At Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus, who came to be the Savior of the world. After His short life and time of ministering to the people, giving them the truth of God’s love and way of salvation from their sins and disease, prophecies of old were fulfilled: “He came to His own and they received Him not.” (John 1: 11) During the time of the Passover feast, He was betrayed by one of His own disciples, killed and buried. But, as foretold, on the third day, He arose from the dead! He appeared to His disciples, and after 40 days, ascended to heaven. He is alive, and seated at the right hand of the Father!
This is the good news of the Gospel -- that Jesus paid the price for the sins of the world, that “whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16-17, John 1:12)
All of this was foretold centuries before it happened. In fact, since the beginning, in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve first sinned against God, God spoke of His plan that one day there would be One who would crush the head of the serpent, of evil. (Genesis 3:15) In this passage, “He” refers to Jesus, who would come to defeat Satan.
Resurrection Sunday (Easter) is a day we celebrate once a year, but it should be a celebration we have every day in our hearts! He is Risen! He is Risen indeed!
Is He alive in your heart? Sometimes the familiar becomes so seemingly unimportant in our lives that we forget the eternal significance of what Jesus did for us!!
Unlike the disciples and followers of Jesus at the time of His life on earth, who did not understand all that He foretold we can know the end of the story. We have been given the written word, the New Testament, as well as what was previously given in the Old Testament. HE IS COMING AGAIN! First, appearing in the sky to take us to Himself (I Thessalonians 4:14-18), and later (after a terrible 7 years of the Great Tribulation under the rule of the anti-Christ, and God’s wrath on the world) He will return to judge and rule the earth as King!
Listen to this wonderful Easter sermon by Jack Hibbs, “Returning”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaWQ1tN4cx4
Dear Lord, We deeply thank you for paying the price for our sins, as we believe in You! Thank you that YOU ARE ALIVE, and are with us. Thank you that the power of the Resurrection, is the same power that can be in us, through Your Holy Spirit.
We love you and praise you! In Your precious name, AMEN!
