He Took My Place! (Galatians 1)

He Took My Place! (Galatians 1)

Galatians 1.4 who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father [nkjv]

Ted Bundy was a normal guy. He lived a normal life. He grew up in a loving Christian home with five siblings. But he carried a secret, one that would eventually destroy not only his life but the lives of many others.

Ted was addicted to pornography.

As a young boy he was introduced to this world through magazines found in garbage cans, but over the years that followed, to satisfy the insatiable cravings inside of him, his addiction grew into harder and more deviant forms of pornography. He eventually moved his fantasy world into reality, becoming one of Americas most notorious and feared serial killers.

At 7.06am on the 24th January 1989, after a prolonged court case, Ted Bundy was executed at Florida State Prison. Hundreds of people outside the prison cheered upon hearing the news of his death. In an interview with Dr James Dobson, 17 hours before he was due to be executed, Bundy told his story and shared his acceptance of Jesus Christ as His personal Lord and Saviour.

Many across America found this difficult to believe! How could God ever forgive such an evil man for the horrific crimes he had committed? The thought of Ted Bundy in heaven left many with questions about God. To many it just didn't seem right.

But regardless of what we think, the truth is clear - Jesus gave Himself for our sins. No matter how black. No matter what we have done, Jesus did the greatest thing anyone could ever do, He gave Himself.

He gave himself for our sins. The word 'for' used in this verse is one which carries the idea of substitution. He took my place. He did it for me.

Paul, the writer of the Book of Galatians, knew better than anyone the power of God's love to transform a sinner's life. He was a murderer of Christians yet he met Jesus on the road to Damascus and his life was forever changed.

We have all sinned. Even as Christians we sin. The devil is quick to accuse us. But we can take courage from the truth found in this verse that there is One who has paid the price for my sin and His name is Jesus. He took our place and paid the price of our sin so we can walk free!

Martin Luther once said, "Let us equip ourselves against the accusations of satan. If he says, ' Thou shalt be damned,' you tell him: 'No, for I fly to Christ who gave Himself for my sins...'

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Popcorn Christianity! (Mark 15)

Popcorn Christianity! (Mark 15)

Mark 15.21 Then they compelled a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus, as he was coming out of the country and passing by, to bear His cross. [nkjv]

Mel Gibson's film 'The Passion of the Christ' gave many people a new understanding of Jesus' journey to the cross and the horror of his crucifixion. Like many Christians around the world, I went with my Church to go and see the movie. In some ways I wish I hadn't. I would much rather have sat in the privacy of my home so I couldn't be distracted by the people around me. Along with many others in the cinema that day, I was moved to tears. All I could think while I watched Jesus being beaten, whipped and crucified was, 'He did this for me!" But there were some in the cinema who talked through the movie, some giggled while others sat there in their comfortable seats stuffing their faces with popcorn, chips and choc tops, while the Son of God was crucified in front of them!

Jesus' death to these 'Christians' was nothing more than a night's entertainment!

Afterwards as people were coming out of the cinema, some wanted to chat, all I wanted to do was jump in the car and go home as quickly as I could. I wanted to be alone. Scenes from the movie played over and over again in my head. I just wanted to fall in a heap on the floor somewhere and sob, and repent of living a selfish life. There was also part of me which wanted to phone every one of those 'so called Christians' and give them a piece of my mind. How can you watch something like that and be indifferent!

But I guess there were thousands of people just like these who actually witnessed Jesus going to the cross that day and walked away unchanged. Some hurled insults. Some jeered. Some even took great joy in seeing Him suffer. Would I have been any different if I were there that day?

There were some who were impacted. There were those closest to Jesus, His mother and friends who watched from afar. There was the Roman centurion who came to the realisation that this truly was the Son of God. There was the criminal on the cross who that day entered with Jesus into eternity. And there was Simon, the man compelled to carry the cross of Christ.

Simon was from North Africa. Maybe he was chosen because he was black, maybe because he was a foreigner, maybe because he stood out in the crowd. Regardless of why, he had the honour of being the very first person to carry the cross of Christ. But he had to be forced to do it.

To carry the cross of Christ is never easy. It is never comfortable and it is never convenient. But Jesus tells us that if we want to follow Him, it is something we need to do daily. To carry the cross causes us to focus our attention on Christ. It means laying down our will, our desires, our dreams. It forces us to stop thinking about ourselves. It causes us to stand out in the crowd and identifies us with Jesus.

Just like Simon, we are 'compelled' to do it but we are often blessed by the things we are compelled to do. We are changed! Scripture says that Simon was the father of Rufus and Alexander. We learn in Romans that Rufus was someone known to the early Church and was a devoted follower of Christ. We can surmise that something happened to Simon that day. He may have been a stranger to the city. He may not have known this 'Jesus' whose cross he was commanded to carry, but in carrying the cross, a transformation took place, one which not only changed his life but also that of his children.

My prayer is that we all put down the popcorn and pick up the cross so we can experience the transforming power of Jesus' love in our lives.

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