Easter Devotion
Resurrection: He is Risen, Indeed!
By Laura J. Bagby
Easter Sunday. To many it means the Easter bunny,
a day of food and celebration. For some it is an obligatory church-attending
holiday, after which life goes on as usual.
How sad that we have so quickly forgotten the true meaning of
Easter. Our God reigns! Jesus Christ died, yes. But even more
importantly, He rose again and is now seated at the right hand
of God the Father, as we say in the Lord's Prayer.
Jesus Christ literally defied death. But He did more than just
a Houdini move. We "ooo" and "ahhh" over the narrow escapes by
magicians like David Copperfield and others, but eventually even
those daredevils will face death. Their power is limited.
But Jesus Christ was greater -- He defied death FOREVER. Jesus
Christ lives and reigns for eternity, whether you or I believe
that fact or not.
And He has reclaimed life for all those who believe in Him. This
is the second miracle of Easter. Through God's work on the cross,
we have access to eternal life as well:
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power
of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for
the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness
from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from
first to last, just as it is written: ' The righteous will live
by faith' (Romans 1:16-17).
If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe
in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be
saved. For it with your heart that you believe and are justified,
and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved (Romans
10:9-10).
Whosoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge
him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before
men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven (Matt.
10:32-33).
Please consider today the wonder of God's power and His love
for you. He knows you. He knows what you have done. He knows what
you are going to do. But He is waiting for your response, my friend.
God doesn't need your praise or your service to Him; He
desires 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. Look at these Scriptures:
Know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but
by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in
Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and
not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one
will be justified (Galatians 2:16).
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and
this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works
so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).
The Biblical Accounts of the Resurrection And
Ascension
Read Matthew 28:1-20; Mark 16:1-20; Luke 24:1-53; John 20,
21 for the details about these amazing events in the life
of Christ.
The Garden Tomb
Jesus was buried in the Garden
Tomb as seen in this photo. It was a new tomb provided by the
converted Jew of Arimathea called Joseph (no relation to Joseph
the father of Jesus). See Matthew 27:57, 59 and Luke
1:43, 23:50.
Along the entrance to the tomb is a narrow track on which a thin
round stone resembling a silver dollar was placed. This stone
could be rolled open and closed along this track.
Inside the tomb was a flat slab where Jesus Christ was buried.
Many tombs in the day of Christ had two chambers. The first chamber
had a ledge around it as a seat. The second chamber was a niche
cut into the wall for the body. If extra room was needed for additional
bodies, the bones of the first body were buried in a hole in the
floor of the tomb and the new body was placed in the niche.
The Bible distinctly mentions that Christ's tomb was new. In
other words, no bodies had to be removed and no bones had to be
buried to make way for the Savior.
Related Links:
Browse through CBN.com's Easter Resources
Can God change your life?
God has made it possible for you to know Him and experience an amazing change in your own life.
Discover how you can find peace with God.
You can also send us your prayer requests
Log in or create an account to post a comment.
CBN IS HERE FOR YOU!
Are you seeking answers in life? Are you hurting?
Are you facing a difficult situation?
A caring friend will be there to pray with you in your time of need.
|