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Welcome, happy morning! Age to age shall say:
Hell today is vanquished, Heaven is won today!
Lo! The Dead is living, God forevermore!
Him, our true Creator, all His works adore!
The disciples had been hiding in fear since the day when our
Lord was taken and crucified, but they were glad when they
saw the Lord. God’s people are always glad when we see
Christ (Ps. 27:4).
They Have Seen Him
The disciples had some special quality about them that made
their testimony believable. They had seen Jesus alive
before. They had seen Jesus die and buried. Now, they had
seen Him alive again.
They saw Him alive. They communed with Him. They saw His
miracles. They heard what He taught.
They saw Him died. They saw Christ on the cross. They saw
the body of Jesus being placed into the tomb, and sealed
with a heavy stone (Luke 23:48-49).
They saw Him alive again. Peter saw (20:5). John saw (John
20:8). Mary Magdalene saw (20:14, 18). The disciples saw
(John 20:20). Thomas saw (John 20:29).
The resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ is not a figment
of the disciples’ imagination. The disciples believe in the
resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, and that is why they
were glad.
+ Do you believe? Are you glad to know that Christ
has risen from the dead?
They were glad
The disciples were glad when they saw the risen Lord because
the resurrection has certain implications.
A. Resumption of Communion with Christ
At the superficial level, the disciples were glad because
the One whom they loved, and the One who loved them was
alive again. He is to them – “altogether lovely.”
+ Does Christ bring gladness into your heart?
B. Reconciliation of Sinners to God
At the spiritual level, the resurrection of our Lord Jesus
is the basis for the sinners’ reconciliation with God. The
empty tomb proves conclusively the Person and the works of
our Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 1:4). The resurrection
demonstrates our Lord’s ability to save (Rom. 4:25). In
Christ, we “have redemption through his blood, the
forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace”
(Eph. 1:6-7)
+ Are you reconciled to God?
C Restoration of Hope in Christ
The death of our Lord Jesus Christ had robbed and diminished
the hope of the disciples. But their fears were dispelled by
the resurrection. In Christ, their hopes were now realized,
and their confidence was restored.
+ Does the God of hope fill you with all joy?
(Rom. 15:13)
D Reaffirmation of Truth and the Purpose of Our
Life in Christ
The disciples were glad because God’s truth and His purpose
for their lives were reaffirmed by the resurrection. In Luke
24:8, after the angels had told them that Jesus was not in
the tomb, the disciples remembered His words concerning the
resurrection (John 2:19-22).
After the resurrection, the apostles were
fearless in the proclamation of the truth (1 John 1:1-4).
+ Are you doing the will of God?
Conclusion: they were changed
The death of our Lord Jesus could not sever the relationship
between our Lord and the disciples. It would so mean that
their deaths also could not sever their relationship with
Him (Rom. 8:35-39).
Thomas was a doubter of the resurrection until
our Lord Jesus appeared to him (John 20:24-28). Our Lord
said to Thomas, “because thou hast seen me, thou hast
believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have
believed.” (John 20:29). Believers today are the blessed
ones because we have not seen the risen Christ and yet we
believe. To believe in Christ is to know that we are His
servants.
A. A New Life
The resurrection gives sinners a new life. “The resurrection
confronts the Christian with the necessity of godly living”
(Rom. 6:3-11). This newness of life in Christ is the gift of
God.
+
Do you have this new life in Christ? John’ Gospel is written
for you that “ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the
Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through
his name” (John 20:31).
B. A New Attitude of Service
The resurrection also made several demands on the believer.
The resurrection also gives us a new heart to serve Him.
When we fail to fully grasp the blessed truth that our Lord
Jesus Christ is alive working in and among us now, we are
easily discouraged in our Christian walk and service.
+ The resurrection of Christ is the inspiration in
the life’s work of the Christian. Are you a faithful servant
of our Lord Jesus? |
