Hello everyone!
And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:14, ESV
Have you ever wondered, just what is the significance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ? What about it is so radically important that if it was not true, the entire Christian faith would be in vain? Here, take a look at this verse from Romans:
Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death... Romans 6:3-4a, ESV
This verse states that we as Christians were baptized with Him into His death, as if as He hung on that cross, we hung there with Him. Think for a moment - if Christ had not risen but remained in the grave, having been baptized with Him into His death, we too would remain there with Him. There would be no life; only death. But praise God, this is not the case!
...in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. Romans 6:4b-5, ESV
We who have been united with Him into His death have also been united with Him in His life - and this is the best news you and I could ever hear! We died with Him; and now, we live with Him. But what does this mean for us? What are the real-life implications of this, and how does this change how we live our lives?
We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Romans 6:6-11, ESV
This is the power of the resurrection. Having been baptized into His death, and thus, into His life as well, we are no longer slaves to sin. We who once were at the every beck and call of our cruel, unrighteous master of sin without any hope of ever seeing the light have now been shown freedom. Whereas before we were totally unable to resist the commands of the devil, giving in to the lusts and cravings of the flesh, we now have had our bonds broken as we are united with Christ into His death (to die to sin) and resurrection (to live to God). Therefore, to finish us off:
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. Romans 6:12-13, ESV
I hope you see the true power of the resurrection of our Lord - it is this which enables and empowers us to lead righteous, self-controlled, God-pleasing lives. No self-will or mental strength can achieve this - only Jesus Christ, the Risen Lord, can - and indeed, has. May we all have a blessed Easter!
Blessings,
Andrew
Showing posts with label Evidence For Jesus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Evidence For Jesus. Show all posts
2/11/08 - The Power Of A Testimony
As Jesus was walking through a Samaritan village, He met with a Samaritan woman drawing water from a well. He spoke to her of the "living water" that He offered, exposed her many sinful relationships, and began witnessing to her. At this point, the topic of the Messiah comes up:
The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things." Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am he." Just then his disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, "What do you seek?" or, "Why are you talking with her?" So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, "Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?" They went out of the town and were coming to him. (John 4:25-30 ESV)
Here we see Jesus meeting with this Samaritan woman, and she is so absolutely amazed at His insight that in her haste to tell others, she even leaves her water jar there at the well. She goes into the town and tells them of this man, of her encounter with Jesus Christ the Messiah, and they begin coming out of the town to meet Him. I can almost see their questioning and even slightly hopeful faces - "The Messiah, could it truly be?" - as they flock to this man to see Him for themselves. A few verses later, we see the result of this woman's testimony:
Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me all that I ever did." So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world." (John 4:39-42 ESV)
Do you see the chain of events? First, this woman who has had a personal encounter with Jesus goes and tells anyone who will listen. She draws them and invites them to meet with this man, to see for themselves. So they meet Him, they listen to Him - and they believe. They have their own personal encounter, and through that, they see that "this is indeed the Savior of the world."
So how did this all start? With one woman who told all who would listen of her own personal encounter with the Christ - she was no priest, she was no woman of righteousness; in fact, she was a sinner - just like us. She was a sinner who was not afraid to share her tale, her own testimony of the One who provides the living water which has the power to become "a spring of water welling up to eternal life." So let's not be afraid to share our own stories - perhaps someone will listen, and decide to meet with this Jesus for themselves, and see that He is indeed the Savior of the world. Never underestimate the power of a testimony.
Blessings,
Andrew
The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things." Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am he." Just then his disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, "What do you seek?" or, "Why are you talking with her?" So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, "Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?" They went out of the town and were coming to him. (John 4:25-30 ESV)
Here we see Jesus meeting with this Samaritan woman, and she is so absolutely amazed at His insight that in her haste to tell others, she even leaves her water jar there at the well. She goes into the town and tells them of this man, of her encounter with Jesus Christ the Messiah, and they begin coming out of the town to meet Him. I can almost see their questioning and even slightly hopeful faces - "The Messiah, could it truly be?" - as they flock to this man to see Him for themselves. A few verses later, we see the result of this woman's testimony:
Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me all that I ever did." So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world." (John 4:39-42 ESV)
Do you see the chain of events? First, this woman who has had a personal encounter with Jesus goes and tells anyone who will listen. She draws them and invites them to meet with this man, to see for themselves. So they meet Him, they listen to Him - and they believe. They have their own personal encounter, and through that, they see that "this is indeed the Savior of the world."
So how did this all start? With one woman who told all who would listen of her own personal encounter with the Christ - she was no priest, she was no woman of righteousness; in fact, she was a sinner - just like us. She was a sinner who was not afraid to share her tale, her own testimony of the One who provides the living water which has the power to become "a spring of water welling up to eternal life." So let's not be afraid to share our own stories - perhaps someone will listen, and decide to meet with this Jesus for themselves, and see that He is indeed the Savior of the world. Never underestimate the power of a testimony.
Blessings,
Andrew
Point Them To Christ
Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?" And Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. (Matthew 11:2-5)
I find this verse very intriguing. I notice that even though it was true that Jesus was the one who was to come, He didn't give John a definitive "Yes, I am he," as He does when confronted on this in other places in the Gospels. Rather, He shows John's messengers the miracles He has performed: that the blind receive sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Essentially He's laying out the evidence, the evidence of peoples' lives changed through His ministry, and allowing John to decide for himself.
So how can we apply this to our own lives? When people ask us, "So what's so special about Christianity?" we can point them to the miraculous grace and healing poured out from the Person of Jesus Christ. We can point to Him who has taken our spiritual blindness and given us sight; we can point to Him who has taken we crippled people and has lifted us and enabled us to stand firm; we can point to Him who has taken we spiritual lepers, so ensnared in sin that we infect all those around us, and has cleansed us in His blood; we can point to Him who has taken our deafness and given us ears to hear the Gospel; and we can point them to Him who has taken we who were dead in sins and transgressions, utterly useless to God and those around us, and has raised us to new and glorious life in Himself.
But above all, we can point them to the good news of Jesus Christ, that through His wonderful sacrifice and gift of love, we who were once poor in spirit are now rich with joy, thankfulness, and gratitude. This is not just a surface change; this is a heart change. So, I ask you: "What's so special about Christianity?" Simple - it's Jesus.
Blessings,
Andrew
I find this verse very intriguing. I notice that even though it was true that Jesus was the one who was to come, He didn't give John a definitive "Yes, I am he," as He does when confronted on this in other places in the Gospels. Rather, He shows John's messengers the miracles He has performed: that the blind receive sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Essentially He's laying out the evidence, the evidence of peoples' lives changed through His ministry, and allowing John to decide for himself.
So how can we apply this to our own lives? When people ask us, "So what's so special about Christianity?" we can point them to the miraculous grace and healing poured out from the Person of Jesus Christ. We can point to Him who has taken our spiritual blindness and given us sight; we can point to Him who has taken we crippled people and has lifted us and enabled us to stand firm; we can point to Him who has taken we spiritual lepers, so ensnared in sin that we infect all those around us, and has cleansed us in His blood; we can point to Him who has taken our deafness and given us ears to hear the Gospel; and we can point them to Him who has taken we who were dead in sins and transgressions, utterly useless to God and those around us, and has raised us to new and glorious life in Himself.
But above all, we can point them to the good news of Jesus Christ, that through His wonderful sacrifice and gift of love, we who were once poor in spirit are now rich with joy, thankfulness, and gratitude. This is not just a surface change; this is a heart change. So, I ask you: "What's so special about Christianity?" Simple - it's Jesus.
Blessings,
Andrew
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