The Assurance of Resurrection in Christ

Posted on by korgrocker

“But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, “I believed in God, so I spoke.” We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you. All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.”
2 Corinthians 4:13-15 NLT

Paul and his colleagues, men who travelled with him on his missionary journeys, had a terrible time when they preached the truth about Jesus. In his day, people generally didn’t want to hear anything about Jesus, preferring instead to continue in their evil ways. But Paul kept going anyway, enduring the physical violence for the sake of the Gospel. His faith was strong and consistent because he knew that his future with God was secure. 

One of Jesus’ seven “I am” statements can be found in John 11:25-26: “Jesus told her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”” To prove the veracity of his statement, Jesus went on to raise Lazarus from the dead. This wasn’t just a one-off miracle designed to bolster Jesus’ reputation. It was a prophetic display of God’s power and what will happen in the age to come. 

In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul explained to them, “Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back” (1 Corinthians 15:22-23). Paul wrote that Christianity without the resurrection was pointless because eternal life is central to our faith. We all know the Easter story: when Jesus rose from the grave and appeared to His followers. That was a pivotal moment that founded and strengthened our faith, because God promised that Jesus was the first to be resurrected and that He would be followed by all who believe in Him.

But what does being raised with Jesus really mean to us pilgrims? Paul started 2 Corinthians 4:14 with the words, “We know …”. Do we have the same assurance as Paul, or are we not sure and have doubts? Sadly, some believers don’t know; instead, they wish or hope that everything will work out for them in the end. But the historical evidence for Jesus’ resurrection is there. Paul wrote, “He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him” (1 Corinthians 14:4-8). That’s surely enough evidence to turn a “wish” into a “know”.

“God … will also raise us with Jesus”

Paul wrote that, “God … will also raise us with Jesus” (2 Corinthians 4:14a). Notice how personal this is. Paul wrote that the resurrection is not just something Jesus experienced. It is something believers will share in. Just as Jesus was raised bodily, so will we be raised, and that will totally change our perspective on our lives. Instead of becoming depressed and fearful of death as we grow older or perhaps sick or affected by the death of a loved one, we will look forward to the time when we, too, will be released from the privations of this life and will join Jesus in Paradise. The grave is not a destination; it is a doorway.

Paul adds something beautiful at the end of 2 Corinthians 4:14: “and present us to himself together with you”. The future for us pilgrims is not solitary. We are not saved alone. We are raised together. Paul envisioned a day when believers stand together in the presence of God: presented, restored, complete. We are a people, not just individuals. Heaven will not be isolation; it will be fellowship perfected. This truth reshapes how we treat one another now. If we stand together before Christ, then our unity matters deeply today. So, before we think disparaging thoughts about a fellow believer, remember that we will spend eternity with them. Hmmm…

Earlier in the chapter, Paul wrote, “We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9). Why was he prepared to put up with so much suffering? Paul understood that what was happening was not the final chapter. The certainty of being raised with Christ gave him the courage to endure. The promise of presentation before God gave purpose to his perseverance.

Well, we pilgrims know how the story ends, so no matter what we are facing just now, it will turn out to be insignificant in the light of eternity, full of God’s glory and grace.

Dear Heavenly Father. Thank You that You will never abandon us. We are part of Your family forever. Amen.

The Empty Tomb

Posted on by korgrocker

“She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” Peter and the other disciple started out for the tomb. They were both running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He stooped and looked in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he didn’t go in. Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying apart from the other wrappings. Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed— for until then they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead. Then they went home.
John 20:2-10 NLT

John’s account of the first Easter Sunday morning continued to be factual, providing details of the events following Mary Magdalene’s startling news that the tomb was empty. We don’t know where Peter and John were when they heard the news but they wasted no time in getting there and we then read of what they saw. No body and the grave-clothes, the “linen wrappings”, just lying there, as though the structure, the body, that was holding them in shape, had suddenly disappeared, leaving them to collapse under their own weight. It is significant that the two disciples didn’t just assume that someone had stolen the body, because if that was the case, the graveclothes would either not have been there, or would have been lying in an unravelled heap. But Peter and John immediately “saw and believed— for until then they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead”. And the verses today end with the underwhelming statement that “they went home”. Really? I expect that they were talking excitedly with each other, even offering prayers to God requesting an explanation. If social media had been around in those days, their Facebook pages would have been buzzing. Everyone in their WhatsApp group would have received a message. But John was now a believer in Christ. Before, he was a disciple and friend of Jesus, now he said that he believed. 

To be fair to the two men, the events that Sunday morning were far outside their experience. Nothing like this had ever happened before, certainly in their lifetimes. So what was going to happen next? They were in uncharted waters and were probably feeling that they had lost control of their lives. But there had to be an empty tomb. If Jesus had still been inside a grave then there would be no Christianity. No eternal life. No Holy Spirit as we know Him. After all that Jesus had said, then if He was still in the tomb today, then He would have had no credibility at all. But, praise God, the tomb was empty. Demonstrably so. In Acts 13:35-37 we read, “Another psalm explains it more fully: ‘You will not allow your Holy One to rot in the grave.’ This is not a reference to David, for after David had done the will of God in his own generation, he died and was buried with his ancestors, and his body decayed. No, it was a reference to someone else—someone whom God raised and whose body did not decay“. The Holy Spirit prophesied through David when he wrote Psalm 16, enabling him to see down the centuries to an empty tomb.

