EASTER: THE DEATH OF DEATH

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When Jesus rose again from the dead, He defeated death!

Death died when Christ rose. Easter was the death of death.

Of all events in history, there’s none more significant than the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave. When Jesus came to this earth, lived a perfect life, died a perfect death, and rose again from the dead, He changed everything.

This selfless act was for me, for you, for everyone.

Imagine the disappointment the disciples felt when Jesus was murdered and taken away from them. But He promised that He would rise from the dead.

The women who went to the tomb together to anoint His dead body were not expecting to see a risen Lord. But an angel told them, “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body” (Mark 16:6 NLT).

Jesus changed everything. That’s the meaning of Easter and the reason for my unshakeable hope.

The resurrection of Jesus teaches us our hope goes beyond the grave.

Jesus took death on and defeated it. When Jesus came back from the dead, hope came with Him. This hope is for everyone, especially the broken.

Jesus rose in an actual body in a physical world in a tangible way.

The Bible tells us, “But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died. So, you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man” (1 Corinthians 15:20–21 NLT).

The resurrection of Jesus assures me:

  • I am accepted by God. Romans 4:45 says, “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.”
  • I have all the power I need to live a Christian life. Romans 8:11 says, “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”
  • I will live forever in Heaven and receive a new body like His. Colossians 3:4 assures us with these words. “When Christ, who is our life, appears, you shall be like Him.”
  • I will have resurrected relationships. “Since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died” (1 Thessalonians 4:14).
  • Article extracted from presentation by Greg Laurie, pastor of Harvest Churches California.

OUR GREAT HOPE, OUR ONLY HOPE – JESUS

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 “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” John 11:21-27

Jesus made a promise to Martha that not only was there a resurrection, but that Jesus himself was the resurrection and the life, and that faith in him would result in eternal life. It’s why this same apostle John, would go on to write the greatest summary statement in all the Bible:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

Paul said, if there is no resurrection then we are to be pitied. “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.” 1 Corinthians 15:19

“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.” 1 Corinthians 15:3-6

IT’S WHY WE HAVE HOPE

Paul is recording the central claim of Christianity: Jesus proved his divinity by dying on the cross and rising again, thereby validating everything he said about the resurrection. It’s why we have hope that we who believe in Jesus will see our brother again, that this is not the end. The key here is the list of witnesses: after his resurrection, Jesus appeared to Cephas (Peter), the twelve, then 500 at one time, many of whom were still alive fifteen to twenty years later. It’s like Paul is saying: fact-check me on this one. I know it’s an outrageous claim, but go and talk to the witnesses yourself.

If someone stood up today and started claiming: there were no attacks on 9/11, a plane never flew into the side of Pentagon, even though that was almost twenty years ago, there are thousands of witnesses here that were there and could contradict that. 1 Corinthians is written twenty years after the event of the resurrection, with witnesses still alive, who saw Jesus alive after his death and burial and resurrection. And because Jesus rose from the dead, everything changes!

Here’s what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians about how Jesus’ resurrection secures our own resurrection:

“So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable;  it is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power;  it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.

 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

“Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”

“The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.“ 1 Corinthians 15:42-44, 54-57

The most momentous event in history

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ETERNAL LIFE – Take the time this Easter to consider what JESUS (second person of the Trinity) did for humanity just 2014 years ago.

His perfect LOVE, His perfect OBEDIENCE enabled His perfect OFFERING for my sins and yours. GOD the Father FORGIVES those who repent of their sins and acknowledge JESUS as their Lord and Saviour.

The evidence for the resurrection of JESUS is irrefutable. The inability of the Jewish Religious leaders to produce Christ’s body. Many people saw Christ appear (500). Many saw him not individually but together. They saw him appear not once but many times. They not only saw him but touched him, conversed with him and ate with him. Following JESUS ascension to heaven the disciples were miraculously empowered by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (third person of the Trinity) as told by Jesus to take the GOOD NEWS to the world. The sincerity of the disciples was attested to by their suffering and death. If the disciples had not zealously done as JESUS had instructed them Christianity would have died at its birth.

Have you accepted JESUS free gift of Eternal Life? You can be empowered by the Holy Spirit to start living eternally now.