This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on April 9th 2023 by Colin D Cruz. For the audio & video please click here. To listen to the worship please click here.Why is the Resurrection pivotal?
No other event in history is as important as the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
It’s so important that the celebration of Easter is rooted in the word of God. It’s not about eggs and bunnies.
“Now there was a man named Joseph, from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man, who had not consented to their decision and action; and he was looking for the kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid him in a tomb cut in stone, where no one had ever yet been laid. It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning.” - Luke 23:50-54 ESV
“The women who had come with him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid. Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.” - Luke 23:55-56 ESV
5 emotions associated with Easter :
The first emotion associated with Easter is sorrow. The women went to the tomb to embalm his body. Peter was first a fisherman, he just had to fish every day and it might have seemed like a mundane job until Jesus called him to follow him. He saw so many miracles, that the fisherman’s life was so shaken. He would’ve been shaken. But then Jesus died. He must have gone from being hopeless to being full of hope to being hopeless again. He, like the women, were full of sorrow. On the Emmaus the 2 disciples in Luke 24 “And he said to them, "What things?" And they said to him, "Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened.” - Luke 24:19-21 ESV.
Fright: “While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise." And they remembered his words,” Luke 24:4-8 ESV. The angels met with the women and they were afraid.
Joy: “So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.” Matthew 28:8 ESV. When we come to know that Jesus is not dead anymore but is alive. They were running to tell the disciples about it
Worship: “And behold, Jesus met them and said, "Greetings!" And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshipped him.” Matthew 28:9 ESV. Our lives must be punctuated with worshipping this risen Saviour.
Hope: Death does not end the existence of people. Every human being who has ever lived will live forever. Believers and unbelievers will live forever. The message of the Bible is that we will live forever either in heaven or hell. We will all live with a new body. One day we will have a resurrected, glorified body. 1 Cor 15, the resurrection guarantees that we will be raised with Christ. Resurrection is not just one feature of Christianity. It is the linchpin.
Acts 2: 22-24
“"Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.”
Peter talks about the miraculous life of Jesus, his death and his magnificent resurrection. He gives 1 verse about Jesus’ life, one line about Jesus’ death and 9 verses on his resurrection. Jesus died for our sins but by rising up He won the victory over death forever.
Today where are you in your emotions? Jesus can do the impossible. Whatever situation you may be in, take it to Jesus. You might be in fear. But when he is with you in the boat, do not fear.
Maybe some of us need to worship. Make your whole life a life of worship. There is hope in Jesus- for eternity and for today. Jesus is with us even today. The resurrection of Jesus is the cornerstone. After Jesus rose again, Christians met on Sundays, not on the Sabbath.
Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again), Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English-speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service. Word of Grace is part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.
