One Man's Death - Every Man's Guarantee
We all keep hoping for peace. World War I was "the war to end all
wars." Then we found ourselves in the midst of World War II--again
sending out sons, husbands, and fathers who may not return.
The wars kept coming. Korea. Vietnam. Iraq. Each one pouring out
death and destruction to an extent the world hadn’t witnessed
previously. If only military victory carried a lifetime guarantee of no
more death, no more failure, no more fear. Or better yet, an eternal
guarantee.
But only one man’s death carries that guarantee.
No human effort to build a better world can guarantee lasting peace
in the Persian Gulf, or Somalia, or anywhere else for that matter. The
freedom that costs the blood of our precious young men and women isn’t
permanent. It lasts only until another aggressive power comes along,
unjustly claiming supremacy over others. Then the bloodshed starts all
over again.
Hope for a "new world" must rest in God, not man. Death is man’s
legacy; life is God’s. The Lord Jesus Christ said, "I am the
resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though
he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die" (John
11:25-26).
Good Friday, when we remember the cruel death of Jesus Christ on the
cross, is a day that man made because of sin. But Resurrection Sunday is
God’s Day. He made it. Only the power of God could have raised Jesus
Christ from the dead. Man’s deepest yearnings for life, power, and hope
find fulfillment in the meaning of Easter.
Life
Resurrection speaks of life. Jesus Christ is alive today! Here in the
northern hemisphere, Resurrection Sunday comes in the spring. After a
long, cold winter, nature comes alive. In the spring, one is prompted to
think of resurrection. It’s a new beginning.
Death is our enemy. But life is ours in Jesus Christ. Death
brings fear. The Resurrection gives peace. Thoughts about death often
lead to depression. The reality of the Resurrection leads to hope. Death
speaks of separation, but the Resurrection speaks of a life that is
indestructible, in union forever with the risen Jesus Christ.
The Bible says, "When you were dead in your sins...God made you alive
with Christ. He forgave us all our sins" (Colossians 2:13). We are
alive to God because the risen life of Christ is our life. All of us who
have Jesus Christ in our hearts know that He’s alive. That’s why we
love to sing, "You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my
heart." The Lord affirmed, "I have come that they may have life, and
have it to the full" (John 10:10). That speaks of His life in us!
When Jesus came out of the grave, having finished the work on the
cross, having shed His blood, having taken the punishment for our sins
on His own body, He was able to give us life, because He was alive,
risen from the dead.
Do you have this life? Have you experienced what it is to come alive in Jesus Christ? Have you experienced what the Bible calls a "new birth"?
To be born again means that Jesus Christ actually comes into your
life. Instead of being dead to God, dead to the things of God, not
understanding what God is like, you come alive. You become a new person
who can understand the things of God.
The Resurrection speaks of life; not only the life of Christ, alive
from the tomb, but also an abundant inner life for us, here and now,
daily.
Jesus Christ also opened a way into heaven. We no longer have
to fear death, because we are united with Christ. A Christian has been
resurrected with Jesus Christ. Christ’s victory is our victory both now
and in the future. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus Christ
destroyed him "who holds the power of death-that is, the devil" (Hebrews
2:14).
Power
Resurrection also speaks of power. Before the Lord was raised
from the dead, the apostles were quite a miserable lot. What was wrong?
What was it that they lacked? They lacked power!
Until the Lord Jesus was resurrected, was raised up into heaven and
the Holy Spirit came down on the Day of Pentecost, the apostles were
still afraid and in hiding.
But on the Day of Pentecost, Peter, who had earlier been afraid of
the accusations of a servant girl, stood up in front of several thousand
people and said, very boldly, "Repent and be baptized, every one of
you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And
you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38). What brought
on this boldness?
Peter now was filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit! He had
the risen life of Jesus Christ in him. The power that brought Christ out
of the grave is for us now. God’s power is not something that we work
up ourselves. It comes only from the indwelling Holy Spirit.
If you lack power in your life, power to overcome temptation, power
to witness for Jesus Christ, then you need to allow God’s Spirit to fill
you. You need to acknowledge His life in you and let Him live through
you.
The life of Christ dwells in every one who by faith receives Him.
Your life can be filled with the power of the living Lord Jesus Christ.
"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power,
and love and of self-discipline" (2 Timothy 1:7).
Hope
Hope? Yes, resurrection also speaks of a secure hope. My father’s
body is buried in a little cemetery in Argentina. But my father has been
with Jesus Christ all these 48 years since his physical death. One day
his body is going to be resurrected, just as the body of Jesus was
resurrected.
For those who know the Lord Jesus, that fact is very real. The Lord is coming back!
The Bible says that one of these days, we shall be changed "in a flash,
in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will
sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed" (1
Corinthians 15:52). What a marvelous reality!
When my father died, we sang a hymn at his funeral:
Face to face, O blissful moment.
Face to face, to see and know.
Face to face with my Redeemer,
Jesus Christ who loved me so.
Face to face I shall behold Him,
Far beyond the starry sky.
Face to face in all His glory,
I shall see Him by and by.
This is the hope that the Resurrection gives you. We know we shall
see the Lord Jesus face to face in all His glory. Do you have that hope?
Do you have that assurance? Do you know for sure that you’ll see Him?
If the resurrected Christ does not live in your heart and you die today, what hope would you have?
There is no "reincarnation," no "second chance." But if Christ lives in
you, then there is the secure hope of eternal life with the Lord Jesus,
forever. "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish," He
has said (John 10:28).
A minister’s son, 28 years old, married with two children, had
cancer. Each of the several specialists who examined him said the cancer
would take his life. I was the guest speaker at the minister’s church
on the Sunday that his son died, early that morning. This pastor, who
had suffered so much for two years seeing his son slowly dying, was at
perfect peace. He described the last few hours he spent with him. His
son had said, "Dad, tonight I’m going to be with Jesus."
"Aren’t you lucky to get there before me, David," his father said.
"To think that tonight you will actually see Moses in person, and Peter,
Paul, and John the Baptist!"
Then his father said, "But son, best of all, you’re going to see the
Lord Jesus. And when you see Him, David, will you tell him that your
father loves Him very much?"
The reason this man had such tremendous peace when I spoke with him a
few hours after his son’s death was because his son was with the Lord
Jesus. That’s what knowing Jesus Christ will do for you.
If the Lord Jesus returned today, would He welcome you into His presence? Have you opened your life to Jesus Christ?
You can receive the Lord Jesus by a simple prayer of faith. Believe
in Him, invite Him into your heart, and become a child of God. Make sure
that you will be part of that resurrection day when the Lord Jesus
comes back for His own.
Make this prayer your own, quietly now, as you finish this article:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank You that because of Easter, You’ve made it
possible for me to have a new beginning. Thank You for Your death on
the cross, paying the penalty for my sins. Thank You for Your
resurrection three days later. You’re alive and now You offer me new
life, power and hope here and now and for all eternity. Please forgive
my sins and make me part of Your family. I gladly receive You and put my
trust in You. Amen.
