Resurrection Hope

It is absolutely amazing to me how as I grow older and slow way down—the calendar and the clock seem to speed ahead so fast that it places unreasonable necessity on our decision making process. When I was twenty-five, it seemed that there was an entire life-time available to use in making important decisions about life, work and my family. Now I have only a few hours to prepare for the end of life, find someone that will do a little work for me, and allow me a little time to enjoy two aging daughters, five grand children and two great-grand sons.

The winter came and went so soon; the wild madness of basketball and track blew by during the windy month of March and now baseball is in season and already the preparation for another foot-ball season is under way. It seems we are watching the final four in the play-offs about every three months. It is the same for those who use the Easter season to remember and celebrate the resurrection of our Lord; it is so, especially for those of us who attempt to teach others about this blessed event. It has happened over fifty times since I started teaching the bible. Try to imagine how difficult it is to find fifty different ways to present the one and only truth about the resurrection. It is impossible since it happened only one time in all history; and it happened only in one way and the greatest story on earth is simply that our Lord and Savior is not dead in a grave somewhere here on earth, BUT HE IS ALIVE AND ABIDES IN HEAVEN WAITING THERE TO WELCOME US TO OUR ETERNAL HOME.

The history of the birth of Christ is only recorded in the gospels and then it is repeated or explained in a few other places in the New Testament. It does not take long to read all that has been inspirationally written about the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Dr. Luke was the best qualified to record this history and his account is probably used more than any other writer by those that enjoy renewing their mind and heart about this most important event in the lives of Christian people. Why do I say it was the most important event in the Christian story? Please allow me to explain my thinking regarding this matter.

I believe that Christ is the Son of God; was, is and will always be. He was there when the world and all other things were created—including you and me. That is most important. I believe that man sinned and needed a savior and that Christ gave up his place in Glory and came to earth as deity, and became man through the virgin birth to “seek and save lost people.” That was most important.

For the most of my Christian life I never dreamed that the time would ever come when it would be absolutely necessary for me to emphasize the fact that Christ was born to Mary, his mother, WHO HAD NEVER KNOWN A MAN—that is she was a virgin and had never had intercourse. She conceived our Lord with the help of the Holy Spirit who is man’s helper here on earth. He became man through his mother [a person; a human being] and he remained deity through the work of the Holy Spirit who is the third person in the God Head. And the bible plainly teaches, without any doubt, that the God Head is THREE PERSONS IN ONE…GOD THE FATHER, GOD THE SON, AND GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT. Any teaching that denies this fact is a lie from the devil himself, delivered to readers by a man demon-possessed. The bible warns us not to believe any one that will “add to or take away one jot or tidal from God’s word

He lived for about thirty-three years, was rejected by his own people and murdered on the cross, on Golgotha’s Hill. He suffered as no other man ever has, and died to pay for the sins of all who will believe in Him. That is most important. He was buried in a borrowed grave, and arose on the third day, and later ascended back into heaven to establish a way, a road, a way for man to follow, marking or establishing the way for us to be united with the God-head in heaven after our death on earth.

Prior to his resurrection, there was no way, there was no road for us to travel to our final destination—HEAVEN. That is most important. Without the resurrection morning, and the empty grave, his birth, life and death would have been meaningless to man kind. He arose! He is our risen Lord. He is alive in Heaven now and intercedes for each one of us each moment of the day and night. NO OTHER PERSON WHO CLAIMED TO BE A GOD, OR WHO IS WORSHIPPED AS A GOD CAN MAKE THIS CLAIM. NONE!

The doubter may say it is impossible—maybe it is impossible for man—but CHRIST AROSE. How, and why? BECAUSE HE IS THE ONE AND ONIY TRUE GOD OF THIS UNIVESE. “It was very early in the morning and it was on the first day of the week that the women went to his tomb” to complete the customary preparation of His body for entombment. [The press for time at the end of his death had denied a proper procedure to be completed—and they were there to complete the preparation.] Maybe it could be compared to our placing flowers on a grave today—or marking the grave with a head stone.

Three women were named and possibly there were others who arrived and went into the tomb, a small room of solid rock with only the one outside door and they attested to the world that Christ was not there. He had arisen. The women were astounded and worried; and were shedding tears when at least two men approached them and assured them that he had risen. John’s gospel tells us that they were angles, but we know that angles often appear to us as people. My wife was recently in critical care for eighteen days, she knew nothing then, and now remembers nothing that happened while dozens of God’s angles looked in on her and ministered to her. Without the hand of God she would never have walked away from the hospital. Those angles [men] and the women attest that Christ was no longer in that tomb.

Abe Lincoln was president. He was shot to death. He was no longer present in government functions because he was placed in a tomb. Do you believe that? You were not there. You did not see it happen. You read about it either in old reports or in a history book both of which were written and attested to by men only, and their word was not inspired by god; that is, God did not tell them what to write. And you believe them—so why will anyone disbelieve the report of these women, these angles, and several thousand who saw him, touched him, and even ate with him afterwards. Luke and the other apostles were among the witnesses.

It may seem redundant to you but I must reemphasize the fact that as a young man growing up in Raft Creek Bottoms in Arkansas, I never [never] had the thought that any true blooded American would doubt God’s word—because His word is Truth. It literally breaks my heart when I find that some people who have grown up in this “God blessed America” will refuse to believe God’s word to his people—The Holy Bible is God’s truth revealed to man.

Jesus Christ rose from the dead in fulfillment of the Hebrew Scriptures, He mad personal appearances to his followers after his resurrection, and promised to send his Holy Spirit back to them as their counselor and then ascended to the Father in Heaven. My dear friends, the gospel stands or falls on the reality that Christ arose from the dead according to the Scriptures. This statement simply means that if Christ is still in the tomb—we cannot believe anything else recorded in the bible. The truth is that a great number of qualified witnesses told the resurrection story with mixed initial reactions.

One specific example is recorded. In the interpreting of Scripture and the breaking of bread, Jesus revealed himself as the resurrected one to two disciples who were walking to Emmaus. One other example is recorded saying that the resurrected Jesus revealed himself as on with the physical ability to eat and as the one whose life, death, and resurrection fulfilled scripture. Finally, Jesus revealed himself as he ascended to heaven and the members of the early church worshipped and obeyed him.

· Jesus Christ is the risen Lord of the church.
· Resurrection faith differentiates followers of Jesus from all others.
· The life, death, resurrection and mission of Jesus Christ come directly from the expectations and teachings of the Hebrew Scriptures.
· Resurrection faith developed only after doubting disciples experienced the risen Lord, heard witnesses of the risen Christ, and were led by God to personally recognize the risen Christ.
· The church [all saved people compose the church] worship the risen Lord with joy and praise.
· It is difficult for me to understand how rabbits and died eggs have anything to do with the resurrection of Jesus.
· I can visualize a vase of blooming flowers [a dozen red roses] as symbols of the resurrection, because in the winter they are dead, and in the spring they are resurrected to new life and bloom beautifully.