Happy Resurrection Morning! Did you know that Easter is just the beginning? The fact of the Resurrection is only the beginning of our salvation, the beginning of eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. The resurrection of Jesus is the beginning of our eternal life that was promised all the way back in Genesis 3:15, when God told Adam and Eve that one day, through the “seed of the woman”, would come One who would crush the head of the serpent (that is Satan). Jesus was that One! “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

What does this mean, “to have eternal life”? This morning I read in John 17:3, “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” Do you know God? Do you know His Son, Jesus Christ? At Easter, Christians around the world celebrate the bodily resurrection of Jesus and God’s promise of eternal life in Him. Easter is about LIFE that has conquered death, and through Jesus’s life and resurrection, we who believe have LIFE and the promise of our own resurrection. We are “new creations, old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new!” (II Corinthians 5:17) We have abundant life now. We will never be separated from God, even in physical death, which is separation from the body. We will never spiritually die (which would be separation from God for eternity). We know that “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.” (II Corinthians 5:7-8) We have the promise of our own resurrection when He comes again as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. (John 11:25-26) Through Him we have HOPE for today and HOPE for the future.

Proverbs 23:17 – 18 tells about such a HOPE found in the way of WISDOM, in the “fear of the Lord”, which, by the way, will be the theme of the Proverb of the Day during the month of April.

“Do not let your heart envy sinners, but live in the fear of the Lord always.  Surely there is a future,
and your HOPE will not be cut off.”

Proverbs 24:14 says this, “Know that wisdom is good for your soul; if you find it, then there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off.”

Jesus became Wisdom for us. IF we find HIM, then there will be a future. Our HOPE will not be cut off! What HE promises in HIS resurrection WILL come to pass! Just as the wise woman of Proverbs 31 smiles at the future because she and her household are properly clothed, so we, as children of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, can smile at the future because we are clothed in the clean robe of Jesus’ righteousness through the shedding of His blood on the cross and the conquering of death through His resurrection.

Jesus came. He lived, He loved, He taught, He served, He performed miracles, He healed the sick, cast out demons, raised the dead.

He suffered. He died. He was buried. He rose again. He ascended to heaven.

AND HE IS COMING AGAIN – for us who believe in Jesus.

And for those who do not believe Him, judgment will come. John 12:47-48 says, “If anyone hears my words and does not obey them, I do not judge him. For I have not come to judge the world, but to save the world. The one who rejects me and does not accept my words has a judge; the word I have spoken will judge him at the last day.” What a sad day that will be for those who reject Jesus, who do not believe in His salvation, His resurrection.

IN THE END, Jesus will restore all of His creation as it was intended to be. He will make everything new. He will fix everything that has been broken by our sin. Those who believe in Him will live forever in His presence, enjoying the new heaven and new earth described in the final book of the Bible, the book of Revelation. Those who reject Him will be forever separated from Him in the lake of fire. (Revelation 21-22)

Unfortunately, many of God’s people, do not live as if the end is coming. Many act like Easter is just another holiday, not even important enough by the world’s standards for many employees to get a day off of work or to receive holiday pay rates. The Sunday morning worship and message may be quickly forgotten, regarded as no different than any other Sunday.

Today we celebrate His resurrection! His salvation! We anticipate His return when He will receive us to Himself, “that where He is we will be also”. (John 14:3) Today we sing,

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow! Because He lives, all fear is gone!

Because I know He holds the future, My life is worth the living just because He lives!

We sing “Up From the Grave He Arose!” and “One day He’s coming, O Glorious Day!” Yet, what good is Easter if we don’t share the HOPE of the resurrection with those who are lost and without hope, walking toward death and destruction, and all the while believing they are pursuing life and happiness? We have the truth. We have the answer. We know how the story ends for those who don’t have hope in the resurrection. In the Easter message we have HOPE and we have LIFE.

Jesus gave up His life for us because of His great love. He said to His disciples, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do whatever I command you.” (John 16:13-14)

This Easter, let’s be the true friends of Jesus. Let’s love Him more and love Him most. Let’s ask Him to help us love others as He loved us. Let’s share this magnificent message of Easter with someone this week! May the Lord richly bless you in His love this Resurrection Morning!