and be spared in the judgment which is soon to come.

Followers of Jesus, like Jesus, call what is sinful sin and warn of sin’s consequences; but followers of Jesus also proclaim the only way of salvation: faith in Jesus and His cross. Indeed, “there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Instead of condemning the world, we point people to the cross of Jesus so that the people of this world might be saved through faith in His name!

Dear Lord Jesus, let me see in Your Word Your love for all people and Your desire that all repent of their sinful ways and look to You and Your cross for pardon and forgiveness. Grant that I not condemn the world but warn others that they might turn from their sinful ways to You for mercy and not be condemned on the day You return in judgment. Amen.

[Scripture is taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.]