My cousin Stacy and her husband, Aaron, have a two-year-old son named Cameron. This past Halloween, Cameron dressed up as Spiderman. But when he tried to climb the walls and wasn’t able to, he was frustrated and disappointed. His parents had to explain to him that he was dressed up as Spiderman, but he wasn’t really Spiderman. He might look like a superhero on the outside, but inside, his veins carried no trace of a radioactive spider bite.
Like Cameron, we all have these defining moments in life when we discover how powerless we really are, when we learn the hard way that we’re really not in control, that we can’t do all the things we thought we could. Powerless.
You find a short note on the table from your wife, and your whole life is pulled out from under you. “But I thought she was happy with our marriage.” The doctor calls you into her office to discuss your test results, and she’s not smiling. “But my family has no history of cancer.” You open your mailbox and pull out three envelopes with “Final Notice” in bold black letters at the top, and you know your checkbook is even worse off than it was when the first notice came. “But I thought I could catch up with all these bills.” With deep shame and self-hatred you light your first cigarette in two weeks, and realize that you have failed to quit for the fourth time. It’s that feeling when you’re standing in the funeral home looking down at the open casket, and it suddenly dawns on you: he really is gone. Your hand trembles as it guides the mouse and takes you to a website you vowed you’d never go to again. It’s like those days at the beach as a kid, when you were in the nice cool water having a great time, and suddenly the wave dragged you down, smashing you into the rough wet sand and filling your lungs with nasty salt water instead of the oxygen they crave. You wake up every morning and don’t feel like getting out of bed, because yesterday was just like the day before, and today will be no different. Life is not turning out to be what you’d hoped it was. You keep doing the same things every day; all the excitement is gone, the hopeful expectation is gone, and you’re not even sure why you should go through the motions another day when it never seems to make a difference or get you anywhere. It’s like when you’re two years old and your costume isn’t working, and with shock and grief you hear your mom explaining that you’re not really Spiderman. Powerless.
Anyone who watched TV on September 11, 2001 knows what it feels like to be powerless. If you turned on the news in the aftermath of Katrina and saw the devastation of nature’s fury, you understand. Powerless. Helpless. Utterly unable to do one single thing to change the situation.
If that is powerlessness, what is power? If you look it up, you’ll find that it means something like: ability or capacity to do something; strength, control and influence; authority to act; persuasiveness, skill.
When I was young enough to still believe, like Cameron, that I could be a superhero when I grew up, I heard a story about power. Real power. It was a winter night in Silver Spring when I went to church for RAs, which is a ministry for elementary-age boys. That night our leader told us that he was going to read us a story, one which would take several weeks of RAs to finish. He pulled out a little paperback called The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and began reading. For the next several weeks I was entranced as I lived the story in my imagination. My thoughts were filled with it and every week I eagerly looked forward to Wednesday night. You might have read the book, which has captured the hearts and imagination of children—little ones and grown up ones—for over fifty years. You might have seen the movie version of the story, which came out in theaters this weekend. But just in case you’re unfamiliar with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, let me spoil it for you and give you a quick rundown.
The story begins with four children in England during World War II. The Germans were bombing London, so Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy are sent away to stay with an old professor who lives way out in the country. It’s a huge house, and on a dull rainy day the kids go exploring and find a room with an old wardrobe in it. The youngest one, Lucy, hides in it when the kids are playing, and as she feels her way through the dark wardrobe, she passes through several fur coats before stumbling out into a snowy forest with a lamppost glowing in it. And the kids’ adventures in Narnia begin.
Now Narnia is quite different from any place that you’ve probably been. It is inhabited by talking animals, giants, centaurs, fauns, and other strange creatures. It is a land that has been frozen in winter for many generations, cast under a spell by the evil White Witch. Under her curse, it has been winter in Narnia for many years—always winter, but never Christmas.
However, there are rumors floating around that Aslan is on the move. Aslan is a lion, a talking lion, but not just any talking lion. He is the King of Narnia. He is the Creator of Narnia. You want power? Aslan’s got power—he is indisputably the most powerful being in all the land. He is a kind lion, but be careful—after all, he is not a tame lion. Aslan is the only hope that Narnia has of ever escaping the clutches of the White Witch, but he has not been seen for quite some time. However, there is a rumor that Aslan is on the move.
Meanwhile the children have all found their way into Narnia and befriended some talking animals who plead for their help. There has been a prophecy that four human children would team up with Aslan to help overthrow the White Witch, so the Narnians are hopeful that these are the children. But there’s one problem. Edmund, without the others finding out, befriends the White Witch. He is spellbound by her, and betrays his brother and sisters to her.
