Jesus Christ is my God!
Issued 26.09.1999
The source of life
God is the spring of life. Where is lack of life, there you are searching in vain love or truth. Death is a lack of life. He who believes in Jesus will never die.
What is after death?
When I was working in a shop, a woman came there and sat down and gave a deep sigh and said: "And I am still here." I asked her, what do you mean, where would you like to be? She told me what happened when she years ago was on the operating table of the Central Hospital of Jyväskylä. She died during the operation.
She told how she detached from her body and she went through the darkness and came to a beautiful nature and saw a bright city. She felt very happy. Then she was pulled back to her body. The doctors succeeded to revive her. You can think that it was only raving of her dying brain. However it is the fact that the experience was so real and strong to herself that she had after many years a deep longing for the place where she visited.
When I lived in Teuva community, I came to know a family to which belonged father, mother, daughter and son. The mother of the family told me, how she died at her home.
The father and the children verified that the mother has already died, so they didn't hurry to phone an ambulance. Instead of that they started to cry and pray Jesus that He would send their mother back.
The mother told me, how she came to the God's paradise and saw Jesus there. When she was discussing with Jesus she heard the voice of her husband and children when they were praying. Jesus said to her: "Because they love you so much, I send you back to them." So her soul was returned to her body and the father and the children rejoiced when they got her back.
The weight as evidence of these cases is not very great, because these women were dead for so short a time. Jesus raised from the dead Lazarus, who had been in the tomb for four days. (John.11:39) This was then a great sensation.
What might Lazarus tell to his family? This case convinced many Jews that Jesus is the promised Messiah. When Jesus rode on a donkey to Jerusalem, the crowd was shouting "Hosanna!" to Him just for the reason that He had raised Lazarus from the dead. "Now the crowd that was with Him when He called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. Many people, because they had heard that He has given this miraculous sign, went out to meet Him." John.12:17,18
Just when the people were receiving Jesus as Messiah He said something which was not accepted by the people. "The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life." John.12:25 When Jesus was with the crowd He shouted to His Father who is in heaven: "Father, glorify your name!" Father replied from heaven: "I have glorified it, and will glorify it again!"
The crowd heard the voice of the Father, but they supposed that it had thundered or an angel had spoken to Him. Very soon the same people was ready to shout to Pilate, "Crucify him!", because they were disappointed at Jesus. They wanted a different kind of Messiah and are still wanting and waiting for it ardently.
When I was working in a shop, a woman came there and sat down and gave a deep sigh and said: "And I am still here." I asked her, what do you mean, where would you like to be? She told me what happened when she years ago was on the operating table of the Central Hospital of Jyväskylä. She died during the operation.
She told how she detached from her body and she went through the darkness and came to a beautiful nature and saw a bright city. She felt very happy. Then she was pulled back to her body. The doctors succeeded to revive her. You can think that it was only raving of her dying brain. However it is the fact that the experience was so real and strong to herself that she had after many years a deep longing for the place where she visited.
When I lived in Teuva community, I came to know a family to which belonged father, mother, daughter and son. The mother of the family told me, how she died at her home.
The father and the children verified that the mother has already died, so they didn't hurry to phone an ambulance. Instead of that they started to cry and pray Jesus that He would send their mother back.
The mother told me, how she came to the God's paradise and saw Jesus there. When she was discussing with Jesus she heard the voice of her husband and children when they were praying. Jesus said to her: "Because they love you so much, I send you back to them." So her soul was returned to her body and the father and the children rejoiced when they got her back.
The weight as evidence of these cases is not very great, because these women were dead for so short a time. Jesus raised from the dead Lazarus, who had been in the tomb for four days. (John.11:39) This was then a great sensation.
What might Lazarus tell to his family? This case convinced many Jews that Jesus is the promised Messiah. When Jesus rode on a donkey to Jerusalem, the crowd was shouting "Hosanna!" to Him just for the reason that He had raised Lazarus from the dead. "Now the crowd that was with Him when He called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. Many people, because they had heard that He has given this miraculous sign, went out to meet Him." John.12:17,18
Just when the people were receiving Jesus as Messiah He said something which was not accepted by the people. "The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life." John.12:25 When Jesus was with the crowd He shouted to His Father who is in heaven: "Father, glorify your name!" Father replied from heaven: "I have glorified it, and will glorify it again!"
The crowd heard the voice of the Father, but they supposed that it had thundered or an angel had spoken to Him. Very soon the same people was ready to shout to Pilate, "Crucify him!", because they were disappointed at Jesus. They wanted a different kind of Messiah and are still wanting and waiting for it ardently.
Is it death after life and life after death?
Sinful life is not worth living. Life in this sinful world burdens a righteous soul so much that he cannot get on well here, but feels himself a stranger. Therefore Jesus talked about hating his life in this world.
When you love your sinful life, you actually love death, because death exists for sin. If you hate sin, you appreciate the atonement of your sins, which Jesus gained for you and you are longing for the world, where there is not sin at all.
When you die together with Jesus, you actually love life, because the death of Jesus is for atoning sins. If you die together with Jesus, you will also be raised from the dead like Jesus.
Is there life after death? It would be better to ask: Is there life after a sin? After a sin there is death, but the atonement in Jesus Christ gives eternal life. If you do not believe that Jesus was raised from the dead, you do not believe that He atoned your sins. He destroyed death by His death and brought eternal life near you.
