Wise Words

"Wait on the Lord, be strong and of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart...wait on the Lord. Psalms 27:14

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Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Word Filled Wednesday for March 31 - Resurrection Week!




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Happy Resurrection Week!


This week Christians everywhere acknowledge a pivotal point in history that literally affects EVERYONE! That event is the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. And because we focus on the Resurrection this week especially, from Palm Sunday to Resurrection Sunday, I call this Resurrection Week along with Holy Week.

"He is not here, but He is risen" (verse 6) are words that matter eternally. If they are a lie, humanity has no hope after this life. If they are the truth, rejecting the Risen Lord Jesus Christ has eternal consequences. "He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life" (I John 5:12).

Paul said (I Corinthians 15:14) "and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain."

Many things we believe and do daily matter little. But the Resurrection is eternally important.

The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the crowning proof of Christianity. Everything else that was said or done by Christ and the Apostles, no matter how great or marvelous, is secondary to the Resurrection in importance. If the Resurrection did not take place, then Christianity is a false religion. If it did take place, then Christ is God and the Christian faith is absolute truth.

Death is man’s greatest enemy, and it has conquered all men but Christ. No matter how brilliant or rich or strong he may be, no man is wise enough to outwit death or wealthy enough to purchase freedom from death or strong enough to vanquish death. The grave always wins the victory, and man sooner or later returns to the dust.

In fact, the inexorable triumph of death applies not only to man, but to all things. Animals die and plants die, and even whole species atrophy and become extinct. Cities and nations, like people, are born and grow for a season, and then fade away. Homes and automobiles and clothes wear out and must eventually go back to the dust, just as do their owners. Even the universe itself is running down and heading toward an ultimate “heat death.”

This universal reign of decay and death is called in the Bible the “bondage to decay” (Romans 8:21). In science it has come to be recognized as the Second Law of Thermodynamics. Also known as the Law of Increasing Entropy, this Second Law is now recognized as a universal law in science, with no known exception ever observed. It says, quite simply, that every system tends to become disordered, to run down and eventually die. Its entropy, which is a measure of disorder, always tends to increase.

The universality of the reign of decay and death is the measure of the absolute uniqueness of the resurrection of Christ. All other men, even the greatest men and the holiest men, have died. Buddha, Mohammed, Zoroaster, Confucius, Caesar, Marx, Ghandi—men who made a profound impact on the world in one way or another—are all dead.

But Jesus Christ is alive! It is true that He died and was buried, in common with all other men, but unlike other men He returned from Hades, resurrected His own dead body, made it henceforth immortal, and emerged from the tomb, alive forevermore! This was the greatest of all miracles, and could have been accomplished only if Jesus indeed is God, as He had claimed to be.

If all this is somehow a delusion and if Jesus of Nazareth did not really rise from the dead, then He is no different from other great men who are also dead. He is worse than they, in fact, because He is thereby branded as either a charlatan or a madman, since He staked all His claims to absolute deity on His promise to return from the dead.

On the other hand, if the Resurrection is really a demonstrable fact of history, then not only are His claims vindicated, but so are His promises. Death is not, after all, the great victor but is a defeated foe. He has “caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3). “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, … so also in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:20, 22), as the “firstborn of the dead . . . and behold, I am alive forevermore” (Revelation 1:5, 18).*

Dead in our sins, we have only one hope for new life: by trusting in Jesus Christ and relying on His death and resurrection for our salvation. No other spiritual leader has ever conquered death; Jesus is the unique Son of God. He is “the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6), and “whoever believes in [Him], though he die, yet shall he live” (John 11:25).

What difference does the Resurrection make in your life today?

If you’d like to join us for Word Filled Wednesday, post your photo and Bible verse. (or feel free to add mine to your site) Then send a link back so others can visit and have a word filled day!

To see other wonderful Word Filled Wednesdays for this week please hop on over to Amy Deanne @ 160 Acre Woods Amy Deanne @ 160 Acre Woods or drop by “The 160 Acre Woods” to find out more about how to participate in Word Filled Wednesdays.

15 comments:

livinginbetween said...

I love this verse! He became sin so I could become righteousness. Amazing Grace.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today -- your comments blessed me.

Joyfull said...

I love this verse! Thank you for sharing on the power of the resurrection, what a great post! Jesus makes the difference in my life, because He is victorious over sin, hell and death. Praise Him! Praise Him!

Have a blessed Holy Week!

Anonymous said...

Fine preaching, sister. If Christ is not alive, then we are to be pitied, and Christianity means nothing.

But He's alive! Enjoyed your cartoons... :~D

Happy Easter!

e-Mom @ Chrysalis

Peggy said...

Blessings Nic... Hallelujah! RESURRECTION SUNDAY IS COMING!

First the serious and beauty of the first WFW and the wonderful verse from 1st Corinthians! So thankful that He who was without sin, paid my debt! So blessed my the breastplate of Christ's righteousness!

Second WFW!!! YESS!! I'm with this one!

Then the excellent preaching/ teaching message! AMEN!
Celebrating a Holy & Resurrection Week with you! Jesus Christ makes all the difference in every day!
I'm so glad that He conquered sin and death! I'm so thankful I can call Him Lord, Redeemer, Savior, Messiah, Risen Lord & have eternal life & hope! I am so blessed that I know Him as the way, the truth and the life...and now that is why I must shout and share...

JESUS IS ALIVE! HE LIVES! and you can too! Believe and be saved by Him, not by works, nor my your own power or might but by His Spirit!

Thanks Nic... Happy & blessed Resurrection Celebration!

Manda said...

... and this is why we LIVE!
Thanks for sharing :)

Christy said...

Beautiful!

When I read that verse I started singing the Chris Tomlin song and had myself a little worship moment :)

He is Risen Indeed!

Peggy said...

Thanks Nicole!

It only seems fair that if you go to two blogs for two different comments for me that I should return the visit.

So many great points and scriptures included in this powerful message!

I love this beautiful depiction of Jesus and this verse! He has RISEN!
Hallelujah! Rejoice and enJOY this Holy Resurrection Week!

from
Lion of Judah post at
The Power of Your Love

Michele Williams said...

Amen! He has risen indeed!! Praise the Lord! Love the pic and verse too!

Thank you for visiting my blog today. I'm glad you were blessed. I will be praying for you and your family. God will provide.

God bless you dear.

Unknown said...

Oh I LOVE that cartoon! It is cool. Thanks so much

Happy WFW

Anonymous said...

Great verses! Happy Resurrection Week!

Karen said...

Amen...loved ALL of this...the Resurrection means hope and life to me...my God is alive and real....

stacey said...

Amen girl, great verse, and beautiful post!

Happy Resurrection week:)

Unknown said...

You summed it up pretty good.

I can't imagine not having Jesus in my life. Just cant imagine....

From the Heart said...

I look forward to our Resurrection Day and it's all because of one man who gave His only Son that we might have eternal life.

Thanks for your comment on my blog
Blessings,
AliceE.

Amydeanne said...

Resurrection day! Amen! This is actualy the first year I've heard that term instead of calling it Easter, and I'm so excited about using it because it really says what my heart sings!
Thanks for encouraging me this morning!
happy Easter!