Jesus is risen!
Consider Jesus death and resurrection in light of your life.
The Bible tells us this:
“Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.”
1 Peter 3:15 NLT
If you are a believer, you need to have an answer for why you believe in Jesus.
Jesus is risen! So what? What does this all mean for you, not just in your head, but in your heart too?
On the cross He said it is finished, and He meant it! What’s more, Jesus said:
I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.
John 11:25 NLT
This is all good news!
What does that mean for you though? What is this good news? What is finished?
The good news is this:
We were lost in sin; we had turned away from God. We did not treat Him with the respect and honour He is due. He did not force Himself on us or force us to follow Him. He could not bear sin and yet He loved us so much that He sent Jesus. And through Jesus we can have a restored relationship with God, and have eternal life.
But what is sin?
Something God cannot bear. Active choices not to follow God. Omissions. The act of turning away from God. In the words of Jesus, loving darkness more than God’s light. We know Jesus is the light of the world. So loving something more than Him is sin.
So what? Can’t you live the way you want?
You can, but it won’t end well for you.
“That is why I said that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I Am who I claim to be, you will die in your sins.”
John 8:24 NLT
The result of sin is judgement and Death.
God does not force Himself on you, but offers you a choice to have relationship with Him. You can’t maintain a healthy relationship if only one side puts in the effort. Less so if one side is actively doing things to turn away from the other. He asks us to believe that He is who He says He is.
Judgement comes from God the judge. He created the laws of nature and in fact everything in existence. He has the right to be judge over His creation. He put laws and boundaries in place for His people as any good Father would. A good father seeks the best for His children. The best for us is to be in relationship with Him, enjoying His presence forever.
Sin always resulted in death. Through disobedience to Gods commands in the garden of Eden, all mankind fell slave to sin. A choice to turn away from God was a choice to turn from life to death.
Under the old covenant God made with His people, an atoning sacrifice was required. Bloodshed (animal sacrifice) was the way to be made right with God.
Jesus changed this by being that atoning sacrifice for all sins, past, present, and future. Under the new covenant, we acknowledge Jesus is Lord, confess our sins, and believe in Him and the sacrifice He made for us. We approach God in faith and repentance
Where we were once bound for death, God sent us Jesus.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 6:23 NLT
Jesus Himself expounded this:
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”
John 3:16-21 NLT
Jesus is a free gift to us. We don’t need to buy sacrifices. We just need to accept God’s perfect gift. Repent and turn from sin to Jesus.
So what? What if I sin again?
Repent again! Turn back to Jesus. He paid the price for us once and for all, to save us from the consequence of our sinful ways.
“My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.”
1 John 2:1-2 NLT
Though we deserved judgement, the Father sent Jesus as the perfect atoning sacrifice. God sent Jesus to save us – this is His heart, that He wants to save you from the judgement you were due.
Our sin is great, but His love is greater.
So what? What if I’ve tried to be a good person? Do I need Jesus to be the biggest part of my life?
Actually, yes. Regardless of who you have been. We are all sinners. We have all sinned against God. But we have good news in that Jesus paid our debt. Our wages of sin – death – are cancelled by His loving sacrifice.
“We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.”
Romans 3:22-26 NLT
Even better news, He was raised to life! He conquered death. He holds the keys of death and the grave, which means he can lock it away.
“When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.”
Revelation 1:17-18 NLT
Even better, He sent the Holy Spirit. God is with us 24/7 when we accept Him, turn from our sins and turn to Him in faith.
“God raised Jesus from the dead, and we are all witnesses of this. Now he is exalted to the place of highest honour in heaven, at God’s right hand. And the Father, as he had promised, gave him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us, just as you see and hear today.”
Acts of the Apostles 2:32-33 NLT
He is with us all the time here, and then we are promised eternal life with God after we die. Eternity in perfect relationship, despite the sin we have committed if we just repent and believe in Jesus.
There is all this evidence. Evidence of God’s character. Evidence of good news. Promise of relationship with God and eternal life.
So what? So, you need to figure out where you stand and make a decision.
Who is He to you? Does the evidence ring true for you today? Do you know Him as your Saviour? Even if you do, so what? How does this shape who you are, and your outlook on life?
How will you respond to the good news today?