He is alive! He is no longer dead. What awesome news. Do you believe it? The resurrection of Jesus is the very heart of our Christian faith. This is substantiated in 1 Corinthians 15: “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is our faith. . .. We are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that He raised Christ from the dead.” It continues to state: “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen sleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.” Then Paul triumphantly declares, “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep”.
My friends, do you now see why we have such glorious hope? Jesus’ death on the cross was not the end but indeed the beginning of what was to come. He did not die in vain. His Resurrection gives us more than just eternal life – it gives us abundant life! The resurrection story is an immensely powerful one indeed. The Easter message therefore is, come and see – go and tell. You see, Jesus’ death was not the end of the story in a real sense – it was just the beginning.
When Mary Magdalene and the other women showed up at the tomb of Jesus, early that Sunday morning, the angel delivered this message: “Do not be afraid. I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified, but He is not here, He has risen as He said, come look at the place where He lay…now go tell His disciples He has risen and is going ahead of them into Galilee. You will see Him there.” That was not a surprise my friends, because throughout the Bible God speaks to us concerning the resurrection of Jesus.
Jesus predicted it in Matthew 16:21, where it states, “From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto His disciples, how that He must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.” God’s plan provided for it! Scripture gives proof of it, and we are to proclaim it. Christ died for our sin, was buried, and He was raised on the third day according to scripture. This is it! The powerful foundation of what we believe and preach. Our salvation depends on this. Everything revealed to us in scripture was God preparing for this event.
Jesus conquered death. He put all our enemies under His feet as a footstool. The one the scriptures promised, came, died, was buried, and rose again in victory. He rules all – even death. The hymn writer penned it beautifully:
Death cannot keep its Prey, Jesus my Savior.
He tore the bars away, Jesus my Lord!
Up from the grave He arose,
With a mighty triumph o’er His foes,
He arose a Victor from the dark domain,
And He lives forever, with His saints to reign.
He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!
Jesus is alive! The resurrection story is not a myth! After His resurrection many people saw Him. Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene, Peter, and all the Apostles. He appeared to a group of more than 500. And He appeared to Saul whose name was changed to Paul. Peter the denier became Peter the preacher, and Thomas the doubter became Thomas the missionary. Who will you become my friends? What Jesus did was very public before the entire world, but it is very personal to each of us.
No one could invent a story like this. This was God’s brilliant plan formulated from the foundation of the world. The Resurrection is irrepressible. No true follower or believer of Jesus Christ can keep it buried or hidden in his/her mind. We should be happy to live out that joyfulness every day – and give our lives willingly to our Lord.
God is not dead. He is truly alive! Is the Easter story not a beautiful story, my friends? How will you respond to it? Will you now serve Him and tell others about Him? He is gone to prepare a place for you. Please accept Him today. Being a believer of Jesus is much more than saying, ‘I love Jesus.’ You must live for Him daily. When people see you, they should see Jesus, too.
Remember: We live and die BUT Christ died and lived! The resurrection of Jesus changes the face of death for all His people. How we see death now must change. Death is no longer a prison, but a passage into God’s presence.
About the Author: Mrs. Marilyn Hodge owns and operates the Wellness Centre in the Farrington, Anguilla. The Centre offers Counselling Services by Appointment Only and has now published Positive Living Volume 2. Contact information: 476-3517 or email: marilynb@anguillanet.com. www.facebook.com/axawellnesscentre.
