Jump Start # 577

Revelation 20:10 “And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”

This weekend is the time when the world tips it’s hat to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Folks tend to “get religious” at Easter, some going to church services, maybe for the first time this year. Kids will hunt for Easter eggs, ham will be the main course at dinner and many will have a day off of work, especially on Friday.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the hallmark of the Bible. It is so important that the early Christians remembered it, along with the death and burial of Jesus on a weekly observance. The Lord’s Supper was taken every Sunday in the early church. Scriptures point to that and history supports that. If I want to be like the early Christians, I need to find a church that honors that. This is not a tradition, this is following the example of the Bible.

The resurrection is one event that happened such a long, long time ago that still impacts our lives today. I’m not talking about going to church services on Easter Sunday, I’m thinking about the implications that the resurrection has on us.

• Every funeral that we attend ends with the body being lowered in the grave. The resurrection of Jesus reminds us that Jesus was just the first to be raised to never die again. All that are in the grave will be raised (Jn 5:28-29). Death is not the end of the road. The last page written, isn’t the funeral. The resurrection is our proof.

• The resurrection of Jesus is but another proof that the Bible is right. It is the fulfillment of many prophecies. God’s word is just that, God’s word. If it is right about Jesus, and it is, it is right about Heaven, creation and salvation. Our faith is not a blind faith, but a proven faith. God’s word stands. Bring the critics, line up the skeptics—they’ve been busy for centuries and the Bible remains. Denying the Bible, critics must come up with a reasonable theory for life without God. Their best solution is that we happened by chance and somehow are related to the ape, the mole and common dirt. No design. No plan. Came from no where and going no where and are completely on our own—and that’s their best solution? No thanks. I’ll take the Bible. The resurrection explains suffering, hope and love.
• The resurrection is our salvation. Up from the grave He arose, we sing. The penalty of sin is death. Jesus paid that awful cost, bearing our sins, not His, so that we could be saved. He took our place on the cross. The death and resurrection of Jesus is our hope for Heaven. The resurrection changed our eternal destiny. It changed family histories. Righteousness, holiness and godliness are possible through Jesus Christ. He can walk in His steps and be conformed to His image.

• One other thing that the resurrection brings is the death blow to Satan. Our verse today shows what is awaiting Satan. He will be tormented forever in Hell. Satan is not in charge of Hell, God is. Those that deny Hell, or believe it’s a metaphor for some historical event, miss this. Satan has been harassing mankind since the garden of Eden. Now it finally comes to an end. The seed of woman, Jesus, crushes the head of the serpent. This was accomplished by the resurrection. Death is Satan’s greatest tool. In tormenting Job, God allowed Satan to do anything he wanted, except take Job’s life. That is Satan’s strongest tool. Jesus died. For a short time it seemed like Satan won. Then the stone moved, and the Savior came forth and that destroyed the greatest thing Satan has. Because of the resurrection of Jesus, death is not to be feared for the righteous. It’s not the end. It’s just a door, similar to birth, that takes us from one world to another, or one room to another. The faithful of God do not get fixated upon the door of death. They know what is behind that door. They want to get into that other room. It is so different, and so beautiful. They must go through the door to get there. Death isn’t so bad when you walk with Jesus. In fact, there comes a time in your faith, that you welcome it. You are ready to be with the Lord. You grow tired of Satan’s corrupt ways, temptation, trouble, and the things that plague us here. On the other side of the door, death, is God. Never again to lock a door, turn on a light, take a pill, fear the night, worry about things, or have doubts. God is so good and He’s so good to me! Home, finally home, never to leave again. No other place to go. Destination arrived—that’s Heaven for the faithful of God.

Up from the grave He came…thank you, Lord for doing what you did. It changed everything. It changed me!

Roger