An Radical Love

Intro

In the Chronicles of Narnia the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, we find 4 Children, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Little Lucy. Lucy is exploring one day in this huge house they are staying at (House Slide) in England; when she stumbles upon an old wardrobe. She walks into it and finds another world named Narnia. but in this world, as beautiful as it is, the world is being Ruled by a ruthless witch. So Lucy ends up bringing her brother Edmond to Narnia, who ends up running into the witch on their quick trip in. The Witch tells Edmond, bring your brother and sisters to me and I will make you king of Narnia. She then lets him go to bring his siblings.

Well Edmond and Lucy end up leaving and going back home. Only to bring everyone back in a few days.

Read with me this morning:

Romans 3:21–26 NIV

But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

We have all Sinned

When they return the Beavers tell the kids that the Witch is evil and that she wants to kill them. They also tell them that the true king of Narnia is a lion named, Aslan, and that the witch hates him. But Edmond knowing this info, really wants to rule over Peter, his brother. So after dinner one night Edmond leaves the family and the talking beavers, to betray them so that he can be made king.

Romans 3:10 NIV

As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one;

Just like Edmond, Betrayed Aslan and his family. We have all betrayed God, and each other.

WE have wounded our friends and family. With our words our actions and our deceit. WE have all fallen short of Gods Standard.

Jesus Came to Rescue us

So Edmond betrays everyone and soon realizes that he has made a terrible mistake. While Edmond however is sitting an icy prison, his sibling are meeting Aslan. After learning of Edmonds betrayal, Aslan rescues Edmond from the witch.

God saw this brokenness in your life and in my own. Instead of raging against us. His heart broke for us.

You see we were trapped in our Sin and our rebellion, and yet God still loved you and I. Just the way we were. Or are if you do not know Jesus this morning.

John 3:16–17 NIV

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

God Sent Jesus to Rescue Us from our Sin and brokenness. He came to undo all the damage that sin has caused.

Redemption Wasn’t Free.

It cost God Everything

So Now Edmond is safely back in the presence of Aslan and his family, when the witch comes walking in to the camp. ASlan walks out of his tent to meet her. When she levels the charge that there is a injustice in the camp. She points to Edmond and says: You have a traitor there, Aslan. His blood is mine.”

You see even though, Edmond had been freed, his life was getting back to normal. There was a debt to be paid. Aslan knew the injustice could not stand. He knew that the witch had the right to kill Edmond on the stone stable. Aslan requests to speak privately with the witch.

Romans 5:8 NIV

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

But you see, in the same way, our sin, no matter how much we gloss over it, it cannot be undone. A debt must be paid. WE can pretend all we want that everything is ok, but until the Sin is dealt with it festers and destroys our lives ad those around us.

So that night ASlan walks up to the stone table, in front of all sort of evil creatures and lays down and sacrifices himself for Edmond. He lays down his life for a traitor. For a traitor.

Jesus in the same matter lived a sinless perfect life, only to lay it down for traitors, adulterers, murderers, liars, thieves, gossips, and anything else you can think of.

Jesus laid His life down so you and I could live ours.

Closing

The Next Morning, Aslan, dead on the table, with Lucy and Susan by his side. When suddenly the ground begins to shake. The table cracks, and Aslan is Alive evermore. Aslan is resurrected. He has won. He overturned the laws of death and sin, through his sacrifice. He then goes on to defeat the witch and install the four children as kings and queens of Narnia.

My friends Jesus paid that Penalty for you and I. Undoing our sin and brokenness. He even goes so far to resurrect our broken lives to where somehow Our lives are better that they were prior to Jesus