It was quite the powerful message today.
I still can’t get over it.
Christ has risen from the dead – proof of His crucifixion and death, and all it implies.
That is, Christ truly offered His entire being as a propitiation for our sins.
By rising from the dead, Christ proved that He BECAME sin and took all its wages. By rising from the dead, He drained the cup down to its dregs, and where there was no more death to take, all there was left to do was to rise again.
Christ’s resurrection does not guarantee immediate miraculous revival of our mortal flesh – No, He rose again as a guarantee that whenever our own physical bodies do expire, or we are caught up in the rapture (whichever comes first), our mortal bodies shall take on immortality; The corruptible shall put on the incorruptible.
Christ rose from the dead, and therefore we are able to face death and say, ‘Death, where is your sting? Hell, where is your victory?’
Christ rose from the dead, and we therefore are in possession of a meaningful, fruitful faith.
Christ rose from the dead, and we therefore have the Truth alive in us, and we speak the Truth.
Christ rose from the dead, and we are not pitiable, nor are we miserable; No, we are joyful, and we are fortunate.
It’s been a while since I sat down and reflected on the Word.. and I intend to get back to that, starting tonight.
Thank You, Father, for the reading of Your Word.
Psalm 124
The LORD the Defense of His People
A Song of Ascents. Of David.
1 “If it had not been the LORD who was on our side,” Let Israel now say—
2 “If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, When men rose up against us,
3 Then they would have swallowed us alive, When their wrath was kindled against us;
4 Then the waters would have overwhelmed us, The stream would have gone over our soul;
5 Then the swollen waters Would have gone over our soul.”
6 Blessed be the LORD, Who has not given us as prey to their teeth.
Indeed, let Israel bless the Lord; and let those of us who have been grafted in, though we be Gentiles, give thanks to God as well.
For because Christ rose from the dead, we ourselves would have been swallowed by our adversaries.
Christ rose from the dead – therefore, even when the wrath of those who declare themselves as our enemies was kindled against us, the waters were not allowed to overwhelm us fully, nor were the streams and floods allowed to completely go over our souls.
Indeed, Christ was led as a Sheep to the slaughter, that we would not be given away as prey to the darkness.
7 Our soul has escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers; The snare is broken, and we have escaped.
We give the Lord all the glory. Yes, we praise Him.
We praise and glorify Him, even with the wars and the rumors of wars all over the world, and even threatening so much closer to home.
We give thanks to the Lord, even in the instances when the systems of the world are successful in stealing from us – not merely of money, but of time and other essential resources.
Oh, we rejoice, we rejoice in the Lord! We praise Him, even when the ground shakes, and the earth is literally brought that much closer to cataclysmic turmoil, of either natural or man-made origins.
We realize that no matter how messed up the world may be, we have all the more reason to rejoice in Him, and to be glad – For it is in the worst of times that we see the best of God; The Father’s strength and power is TRULY made perfect in our weakness!
…And it’s ALL because Christ rose from the dead! By the Resurrection, Christ fulfilled promises of both the immediate and archaic pasts, guaranteeing that, indeed, in Him, all of God’s promises are Yes and Amen!
8 Our help is in the name of the LORD, Who made heaven and earth.
Father, no matter what is coming up in the days and weeks, we are thankful for, indeed, You YOURSELF are our true Help.
You are our Comfort, You are our Shelter. You are our Tower of refuge and strength.
Our problems bow down to the promises we have in You.
Indeed, NOTHING compares to the promises we have in you.
So, Father, continue to minister to each and every one of us. Continue to minister to the families we represent.
By the finished work of Christ, and because Christ rose from the dead, we are trusting You to open doors to new opportunities; We are trusting You with our careers, and our finances.
We are trusting You with our relationships, even those that have gone hopelessly sour. We’re trusting You with our sanity; We entrust You with all the scenarios and the ‘what-ifs’ we’ve been spending too much thought over.
We’re trusting You in our obligations, and in our homes. We’re trusting You with our families, and our loved ones who have yet to know You; We’re trusting You with our reactions and our responses, fully comforted, knowing that You take everything down to the quickest of our reactions, and You cause it all to work for good. Indeed, we trust You, because You ARE good.
We cast our burdens upon You. We come to You, for Your yoke is easy, and Your burden is light.
We come to You, knowing that because Christ rose from the dead, we are sure to receive rest.
Indeed, in You we rest and sleep, knowing that You shall protect us from fear, and from harm.
Even when we don’t see it, You are working.
Even when we don’t feel it, You are working.
Before I go back into the fray tomorrow, You are working, preparing my mind and heart as early as now; You are causing Your perfect, everlasting love to cast out all needless anxiety, and all constricting fear.
Thank You, Lord.
Thank You, Father, for the reading of Your Word.
Halleluyah, and amen.
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