It's Not a Joke! What the Resurrection means for me

With what is commonly know as “April fool’s day” having just passed, the powerful assurance of the Resurrection strikes my heart even more so as we quickly approach what our family has come to call Resurrection Day. I once heard a preacher comment on April fool’s day saying, “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.” (Psalm 14:1) But, my friend, I’m telling you, there is a God in heaven just as surely as there are rocks outside!

 

The story of God coming down to earth as a little baby to grow up in the home of a lowly carpenter’s family, whose feet would collect the dust of the streets in his home country of Israel, Whose voice would be heard with carnal ears, Whose garments would be sought after by dirty hands, and Whose miracles would be beheld with unbelieving eyes…is a story that seems too good to be true. God became Man? Yes!

 

And this same God, who spoke the worlds into existence, has given us enough evidence to make belief in Him a most reasonable thing, but has left enough evidence out of this world to make believe in Him by reason alone impossible. Coming to earth in the form of a man, He lived the perfect life that we should have lived, only to die the cursed death that we should have died. But the grave could not hold the Author of Life! He came out three days later with the keys of death, and hell in His indestructible hand.

 

Let me share with you just three truths that the Resurrection tells about each and every one of us who have confessed with our mouth that Jesus is Lord, and have believed in our hearts that God has raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9): 

 

I am valued!

“Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold…

But with the precious blood of Christ…” 1 Peter 1:18-19

 

Something is only worth as much as someone is willing to pay for it. We are worth as much as God was willing to pay—the unmerited gift of His son and the cost of His whole earthly life! God sees something valuable in you and me: a reflection of Himself, because we are created in His image. It is because of this fact that Jesus was willing to give His life for us so that we could have eternal life with Him forever. He came to earth to live among men so that He could enter into our world of sight, sound, and touch—so that He could communicate with us, and show us what truth is, what real life is, and show us the way to God.  The price that Jesus paid for us means that we are valuable to Him!

 

I have hope!

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which…hath begotten us again

 unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” 1 Peter 1:3

The Christian faith does not validate the Resurrection; the Resurrection validates the Christian faith! Jesus’ deity, death, and resurrection are the foundational cornerstones of the Christian faith. This foundation is very strongly supported by eyewitness accounts and undeniable evidence for its transformative power. It is this truth that gives us excellent reason to live whole-heartedly without the fear of death. This same truth is also the impetus, the powerful motivation and moving force, of a life of sacrificial love for our fellowmen.

Because of the evidence we have for the foundation of Christianity, our faith in Jesus Christ does not have to be blind faith! We actually have substantial evidence that can be tried and tested. And if we are truly searching for the truth, we will find that we can know with certainty, through the external witnesses of History and through the internal witness of the Holy Spirit, that our faith will become sight when Jesus returns to call us home!   But until then…

 

I can live!

“Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see Him not, yet believing,

ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: receiving the end of your faith,

even the salvation of your souls.” 1 Peter 1:8-9

 

Jesus’ Resurrection guarantees that we can be restored to our created purpose of knowing God and personally experiencing His love even now. Because Jesus lives forevermore, we can be fully who He created us to be and fully alive forever with Him! Let me unpack a few truths packaged within this statement: 

 

·      Because Jesus has overcome death, we are now enabled to pour our earthly life out for others in pure love without ulterior motives.

·      Because Jesus has broken the power of sin, we are set free to rest in the finished, redemptive work that Christ completed on the cross, and in His protective and nurturing care for us.·      Because Jesus lived the life we should have lived, and took the sting of death away from the believer, we are gifted with access to an eternal mindset, which inspires unquenchable joy, producing strength for the moment and light for each step of the way. 

·      Because Jesus has exchanged our sin for His perfect righteousness, we are granted entrance to the presence of God, which infuses our whole being with the splendor of His glory!

 

I have just touched on three things that we as believers hold in our hearts. But dear friend, if you have not tasted of the goodness of this risen Jesus, you too have an opportunity to come and drink of this Fountain of Life freely (Revelation 22:17)! The Bible says that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:13)!

 

If you would like to know more about this risen Jesus, you are welcome to leave us a comment in the section below, or drop us a note in the menu button at the top right side of this page. We would love to get in touch with you and let you in on this amazing gift of never-ending life that can be yours if you truly want it.

 

And to all my brothers and sisters in Christ, never loose the awe and wonder of the free gift that Christ has graciously extended to us! But don’t just keep it in the museum of wonder, either. Act upon it, take God at His word, and watch how He continues to turn your life into His trophy of amazing grace for the world to see. 

 by Anna