This Easter many will go through the robotic motions of celebrating Easter without any possession of the REALITY of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. They will gather with loved ones, family and friends to color Easter eggs; have Easter egg hunts; eat baked ham, candy and fine desserts; maybe watch a sporting event and perhaps even attend church for the first time since Christmas. This tragically happens every year in a never-ending cycle of tradition and hypocrisy. Oh my friend, what is truly needed this Easter is a dose of the heavenly reality of Christ’s triumphant resurrection from the dead (John 4:24)!
The resurrection of Christ from the dead is the centerpiece of all time and ETERNITY. All depended on His resurrection and utter defeat of the tyranny of Death.
Oh, what joy to the trusting heart when the King of Fears (Death) is defeated (Col. 2:12-15; Rev. 20:14)! My dear friend, the Easter Bunny in all his "magical splendor" could never accomplish that! REALITY is so desperately needed in this hour not fairy tales and vain traditions that CANNOT deliver a man or woman's soul in that Day of ETERNAL judgment (Rev. 20:11-15, 22:15).
"O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 15:55-57)
"Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?" (John 11:25-26)
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Peter 1:3)
"Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:8-11)
"Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification" (Romans 4:25)
Jesus said: "Fear not; I am the first and last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death" (Rev. 1:17-18)
As you sit around the dinner table with loved ones and friends this Easter, may you examine your hearts and minds to be sure that you are truly trusting in the saving grace of Almighty God and His Precious Son (Acts 16:29-31, Rom. 10:2-4, Eph. 2:8-9, 1 John 5:10-13). Examine what is taught in the Holy Scriptures for yourself and see (Eph. 2:8-9; 1 Peter 1:18-23). May you truly be able to say with all of your heart, "I KNOW Him and the POWER of His Resurrection" (Philip. 3:10a)!
The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!
DJP I.F.
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The Gospel of John Challenge
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2 comments:
Twice in my life I have come upon one who appearred to be our Lord. Each time I have not approached to ask. First time I ran away thinking "long haired hippy freaks", it was the 70's and I was a teen. The next time I was about 40 and praying while in traffic which was crawling. I asked our Lord to show himself and suddenly I saw a wave of cloth from behind the van which was 3-4 vehicles in front of my car and then he was there walking down the side of the road. I said thank you. I kept driving and he kept walking. I wanted to stop and ask who are you, but I didn't. Then again it could have been the long haired guy from the arcade, yet he was dressed in both a long robe and a winter coat. This waa about 1999. I am not taken to having hallucinations, though these experiences make me wonder. My response each time was there had to be a logical (of this world explanation) for what I was seeing. Yet between God & me, I have promised to stop and ask next time, if there is one, "Who are you?"
I would give my name, yet it tooks years before I told a couple of friends these stories and while I think they believed, I know they warned me to be careful who I told or I would be labelled a nut. As I say, what I saw appearred to be the Lord, yet what other explanations can there be?
Me again, soon after seeing my Lord the 2nd time, a young minister in training asked the congregation "How would you respond if Jesus walked in through the door right now?" She stopped dramatically and asked "Would you believe and welcome him in?" That's the most of the sermon I remember. It stayed with me because I figured I was probably the only one there who had experienced such a situation. Yet what is my answer? I know what I saw and I know what I believe and yet I know what everyone else (the world) would most likely say about it. They would not believe, after all why me and not them or why me and not more then just me. I can't answer that. I've prayed to be humble most of my life and yet sometimes I I say "Lord,please make me humble. Let me have humility, but not humiliation." I can't answer "Why me?" I know not why. Odd things happen to me, sometimes I know things, I shouldn't know before they happen. Such is my lot. I don't know whence such knowledge comes to me from and yet I do know one thing which I think is of importance and that is "The eternal is much more then anyone can understand." Happy Easter! He has Risen! (We go from the cross of the crucification to the cross of the resurrection. He suffers there no more because he walks among us.)
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