A Message of Easter March 23, 2008
Peace be to you dear Brothers and Sisters,
I represent Mary, Ruth, and all the co-workers of Home of Grace to send Easter greetings to you all. It is our joy and privilege that we came to Mexico City to celebrate the glorious Easter together today!
Jesus was crucified for our sin and resurrected for us. He overcame the victory of Satan and sin. He also swallowed up the power of death and Hell and delivered us, the slaves of sin, from the fear of death. Therefore, He declared after He was raised from the dead: “All the authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” He is the living God. He lives from everlasting to everlasting. He holds the keys of death and the grave. He not only is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but He also is our God. Therefore, we should give our thanks to him, praise Him, proclaim Him, and glorify Him.
Because of His resurrection…
1. Our faith is strengthened and we fear no more: He gives us eternal life, glorious hope, and the promise of the rapture. Therefore, we shall not be like Jesus’ Disciples who were fearful and sorrowful. They were puzzled and had little faith. We should hold fast onto the promise of the Bible and not waver. Just as apostle said, “If we have hope in Christ only for this life, we are the most miserable people in the world.”(1 Cor 15:19) “We are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for Him to return as our Savior. He will take these weak mortal bodies of ours and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same mighty power that he will use to conquer everything, everywhere.”(Phil.3:20) Hallelujah! Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead. He has become the first of those who will be raised to life. And our perishable earthly bodies will be transformed into heavenly bodies that will never die. Therefore, we should wait in faith with the expectation of the glorious coming of Jesus Christ.
2. We should proclaim his resurrection enthusiastically: Just like Mary Magdalene , she was the first one who saw the resurrected Jesus. She also was the first one who preached the message of Jesus’ resurrection. She ran to Jesus’ disciples, telling them “Jesus is resurrected. I have seen Him.” We should testify of the glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ in the same way she did. He is not the God of the dead. He is the God of the living. He lives in our hearts forever and ever. All the saints from generation to generation have been proclaiming Jesus the Resurrected One.
3. We should wake up and come to our senses and sin no more: Dear Brothers and Sisters, since we have such a hope—the eternal kingdom and the inheritance God has prepared for us—we ought to come back to our senses. We should only do good deeds. Do not live the lives like the people in this world do. We should not make friends with this world because bad company corrupts good character. (I Corinthians 15:33) “Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful desires, will harvest the consequences of decay and death. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.” (Galatians 6:8) Therefore, do not be deceived. We cannot ignore God and get away with it. We should separate ourselves from the trends and sins of the world, pursuing holiness, godliness, and righteousness, so that we become spotless and without blemish.
4. We should follow His Word, live a victorious life, and do His work diligently: Since Jesus Christ has already overcome the power of death and sin on the cross. As long as we put out trust in Him, and observe His Word to the very end, God will give us the same authority over all the nations, just as Jesus has received. (Revelations 2:26, 27) May we use God’s Word to examine and correct ourselves moment by moment, die to everything, and live out Jesus’ victorious life? In addition to this, we should work diligently according to His will. Paul encouraged us, “So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and be steady, always enthusiastic about the Lord’s work, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is useless.” (I Corinthians 15:58)
Dear Brothers and Sisters! Let us use God’s Word to encourage each other. Let glory be to the Lamb who was slain!
Co-workers of Home of Grace