Christ has Risen? Happy Easter to all. I hope that you have all had a good week. I thank the Lord for giving me the opportunity to bring this message today.
In this week's previous posts, we've seen that Jesus was betrayed, put on trial, and crucified. While on the cross, Jesus bore our sins in His body according to the Scriptures.
After Jesus' death on the cross, He was taken from the cross and buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. A stone was rolled in front of the tomb, and Roman soldiers were placed in front of the tomb in order to guard against the disciples coming to steal Jesus' body.
On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene, along with some other women, came to the tomb. When they arrived, they saw that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb. By the tomb, the angels declared to the women that Jesus was not there. He was alive and had risen from the dead.
Later, Jesus would appear to these women and to Mary Magdalene. He told them to go and tell His disciples that He had risen from the dead.
What did the women find when they went and told the disciples what they had experienced? They found the disciples in despair and fear. John 20:19 tells us, "On the evening of the first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you!"
The disciples could not understand what Jesus had taught them about the fact that He was going to be crucified and then He would be raised from the dead. They were in fear and they were in despair about what their futures where going to be. And they were not alone. In the book of Luke when Jesus appeared to the two travelers on the road to Emmaus, He found them downcast and in despair as well. They had pinned their hopes on Jesus. The believed that Jesus was dead and gone, and they were in despair.
In both of these instances, the Risen Lord turned despair into hope. Jesus appeared in the flesh to His disciples huddled in the locked room. He said, "Peace be with you." Because Jesus had risen from the dead, there was no need for them to fear. Jesus had conquered the grave and was alive forevermore. All that He had told them and promised them had come to pass.
The same thing happened with the travelers on the Road to Emmaus. When they were breaking bread with one another, they recognized the Risen Christ. Their despair was turned to hope, because Jesus was the Victor over the the grave.
This world was in despair before Jesus came. We were all in sin and darkness. Sin brought death as a consequence because the wages of sin is death. But, Jesus who is the Light of the World came, and His light has overcome the darkness.
When Jesus died on the cross He took our punishment and bore our sins in His body. His death dealt with the problem of sin. When Jesus rose bodily from the grave, His resurrection dealt with the consequences of sin. In Revelation chapter 1, Jesus tells John in verse 18, "I am the Living One, I was dead, and now look, I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and hades."
Because Jesus conquered the power of sin, death and hell, those who are in Christ do not have to fear death. When a person puts his or her faith in Jesus, their sins are forgiven. Those who die in Christ go immediately to be with Jesus in Heaven. When Jesus returns, everyone will receive a glorified body like the glorified body of the Risen Lord. Since Jesus has the keys of death and hades, we do not have to fear death and hell. Jesus is the Victor.
You can have forgiveness of sins and new life in Jesus by coming to Him in repentance and faith. Ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins. Believe in your heart that Jesus has been raised from the dead, and make Jesus the Lord of your life. If you come to Him, He will not cast you aside. Whosoever will may come and know the Risen Lord. Amen.
Prayer Requests
Please keep praying that I will get to feeling better. I am still having some problems. However, I am doing better in some ways as well.
Pray for those in Myanmar, Thailand and in the US Southeast who are recovering from natural disasters. Pray that they will get the help that they need.
Please keep praying for an end to the measles outbreak. Also pray for an end to other disease outbreaks in this world. There is still an mpox outbreak in parts of Africa. I believe that there is a vaccine for mpox, so I hope that people are able to obtain it. I know that there is an effective measles vaccine, and people need to get their children vaccinated.
Keep praying for peace. Ukraine needs peace. Russian aggression needs to come to an end. Also, pray for peace in Sudan, Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and other areas of the world facing conflicts.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of Bhutan and Iraq. Pray that many will come to know Jesus.
Next week, I will post the verses on Tuesday. We will be starting something different next week. On Wednesdays, I will start posting 30 weeks 30 Psalms. Please look for that. I will post the sermon on Friday. May God bless you all.