A puzzling equation of science …
The resurrection of Christ - for how can it be?!
A miracle …
God’s miracle
The Holy Scriptures are filled with the miracles of God surrounding us
Not to be puzzled over, questioned
But simply to believe
in God
in His Son
in the Holy Spirit
to Trust.
“He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” (John 3:36)
“…You believe in God, believe also in Me.” (John 14:1)
“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29a)
God is the master of the universe.
He can do anything.
He can do all.
He is all.
Of Himself
Yet separate
He is the Lord Jesus sent to Earth to save its people from damnation
Jesus
the perfect atonement,
replaced the dove, the animal sacrifices of old.
Jesus
He took the sin of us all upon Himself
carried to the cross
because of His love for us.
His Father loved Him too and loves Him still
but He had to look away
He could not witness all the evilness of the world
loaded onto His precious Son. Overwhelming dismay for this One, His Son.
And so it was finished. Jesus died.
And was buried.
But death, alas, was not the end.
He said He would … after 3 days in the tomb, arise.
And so He did.
He is risen!
The Lord has risen! He has risen indeed!
Christ overcame death.
Some of us only sleep, perhaps a very sound sleep, giving the appearance of death, because we cannot be awakened.
A “new, cleansing wind,” Dietrich Bonhoeffer says.
The resurrection of Christ
rings anew, brings renewal.
Easter is coming.
Christ was reborn. He died. He was buried. After three days, He was risen.
Risen from the dead.
The dead of darkness, of sin, has died, been destroyed.
The Lord has risen to new life.
And we, as believers, through Him, live in this new life.
Our old has died. We have been reborn. And in the Last Day, our bodies in the grave or still alive on Earth will be resurrected to join Him in the heavenly realms.
Divine, supreme Love
intervenes, coming against guilty humanity and is the ultimate winner.
Easter.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (II Corinthians 5:17)
“For when we were still without strength, in due time, Christ died for the ungodly.” (Romans 5:6)
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while were were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
The judgment of sin is death. Jesus’ death was the only and final act of judgment made for the future of mankind as well as past and present. Upon Him was all our sin.
“…For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift (given by Christ)
which come from many offenses resulted in justification.” (Romans 5:16)
“For as by one man’s (Adam)
disobedience many (all)
were made sinners; so also by one Man’s (Jesus) obedience many will be made righteous.” (Romans 5:19)
For Christians, our life has meaning only because of Easter.
If Easter wasn’t – if the Jesus Christ who died for the sins of mankind and was buried, did not arise, then our life would be meaningless. We would not be Christians, we would still be living in guilt, we would still make sacrifices for our sins and hope whatever we do/did would be good enough. The foundation upon which our whole live rests as Christians, believers in Christ, falls, collapses.
“But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is vain and your faith is also vain. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up – if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ; we are of all men the most pitiable.
“But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.” (I Corinthians 15:13-22)
“What you sow is not made alive unless it dies. And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be; … But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body. All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fish, and another of birds.” (I Corinthians 15:36a-39)
“So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. Sown in dishonor, raised in glory. Sown in weakness, raised in power. Sown a natural body, raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and a spiritual body. And so it is written, The first man Adam became a living being. The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.” (I Corinthians 15:42-45)
Love, God’s Love
overcame sin
Sin and death were defeated at the cross
upon which His Son
The Christ
hung and died
buried in a tomb
and after 3 days,
AROSE!
There are no what ifs or how can you be sure. The Scriptures say it.
Do you believe?
You who do not are already damned.
“He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:16)
Christ lives because God lives, because God’s love lives.
God forgives us of our sins through Christ, His Son, when we accept and believe.
God loves us / loved us so much He came to earth as His Son to save the children of the world.
God has committed Himself to Christ, and Christ has committed Himself to us.
In Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, the faith of His disciples was confirmed, giving their faith new meaning. That new meaning encompasses Easter.
When we believe Jesus and God are one yet separate entities, that Jesus came to earth, born of God and the Virgin Mary, that He walked upon the earth teaching, suffering, being tempted (all that we too come in contact) that prophecy foretold, His destiny came to be, was fulfilled.
He died for us, was buried, and after 3 days, God set Him free – He arose. Jesus Christ arose!
And because my life is wrapped in His, I too have been set free.
“Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” (John 8:36)
“And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. … For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:18-23)
