For many Christians and non-Christians alike, Resurrection Sunday means the Easter bunny, candy, lots and lots of candy, and a day of food, fellowship, and family. It is also the semi-annual obligatory church-attending holiday for most, after which life continues to go on as usual with no change at all regarding their sin and their relationship with the Almighty Savior.
How tragic that we forget so quickly the powerful truth of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. We walk out of church services into an application void, never really appropriating the incredible truth of the power of the Resurrection to our daily lives. We declare, “Our God reigns! He is alive!” Yet, do we actually live it out in our daily actions or do we simply neglect from year to year the message of The Risen Christ?
So by way of review, Yes, Jesus Christ died. He died on the cross as the perfect, holy and eternal sacrifice for all of our sins. But even more importantly, He rose again and is now seated at the right hand of God the Father. You could say that’s the first miracle of Resurrection Sunday. He has defeated death. Jesus Christ now lives and reigns for eternity. He does so in power and great glory. Whether you or I believe that fact or not will never change the reality of His forever rule.
From the grip of death, He has also reclaimed life for all those who believe in Him. This is the second miracle of the Resurrection. We may, by faith enter into eternal life through God’s work on the cross of Jesus Christ. Paul wrote, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:16–17)
Please, consider today the wonder of God’s power and His deep love for you. He knows the difference between the real you and the fake one who comes to church. He actually knows all of what you have done and are going to do, both right and wrong, good and bad. He knows what you are going to do with the message of the Cross of Christ and the Resurrection. He is simply, lovingly, and longingly waiting for your response to His Love. A love poured out in its fullness is God’s plan for salvation of all mankind. John wrote, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:16–17)
God doesn’t need your praise or your service to Him; yet He does desire it. It is not what we do for God that gets us into heaven and gives us a right relationship with God. It is only by faith in Jesus Christ. Paul, desiring to bring clarification to the church about our works and faith wrote, “If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews? We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.” (Galatians 2:14–16) Also, in the letter to the Ephesians he writes, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:8–10)
Our lives are more than what we want them to be. God in His infinite wisdom and plan has a reason and purpose for each of us. So in light of the Resurrection, how and for what are we going to live our lives? Will you, would you, could you, bow your knee and open your heart to the saving power of the Gospel right now and be forever changed?