Sinful life is not worth living. Life in this sinful world burdens a righteous soul so much that he cannot get on well here, but feels himself a stranger. Therefore Jesus talked about hating his life in this world.
When you love your sinful life, you actually love death, because death exists for sin. If you hate sin, you appreciate the atonement of your sins, which Jesus gained for you and you are longing for the world, where there is not sin at all.
When you die together with Jesus, you actually love life, because the death of Jesus is for atoning sins. If you die together with Jesus, you will also be raised from the dead like Jesus.
Is there life after death? It would be better to ask: Is there life after a sin? After a sin there is death, but the atonement in Jesus Christ gives eternal life. If you do not believe that Jesus was raised from the dead, you do not believe that He atoned your sins. He destroyed death by His death and brought eternal life near you.
Life and death
In Him is life. Wherever He comes to there the life will appear. He is clean and clear as a stream from a high mountain. As crystal clear He flows from the height to the valley of death. He is the river of life. Where He comes to, everything will live.
The dead are sighing in the dry desert and hunger for revival. When they miss life they see loomings and are dreaming of fruits of the tree of life. Desperately they run after their dreams and are disappointed over and over again. When searching life they sow death.
In the middle of the desert there is the mountain of God. Dreamers despise or are afraid of its gloominess. However there are some who decide to come near God regardless of being judged. They decide to come to the hard rock and confess their sins before God.
Then stones will cry out to them: "Jesus was hit onto cross for the sake of your sins. Therefore God is able to forgive you. If you put the Son of God as the guilt offering for yourself, life will appear in you." So he calls on God and the water of life wells up from the rock for him. Out of the hard rock flows life. The unshaken and firm rock gives mercy. The river of life brings forth love and truth.
All people have so similar a psyche that the Son of God and the Son of Man, Jesus Christ, Nazarene clearly stands out in a crowd. Our selfishness, greed and pride represent the source of death. God's loving self-sacrifice, glad generosity and serving humbleness are the source of life.
If someone doesn't believe in Jesus Christ, he doesn't believe in life. Although Jesus is not now visible in the world, He is more real than all other people, because He as a man is so unique.
Jesus says: "A time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live." John.5:25 The physical death is not the most awful, but the spiritual one. People who have dead spirits because of their sins populate the world.
It is clear for all, what happens when our body dies. Many also understand how a soul can be killed by words. Only few are aware that also a spirit can be killed by thoughts. The lie which we thought about God killed us. We believed a lie told about God and our spirit died.
When we again believe the truth of God through Jesus, we become alive. However we cannot just start to think rightly about God. Our heart doesn't become alive through our own religious efforts. God himself will do it, when we approach Him through Jesus.
"But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved." Eph.2:4-5 So God will make us alive by grace. However no man can get this mercy without the action where he gives his ear and hears Jesus.
Our part to get life is there that we give room in our heart for the words of Jesus. God's part is to make us alive, and He always does His own part. Therefore He is now waiting for someone on whom He could have mercy.
In Him is life. Wherever He comes to there the life will appear. He is clean and clear as a stream from a high mountain. As crystal clear He flows from the height to the valley of death. He is the river of life. Where He comes to, everything will live.
The dead are sighing in the dry desert and hunger for revival. When they miss life they see loomings and are dreaming of fruits of the tree of life. Desperately they run after their dreams and are disappointed over and over again. When searching life they sow death.
In the middle of the desert there is the mountain of God. Dreamers despise or are afraid of its gloominess. However there are some who decide to come near God regardless of being judged. They decide to come to the hard rock and confess their sins before God.
Then stones will cry out to them: "Jesus was hit onto cross for the sake of your sins. Therefore God is able to forgive you. If you put the Son of God as the guilt offering for yourself, life will appear in you." So he calls on God and the water of life wells up from the rock for him. Out of the hard rock flows life. The unshaken and firm rock gives mercy. The river of life brings forth love and truth.
All people have so similar a psyche that the Son of God and the Son of Man, Jesus Christ, Nazarene clearly stands out in a crowd. Our selfishness, greed and pride represent the source of death. God's loving self-sacrifice, glad generosity and serving humbleness are the source of life.
If someone doesn't believe in Jesus Christ, he doesn't believe in life. Although Jesus is not now visible in the world, He is more real than all other people, because He as a man is so unique.
Jesus says: "A time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live." John.5:25 The physical death is not the most awful, but the spiritual one. People who have dead spirits because of their sins populate the world.
It is clear for all, what happens when our body dies. Many also understand how a soul can be killed by words. Only few are aware that also a spirit can be killed by thoughts. The lie which we thought about God killed us. We believed a lie told about God and our spirit died.
When we again believe the truth of God through Jesus, we become alive. However we cannot just start to think rightly about God. Our heart doesn't become alive through our own religious efforts. God himself will do it, when we approach Him through Jesus.
"But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved." Eph.2:4-5 So God will make us alive by grace. However no man can get this mercy without the action where he gives his ear and hears Jesus.
Our part to get life is there that we give room in our heart for the words of Jesus. God's part is to make us alive, and He always does His own part. Therefore He is now waiting for someone on whom He could have mercy.
The Bible version used in references is NIV