After the Resurrection
Philippians 3:7-11 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; THAT I MAY KNOW HIM AND THE POWER OF HIS RESURRECTION, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Emphasis added NKJV).
Easter has come and gone for another year.
I find it a bit sad when so much of the Easter message is being lost in the commercialisation of Easter. One last bastion of this is Easter trading. Once it was the norm that we would all spend four days free of shopping, without worrying at all about ‘needing anything’ over the Easter weekend; we’d stocked up beforehand.
But here we are post Easter. What difference has it made to our lives? Did this Easter, or that first one impact our lives in any way?
Paul’s passion was to know Christ and to know the power of His resurrection. Perhaps that should be ours too?
At Church services all around the world especially over the Easter weekend but also every Sunday, Crosses will be carried in with pomp and ceremony, and positioned in pride of place. The Cross reminds us of something. Like a “post-it-note”, it reminds us that a long time ago, someone died. That “Someone” was Jesus Christ. The Cross, on which Jesus died, is so integral, so central to the Gospel, we don’t hear enough about it today.
Jesus Christ did not die and rise again for a percentage of the world, but for the whole world. When Jesus died on the cross; He touched the sun – in Him, we have victory over darkness! He touched the sanctuary and the veil was rent in two – in Him, we have victory over division! He touched the stones with an earthquake – in Him, we have victory over devastation! He touched the sepulchers and the dead came back to life – in Him, we have victory over death! He touched the soldier – in Him, we have victory over doubt!
But, as we all know, after the crucifixion of Christ, after the Cross, after His burial, came His Resurrection! He Is risen! The Cross is empty! The tomb is empty! The grave clothes are folded!
Our enemy the devil, is out to bring this great truth down. His work is clear – to disregard the facts, put aside the truth, and sow doubt into the minds and hearts of seekers. “Fake news” has been spread for centuries – nothing new about that!
We know from many sources – The Bible, respected historians, revelation, archeology – that the events of that first Easter actually took place.
History confirms the Easter story as fact. The fact remains that Jesus Christ was born, lived, died and rose from the dead. The testimony of His death and empty tomb are recorded in writings other than the Bible.
Because He Is Risen, we have the assurance of life with The Father for eternity; the assurace of our sins forgiven; the assurance of His presence with us at all times; the assurance of His power to help us live as we should.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (NKJV).
All because of love.
Thank God for Easter and what we remember and celebrate in that season! May we remember, sing, celebrate and worship wholeheartedly because of the truth of the Cross, and the reality of the Resurrection!
It’s always a special time for me, as I think about the whole message and meaning of Easter. It really happened. Because Jesus Christ actually did live on the earth, died a painful death on a Cross, was buried in a borrowed tomb, and rose from the dead three days later, means I too can have freedom and eternal life.
The resurrection and its impact upon humanity lives on, far more than just the Easter weekend.
Christ died, but rose again, defeating death. When we trust in Him we too can share in that triumph. The resurrection means we can move from guilt to freedom, from sickness to health, from brokenness to made whole, from jobless to employed, from sinful to forgiven, from sad to glad, from lost to found, from visionless to vision, from hopeless to hopeful.
Thank God for the ongoing power of the resurrection we can experience. Surely that is worth celebrating every weekend. And indeed, we do, every Sunday!
