THE MESSAGE OF EASTER

Because He lives, you and I can live! Job asked, “If a man die, shall he live again?” Easter answers Job’s question. The resurrection is the core of our faith. The Apostle Paul stated: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9,10). Jesus said: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:14-15).

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is foundational. It is the cornerstone of Christianity. Just as our heart pumps blood to every organ in our body, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the heart of the Gospel that pumps life to every doctrinal truth. It is central! In the New Testament alone, it is referred to 104 times. Peter’s first message at Pentecost that led to a great revival was founded and built around the truth of the resurrection. I Corinthians 15:12-19 reveals that everything stands or falls with Christ’s bodily resurrection. If Christ did not conquer death by rising from the tomb, we would all be false witnesses still dead in our trespasses and sins.

*I Corinthians 15:17- “And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain (worthless); ye are yet in your sins.”
*Acts 4:33- “And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.”
*Matthew 12:40- “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”
*I Corinthians 15:3-4- “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”

Charles Spurgeon- “We gather together on the first rather than the seventh day of the week, because redemption is even a greater work than creation; and more worthy of commemoration, and because the rest which followed creation is far outdone by that which ensues upon the completion of redemption.”

The proclamation of Christ’s resurrection was the very heart and theme of the early church. The fact that He arose was the motivation behind every suffering and sacrificial endeavor for Christ. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the fundamental doctrine of Christianity. The following passages reveal it is clearly an essential part of the Gospel.

1) Anticipated and announced in the Old and New Testament

•Psalm 118:22-24

“The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. This is the LORD’S doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”

•Isaiah 52:13; 53:10-12 (Isaiah spoke of a future day of redemption)
•Jonah 2:1-9 (Jonah is a type of Christ- Matthew 12:39-41)
•Matthew 16:21; 17:23; 20:17-19 (Jesus regularly referred to this before His disciples)
•John 2:22 (The disciples finally remembered after it was a fact)
•Acts 13:33
•Matthew 27:63-64 (The enemies of Jesus remembered)

2) Post-resurrection witnesses

•1st appearance- Mary Magdalene (Mark 16:9-11)
•2nd appearance- Other women (Matthew 28:8-10)
•3rd appearance- Peter (I Corinthians 15:5)
•4th appearance- Two men on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-32)
•5th appearance (Sunday evening)- 10 Apostles in the Upper Room without Thomas (John 20:19-25; Luke 24:36-43)
•6th appearance (The following Sunday)- 11 Apostles and Thomas believes (John 20:26-28)
•7th appearance- 7 disciples by the Sea of Galilee (John 21:1-14)
•8th appearance- 500 at a mountain in Galilee (Matthew 28:16-20; I Corinthians 15:6)
•9th appearance- Half-brother James (I Corinthians 15:7)
•10 appearance- The disciples again in Jerusalem (Acts 1:3-8; Luke 24:44-49)

3) Christ’s Ascension to Heaven

•Acts 1:11
“Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.”

•Mark 16:1-20
•Luke 24:50-53

WHY EARTHQUAKES AND TSUNAMIS?

The recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan causes us to consider a few important questions. Why would a loving, all-powerful God allow such tragedies? Is humanity being punished for sinful behavior? Is this the work of our enemy? Actually, no earthquakes in the Bible are attributed to the devil; however, many are ascribed to God. This is because God is in complete control of the universe. He commands even the winds and water to obey His voice (Luke 8:25). He directs the wind to blow and the waters to flow (Psa.147:15-18). He pierces down at the earth and it shudders. He embraces the mountains and they smoke (Psa. 104:32). He shakes our planet out of its place (Job 9:6). If the demons try to usurp his control, He orders even the unclean spirits to obey Him (Mark 1:27). Earthquakes are ultimately from the Lord. Nature does not dictate its own will. God does everything well with a significant purpose (Isa. 31:2).

The prophet Amos said of God: “Shall there be evil in a city and the Lord hath not done it?” God allowed many catastrophes (famine, drought, plagues, etc.) upon the nation of Israel over an extended period of time to teach several lessons. The purposes behind the Japan devastation, and many others, will remain hidden to us until we are able to fully comprehend them at the end of the age. “The secret things belong unto the LORD our God” (Deut. 29:29). The Apostle Paul said of God: “How unsearchable are His judgments…For who hath known the mind of the Lord” (Rom. 11:33-34)?

On the other hand, there are some possible reasons revealed in the Word of God for this recent disaster. One particular minister gave the following possibilities (JM):

1. God taking thousands of lives is a blaring assertion that “The Lord gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD” (Job 1:21). We must all be reminded that life belongs to God and is on loan from Him (Luke 12:20).

2. The end-time earthquakes in the book of Revelation are meant as calls to repentance to warn people who deny Christ that a day is coming when unbelievers will cry to the mountains and rocks to fall on them and hide them from the wrath of God (Rev. 6:16).

3. The power felt in an earthquake reveals the fearful magnificence of God. This is a great gift since, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge” (Prov. 1:7). Most of society does not fear God and therefore lacks a personal (saving) knowledge of Him.

4. When the earth shakes under one’s feet there is a dramatic sensing that there is no place to flee. In most disasters, the earth is the one thing that stands firm when wind, fire and floods are raging. But where does one turn when the earth itself is unsafe? Answer- God!