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    Captivated: Beholding the Mystery of Jesus' Death and Resurrection
    Captivated: Beholding the Mystery of Jesus' Death and Resurrection
    Captivated: Beholding the Mystery of Jesus' Death and Resurrection
    Ebook95 pages1 hour

    Captivated: Beholding the Mystery of Jesus' Death and Resurrection

    By Thabiti M. Anyabwile

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    About this ebook

    The Bible implores us to take a long look at Jesus, forcefully beckoning us to “come and see” through profound questions connected with Jesus’ death and resurrection. These questions drive us to consider not just the events themselves but also their meaning as we take a long look beneath the surface and find more of the never-ending treasures of Christ.

    In Captivated, Thabiti Anyabwile invites you to set aside your early lessons on politeness and stare (yes, do stare) into the mystery of the cross and empty tomb.


    Table of Contents:
    1. Is There No Other Way? (Matthew 26:42)
    2. Why Have You Forsaken Me? (Matthew 27:45-46)
    3. Where, O Death, Is Your Victory? (1 Corinthians 15:55)
    4. Why Do You Look for the Living among the Dead? (Luke 24:5)
    5. Do You Know These Things? (Luke 24:17)
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherReformation Heritage Books
    Release dateJan 29, 2014
    ISBN9781601783011
    Captivated: Beholding the Mystery of Jesus' Death and Resurrection
    Author

    Thabiti M. Anyabwile

    Thabiti M. Anyabwile (MS, North Carolina State University) serves as a pastor at Anacostia River Church in Washington, DC, and is the author of numerous books. He serves as a council member of the Gospel Coalition, is a lead writer for 9Marks Ministries, and regularly blogs at The Front Porch and Pure Church. He and his wife, Kristie, have three children.

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    • 4/5
      In the weeks before Easter, I usually try to find a good devotional book to contemplate afresh the significance of Christ’s death and resurrection. A new book from Thabiti Anyabwile is just what I was looking for this year. "Captivated: Beholding the Mystery of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection" (Reformation Heritage, 2014) takes the reader on a look at the last few days of Christ’s passion. Anyabwile follows five different questions asked in Scripture’s teaching concerning Christ’s death and resurrection, and uses these questions as food for thought and contemplation.•Is There No Other Way?•Why Have You Forsaken Me?•Where, O Death, Is Your Victory?•Why Do You Seek the Living among the Dead?•Do You Not Know These Things?This book was born from a series of sermons, that its author preached. Anyabwile is an engaging speaker and his writing was just as warm and personal as his speaking. He displays a pastor’s heart as he applies lessons from Christ’s suffering to the problem and pain that so many of us face. He is a bold evangelist in this book too, calling the reader to repent and believe the gospel. Often Anyabwile quotes from Scripture and occasionally he draws on the lyrics from age-old hymns or even, a new Christian rap song. His analogies and illustrations always help drive the point of the chapter home.Much of the material falls in the “helpful reminder” category. Christians know this, and have learned this — but do we live it? Some of Anyabwile’s insights are refreshingly new and quite helpful. I particularly enjoyed how he showed that in most of the post-Resurrection appearances, merely seeing the physical Jesus was not enough. The minds and eyes of the disciples had to be opened, again and again, in order for them to comprehend that this indeed was Jesus. His conclusion from this is worth repeating here:"In order to recognize and accept Jesus for who He is, we must be born again. The Spirit of God must give us a new heart and new eyes of faith so that we can understand the things of God and the secrets of the kingdom of heaven. The Father must open our eyes so we can see Jesus. Until God opens our eyes to who He really is in Christ, we remain blind to ultimate truth."Has God opened your eyes yet? Do you see with the sight that He alone can give? How would you know that you see and recognize Jesus for who He is?" (p. 87)I included the second paragraph in the except above to illustrate why this book may not be for you. His direct appeals might unnerve some of us. Or they may prod us to where we need to be! Perhaps this Easter is a good time for you to explore anew the suffering and death, and the glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ. The questions for reflection after each of the five small chapters in this little book, will aid in personal examination or group study. The brevity of the book will prevent even the weakest of readers from the excuse that they don’t have time for this book. It is less than 100 pages, but well worth your time. May God use it to rekindle a love for Christ and the Bible in all of us!Disclaimer: This book was provided by Reformation Heritage Books via CrossFocusedReviews.com. The reviewer was under no obligation to offer a positive review.

    Book preview

    Captivated - Thabiti M. Anyabwile

    CAPTIVATED

    Beholding the Mystery of

    Jesus’ Death and Resurrection

    Thabiti M. Anyabwile

    Reformation Heritage Books

    Grand Rapids, Michigan

    Also by Thabiti Anyabwile

    The Life of God in the Soul of the Church: The Root and Fruit of Spiritual Fellowship

    Finding Faithful Elders and Deacons

    Ephesians: God’s Big Plan for Christ’s New People

    The Gospel for Muslims: An Encouragement to Share Christ with Confidence

    The Faithful Preacher: Recapturing the Vision of Three African-American Pastors

    The Decline of African-American Theology: From Biblical Faith to Cultural Captivity

    What Is a Healthy Church Member?

