I have always enjoyed celebrating Easter with my church family. Easter commemorates the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. I insert the qualifier “bodily” to unmistakably affirm that Jesus indeed died on the cross and was resurrected on the third day. This magnificent event is recorded in all four Gospels. Not only in the accounts do we read that the tomb where Jesus had been buried was empty and that an angel declared Christ had risen, but Jesus visited His disciples and many others after His resurrection. In fact, Jesus appeared on twelve occasions to groups ranging from one to as large as five-hundred. The empty tomb displayed that Christ was not there and the appearances that He is alive.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is a historical fact that holds eternal consequences for those who believe. This truth begs the question, “What difference does the resurrection make in my life?”
Let me share with you three realities from Christ’s resurrection that impact our lives.
The first reality is that because of Christ’s resurrection, we don’t have to despair. On Friday Jesus was hanging on the cross. His followers believed their hope had been shattered, but what they didn’t know, and we do is that Sunday was on the way. When Jesus Christ rose from the dead on Resurrection Sunday, He proved that the hope He proclaimed was real, and so was God’s power at work in the world. When I consider the resurrection it encourages me to understand that no matter how bad things might look at any given moment, God has the power to change me and/or change my circumstances. God is in control, and as I look to Him, I am assured that He is with me. Paul writes to the believers in Rome: “We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Rom 8:28). God causes “all things” to work for the spiritual “good” of those who have entered into a saving relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. Jesus made such a relationship possible through His death and resurrection. Believers can be confident that nothing can hurt them so deeply that God can’t turn it around for their good. The resurrection presents us with the reality that we don’t have to despair.
The second reality is that because of Christ’s resurrection renewal is possible. One of the most precise descriptions of what Jesus accomplished on the cross is found in Paul’s second letter to the church in Corinth. He writes: “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor 5:21). We have been offered a right relationship with God only because Jesus died for our sins, removing its eternal consequence – death (see: Rom 6:23). In Christ’s death, He took the punishment for our sin so that we might be forgiven and the righteousness of God might become a reality in our lives. The resurrection of Christ demonstrates that no sin is too terrible to be forgiven. Jesus took upon Himself the sins of the world – every sin each and every one of us every committed – and God the Father still resurrected Him from the dead. Through the resurrection, God proves that He has the power to bring us salvation. The resurrection presents us with the reality that renewal is possible.
The third reality is that because of the resurrection, we know that there is life beyond the grave. In John’s Gospel, we are presented with an account of Jesus preparing His disciples for His departure (see: John 14:1-3). The disciples are troubled that Jesus is going away. So He encourages them that He is going to prepare a place for them in paradise. He also declares that He will return and take them to be with Him. This is true for all believers. The resurrection proves that Jesus has the power to live up to His claim to come and take us to be with Him for eternity. The resurrection presents us with the reality that there is life beyond the grave.
The resurrection presents us with some fantastic realities. In Christ, we don’t have to despair. Renewal is possible. There is life beyond the grave. The people who encountered Christ between His resurrection and His ascension all discovered a powerful sense of hope because of His presence with them. The good news is that every believer can experience that same sense of hope today. I wonder how God, at this very moment, wants to fill you with hope, offer you renewal, encourage you that this life is not all there is. Jesus came, died, and was resurrected to make us alive!
It is an honor to serve Christ with each of you. I hope the reality of Christ’s resurrection reigns in your life. He has risen and desires to make each of us alive in Him. Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone)!