RISEN!!!
As I was attempting to write a Easter post for this year, I realized that much of what I wanted to say, I had already written before (in the last Easter's post) so I decided to just revise and reuse parts of that one so if anything sounds familiar, that is why... lol 😂
As I reread through last year's post, i got stirred up! Man, the Resurrection is so amazing! And Powerful!
It isn't any wonder that the Devil has done his very best to disprove and discredit it! He, himself, knows the awesome power behind faith in a Risen Savior!
As we all prepare to celebrate Easter this weekend, I just want to take a a moment to reflect on how IMPORTANT this day of remembrance is to us as believers!!
This day is POWERFUL !!
Easter means the resurrection of Jesus from the dead! It means the promise of life after death! It proclaims the hope of a better life. It produces joy unspeakable, full of glory.
Those words of the angel, “He is not here, but is risen”, changed the course of history and they continue to do so.
This day of remembrance is the very point of which all of our faith hinges.
The resurrection of Christ sets Christianity apart from all other religions.
Mohammed didn’t get up!
Confucius didn’t get up!
Buddha didn’t get up!
Joseph Smith died and is still dead.
Jim Jones is dead.
David Koresh is dead.
But our Jesus is Alive! He died but then,
on that Resurrection morning,
He Got Up! Hallejuah!
Luke 24:1-9 [1] … Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, a bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. [2] And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. [3] And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. [4] And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: [5] And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? [6] He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, [7] Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. [8] And they remembered his words, [9] And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest. …
Let’s take a moment to look at our text and ask ourselves a few questions:
“Why was the stone rolled away?”
The stone was not rolled away for Jesus to come out. Jesus is God. He was not /is not bound by the restraints of man (Remember in John 20:19, when the disciples were holed away together (with the door being shut) for fear of the Jews, Jesus appeared in their midst. A shut and locked door didn’t stop him. He didn’t have to knock and wait for entrance. He just appeared. He wasn’t restricted by physical boundaries like we are. So, if that’s the case, and the stone being rolled away wasn’t necessary for Jesus to exit, why did God think it so important for that stone to be rolled away??
The simple answer is this: The stone was rolled away so that humanity could look in. It was rolled away so that the empty tomb could be visible to everyone. The empty tomb is the greatest evidence of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Skeptics have tried to explain it away, but they have not been able to. The empty tomb still stands, as evidence to all that Jesus is not dead. He is alive today.
The empty tomb symbolizes victory. Victory over death, victory over Hell, victory over the grave!
When Jesus was hanging on the cross, it looked as if He had been defeated and as if the enemy had won. His own people were shocked and discouraged at the turn of events. Why, just the previous week, His disciples had assumed His triumphant entry into Jerusalem was just the beginning of Him overthrowing the oppression of Israel. As Jesus was arrested, tried, and hung on that cross, their lofty ideas and assumptions were brutally challenged. You see, they had carnal aspirations for their Master. It was easy for them to see Him as their King. But they had yet to discover Him as their Saviour. Now, here was Jesus (their “KING”) with a crown of thorns on His head, nails driven in His hands and His feet, beaten beyond recognition, hanging on a cross, dying?
“What?” How could this be? This wasn’t how they envisioned it. Jesus healed people! He raised the dead. They had seen Him perform many miracles. They knew His Power. Yet, in that moment —He did nothing to save Himself. Talk about doubt. I’m sure the old Devil whispered in their minds, if He was really Jesus, why didn’t He come off the cross? Why didn’t He fight back? (We know the scribes, elders and the chief priest sure voiced those opinions.) I can imagine the disciples and followers of Jesus had to wonder. It was definitely a blow to their faith. I’m sure they were disappointed and discouraged.
As we read on, we can see that Jesus did indeed die. (The Bible is very clear to give us scientific/medical evidence of His death. He wasn’t in a coma. He wasn’t just passed out. He was truly dead.) They removed his body, wrapped it in burial clothes, and placed it in a borrowed tomb.
But thanks be to God, that’s not where the story ends!!
Something happened on that third morning – Death could not hold Him! The grave had to release its icy grip. Let me proclaim to you!! OUR JESUS GOT UP!
Why has the story of the cross of Calvary endured all these years?
1 Corinthians 15 answers that question for us. It is because the story of the cross doesn’t end with the cross. We can proclaim, with indisputable proof, that the cross was not the final act of Him who was hung upon it.
Most of the world do not have a problem with the birth of Jesus. Many people are even willing to acknowledge that Jesus was a great prophet with a dynamic ministry cut short by his death by crucifixion.
But to say more, to assert a literal, physical, actual, and bodily resurrection is to them unthinkable and intellectually dishonest.
They say that Jesus was an outstanding moral example. He was a model wise man, and a prolific teacher, but like every other crusader – the world thinks – He was silenced at death.
