Children of Easter Sunday Morning | Ephesians 1
Welcome to Real Life. Death, where is your sting?
“I’m ready,” I told my son on the phone the other day. God has blessed me with a wonderful life. I don’t want to die. I have much to live for! But if I die, I’m content.
I am a child of God. He knows me. He loves me. He protects me. I rest securely in his hands. My Heavenly Father has already determined the day of my death. If I die from Coronavirus, then God allowed it and nothing could keep me alive. And if God wills that I live, no virus can kill me. Even if I die, Coronavirus can only kill this aging body. The real Peggi, my soul and spirit, will live. This is the miracle of Easter!
Jesus Christ understands our anxiety about death. In anticipation of the cross, he sweat great drops of blood. “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he told his disciples in the garden. And then, he prayed, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” The Father loved the Son. But without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin.[1] On Good Friday, our dear, beautiful Savior suffered, bled, and died to save us.
But if Jesus Christ died, and nothing more, our faith is in vain. We are not saved by his death alone; we are also saved by his resurrection.[2] On the third day, Jesus Christ arose! He appeared to Mary Magdalene, then to his disciples, and then to over five hundred people.[3] Jesus broke the curse of sin and the grave. Death lost. Hallelujah!
The Coronavirus is one more reminder. Life is fragile and fleeting. Like the spring tulips, we bloom in vibrant glory today and wilt tomorrow. And though outwardly we age, fade, and weaken, inwardly Christ’s resurrection power renews us day-by-day.[4] We are children of God, children of life, children of Easter Sunday morning! Hallelujah!
Death has no claim on us. The last time we close our eyes on earth, we’ll open them to the beautiful face of our Savior. We will pass from life to life. “I know that my redeemer lives,” I declare with Job, “And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God with my own eyes.”[5] What glorious hope!
His resurrection power isn't reserved solely for the day we die. No, it’s available now. Power to overcome fear and worry. Power to love. Power to forgive. Power to hope. Power to live victoriously!
May God protect and save us from Coronavirus. But regardless, nothing tomorrow holds can defeat us. We're children of Easter Sunday morning!
Take it further…
Lord Jesus, thank you for loving me. Thank you for inviting me to have a personal relationship with you. I believe that you are God, and that you came into the world personally, to pay my penalty and to die on the cross, carrying my sins. I confess that I am lost without you. Would you forgive my sin, and make me new from the inside out? Help me seek to know and follow you. Right now I am turning from a life of my own ways, and I am putting all of my trust in you. I trust you to erase my sin from your book, to start my relationship with you, to make my life here count, and to bring me to heaven one day. Lord, from today on, I am yours.[6]
[1] Hebrews 9:22
[2] 1 Peter 3:21
[3] 1 Corinthians 15:6
[4] 2 Corinthians 4:16-17
[5] Job 19:25-29
[6] Prayer is taken from Pastor Jonathan Schaeffer’s Sermon Notes 11/17/19, Grace CMA Church
IMAGE: Empty Tomb by http://www.freebibleimages.org/photos/jesus-alive/
“Some day you will read in the papers, ‘D. L. Moody of East Northfield is dead.’ Don't you believe a word of it! At that moment I shall be more alive than I am now; I shall have gone up higher, that is all, out of this old clay tenement into a house that is immortal.”Will I die of Coronavirus? Perhaps like me, you’ve asked yourself this question. Daily, the death toll rises from this insidious disease. We stay home. We wash our hands. We work from home. We worship at home. What if it’s not enough?
–D.L. Moody (1837–99)
“I’m ready,” I told my son on the phone the other day. God has blessed me with a wonderful life. I don’t want to die. I have much to live for! But if I die, I’m content.
I am a child of God. He knows me. He loves me. He protects me. I rest securely in his hands. My Heavenly Father has already determined the day of my death. If I die from Coronavirus, then God allowed it and nothing could keep me alive. And if God wills that I live, no virus can kill me. Even if I die, Coronavirus can only kill this aging body. The real Peggi, my soul and spirit, will live. This is the miracle of Easter!
Jesus Christ understands our anxiety about death. In anticipation of the cross, he sweat great drops of blood. “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he told his disciples in the garden. And then, he prayed, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” The Father loved the Son. But without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin.[1] On Good Friday, our dear, beautiful Savior suffered, bled, and died to save us.
But if Jesus Christ died, and nothing more, our faith is in vain. We are not saved by his death alone; we are also saved by his resurrection.[2] On the third day, Jesus Christ arose! He appeared to Mary Magdalene, then to his disciples, and then to over five hundred people.[3] Jesus broke the curse of sin and the grave. Death lost. Hallelujah!
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| The Empty Tomb, Jesus is Alive! |
The Coronavirus is one more reminder. Life is fragile and fleeting. Like the spring tulips, we bloom in vibrant glory today and wilt tomorrow. And though outwardly we age, fade, and weaken, inwardly Christ’s resurrection power renews us day-by-day.[4] We are children of God, children of life, children of Easter Sunday morning! Hallelujah!
Death has no claim on us. The last time we close our eyes on earth, we’ll open them to the beautiful face of our Savior. We will pass from life to life. “I know that my redeemer lives,” I declare with Job, “And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God with my own eyes.”[5] What glorious hope!
His resurrection power isn't reserved solely for the day we die. No, it’s available now. Power to overcome fear and worry. Power to love. Power to forgive. Power to hope. Power to live victoriously!
May God protect and save us from Coronavirus. But regardless, nothing tomorrow holds can defeat us. We're children of Easter Sunday morning!
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened
in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you,
the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,
and his incomparably great power for us who believe.
That power is the same as the mighty strength
he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead
and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,
far above all rule and authority, power and dominion,
and every name that is invoked,
not only in the present age but also in the one to come.
Ephesians 1:18-21 NIV
Take it further…
- Do you believe in Jesus Christ? A life of faith can begin with a simple prayer.
Lord Jesus, thank you for loving me. Thank you for inviting me to have a personal relationship with you. I believe that you are God, and that you came into the world personally, to pay my penalty and to die on the cross, carrying my sins. I confess that I am lost without you. Would you forgive my sin, and make me new from the inside out? Help me seek to know and follow you. Right now I am turning from a life of my own ways, and I am putting all of my trust in you. I trust you to erase my sin from your book, to start my relationship with you, to make my life here count, and to bring me to heaven one day. Lord, from today on, I am yours.[6]
- Talk to a real person about beginning a relationship with Jesus by calling 1-888-NEED-HIM. Or chat live online at Need Him.
- If you need prayer as we struggle through this pandemic, leave me a comment. I will pray!
[1] Hebrews 9:22
[2] 1 Peter 3:21
[3] 1 Corinthians 15:6
[4] 2 Corinthians 4:16-17
[5] Job 19:25-29
[6] Prayer is taken from Pastor Jonathan Schaeffer’s Sermon Notes 11/17/19, Grace CMA Church
IMAGE: Empty Tomb by http://www.freebibleimages.org/photos/jesus-alive/
Indeed! Christ died for us and lives for us! Praise God. No fear!
ReplyDeleteYes, Jesus died for us and lives for us!
DeleteThough content, I still struggle with fear and anxiety! But Jesus is with me through it. He understands! I need these words more than anyone. :)