We thank God today for the empty tomb. There is no other religion on earth today where their god came to earth, born as a human baby and after their death, left behind an empty tomb. I love Matthew’ account where the angel rolled away the tomb and then sat on it. A touch of humour that seemed to say that it would take more than a lump of rock to keep Jesus in the grave. There was no tomb on earth that could retain the Son of God because, as Jesus said, He not only had the power to lay down His life. He also had the power to take it up again. We worship a living Saviour today, not mourn and grieve in front of a grave, marked with the gravestone inscription, “Here lies Jesus, the Son of God”.

Dear Lord Jesus. There was no power that could keep You dead and buried. And today You await us in Heaven, having gone before us. Thank You. Amen.

Death No More

Posted on by korgrocker

“Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.
Revelation‬ ‭20:14-15‬ ‭NLT

The lake of fire is filling up. We already have the devil, the beast and the false prophet sent there. Now we find out that death and the grave have been thrown in there as well. How do we picture death? A man wearing a monk’s habit with a hood covering his head, and carrying an old fashioned scythe? You know, the “Grim Reaper” that accompanies jokes about men catching a cold? But however we imagine the concept, or state, we call “death”, it is far more serious and significant than that. And the fact that “death” was to be no more restores God’s original order back to His creation.

When mankind was created, his sinless state meant that he would have the opportunity to live forever. In Genesis 2:9b we read, ” …. In the middle of the garden he [God] placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” And in Genesis 3:22 we read, “Then the Lord God said, “Look, the human beings have become like us, knowing both good and evil. What if they reach out, take fruit from the tree of life, and eat it? Then they will live forever!”” The sin Adam and Eve committed resulted in them being cut off from the fruit of the tree that would provide eternal life. The result of that sin was mankind’s eventual physical death. So death was spawned in Eden through what has become to be known as the fall of man. And now death was being eliminated and consigned to the fiery lake. 

Now that death was, well, dead, there was no more use for the grave. Obvious really. No dead bodies, so no need for graves. So the entity John saw, the grave,  ended up in the fiery lake as well. So in our minds we have perhaps conjured up our own images of the Grim Reaper and a gravestone flying through the air and disappearing below the surface of the lake full of burning sulphur. 

It is a strange concept for us pilgrims that one day we will be resurrected and will live forever. In God’s company as He originally wanted. But some people in society cannot wait until they die. They find life so hard that they just have had enough. Sadly, some accelerate the process and end their own lives unnaturally. And we also have the frequent debate promoting euthanasia for those suffering from incurable or debilitating diseases. In the forefront of the news just now is the sad story of a poor girl in her early teens who committed suicide, her mental health challenges exacerbated by negative social media posts. The debate around the length and quality of our lives seems constant. But Jesus came to give us life, both here in this physical realm, and forever in the age to come. In John 10:10 we read, “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My [Jesus] purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” Regardless of our circumstances, we can enjoy a wonderful life with Jesus.

So one day there will be no death. All those who have chosen to live God’s way, in a loving relationship with Him, will transition from this life to eternal life in Heaven. In a conversation with Martha, the sister of Lazarus, Jesus said to her, “ … I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?” Jesus came to this life, walking the highways and byways of the Palestinian countryside telling people about God’s wonderful Kingdom. He healed the sick. He raised the dead. To Jesus, death was no obstacle. Paul wrote to his followers some comforting words about death. We read in 1 Corinthians 15:53-55, “For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies. Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”” Paul ends this section with these words, “But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.” That was why Jesus came. And through Him we really do have the victory that will enable us to once again enjoy eating from the Tree of Life.

Dear Heavenly Father. Once again we fall to our knees in worship. You are the living God, the true Life. How wonderful You are. Amen.

Soaring

Posted on by korgrocker

“All you who fear the Lord, trust the Lord! 
He is your helper and your shield. 
He will bless those who fear the Lord, 
both great and lowly. 
May the Lord richly bless both you and your children.
The dead cannot sing praises to the Lord, 
or they have gone into the silence of the grave. 
But we can praise the Lord 
both now and forever! 
Praise the Lord!”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭115:11, 13-14, 17-18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

After expounding the attributes of God, answering the question he had obviously been asked by those around them – “Where is your God?” – the Psalmist continues by contrasting idols, inert lumps of precious metal, with the vibrant wonder of God. The Psalmist lists the qualities of idols, or rather the lack of them, and then finishes this section with the thought that the makers of idols are just like them, lifeless. So when the reader gets this far in the psalm, he is presented with the stark contrast between the living God and lifeless idols, and the pointlessness of putting trust in dead and immovable objects. 

But the Psalmist wastes no further time in the discussion, desperately impatient to focus and expound on God being the Helper and Shield, the totally trustworthy Creator God. In effect the Psalm itself comes to life, abandoning further talk of idols and preferring to focus on God Himself. It’s almost as though the world and its focus on worldly objects is left on the tarmac as our spiritual airliner takes off into the God-void above, where God rules and determines our environment. Those left on the tarmac missed the flight. They didn’t even know that there was one. But God’s people were on board the airliner and soared into the blessings above. Soaring on wings like eagles, effortlessly supported by the wind of God’s Spirit. 

The Psalmist briefly dips back into the thought that, like their idols, those that make them are heading for a silent grave. A grave where singing praises to God is not an option. But those soaring above continue to praise God eternally. Of course, we know that one day the graves will give up their dead and those within them will have a brief encounter with God before heading to their eternal home, a home especially built for idolators. But God’s people will continue to soar in the multi-dimensional environment where God lives. What else can we do except “Praise the Lord!” O, and by the way, the precious metal used to make idols on earth, is used for covering roads in Heaven. Hmmm..