He Lives!!
- Joe Palmisano
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
Theme: All has changed.
As Pastor Dan spoke this past Easter Sunday, he centered his message on the difference between a moment or event rather than an ongoing movement. The former usually marks a spot with a monument, a permanent marker where followers must go to pay respects or worship a dead king. The latter, represented by The Way and true Christianity, has been a living movement ever since Jesus, the Christ, “stood again” and walked among the witnesses alive once again and forever more.
As we look at all ‘religions’ of this world, they are all marked by doctrines and philosophies written by a dead prophet who laid out a set of behaviors that must be accomplished for his followers to earn the right to get to a heavenly state or place, or by using the same historical Jesus but changing His Gospel to warp the message and add the need for works to the equation.
Why is the resurrection of Jesus so important, and why does it separate the followers of the Risen Christ from other religions?
Paul wrote of the resurrection as the lynchpin of all that holds Christianity together. “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.” (1 Corinthians 15:17-19 NIV). Those who hope in a Risen Savior do not follow a carefully crafted religion but live in a loving relationship with their Lord, Savior, and God, and all we believe and how we live hinges totally on He being alive.
Jesus has risen and is alive, and because of those facts, we can base our lives on His Word, especially those that promise us that we will live forever with and in Him. The historical evidence of Jesus' resurrection is strong. Still, the most significant proof lies in us, whose lives have been changed dramatically from the inside out, not by effort but by surrender to this living King. Add to that this love we have for our brothers and sisters, a love we know could never be generated by us alone, and we and this world have all the proof we need.
“The gifts of the Master are these: freedom, life, hope, new direction, transformation, and intimacy with God. If the cross were the end of the story, we would have no hope. But the cross is not the end. Jesus did not escape from death; he conquered it and opened the way to heaven for all who dare to believe. If we let it sweep over us, the truth of this moment is stunning. It means Jesus is who he claimed to be; we are as lost as he said we are, and he is the only way for us to connect with God again intimately and spiritually.” [Steven James (1969 -).
“And now brothers, I will ask you a terrible question, and God knows I ask it also of myself. Is the truth beyond all truths, beyond the stars, just this: that to live without him is the real death, that to die with him the only life?” [Frederick Buechner (1926 -)
"The stone was rolled away from the door, not to permit Christ to come out, but to enable the disciples to go in." [Peter Marshall (1902-1949)
He Lives!!
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:20 (NIV)
“But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of t
hose who have fallen asleep.”
Prayer:
Lord, I am overwhelmed by the reality that you are alive, not by chance but by purpose and power. It has been so easy to just accept this as head knowledge, but today, Lord, today I am without strength and dropped to my knees by this truth. Because you Live, all is changed, nothing is the same, and our lives have only one purpose. My life is no longer mine, nor is my money, nor all possessions. I am honored and humbled to be part of this new world movement that began at your birth and culminated when you conquered death with me in tow. Praise you, Lord! Amen.
Comments