HE IS RISEN
by Pastor Greg Simon
JESUS LIVES! No matter what is going on around us, nothing can change what happened on Resurrection Sunday morning. The sadness of those mourning Jesus was transformed into joy as they witnessed the empty grave. Wonderful joy is ours—now and forever! Rejoice in the life of Jesus, and the new life that His death and resurrection made possible for us. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!
Jesus rose from the dead. Christ’s resurrection means we can have life. He offers a new life. He offers a new beginning. The funeral is over. The funeral has already taken place. The mourning only lasted until Sunday morning. Then victory showed up. We celebrate the resurrection and the life that comes with it.
Nothing can change what happened on Resurrection Sunday. We can live in the peace that Jesus Christ offers us. Even before His resurrection, Jesus proclaimed, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NIV). Jesus overcame satan, sin, and death. Nothing in this world could stop Him. Whatever the world threw, Jesus overcame! As Christ-followers, we should take heart! Not only are we commanded to do so, but in Christ we overcome. We can succeed against difficult circumstances and overcome even in hard times.
HE IS RISEN! We overflow with triumphant joy. Why not celebrate His resurrection with a rite of laughter?
“Christ died and rose and lives.
Laugh like a woman who holds her first baby.
Our enemy death will soon be destroyed.
Laugh like a man who finds he doesn’t have cancer, or he does, but now there’s a cure.
Christ opened wide the door of heaven.
Laugh like children at Disneyland’s gates.
This world is owned by God, and he’ll return to rule.
Laugh like a man who walks away uninjured from a wreck in which his car was totaled.
Laugh as if all the people in the whole world were invited to a picnic and then invite them.”
[“Psalm of Laughter” by Joseph Bayly, Psalms of My Life]
Jesus Christ LOVES His followers. “So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God” (Romans 5:11 NLT). Jesus’ love empowered Him to lay down His life and free us from our sins. His loves welcomes us, invites us. Jesus made us His kingdom. We now belong to King Jesus. We are His people. The blood of Jesus powerfully frees people from racism, lust, greed, pride, anger, and every other enslaving sin. We should live like we belong to the kingdom of God!
We live like Jesus is our Lord because He is our Lord. The Apostle John praised the Lord Jesus Christ, “To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen (Revelation 1:5b-6 NIV).” Live like a royal priest, worshiping God and connecting others to our Lord.