According to history, there were 10-12 other Jewish men in the 1st Century AD who claimed to be the Messiah or a Messianic like figure. We can see that those movements came to a screeching halt at the violent deaths of their founders. The noted New Testament scholar N. T. Wright reminds us that if or when that happened, their followers had a choice. If their followers wanted to continue the movement they could find a replacement Messiah, or they could give up the movement and go live an un-rebellious life.
The disciples of Jesus Christ didn’t do either of those two things. Instead, they kept going as if their leader wasn’t dead at all. Any cautious reader of history has to wonder, how is it that these men and women who followed Jesus to his cross suddenly transformed into an irresistible, courageous new church that could not be stopped? They claimed no new leader.
Instead, they insisted that Christ was still in charge. And if asked by CNN why they kept going, their answer would be that Jesus had been raised from the dead; that He still spoke, and that He was still alive! How did they know? They had seen Him.
The resurrection is the capstone of the gospel. It turns a dark crucifixion Friday into a Good Sunday morning. —Charlie Dates
The Bible teaches us that the resurrection of Jesus is a fact, and the certainty of that fact transforms us from death to life.
Ever heard of a man named Harry Houdini? He died in October of 1926. But his claim to fame was that he was a magician that specialized in spectacular escapes. As a matter of fact, he was said to have laughed at locks, sneered at fetters. They said of Harry that he had the flexibility of an eel. He had the lives of a cat. They did all kinds of things to try to incarcerate him. They would seal him in coffins. He would escape. They riveted him into a boiler. He escaped. They sewed him up in canvas bags. He escaped. They locked him in a milk can. He escaped. They sealed him in a barrel. He escaped. They put him in maximum-security prison. And old Harry somehow got out. But then in October 1926, death laid his hands on Harry Houdini and put him in a grave and he is yet to escape. As a matter of fact, he told his wife, if there is anyway out, I will find it. If there is any way out, I’ll make contact with you and we’ll do it on the anniversary of my death. For 10 years, she kept a light burning over his portrait. At the end of 10 years, she turned out the light. Death had Harry and he couldn’t escape. —Charlie Dates
Yes, Death laid his hands on Jesus. He put Jesus in a tomb. And there was a stone placed in front of the tomb. The tomb was even guarded by Roman soldiers to keep Him in there. They were grossly underqualified for such a task. They believed it would be the disciples/followers of Jesus who would steal away His body to “manufacture” His supposed Resurrection. But they never imagined that such an event could actually occur and there was nothing those soldiers could do to prevent Him from exiting that tomb! On the third day, Jesus Christ stirred Himself. Unlike Houdini, Jesus escaped from the clutches of death. He took back the keys of Death, Hell, and the Grave.
He was ALIVE!!
One of the songs that we sing is “Because He Lives.” The chorus says “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow; because He lives, all fear is gone; because I know, He holds the future, and life is worth the living just because He lives.”
Because HE GOT UP,
we can have everlasting life
Because HE GOT UP, the enemy is defeated. Because HE GOT UP, our sins are forgiven. Because HE GOT UP, we have freedom and victory.
Because HE GOT UP, we have been welcomed into the family of God.
Because HE GOT UP, we have justified and pardoned.
Because HE GOT UP, we no longer have to fear death and the grave.
Because HE GOT UP,
He went away to prepare us a place. Because HE GOT UP,
we have hope of a better land!
Because HE GOT UP,
we are gonna get up!
Because HE GOT UP,
we are going to live with Him forever!!
A woman was diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live. As she was getting her things in order, she contacted her pastor and asked him to come to her house to discuss some of her final wishes. She told him which songs she wanted sung at her funeral service, what Scriptures she would like read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in. She requested to be buried with her favorite Bible. As the pastor prepared to leave, the woman suddenly remembered something else. “There’s one more thing,” She said excitedly. “What’s that?” said the pastor. “This is important,” the woman said. “I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand.” The pastor stood looking at the woman, not knowing quite what to say. The woman explained. “In all my years of attending church socials and potluck dinners, when the dishes of the main course were being cleared; someone would inevitably lean over and say, “Keep your fork.” It was my favorite part of the meal because I knew something better was coming—like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie.” “So, when people see me in that casket with a fork in my hand and they ask, “What’s with the fork?” I want you to tell them: “Keep your fork. The best is yet to come!”
So, dear sisters, may I admonish you— keep your fork! The best is yet to come!
SPOILER ALERT::
Because HE GOT UP,
He’s coming back again...
🎶Soon and very soon, we are gonna see the King. Soon and very soon, we are gonna see the King🎶
So, From my heart to yours,
-Tiphanie ❤
Wishing you a blessed Resurrection weekend!!
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