THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY APRIL 14, 2023. 

SUBJECT : THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS!

Memory verse: "But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him." (Mark 16 vs 6.)

READ: Luke 18 vs 31 - 34:

18:31: Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man will be accomplished.

18:32: For He will be delivered to the Gentiles, and will be mocked, and insulted, and spit upon.

18:33: They will scourge Him, and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again.

18:34: But they understood none of these things; and this saying was hidden from them, and they did not know the things which were spoken. 

INTIMATION:

Resurrection is the state of rising from the dead with new life. The bodily resurrection of Christ is the center of the Christian faith. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the central fact of Christian history. On it, the church is built; without it, there would be no Christian church today. Jesus’ resurrection is unique. Only Christianity has a God who became human, literally died for His people, and was raised again in power and glory to rule His church forever. 

Jesus’ resurrection is the key to the Christian faith. The Resurrection is vitally important for many reasons. (1) Jesus kept His promise to rise from the dead, so we can be confident, therefore, that He will accomplish all He has promised. And because Christ was raised from the dead, we know that the kingdom of heaven has broken into the earth’s history. Our world is now headed for redemption, not disaster. God’s mighty power is at work destroying sin, creating new lives, and preparing us for Jesus’ second coming. 

(2) The Resurrection ensures that the ruler of God’s eternal kingdom will be the living Christ, not just an idea, hope, or dream. Jesus’ bodily resurrection shows us that the living Christ is ruler of God’s eternal kingdom, not a false prophet or impostor. We are assured that Christ is alive and ruling His kingdom. He is not a legend; He is alive and real. (3) Christ’s resurrection gives us the assurance that we also will be resurrected. We can be certain of our resurrection because He was resurrected. Death is not the end—there is a future life. Because of the Resurrection, we know that death has been conquered and we, too, will be raised from the dead to live forever with Christ.  

(4) The power of God that brought Christ’s body back from the dead is available to us to bring our morally and spiritually dead selves back to life so that we can change and grow (First Corinthians 15 vs 12 - 15). We can now live for Him in an evil world. Death is no longer a source of dread or fear. Christ overcame it, and one day we will also since Christ has defeated it, and we have hope beyond the grave. The law will no longer make sinners out of us just because we cannot keep it.

 (5) The Resurrection is the basis and authority for the church’s witness to the world. Jesus is more than just a human leader; He is the Son of God. We do not merely tell lessons from the life of a great teacher; we proclaim that reality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Look at the early evangelistic sermons in the book of Acts: The apostles’ most important message was the proclamation that Jesus Christ had been raised from the dead. 

(6) The Resurrection gives meaning to the church’s sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. Like Jesus’ followers on the Emmaus Road, we break bread with our risen Lord, who comes in power to save us. (7) The Resurrection helps us find meaning even in great tragedy. No matter what happens to us as we walk with the Lord, the Resurrection gives us hope for the future. (8) God’s power that brought Jesus back from the dead is available to us so that we can live for Him in an evil world.

Christians can look very different from one another, and they can hold widely varying beliefs about politics, lifestyle, and even theology. But one central belief unites and inspires all true Christians: Jesus Christ rose from the dead! 

People who hear about the Resurrection for the first time may need time before they can comprehend this amazing story. Like the disciples, they may pass through four stages of belief: (1) At first, they may think it is a fairly tale, impossible to believe. (2) Like Peter, they may check out the facts but still be puzzled about what happened. (3) Only when they encounter Jesus personally will they be able to accept the fact of the Resurrection. (4) Then, as they commit themselves to Jesus and devote their lives to serving Him, they will begin fully to understand the reality of His presence with them. 

Because Christ rose from the dead, as He promised, we know that what He said is true and that He is God. The Resurrection affirms the truthfulness of Jesus’ life and words. The Resurrection confirms Jesus’ unique authority to say, I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11 vs 25). Because He rose, we have certainty that our sins are forgiven. Because He rose, He lives and represents us before God. Because He rose and defeated death, we know we also will be raised. Christ’s resurrection guaranteed both His promise to us and His authority to make that promise. We must take Him at His word and believe. 

His resurrection proved His lordship over the material world. All who trust in Christ will also defeat death and rise again to live eternally with Him. Because Christ is spiritually supreme in the universe, surely we should give Him first place in all our thoughts and activities. And the driving power that carries missionaries around the world and sets Christ’s church in motion is the faith that comes from the Resurrection.

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for the power of Resurrection available to me to bring my morally and spiritually dead self back to life so that I can change and grow and live for You in this evil world. You have defeated death and has assured me of eternity with You, and I know that You who promised is faithful and will do it, in Jesus' Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!