257 Kendall Street
Burlington, WI 53105
(262) 763-3021
|
|
We have purchased land on Highways A & W and are planning to build soon! Drive by and take a look at our future home!
“The resurrection is not merely important to the historic Christian faith; without it, there would be no Christianity. It is the singular doctrine that elevates Christianity above all other world religions.” Adrian Rogers
April 4th, 2010
Being dead can be a real drag, especially if you're alive. Don’t believe me? Then, just ask Doris Temple, 85, a Navy veteran. This past January Doris learned that the government had declared her deceased. Strongly suspecting an error, she protested, but not before she lost her health insurance and thousands of dollars in income – Social Security benefits as well as private insurance and pension payments. All the while, she got letters addressed to "the estate of Doris Temple," some of which included condolences. Then, when she tried to rent an apartment, the power company wouldn't hook up her utilities because, as a corpse, she had a lousy credit score. Finally, after weeks of work by her and her son, much of the damage from the mistake – which the Social Security Administration eventually fixed – had been reversed. But Doris still remains wary.
Rebirth is hard work. As it turns out, not dying requires a lot of energy. Word of her passing seemed to spread quicker than news of her subsequent rebirth, particularly among those who owed her money. Most companies who owed her money for her pension have now restored her benefits, but one more problem popped up: When the government corrected its records, it listed Doris Temple’s birth date as December 15, 2009. She's now an infant and has 60-plus years left to re-qualify for Social Security.
Today is Easter Sunday. As Christians, we have gathered to celebrate the resurrection of our Savior and Lord. But His resurrection is not some mistake or a governmental error. It’s not a myth or a hoax. Our Lord is alive and His resurrection has changed everything for all eternity! "He is risen!" That’s what we are celebrating this morning. Jesus Christ arose from the dead and what a difference His resurrection has made!
Think about the transformations that His resurrection made to the cross and the tomb. Before His resurrection, the cross was known only as an instrument of horrible death, rough wood soaked with human blood. So terrible was this form of execution that the Roman Empire prohibited the crucifixion of Roman citizens. Crucifixion was only for the worst of slaves and enemies of the empire. Yet, today, because of His resurrection, we wear a replica of the cross as a piece of jewelry, a thing of beauty, for all around the world the cross is seen as a symbol of hope and a reminder of God’s love for us.
And what about His tomb? Before the resurrection, for most of the world, the grave was looked upon as the final chapter, the closing of a great door, the end of everything. But because of His resurrection, we can rejoice today that beyond death is where life really begins and it will never end.
All our lives, it seems, we work and struggle to accumulate things that we think are important, but when we’re dealing with death and what happens after death, then all these things seem so unimportant, so inconsequential. What difference does it really make what kind of car we drive? Or, what kind of house we live in? Or, what clothes we wear? If we’re talking about eternity, then what difference do things really make? On one side of the resurrection, everything we see is temporary. Only the things we cannot see are eternal. What a difference the resurrection makes!
Jesus’ resurrection changed time itself. Before the resurrection, time was a limited thing. The Bible talks about the breath of life that we have in our nostrils and then it’s gone. There’s no promise that when we exhale that we will inhale again. Life is very brief. Time is slipping by. It’s going so fast that it’s hard to hold on to anything, isn’t it? On one side of the resurrection, time is brief, but on the other side there is Jesus and all of eternity. That fact changes the whole purpose, meaning and scope of our life. That’s the real world; this one is transient and quickly passing.
Jesus’ resurrection changed life, too. Have you been listening to the messages of the world lately? Have you been hearing the voices of hopelessness and despair that seem to be so pervasive today? Suddenly we have become so painfully and personally aware of the presence of terrorism on our planet. The men and women of our armed forces are spread across the globe engaged in what will undoubtedly be a prolonged battle against the forces of hatred and evil. There are diseases for which we have no cures. There are problems in the home. Children are being abused. People are sleeping on the streets. And if you watch and listen very long, you can be filled with despair. If the only hope that we have is the hope that this world offers, we have no hope because the message of this world is despair.
In contrast, the Lord Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). Even if life is wracked with pain, even if there is loneliness and sorrow, you’ll be able to go on; you’ll find the strength that comes through Jesus and the power of His resurrection.
Finally, Jesus’ resurrection changed death itself. Before Christ’s resurrection, death was the end. It was the final curtain call and all we could do is mourn as those who have no hope. But after the resurrection, when someone dies, we mourn because we have lost a loved one. But we mourn as people who have great hope because Jesus Christ is alive and the promise of Scripture is that if He is alive, then we, too, can live forever.
Our sins are forgiven by His shed blood and we have the promise of everlasting life. It changes the whole concept of death itself. As the Apostle Paul wrote, “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 15:55-57). Christ’s resurrection makes all the difference. It changes everything. Have you let it change your life and eternal destiny?