LEARNING DAILY

Mark 16:6, And he said to them, "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; He is not here. See the place where they laid Him.

He is risen! That was the greeting by early Christians. Those greeted would respond, “He is risen, indeed!”

The question Pastor Ed Newton asked this weekend was, “Jesus is alive. Why does it matter?” his message was in response to that question. In Adam, all sin. Because Jesus walked out of the grave, all who believe in that are alive. That not only changed history, but that also changed my (your) history.” If Jesus did not come back from the dead, I have been wasting my time for the last fifty years! “But because He walked out of the grave, sin has been paid for. Death did not win – Jesus was victorious. Now we [Believers] do not fight for victory, we fight from victory; there is no more condemnation because we [Believers] are children of God” (EN).

1Corinthians 15:14, “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.” “Anyone who walks out of their grave can say and do anything He wants. Everything Jesus had taught was right. He had said that He was the Resurrection and the Life. He claimed to be God and proved it when the Tomb was empty; the resurrection backs up what He said would happen” (EN). Pastor Newton went to say the empty tomb validates everything Jesus said about Himself. He challenged all Believers to consider why they keep doing their own thing if Jesus is God and He has told them how to live. “His teaching was right. His way of living was right. If that is right and He came to defeat the devil, then He set Believers free from their sin and way of life. Anyone can question the Believer’s theology, but no one can challenge the Believer’s testimony” (EN). I am certainly not the person I used to be!

“Friday was a day that looked like defeat. Sunday showed Friday was not a tragedy but a strategy. The curse of sin – sin, guilt, death, punishment, condemnation, hell, and judgment – was broken. Christ redeemed us [all who would believe on Him]. It was final; nothing a Believer would ever do would change that because Christ never changes His mind about our salvation. Your worst mistake, your worst decision has been forgiven! Your sin does not overpower His resurrection! Friday is called Good because it took away the believer’s sin. The Resurrection added His righteousness, His holiness. The Believer is no longer guilty, but free. Jesus changes lives. He has changed mine – bitterness has been uprooted, lust defeated, thought life renewed, temptation can be defeated in His name, addictions can be gone, and the Believer can walk in newness of life because of the presence of the Holy Spirit in their life.” (EN).

Because of Sunday, death is defeated! That means Believers are going to see loved ones who have died before them that have believed. Because Jesus is alive, life matters; life is not an accident, not merely existing. The Believer’s future is not unknown. Because of the resurrection, when a Believer dies he/she steps right into heaven and begins a new life, an eternal life with Jesus. Because Jesus was righteous, holy, without guilt or shame, and was perfect, when the Father looks at the Believer through His Son -- righteous, holy, without guilt or shame, and was perfect. If this is all made up, I have wasted almost fifty years studying and teaching about the life, death, resurrection, and the eternity to come.

“Good Friday was good because Sunday was coming!”