The Lord is Risen!
The Rev. Lou Tiscione, Pastor, Weatherford Presbyterian Church (PCA)
“He has risen; The Lord has risen indeed” (Luke 24:6, 34)!. Many church-goers will hear these words that call God’s people to worship on Easter Sunday. The angel spoke these words to the women that Jesus wasn’t in His tomb. The women heard that Jesus was not among the dead, but the living. As good as these words are that are used to call God’s people to worship, they are more significant. They are life!
Having their eyes opened, Jesus’ disciples said to each other, “The Lord has risen, indeed!” I pray that all in Christ will celebrate the bodily resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ with your church families. The bodily resurrection of Jesus is an historic event and is the cornerstone of the Christian faith. It is the reason for our hope and life. Jesus’ bodily resurrection is our hope of glory!
There were many eyewitnesses of His empty tomb. There were over five hundred witnesses of Jesus after His resurrection. The Bible recorded what happened. By faith alone in Christ alone, those whom God chose have assurance of His love by the foundation of His bodily resurrection.
There is so much importance placed upon the event of Jesus’ resurrection that the Apostle Paul said that if it was not true, the entirety of the Christian faith would be useless, mere hot air.
According to the words of Jesus Himself, if He did not get out of the grave, if His bodily resurrection was not an historical fact, He would be just another liar! C.S. Lewis gave three options. He said Jesus was either a mad man, a liar, or He was who He said He was!
Christians must be clear on this fact, a dead man got out of his grave. The body buried was the body raised up. But there were some reported differences between Jesus’ earthly body and His resurrected body. In His resurrected body, He traveled long distances instantaneously. He was able to pass through locked doors. But He also ate food and was recognized by those to whom He spoke.
The Bible describes the resurrection body as an imperishable one, one that is glorious and perfect, one that is immortal. The Bible says that Jesus is the “first fruits” of those who have died.
The Christian faith affirms that there is a man in heaven! His name is Lord Jesus. He has a physical, yet immortal and glorious body. He is declared to be very God and very Man, the only begotten One of the Father, not made but eternally proceeding from the Father.
The truth of Jesus’ bodily resurrection gets even better. It gets better for all who belong to Him. The Apostle Paul said that Christians do not grieve over death as others do who have no hope because we know that death is the entrance to paradise. When Jesus comes again, and He will, we will receive resurrection bodies like His.
As a Christian minister of the gospel, I would be remiss if I did not tell you the downside, and there is a terrifying downside. The Bible says that all the dead will be raised on the last day, which is when Jesus returns. Those whom God chose have their names written in the “Lamb’s book of life”. By His grace alone they will live in glory with Him forever. Alleluia! But (and this is a big one), those not covered by the perfect righteousness of Christ and His perfect sacrifice for sin will live forever in a terrifying state in the “Lake of Fire” which is Eternal Hell.
I urge you to take this event and the truth it affirms seriously. It is a matter of life and death. Jesus declared that this time between His first and second comings is the “year of the Lord’s favor”, the year of Jubilee (Is. 61:1-2a, Lk. 4:19). This is the time that God has provided for men to receive His salvation through Jesus as He is offered in the gospel. This is the time to be spared the wrath of God.
My prayer for this Easter Sunday is that the Sovereign Spirit of God would give eyes to see and ears to hear the saving truth of Jesus Christ to all who would worship Jesus this Lord’s Day. May the sovereign Lord bless you and your family. May the Spirit of God work in concert with His word wherever it is faithfully preached and change lives for eternity. Have a happy Easter!
