It is party time! Resurrection Sunday is this month. You might know it as Easter, but to me it’s Resurrection Celebration Sunday. I really enjoy celebrating Jesus rising from the dead, I especially like the fact that the church world stops and sets a reminder of the importance of this wonderful demonstration of God’s tremendous love and grace.
Colossians 1:18 tells us that Jesus is “the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead.” Do you see it? Jesus is the “Firstborn” from the dead. It didn’t say, “only one” or “last one” it said, “firstborn.” Jesus is the first human being to experience “resurrected life.”He was changed by a miracle of God from death to life. Without His resurrection Christians should be the most miserable of all people because they would have “no hope” ; no hope for the future, no hope in the promise of His words, no hope for living. Look at these words from 1 Cor.15:12-19
But tell me this! Since you believe what we preach, that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying that dead people will never come back to life again? 13 For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ must still be dead. 14 And if He is still dead, then all our preaching is useless and your trust in God is empty, worthless, hopeless; 15 and we apostles are all liars because we have said that God raised Christ from the grave, and of course that isn’t true if the dead do not come back to life again. 16 If they don’t, then Christ is still dead, 17 and you are very foolish to keep on trusting God to save you, and you are still under condemnation for your sins; 18 in that case, all Christians who have died are lost! 19 And if being a Christian is of value to us only now in this life, we are the most miserable of creatures. (TLB).
The resurrection of Jesus declares that death and the grave have no more power over us. Sin’s control and demand upon our lives has been dealt with. His resurrection guarantees every promise of God’s Word. His life declares we have peace with God, (Rom.5:1). This is why I get so excited about Resurrection Sunday.
Look at these words from Romans chapter 6, “For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him.
10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom 6:5-11 NKJV) These are wonderful words of life and promise. Jesus is the FIRSTBORN! And that’s powerful good news, because if there is a first born there can be a second born, a third born, fourth born, and on and on, and each and every person who accepted His Lordship is also numbered there.
Ephesians 2:4-6 states, “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,” and Colossians 2:13 says, “God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins.”
Now isn’t that is worth celebrating! We are alive with Christ. The very life of God dwells within every believer. He is alive and so are we. Bring on the celebration. Jesus Christ is alive, forevermore, and because He lives so do we. Lets’ give Him all the praise, glory and honor. Let the party begin. Thank You Jesus.
God bless,
Pastor Kit
