Today we celebrate the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the final, victorious part of what is known as the Gospel.
“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
I Corinthians 15:1-4
1) Christ died for our sins. 2) He was buried. 3) He rose again.
Paul said in Romans 10:9, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
Our salvation and forgiveness depends on our belief in our heart for what Christ has done for us and our asking for, “calling upon” Him, for the gift of eternal life and “confessing” this belief. Romans 10:13, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
This is a day of great rejoicing. “Church buildings may be empty on Easter, but so is the grave.” “Easter cannot be canceled. Two thousand years ago, all the forces of evil tried that. They failed.” These are dark times as were the days when our Savior was crucified, but the grave could not hold Him. For the Christian the best is yet to come. Jesus said, “Because I live ye shall live also”. I wish we were together today singing our favorite hymns of praise about the resurrection.
God sent His Son They called Him Jesus
He came to love, heal and forgive
He lived and died to buy my pardon
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives
Because He lives I can face tomorrow
Because He lives all fear is gone
Because I know He holds the future
And life is worth the living just because He lives
And then one day I’ll cross that river
I’ll fight life’s final war with pain
And then as death gives way to vict’ry
I’ll see the lights of glory and I’ll know he lives
“Because He Lives” by Bill Gaither
Christians are also called “Believers”. Non-Christians are called “Unbelievers”.
Acts 16:31, “…Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, …”
1 Peter 2:7, “Unto you therefore which believe he is precious:” Enjoy the day!