1 Corinthians 15:55-57 (NIV) "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
You may be wondering what’s so special that many, every year, talk on & on about the Resurrection of Christ….as I’ve pondered this again the last few weeks leading up to our yearly Resurrection Sunday Celebration, I’ve come to be inspired and encouraged once again by the hope I have in this blessed event.
Everything we as Christians hold dear and place our faith in is hinged in this one pivotal event in history. 1 Corinthians 15:13-14 (NIV) says “If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” And there you have it in a nutshell, if this is all a lie then our faith is in vain and all for nothing…. The Apostle Paul then goes on to say in verse 15…”More than that we are found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that He raised Christ from the dead. But He did not raise Him if in fact the dead are not raised.” Worse yet, as is stated in the text, if there is no resurrection, this would mean that Christians are a people without hope… because verse 17 says.... “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins....”
Well, there are quite a few things, or should I say, certainties that I have hung my faith and hope in the Resurrection on and I am most grateful that you will allow me to take time to quickly highlight just a few…The very fact that 11 terrified Disciples went from cowering in hiding at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion, to boldly proclaiming His return from the dead (along with the truth of the gospel) to the point of martyrdom in most cases, has greatly convinced and inspired hope within me….how does one go from that type of terror; to being filled with such certainty that they are then moved to the point of being willing to die for what they believe; if they did not, in fact, experience something of which they were life-alteringly sure?
Another example is found in the life of the writer of the above mentioned text taken from 1 Corinthians…The Apostle Paul, who began his journey in life as Saul, the greatest and most zealous pursuer and persecutor of the early church. Upon having his own personal encounter with the resurrected Christ on the road to Damascus, is now known by many as " The Apostle to the Gentiles" and in like fashion to many of the other disciples (except John), was also martyred for his faith in Christ….how again, does one go from persecuting a movement to then becoming one of it’s greatest advancers if something significant did not take place in the life of that individual that radically changed the course and direction of not only their life’s purpose but also their heart?
To give an example from my own life, on the night my mother passed away, I was led to 2 portions of Scripture….not by anything I heard audibly but rather by just a “knowing” in my heart to meditate on those scriptures…one of those is found in the book of 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 which says…. “Brothers we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, (die) or to grieve like the rest of men who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him. According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. And will be with the Lord forever. Therefore, encourage each other with these words.” Little did I know at the time this scripture reference was "given" to me, that I would have to re-visit these words again when my dad died 4 months...almost to the day later…. Believe me when I say….”they most assuredly have encouraged me, and I read them often."
Lastly, and for me the most important, is the example of Christ Himself ….many have said and still say that Jesus was a good man, a prophet and wise teacher but they readily doubt or flat out do not accept His Divinity…can I just tell you that if Jesus was not THE Son of God as He said He was, then He was neither a good man, prophet or wise teacher but rather a liar, false prophet and lunatic….He claimed with His own mouth to be the living, breathing Son of the One, True God and spoke of Himself when He raised Lazarus from the dead by saying…”I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26 (NIV)
So there you have them, just a few of the reasons and examples of why I have absolutely and completely placed my faith in the hope of the resurrection. Intertwined along with those examples is an offering of explanation as to why Christians all around the world will be celebrating Sunday once again; and why we do our best, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to live this life as followers and imitators of Christ Jesus.....but ultimately, it’s Jesus’ own words that matter the most and beg the greatest response from us……..”Do you believe this?”
Remember to drop on over to http://holleygerth.com/ to give your heart a bit more lift! Also, remember to join me again on Monday, April 28th at 10 AM EST on Life On The Grow Blog Talk Radio when I'll return to begin my regularly scheduled broadcast! Have a safe and blessed Easter!
