The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is not only the beginning of The End; it is, more importantly, the beginning of a whole New World! What God created to be "very good" was destroyed by sin. Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross took sin's power away. Now that sin has been defeated, what is the point of the resurrection? Simply this: the resurrection is the new beginning of creation. It's not enough to be saved from sin, as wonderful as that blessing is. What we need is to be recreated.Jesus was the first to be clothed with immortality when he became the firstborn from the dead. The New Age has begun. The Kingdom of God has been established. Jesus is the firstfruits of what will be a glorious harvest in the Last Day. In the words of theologian N.T. Wright, "The resurrection is not an isolated supernatural oddity proving how powerful, if apparently arbitrary, God can be when he wants to. Nor is it at all a way of showing that there is indeed a heaven awaiting us after death. It is the decisive event demonstrating that God's kingdom really has been launched on earth as it is in heaven" (Surprised by Hope).
Now we can all sing our new final verse for the Creation Song: "Day eight, day eight; Jesus rose now all can be great!" Maranatha!
1 comment:
I really do love to hear new insights into the Resurrection of Jesus!
Having the evidence found in the Bible pointed out, that I know i've over-looked before, was amazing. It's like one of those "oh yeah" kind of feelings!
Which is something that i've come to admire from your sermons
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