    May We Meet in the Heavenly World: The Piety of Lemuel Haynes

    Captivated

    © 2014 by Thabiti M. Anyabwile

    All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. Direct your requests to the publisher at the following address:

    Reformation Heritage Books

    2965 Leonard St. NE

    Grand Rapids, MI 49525

    616-977-0889 / Fax 616-285-3246

    orders@heritagebooks.org

    www.heritagebooks.org

    Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

    How Deep the Father’s Love for Us by Stuart Townend. Copyright © 1995 Thankyou Music (PRS) (adm. worldwide at CapitolCMGPublishing.com excluding Europe which is adm. by Integritymusic.com) All rights reserved. Used by permission.

    Printed in the United States of America

    14 15 16 17 18 19/10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

    ISBN 978-1-60178-301-1 (epub)

    ——————————

    Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

    Anyabwile, Thabiti M., 1970-

    Captivated : beholding the mystery of Jesus’ death and resurrection / Thabiti M. Anyabwile.

    pages cm

    ISBN 978-1-60178-300-4 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Jesus Christ—Crucifixion. 2. Jesus Christ—Resurrection. I. Title.

    BT450.A59 2014

    232.96’3—dc23

    2013042553

    ——————————

    For additional Reformed literature, request a free book list from Reformation Heritage Books at the above regular or e-mail address.

    To Afiya,

    our firstborn daughter,

    born to survive.

    You bring us such joy.

    May you thrive in your knowledge of Jesus

    and find your highest happiness in Him.

    Contents

    Acknowledgments

    Introduction

    1. Is There No Other Way?

    2. Why Have You Forsaken Me?

    3. Where, O Death, Is Your Victory?

    4. Why Do You Seek the Living among the Dead?

    5. Do You Not Know These Things?

    Acknowledgments

    I’ve never done anything worthwhile except it was a surprising work wrought by God’s gracious hand. Preaching and writing are not exceptions. I’m surprised I have the sacred privilege of declaring the oracles of God and sometimes see the water of my sermons turned into wine for His people. I owe all honor, praise, adoration, and thanks to God above all, who by His grace makes more of our lives and labors than we could ask or think.

    I also want to extend a special thank-you to my daughter, Afiya. As part of a work experience program at her high school, she joined the staff of First Baptist Church as my editor on this project. Her presence, insight, and keen mind for writing were a great blessing to this father who delights in his children. She is a gifted writer even at an early age, and I pray she puts her gift for editing and writing to great use for the Savior. Thank you, Sweetie, for all you give to your dad.

    My wife of more than two decades deserves hazard pay. She has been beside me and sometimes before me every step of the way. She is far, far better than I deserve. I know no greater source of earthly encouragement or loving accountability. I see you in my eyes, and I thank you for being my wife and partner in life.

    The saints of First Baptist Church of Grand Cayman have for seven years now listened to my preaching with interest and patience. You’ve made me a better preacher, and you didn’t have much to work with. Thank you for coming every Sunday, for putting the Word to work in your lives, for seeking Jesus and for loving one another. It is a great privilege to serve you.

    To the entire team at Reformation Heritage Books: Thank you for the opportunity to work together on this project. Special debt is owed to Jay Collier, who proposed turning these sermons into a book. Without his prompting, it is unlikely this book would ever have seen print.

    Introduction

    Parents teach their young children not to stare. It’s not polite, we say. Don’t point. Eventually we socialize our children into the habit of making eye contact—but not for too long. We teach them not to gaze upon others and to feel awkward or suspicious if other people stare at them. We make ourselves and our children expert glancers, visual skimmers, ocular snapshot takers.

    I wonder if this cultural habit affects our ability to peer into matters that deserve a long look. How, for instance, does our aversion to staring at others affect our ability to behold the face of the Lord? Might we be conditioned to steal quick peeks at Jesus without tracing with the eyes of faith the thorn-induced scars on His brow, the lash-transferred welts on His back, or the nail-inflicted piercings in His hands and feet?

    How would our knowledge of Jesus, our friendship with Him, and our familiarity with His ways be deepened if we looked long at Him? If we learned to stare, gaze, behold—look at Him and what He has done?

    I believe the Bible implores and commands us to take a long look at Jesus. From Isaiah’s Behold your God! (40:9), to the psalmist’s taste and see that the Lord is good (34:8), to Jesus’ own invitation to take My yoke (Matt. 11:29), the Scriptures find diverse ways to beckon the faithful to a luxuriant look at the Son of God.

    Perhaps the Scriptures most forcefully beckon us to come and see when various writers ask profound questions in connection with Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. Those questions drive us to consider not just the events themselves but also their meaning. The Scriptures question us so that we might look beneath the surface to find more of the never-ending treasures of Christ.

    When Jesus asks that the cup of God’s wrath be passed from Him, what does it mean when the Father remains silent? How should we understand the Lord’s cry from the cross, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? When the apostle Paul asks rhetorically, O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? (1 Cor. 15:55), and the angel asks the women at the tomb, Why do you seek the living among the dead? (Luke 24:5), what are we meant to know about the defeat of death and the Christian hope? What might we know about knowledge itself, our epistemology, when we consider the two travelers to Emmaus asking the resurrected Lord, Do you not know these things? (Luke 24:18).

    Genuine contemplation of these questions requires we set

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