He is risen, indeed!

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"And he said to them, “Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him.

Mark 16:6

Throughout history people have rejected the account of Christ's resurrection. Two former skeptics -- Josh McDowell and Lee Strobel -- investigated the facts and became convinced that Christ did, indeed, rise from the dead. They are now His followers.

Dr. Sam Lamerson of Knox Theological Seminary says: "There are so many pieces of evidence for the truth of the resurrection of Jesus Christ that if we reject the truth of the resurrection, I believe, we must then become total historical agnostics and reject virtually everything that we know about ancient history." According to Lamerson, "There is no ancient historical event that is more certainly testified to both by number of witnesses and by evidence than the resurrection of Jesus Christ."

Why is the resurrection so important?

"We need not wonder that so much importance is attached to our Lord’s resurrection. It is the seal and memorial stone of the great work of redemption, which He came to do. It is the crowning proof that He has paid the debt He undertook to pay on our behalf, won the battle He fought to deliver us from hell, and is accepted as our guarantee and our substitute by our Father in heaven. Had He never come forth from the prison of the grave, how could we ever have been sure that our ransom had been fully paid (1 Corinthians 15:17)? Had He never risen from His conflict with the last enemy, how could we have felt confident that He has overcome death – and him that had the power of death, that is the devil (Hebrews 2:14)? But thanks be unto God, we are not left in doubt. The Lord Jesus really rose again for our justification." (J.C. Ryle)

In the early Church, when one Christian would greet another, often he would say: "He is risen."

And the other would respond, "He is risen, indeed!"

They spoke with certainty and we must do the same. The Lord Jesus has risen from the dead. He is risen, indeed. HE LIVES!

The Jesus I Know

"When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled, and said, 'Where have you laid him?' They said to Him, 'Lord, come and see.'  Jesus wept." John 11:33-35 Jesus' friend Lazarus has died. Mary and Martha, sisters of Lazarus, have summoned Jesus to come. They know He can raise Lazarus from the dead, and of course He does. A miracle that brings glory to God. It's a moving story, beginning with the first moment when Mary approaches Him. She is wailing, as are the Jews around her. Scripture tells us that Jesus was "deeply moved in spirit and troubled". In the original language the implication is that Jesus was angry in spirit and very agitated. But angry and agitated by what? Some suggest that the wailing of the people showed their lack of faith and that this upset Jesus. But two verses later He is weeping. Not wailing as the others, but weeping softly as in shedding tears. This doesn't sound like the Lord was angry at the people. Another suggestion is that Jesus was angry at death and the grief that death causes. And that He wept, not because Lazarus was dead -- for He knew that Lazarus would soon be resurrected at His hand -- but out of His compassion for the mourners.  The second interpretation seems more plausible to me. The Jesus I know detests the idea of death and decay. That's why He came to earth to save us, His life not sparing. And the Jesus I know is filled with compassion for the hurting and seeks to comfort those who mourn.

Living Hope

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead," 1 Peter 1:3

Many pines in the Rocky Mountains have succumbed to the infestation of the pine beetle. Even so, there is hope for the forests in the form of the tiny new growth trees that can be found among the dying pines.  As Christians, we have a living hope in Jesus Christ. He died for our sins and rose again to everlasting life. When we place our trust in Him, we are born again to a living hope of eternal life.