Resurrection: December 28, 2012

TODAYS WORD FOR FRIDAY DECEMBER 28, 2012.

RESURRECTION

DEFINITION:

The rising of Christ from the dead.

SCRIPTURE:

Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?  John 11:25-26.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

These verses we have written above were words given by Jesus to Martha when Jesus went to Bethany to visit Martha four days after Lazarus died. Jesus said that He was the resurrection and the life. Jesus could make this statement because He has power over life and death. Jesus is the life because He is the creator of life. He is the resurrection because He conquered death and He can restore life. Jesus said to Martha that, those who believe in Him, though they die, they will live! He asked her if she believed and Martha responded saying that she did believe that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God.

The resurrection of Christ ties into Christmas. It was on Christmas that Jesus was born and today we want to remind you that about 33 years later it was the resurrection of Jesus after His death on the cross that made it possible for us to have an eternal spiritual life that death cannot conquer. He died for you and for us. He died and was resurrected so that we did not have to pay the penalty for our sins because we are all born as sinners, and if we are to have eternal life in heaven with God we must be free from the penalty for the sins we have committed.

Jesus did die a cruel death on the cross to pay the penalty for all of our sins. Jesus asks us the same question He asked Mary, “Do you believe this?” All we have to do is believe, repent of our sins, ask God for forgiveness, and then accept Jesus as our Savior and live for Him. Then death no longer has power over us and we will spend eternity with Him in heaven.

The resurrection of our Lord is what makes Christianity different from ALL other religions. The bodies of all the other religious leaders down through the centuries remain in their tombs. Jesus left an empty tomb. Jesus did what He said He would. On Easter Sunday He did rise from that grave. He remained on earth 40 days during which time He ate and drank with the disciples and showed them His wounds to provide evidence of His resurrection. Jesus appeared not only to the disciples but more than 500 believers saw Jesus alive after His resurrection. He went back to Heaven and today is preparing a place for us to spend eternity with Him.

If for some reason you do not believe that there was a resurrection then you are saying Jesus is a liar and a hoax. If you believe that Jesus did not rise from the dead then you are believing He has no power over death and thus no power to pay the penalty for your sins, which is death. Paul says in I Corinthians 15: 14 that if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is useless and your faith is also useless. In verse 17 Paul goes on to say that if Christ is not risen that your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 

Those who are still in their sins cannot avoid God’s judgment. We are asked in Hebrews 2:3, “How shall we escape if we ignore such a great a salvation?”

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Luke 2:14.

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.

PRAYER:

We worship You and rejoice in what You have done for us. We thank You and praise You that You are the resurrected Savior, the giver of our great salvation.