6^th April

“…..“Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what He told you back in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that He would rise again on the third day.”

Luke 24:5b-7

Can you imagine what the woman must have felt when they went to the tomb and instead of seeing a stone covering the place where Jesus was buried, they found the stone rolled back and two angels telling them Jesus wasn’t there; He was no longer dead but alive, just as He had said. Of course as the Luke tells us, the women were full of fear but also full of excitement and anticipation, as shown by the decision to rush back and tell the other disciples this great news.

Sometimes we too can get caught up searching for Jesus among the dead. We search for Him through religious works, we search for Him through pilgrimages, and even through segregating ourselves in solitude. Yet as this story shows us that Jesus is longer dead but is right here with us. He is all around us. He is not dead but is alive. We don’t need to do anything special or go anywhere far to find Him. He is all around us, in every moment and available to our hungry cries.

Jesus was and is who He said He was. He rose again like He promised, left the Spirit here like He promised and will never leave us or forsake us, like He promised. He is Emmanuel, God with us! He is no longer dead but ALIVE!

5^th April

“He was buried, and He was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the scripture said. He was seen by Peter and then by the twelve. After that, He was seen by more than 500 of His followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then He was seen by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw Him.”

1 Corinthians 15:4-8

Why do so many people doubt Jesus’ resurrection? This is one of the most clearest scriptures in the whole of the Bible regarding Jesus’ appearances after His resurrection, which clearly states that Jesus is alive and was seen by many. How can we deny these facts? This living proof, a letter written by a real person, in a real context, in a real world, by a real eye witness, points clearly to the fact that Jesus did indeed rise again. This is historical ‘primary’ evidence; First hand accounts of people who had seen Jesus after His resurrection. The grave was broken, the result of sin nullified and death rendered ‘defeated‘. We are included in the full finished work of the cross.

The hope of our salvation is that Jesus DID rise from the dead and now lives in complete victory over sin and the enemy. In addition, we also live in Christ’s resurrection power and His victory. We are forgiven because of Jesus’ resurrection. We are made alive because Jesus is alive! Rejoice, He is ALIVE!

“But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead…..!”

(verse 20a)

4^th April

“..He humbled Himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated Him to the place of highest honour and gave Him the Name above all names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Philippians 2:8-11

Because Jesus completed every work He set out to do, when He rose again on the 3^rd day, we too can now live in His resurrection power and exercise the authority given to us in His name. Because He broke the seal on the tomb, walked out as a resurrected human, we too, in His name can break the power of death and sin. We are bearers of the mighty power of Jesus’ Name. As Paul tells us, in the name of Jesus, every knee, every authority and every power, must bow. This means that when we face spiritual opposition, when we want to see breakthrough, when we want to see healing, for His glory and in Jesus’ name, we can declare Jesus’ victory over all.

3^rd April

“And if Christ has not been raised then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless….and if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins……BUT in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead!”

1 Corinthians 15:14, 17, 20a

The question of today’s devotional title may seem quite odd. We know Jesus did rise from the dead so why even ask ‘what if’ questions? Yet by asking the ‘what if’ questions, we further cement our belief at just how important the resurrection was.

If Jesus didn’t rise again, as Paul writes, then are faith is completely useless. We will just have put our hope in another random religious teacher, who died and that was the end of their religion. By believing in His resurrection, we put our hope and faith, not in a dead god but in a risen King. His resurrection proved that He was who He said He was. Not just another religious fanatic. Moreover, His resurrection proved that sin and death had and have no power over Him. He showed that He conquered sin and death and it is for this reason we are forgiven, and know that even in our death, we can live on eternally with Him.

If Jesus did not rise again and all the above was not true, what would be the point of our lives? Where would our hope come from? Yet it is true. Jesus did rise from the dead and that is our glorious hope and that is why we can trust Him with our own death and sins. He is the resurrected King. But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead!

2^nd April

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”

John 3:16

In most countries across the world, Easter, the event to remember Jesus’ resurrection from the dead and His victory over sin, was celebrated yesterday. There are many perhaps, who just enjoyed the day off from work, some enjoyed receiving chocolates or even families gathering together. Yet Easter always leaves us with one big question… Why did Jesus die? Many would answer this question with the statement that ‘Jesus died to forgive our sins’, and if so, would correctly answer this question. Jesus did die to forgive our sins. However, Jesus’ death on the cross represented more than just a spiritual exchange of our sins and His purity and forgiveness. Jesus died on the cross, as said by Jesus Himself in John’s gospel narrative, because ‘God loved the world’.

If we look at the cross merely as a symbol of our forgiveness, we can sometimes just get caught up in a cycle of ME, feeling guilty because of our sin, repenting, sinning, repenting and so on, repeating the cycle until we go up to glory. However, if we look at the cross as a symbol of love, knowing that whatever we do, we are still radically and unconditionally loved by the God who created this world, who saw it fit to allow His own Son to die in our place, it changes everything. We begin to stop focusing on our own sinful nature and start focusing on God’s love. The more we open our hearts to receive it, the more we naturally become bearers and sharers of it. God’s love for us is foundational to our faith. Knowing we are loved so much changes our perception of the kind of God we serve and our own self image. As we celebrate His resurrection, celebrate too, how much you are loved by the King of all ages.