Risen!

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Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.

 

From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.  

                                                                                                                                     -  Matthew 16:20-21

 

Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.  But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.  Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.  And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments.  Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?  He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ ”

 

And they remembered His words.  Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.  It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles.  And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them.  But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying by themselves; and he departed, marveling to himself at what had happened.  -  Luke 24:1-12

 

 

Epic, groundbreaking, world-changing. Every word falls short of capturing the magnitude of Easter Sunday. It's the most significant event in world history and in the lives of Jesus followers. Christ is risen from the dead!

 

It was early Sunday morning when the women went to the tomb to tend to Jesus' burial site. As they approached the tomb, they were shaken because they realized the stone had been rolled away, and when they entered the tomb, they couldn't find the body. Two angels approached them and asked, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!" (Luke 24:5-6). Then they remembered Jesus had said, "The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again" (v. 7).

 

The powers of darkness had taken their best shot at Jesus as He hung on the cross. And yet, things unfolded precisely the way Jesus said they would (Matthew 16:21). Death could not hold Jesus in the grave, and on the third day, He stepped out of the tomb. You serve a risen God who is as alive today as He was on that resurrection Sunday. No power of hell and no force of evil can prevail over Him! Rejoice that you belong to Him and that with Him all things are possible!

 

It is because of the physical resurrection of Christ that you can have hope. You can have faith. You can have freedom. Your life is altered because of what you're celebrating today. This is not just a feel-good story. This is the story that rewrites your story.  When Christ rose, He proved that He is Lord. His promises are true. His Word can be trusted. His relationship with you is ever-fixed and abounding in steadfast love. And you can walk freely in mission with him forever.

 

 

 

 

 

The devotional message, “Risen!”, was written by Mrs. Susan Hill, and was taken from her book,

“A Savior Is Risen: An Easter Devotional”, a product of Zondervan Publishers, January 16, 2024,

Page 126.  Used here with permission from the author.