Eventually Edmund is reconciled to Aslan, Peter, Susan, and Lucy, but he’s not off the hook. There is an ancient law which says that the blood of every traitor belongs to the White Witch. His life belongs to her, and she intends to take it.
In a very moving scene, Aslan offers to die in Edmund’s place. Aslan voluntarily goes alone to the legendary Stone Table, where he is tied up, shaved, muzzled, and killed with a knife. With Aslan’s death, the White Witch believes she has the victory in hand, so she launches a full-scale war against Narnia. At just the right moment, however, the powerful Aslan shows up—alive, in all his glory—destroys the White Witch, and wins the battle as spring returns once again to Narnia.
The four children become great kings and queens of Narnia for many years. In the end, they go on a hunting trip and unexpectedly stumble back into the wardrobe. They emerge from it once again as children in the professor’s house out in the English country, and almost no time has passed. But the adventures continue in six more books, which I’ve heard will all be made into movies.
When C.S. Lewis began writing The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, he asked himself, If God were to appear in the flesh in this imaginary land of Narnia, how would He do it? The result was Aslan. That explains why this story so clearly parallels the story of the Gospel, the Good News, the story of Jesus coming to earth as a baby and dying as a man to reconcile us to God.
The story of God showing His love for us and His power is summed up in 1 Peter 3:18. We’re going to camp out there for awhile, so if you brought a Bible with you this morning I encourage you to turn there. That verse reads: “Christ also suffered when He died for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but He died for sinners that He might bring us safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but He was raised to life in the Spirit” (1 Peter 3:18 NLT).
Let’s look at four truths in this verse, realities that help us see the magnitude of God’s power displayed in the cross of Jesus Christ.
First, Jesus never sinned. He was God in a man’s body, fully human though also fully God. In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the White Witch makes a claim on Edmund’s life because the law says that anyone who commits treachery forfeits his or her life. In the same way, the Bible tells us in Romans 6:23 that “the wages of sin is death.” Everyone who sins deserves the death penalty. But Jesus never sinned. Never. He did not deserve death. He is the only person ever who was not guilty of any wrongdoing.
Secondly, we read in 1 Peter 3:18 that Jesus suffered and died. He suffered the excruciating pain that the law of His time intended only for the worst criminals. He died a horrible death, nailed to a cross, the kind of execution that the Romans reserved for only the greatest offenders. In Narnia, Aslan was a mighty warrior king who wielded the ultimate power, but he willingly suffered humiliation and a painful execution. Why did he do this? Why did Jesus do this?
The answer is found in the third truth revealed in this verse: Christ suffered and died for sinners, to reconcile us to God and bring us safely home. In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Aslan made a deal with the White Witch. Since the law demanded that blood be spilled when an offense is committed, and Edmund was an offender, she had a right to kill him. But Aslan offered himself in Edmund’s place. The witch was overjoyed at this. She thought that Aslan’s love for the boy had made him weak, weak to the point of laying down his life to save Edmund. She saw the opportunity to kill her enemy, the most powerful being in creation, and she seized it. When she killed Aslan, she freed Edmund. The great lion had paid the child’s debt and redeemed his life. Aslan was dead, but now Edmund could live. The lion’s death was powerful enough to give the boy life.
This is what Jesus has done for us. This is why He gave His life on the cross. His love for us made Him appear weak as He hung dying on the cross. The law demanded that our sin be paid for. Jesus, who was completely innocent, paid for our sin. He died in our place; He died so we could live; He volunteered Himself to be executed so we could be spared, reconciled to God, innocent in the Lord’s eyes. Jesus’ cross was the key that opened the door for us to return safely home, so we can dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
It is in the fourth truth contained in 1 Peter 3:18 that we see God’s power come full circle. The Scripture says that “He was raised to life in the Spirit.” He was raised to life! After being tortured and killed—even buried—He was raised to life! Let’s look at some Bible passages that can help us understand the significance of this awesome display of God’s power.
As we read Romans 6:5-11, please keep in mind that this passage is talking about every believer in Jesus Christ. If you have trusted your eternity to Him and received His forgiveness, this is talking specifically about you. Romans 6:5-11: “Since we have been united with Him in His death, we will also be raised as He was. Our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. And since we died with Christ, we know we will also share His new life. We are sure of this because Christ rose from the dead, and He will never die again. Death no longer has any power over Him. He died once to defeat sin, and now He lives for the glory of God. So you should consider yourselves dead to sin and able to live for the glory of God through Christ Jesus” (NLT).
