He Lives

April 16th, 2017

I Corinthians 15:12-19, 22; Romans 8:10-11

At the time of Jesus, many Jews believed the soul hovered near the body for three days after death. According to this belief, it was technically possible, until the third day, for a body to revive. In order to make sure there was no chance of Jesus reviving, the religious leaders sealed the mouth of His tomb with a heavy stone. Ironically, this only reinforced the miracle when an angel rolled away the stone that was supposed to be almost impossible to move.

Even so, some in the early church had doubts about the Resurrection. Paul affirmed the Resurrection, reminding Christians that without it, Christianity is an empty, hopeless faith. Christianity’s claim to be the only path to God stands or falls on the Resurrection. If Christ didn’t rise again, our hope is in vain: we will die in our sins, and we will not spend eternity in Heaven.

The good news is that the Resurrection did happen. Just as spiritual death came through Adam, spiritual life comes through Christ. With Adam’s fall, the nature of mankind became sinful. With Jesus’ resurrection, mankind was given access to eternal life. It’s now possible to be alive in Christ and dead to sin.

Just as God’s Spirit raised Jesus from the dead; He will also raise us up in the final resurrection: when you receive the Holy Spirit, you receive the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead!

Pray: Jesus, thank You for paying my debt against You—the debt of my sin, a debt that goes beyond human comprehension. I praise You for caring so much for Your creation that You would fashion a plan for us to be able to spend eternity with You. Fill me with the Holy Spirit like never before; open my eyes to wonderful miracle of the Resurrection.