I know he lives

“Why do you look for the living among the dead?  He is not here; he has risen!” (Luke 24:5&6).  Those were the words of the angel to the women who had gone to Jesus’ tomb, expecting to anoint his body with spices.  The women were the first to discover the astounding truth that Jesus had risen from the dead!  Luke tells us that when the women then went to tell the disciples what they had discovered, ‘they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense’ (Luke 24:11).  Typical men!  (Incidentally, if someone had made up the resurrection story – as has sometimes been claimed - they would hardly have made the women the first witnesses, as a woman’s testimony was not regarded as valid in that society).

Yet the doubting disciples came to believe that this miraculous, hard-to-believe statement, that Jesus had risen from the dead, was true.  They met him forthemselves.  And now, billions of people around the world have come to believe that Jesus is alive.  

So what does it all mean for us today?  In my Easter sermons I used the following acrostic to give some responses to that question:

Eternal Life: John 3:16, ‘God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life.’

Amazing sacrifice: Romans 3:25, ‘God offered him [Jesus], so that by his blood he should become the means by which people's sins are forgiven through their faith in him.’

Saving Grace: Romans 3:23&24, ‘everyone has sinned and is far away from God's saving presence.  But by the free gift of God's grace all are put right with him through Christ Jesus, who sets them free.’

Thankful hearts: Hebrews 12:28, ‘Let us be thankful, because we receive a kingdom that cannot be shaken. Let us be grateful and worship God in a way that will please him, with reverence and awe.’

Endless love: Romans 8:39, ‘There is nothing in all creation that will ever be able to separate us from the love of God which is ours through Christ Jesus our Lord.’

Resurrection hope: 1 Peter 1:3&4, ^‘Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you.’

Last week I returned to the little Methodist Church which was my home church during my early years.  That building holds so many memories, but one is particularly special.  When I was 5 years old, it was on a certain Sunday morning after church that I knelt down on the stairs at home and invited Jesus into my life.  Thus began a lifelong journey with him.  In the good times and the tough times he has always been with me.  Our relationship hasn’t always felt close, but I know that he has never left my side.  He is my best friend, as well as my Lord and Saviour.  I owe everything to him.

I believe that there is compelling evidence for the resurrection. But I want to finish this blog with the chorus of an old song; it may be rather subjective, but I love these words:

He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and He talks with me
Along life's narrow way.
He lives, He live, salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives:
He lives within my heart.