Did you catch that? Those things you’re struggling with? They have no power over you! Those habits and addictions and attitudes that seem to have such a grip on you? They’re powerless! You’re free! All those pains and struggles you’re facing are temporary; they are defeated. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is a historical fact, and so is your resurrection. We live His life now, in His power.
Think about it this way: what is the worst thing that life can throw at you? Bankruptcy? Pain? Heartache? Sickness? We have an enemy who wants to hurt us in every way imaginable. The greatest harm that he can do is to kill us. That should mean that he wins and we lose, right? That’s the way it seemed in Narnia after Aslan was killed; that’s the way it seemed when Jesus was killed.
But check out what the Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:54b-57: “’Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?’ For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. How we thank God, who gives us victory over sin and death through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (NLT). Death was the last enemy, and Jesus has beaten it! It’s the devil’s biggest weapon, but Christ has shattered it by returning from the dead to live for all eternity and give us life forever. He says, “I am the living One who died. Look, I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave” (Revelation 1:18 NLT). He kicked death’s butt and took the keys! He lives forever and ever! He’s alive, He’s in charge, He’s all-powerful—and He’s on your side! What’s going to stop you? Death is completely powerless over us—Christ is completely powerful!
Now you may wonder: How can I tap into this power? How can Jesus’ resurrection help me kick my smoking addiction? How can it subdue the pain of losing a loved one? How can it bring newness and freshness to my dull and disappointing life?
I wish I could explain it, but I can’t. I know God is a powerful God who does powerful things in our lives, but I can’t explain how He does it any more than I can explain how He created the universe or how He breathes life into living beings.
A couple weeks ago I was on an airplane headed to Fort Worth. When I was about 33,000 feet in the air, I suddenly realized that I had no idea what was holding that plane up there. I’ve heard all that stuff about wind currents and wings and that kind of deal, but that was just abstract scientific ideas to me. But the reality was that I was way up in the sky moving at three times the speed of the best NASCAR drivers. All I could do was trust. I didn’t understand it, I couldn’t explain it—I just trusted that the guy in the cockpit knew what he was doing and that he would get me where I needed to go. We had a lot of turbulence during that flight, but the plane took me exactly where the airline said it would.
Benefiting from God’s power is a lot like that. We might not understand it or be able to explain it, and there might be turbulence during the journey, but He’s strong enough to keep His promises and bring us safely home, just like He says He will. We can trust Him—that is our job, to trust our all-powerful God. He is strong enough to deliver us from every weakness, mighty enough to keep us standing through everything life can throw at us. And even when life comes to an end and we face our most destructive enemy—death—God, in His power, says that is not the end!
Just like Narnia’s Aslan could not be stopped by death, neither could our Savior be bound by the grave. They could beat Him, they could whip Him, they could spit on Him, they could mock Him, they could even nail Him to a cross and kill Him. But after lying in the grave for three days, He said, “Enough! I’m getting up—I’m taking up My life again, never to die again! I have beaten death! And I have won the victory for My people—through Me they are conquerors!” We can stand up and stare every struggle, every pain, every challenge right in the eye and boldly claim the truth of Romans 8:37: “No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us” (NLT).
We can hold on to the promise of Isaiah 25:7-8 (NLT), that, “In that day He will remove the cloud of gloom, the shadow of death that hangs over the earth. He will swallow up death forever! The Sovereign LORD will wipe away all tears. He will remove forever all insults and mockery against His land and people. The LORD has spoken!” And the LORD has won the victory for you and for me.
For those of you who know Jesus Christ personally, I hope you will walk through this open door that He has given us. Right now our local theaters are showing a movie that symbolically tells the story of the cross. Your unsaved neighbors, friends, and family members are watching it. They’re talking about it. They’re curious about it. I hope you will keep your ears open, keep your heart open, and take every opportunity to explain to them the real meaning of this story. It is not about a fictitious lion named Aslan who lives in an imaginary world—it is about a real Savior, a powerful Savior, who lives right here with us right in the middle of every pain and every struggle. It’s up to us to share the message.
If you have never asked God to forgive you for your sins, never asked Jesus to be your Forgiver and your Leader, that can change right now. Life without Christ is a lot like Narnia during the reign of the White Witch—always winter, never Christmas. Let hope be born for you right now; let the power of God penetrate every corner of your heart and your life right now. I’m going to lead a simple prayer, and if you really believe in your heart that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died on the cross in your place to give you eternal life, you can say this prayer (or one like it) in your heart:
Dear Jesus, I know that You are God. I know that You became a man, that You lived a perfect, sinless life, and that You died to pay for my sins. I thank You for Your sacrifice and accept Your incredible gift. Please fill my heart with Yourself and help me to live each day in Your awesome power. Thank You! I pray in Your name, Amen.
