He is Not Here; FOR HE IS RISEN, as He said.

Today my message is “He is Not Here; FOR HE IS RISEN, as He said”!

Last week on “Palm Sunday”, we looked at the “Triumphant Entry to Terrible Ending”. The Hosanna entry of Christ to Jerusalem for the Passover and then the terrible ending of Christ’s life on that cruel cross. This is now Easter morning. Jesus did not stay in the grave and Jesus rose to lead us into eternal life if we follow Him faithfully.

Hebrews 5:7-9 NIV

7 During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.

8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered

9 and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him..

We are part of the “all who obey” in verse 9 if we have decided to follow Jesus faithfully. Jesus is the source of eternal life for any who chose His path for their life.

You can find this Easter story also in Luke 24: 1-12; Mark 16: 1-8; John 20: 1-9; and 1 Corinthians 15:1-8

We are going to watch a short video called “Life Can Begin Again” to start this off.

For those who went to the Good Friday Service, you heard all about the crucifixion of Christ and His burial. You were given a glimpse of what today would bring to those Apostles – Resurrection Sunday!

This video gave us a brief but disturbing reminder of what Jesus did for us that long-ago Passover weekend. It gives us Jesus’s last cry before death and the incredulous discovery on Sunday morning that “He is Not Here; FOR HE IS RISEN, as He said”.

So why did Jesus go through this awful pain of death? Why was it so important? What was result of Jesus’s resurrection?

I believe that Jesus died for all of our sins, for all of us who should be dead. The Bible tells us that “all have sinned” and the “wages of sin are death”. Therefore, Jesus took on all our sin and all our wages of death. His resurrection proves He beat death and we can too if we follow Jesus and obey God’s direction for our lives.

It is all about the relationship with God! That relationship had become separated. Man and God were far apart because of man’s sins.

Jesus’s death gave us the bridge of the cross to span the separation and allow us back into a right relationship with God. So now we should walk with God daily.

Philippians 2:5-11 NIV

5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

6 Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,

7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.

8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!

9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,

10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Jesus is worthy of our praise. We owe our lives to Jesus! So now we are to live like Jesus.

Romans 6:3-11 NIV

3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?

4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

5 If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.

6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—

7 because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.

8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.

9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.

10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 

A.W. Tozer is quoted, “We understand and acknowledge that the Resurrection has placed a glorious crown upon all of Christ’s sufferings!”

We need to see how fantastic this risen Lord is! Jesus is alive and wants us to join Him once again. What started in the Garden of Eden is now available again right here, right now.

John 14:6

He is Risen, Jesus is risen indeed!

The grave did not hold Jesus. Death could not keep him down.

Four Things God wants You to Know:

1. You need to be saved.
2. You cannot save yourself.
3. Jesus has provided for your Salvation.
4. You can be saved today!

He is Not Here; FOR HE IS RISEN, as He said.

Jesus is alive for all of us!

Can you believe it! Can you live it? Now is the time to decide to follow Jesus into eternity and life at its fullest.

Join me in prayer.