Jesus Is Alive!

The Double Rainbow-A symbol of Transformation

'The Lord your God is with you. He will take great delight in you; he will quiet you with His love. He will rejoice over you with singing.' Zephaniah 3:17

Hallelujah! Jesus is Alive. Today is Easter 2021 and we are all celebrating the Miracle of the Resurrection. Mary Magdalene had gone to the tomb of Jesus only to find it empty. The empty tomb and the appearances of the resurrected Christ fired up, encouraged the early believers and started a movement that has not ended since - the growth of Christianity.

What does the resurrection of Jesus Christ mean to us?

The resurrection validates our faith. Consistently and unabashedly the early Christians cited the resurrection of Jesus Christ as proof of their claims and beliefs. It confirmed all that Jesus taught and sealed His work in the redemption and salvation of all believers. 

'With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of of the Lord Jesus. And God's grace was so powerfully at work in them all.' Acts 4:33

The resurrection signifies victory over death. We now preach that Christ has triumphed over death, good over evil and hope over despair. Death is not something to be feared and the grave lost its power over us. 

'Just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life....Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, He cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over Him.' Romans 6:4,8,9

The resurrection releases the stranglehold of Satan and sin in our lives; ushers in a new life in Jesus. We have just enacted the events of a holy weekend, contemplating through Christ's agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, His torture and crucifixion on the cross, His lying in state in the garden tomb and finally His glorious resurrection on Easter morning. Paul in the book of Romans posited that this is the symbolism in every baptism of Christians. As a consequence, sin should have no influence in our new lives and Satan loses his hold over us.

'Shall we go on sinning?..... By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? For if we are united with Him in a death like His, we will certainly be united in a resurrection like His....we should no longer be slaves to sin because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.' Romans 6:2,5,7

The resurrection provides the certainty of eternal life for all of God's people. It gives Christians an entirely new perspective; no longer of time and space, no longer of the temporal nature of our existence but of everlasting life and eternal values. 

'But now you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.' Romans 6:22-33

This eternity perspective is a very special gift for Christians. We focus not on the temporary but the long lasting and eternal. We see the world less selfishly and more patiently when we no longer have to measure our lives and achievements in time and the immediate circumstances.  

'For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary but what is unseen is eternal.' 2 Cor 4:8,9

The resurrection ushers in an era of hope. Emil Brunner said, “What oxygen is for the lungs, such is hope for the meaning of human life.” This new life we receive is one full of hope for the future; a better tomorrow. In the midst of the uncertainties of the spread and waves of the Covid-19 pandemic we  can still pray and hope that life will be better, Auspicium Melioris Aevi!  This hope is not in our ability nor in our goodness. It is a hope enabled by the optimism that the resurrection of Christ brings. 

 

'Praise be to God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.' 1 Peter 3:3-4

The resurrection indicates that God is with us. Immanuel is one of the names for Jesus. This messianic concept: 'God With Us' was introduced by the Prophet Isaiah, 'Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin shall conceive and give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel.' This prophecy was fulfilled in the birth of Jesus Christ. It became real in the lives of all Christians in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

'Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people and He will dwell with them. They will be His people and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.' Revelation 21:3-4

There is much for us to reflect on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is the cornerstone of all of God's prophecies and promises. It is the reason we celebrate Easter, a celebration of Jesus Christ; Celebrate Jesus, Hallelujah Jesus is Alive

Celebrate Jesus Celebrate

Celebrate Jesus Celebrate

He is risen! He is risen!

And he lives forever more

He is risen! He is risen!

Come on and celebrate

The resurrection of our Lord 

Hallelujah, Jesus is alive

Death has lost it's victory

And the grave has been denied

Jesus lives forever

He's alive! He's alive!

He's the Alpha and Omega

The first and last is He

The curse of sin is broken

And we have perfect liberty

The Lamb of God is risen

He's alive! He's alive

Lionel

Double Rainbow photo taken by John Gifford from Marlborough, UK