Resurrection Day - April 4, 2021
Christ saw the horror of His death beforehand and prayed that God would take it from Him. But He also prayed that, if it was God's will, that He would drink from that cup and taste death. Jesus Christ feared God more than the horror of a Roman execution! He could have slipped away - He knew that Judas was on his way to betray Him. He could have come down off the cross or called on a myriad of angels or anything! He *is* God (Hebrews 1:8). He had respect for God's will and joy for the reward, and He did not pull back from that mighty work (Hebrews 12:2).
As we think about our Master on this Resurrection Day, April 4, 2021, let us contemplate the reality that God's plans are always good, and He has the strength to make us do what He has set in our hearts to do, and, if we will do them, there is so much joy waiting! He cares for us. With Christ's mighty death for our sins, we are set free from our sins, and with God's mighty resurrection of Him, we who have called on His name for our salvation by verbally confessing "Master Jesus", we have a new life from Him, and we are even new creatures in Christ! He makes our old things pass away into newness of life, and He has caused us to believe and confess Him. Those who saw Him afterward knew He had been buried for three days, but death couldn't hold our Master, whom we are like, because He perfects us to be like Himself (Luke 6:40).
On this day of all days, let us be free in Him to battle our sins with knowledge that He fights for us, and He has won. On the cross, He said (as commonly rendered, "It is finished", but as more closely translated) "Paid in full"! He has the receipt; we aren't going anywhere; now we have the freedom to keep looking at Him even as we see our sin! Keep looking at Him, and let Him burn the sin out of you as you believe all His Word's Truth, as you disbelieve all lies you have formerly believed, and as you rest in His finished work and work on in prayer, singing, taking thoughts captive, tearing down strongholds raised against Him in your heart and in the hearts of the members of His Church as they allow you to help them as you have been helped by the same Spirit, in the same Way and by the same Word of God.
And, if you aren't saved yet and would like to be:
Due to your knowledge that He died on the cross for our sins, and was buried, and He arose from the dead on the third day, and He was seen by a great cloud of witnesses, verbally confess Master Jesus, and you will be saved.
Then your belief in the Resurrection will also lead you to righteousness.
Doing Romans 10:9a & 10:10b, due to believing 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, results in Romans 10:9b & 10:10a.