[Biblemat] S) BIG BROTHER

[J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com]

Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here.  Here is a study that rec-
ently came my way.  Use to the glory of God.

BIG BROTHER

     Whether we like it or not, everyday we have to deal with
the challenge of death.  The news media headline stories that
involve auto accidents, or war casualties.  If there is a murder
somewhere, or a kidnapping, it quickly becomes national news.

     We even deal with death in more subtle ways.  Many of us
take prescriptions every day, all to make us healthier and de-
lay the inevitable moment of death.  We avoid the topic of 
death in many ways, but still, death is always around us.  (not-
hing has been more noticeable than what has just transpired
on the campus of Virginia Tech.  Where 33 people lost their
lives through the dastardly deeds of one man. JWS).

     Of all the world religions, none is more willing to face death than 
Christianity.  Christians accept death, and face it
with confidence and dignity.  Instead of avoiding the topic of
death, we put it right up front and turn to God to help us cope.  In fact, 
only Christians have this kind of confidence,
and it is all because God sent us a Big Brother to help us face life and 
death.

     "Since then the children share in flesh and blood, He Him-
self likewise also partook of the same, that through death He
might render powerless him who had the power of death, that
is, the devil; and might deliver those who through fear of death were subject 
to slavery all their lives.  For assuredly He
does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendants of 
Abraham.  Therefore, He had to be made like
His brethren in all things, that He might become a merciful and faithful high 
priest in things pertaining to God, to make
propitiation for the sins of the people.  For since He Himself
was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of 
those who are tempted" (Heb. 2:14-18).
Jesus comes among His brothers as an older brother, one
with more experiences, one who has faced the same challeng-
es we have.  Jesus took on our nature, becoming like us, in
order to help us overcome the causes and consequences of
death.  Jesus becoming human is remarkable, for these reas-
ons:

It Is Sobering -- All Flesh Dies: -- Jesus became like us, flesh
and blood.  Many people still struggle with how Jesus could
be both God and human.  But the Bible says plainly that He
shared in our nature, becoming like His brothers.  Jesus was
fully human.  He got tired and slept.  He got hungry and ate.
He experienced the full range of human emotions.  He exper-
ienced life just as you do.  (He was also fully God.  Immanuel,
JWS).

     This is what sets Christianity apart from all other religions
All world religions talk about how man can approach God.  In
Christianity, it was God who approached man.  Instead of a
God who sits back and makes demands on people, we believe
in a God who reached out, even taking on the nature of man,
in order to free us from the penalty of death.

     What is most remarkable about Jesus becoming human is
that this made Him subject to death as well.  All flesh event-
ually dies.  By taking on human form, Jesus became subject
to death.  He was willing to empty Himself to the point of acc-
epting death.  In fact, He was sinless and did not have to die.
"For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, 
but One who has been tempted in all
points as we are, yet without sin" (Heb. 4:15).  But, by becom-
ing human, He was faced with the realities of life and death that we face.  
Being a Christian is the best life since we have
an older brother who has faced death just like we have to.

It Is Saving -- He Pays For Sin: -- Jesus came as a merciful
high priest who would make propitiation for the sins of the 
people.  That may sound like a big word, but in fact it merely
means that Jesus paid for our sins.  He took the cost and pen-
alty for the mistakes you and I have made.  He was sinless,
but He was willing to die (as does all flesh) to pay for our sins.  When 
Jesus became human and lived without sin, He
was then able to offer Himself as the sacrifice for your sins.

     Again, this is what sets Christianity apart from all other
religions.  All other religions in the world teach us what man is supposed to 
do to find God.  In Christ we are told what God did for us.  Instead of us 
making a path to God, God opened the door and even went so far as to send His 
only Son to save us.  We don't do for God, He does for us!  "But
God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we
were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  Much more then, having
now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the
wrath of God through Him.  For if while we were enemies, we
were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much
more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life"
(Rom. 5:8-10).  God saw us in our sin, loved us in spite of our
sin, and sent His Son to take away our sin.  By becoming flesh and blood, 
Jesus was able to pay for the sins of the world.  So we can echo the words of 
John the baptizer, "Be-
hold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"
(Jno. 1:29).

It Is Sustaining -- We Can Face Life: -- By sharing man's nature, Jesus was 
able to change life for those who follow
Him.  Notice what changes:  First, the fear of death is removed.  People 
still struggle with the idea of death.  We
avoid the topic, we clean up the process, even making the
deceased look "as life like" as possible.  Most people, if they
spoke honestly, would admit to being afraid of death.

     But Jesus came and faced death for us.  By taking on evil
and its consequences, He removed the fear of death for those who choose to 
follow Him.  "The sting of death is sin,
and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who
gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor.
15:56,57).  So, Christians face death without fear, because
we know God, through Jesus, has overcome death and its
dread.

     But, notice also that we can face life's temptations because of Jesus.  
He faced temptation when He suffered for
us.  Life was not easy for Him or kind to Him.  You see, we can not only face 
death because of Jesus, we can face life.
We can handle the struggles, the challenges, the temptations
that come at us.  Outside of our Big Brother, we are on our
own attempting to get through life (and death) on our own
power and wisdom.  But, in Christ, we have a Brother who has blazed the trail 
for us, showing us how to face life's strug-
gles and how to face death itself.  Only Christianity offers this
sort of power to both live and die as God wants.

     No matter what you are facing, Jesus stands ready to help
you.  No matter what you fear, Jesus is near to help calm you.  No matter 
what your failures are, Jesus will forgive you
and help you succeed next time.  In Jesus, you have a brother who is ready to 
help you.

So: -- Embrace Death Now: -- One of the greatest aspects of
being a Christian is that we get to choose death, and we can
choose it now.  This is not the physical death that will come
to every person, but it is a spiritual death that we can choose
right now.  And if you choose death now, the physical death
that is coming will hold no power over you.  "Or do you not
know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus
have been baptized into His death?  Therefore we have been
buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as
Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Fat-
her, so we too might walk in newness of life.  For if we have
become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly
we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing
this, that our old self was crucified with Him, that our body of
sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be
slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin" (Rom. 6:
3-7).

     This is why baptism is so important.  You can die to sin
right now by being baptized into Jesus Christ.  When you do,
you get a new life from Him, a life that is free of sin and free
of the fear of death.  For, as Paul says, if you are united with
Him in His death at baptism, you can be sure you will be with
Him in His resurrection.  Your confidence in facing life and
death will not come from how good you are, but from the fact
you trusted in Jesus to save you and you died to sin in bapt-
ism.

So: -- Embrace Jesus As Your Big Brother: -- The bottom line
for you is simple.  Are you going to keep trying to find God
on your own, or are you going to rely on Jesus to show you
the way?  He became flesh and blood in order to remove the
fear of death from your life.  On your own you will never find
an answer to the inevitability of death.  But, in Jesus, you die
right now and let Him give you a new life.  You can erase the
fear of death by trusting in Jesus.  All you need to do is what
He commands all of us to do.  "He who has believed and has
been baptized shall be saved" (Mk. 16:16).  Come to Jesus, be baptized today, 
and find the resources you need to face
life, and even death itself.   ----- David Thurman in Gospel
Minutes, Vol. 56, No. 15, April 13, 2007.   </HTML>
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