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Hope Beyond the Grave

    


 

    Their hearts were filled with great anticipation as they were approaching the tomb. They said among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” (Mark 16:3). When they arrived at the tomb, the stone they had been concerned about had already been rolled away.

They entered the tomb expecting to find the body of Jesus. Instead, they were alarmed by the presence of a man in a long white robe who was sitting there. He said to the women, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen!” (Mark 16:6a)

The resurrection of Jesus is the foundation for our faith today. Paul said that without the resurrection of Christ, we are still lost in our sins, our preaching in empty, our faith is in vain, and those who have died before us have perished. Thankfully, Paul continued his letter by affirming the validity of Jesus’ resurrection. This gives us our great hope and joy for the future.

Because Jesus is no longer held by death, we can have confidence in the cleansing of our sins.  Paul wrote, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.” (Ephesians 1:7) Jesus was that pure and perfect sacrifice who was offered for us (Heb. 4:15). He is therefore the only one who can cleanse of our sins through His precious blood. It is the resurrection of Jesus that confirm who He was (Romans 1:4) and what He has accomplished for us.

Through the resurrection of Jesus, we no longer have the fear of death looming over us. In 1 Corinthians chapter 15, Paul not only assures us of the resurrection of Jesus, but also confirms that His resurrection is proof that we too will be raised from the dead. In verses 50-58, Paul teaches that Christians will all be changed from mortal to immortal and from corruptible to incorruptible. Since we have this great hope, we know that our labor we do for God is not in vain.

The apostle Paul not only taught these words, but he also lived them. He stated to the brethren at Philippi, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21). He wrote to Timothy concerning his death, “Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on the Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:8).

We rejoice every Lord’s Day that Jesus did indeed rise from the dead. Because of His resurrection we have the cleansing of our souls from sin, and we have hope of life everlasting beyond the grave.

God Bless each of you,

Eric Hicks

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