Easter weekend is this weekend. I always look forward to this Sunday and celebrating the life of my Savior. Then I always get convicted the Sunday following Easter for not being as enthused and excited as I was last week. In the life of the believer, every Sunday is Easter! Furthermore, in the life of the believer, every single day should be Easter. Galatians 2:20a says, "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but CHRIST who LIVES in me." The hymn writer Alfred Henry Ackley wrote these words, "He LIVES, He LIVES, Christ Jesus LIVES today! He walks with me and talks with me along life’s narrow way. He LIVES, He LIVES, salvation to impart! You ask me how I know He LIVES? He LIVES within my heart." My God LIVES and He LIVES in me! Every morning when our feet the floor we should celebrate Easter because our God LIVES!
Now, I want to point something out and remind you of something as we go into this weekend... It's all about JESUS!
You may think this is an obvious statement. However, I feel that we may preach, teach, and sing about God more than Jesus Himself. Now please don't get me wrong here. I absolutely, 100% believe in a triune God and believe that Jesus Himself was and is 100% God. So where is my concern?
Most every religion has a god that they proclaim and worship. Some even have a prophet or leader whose teaching they base their lives on. My concern is this... As we preach, teach, and sing about God, are these sermons, lessons, and songs something that anyone in any religion could say or sing about their god? I think many times the answer is yes. In our churches we are saying and singing the same things about our God that others are saying and singing about false gods. For example, "(G)od is great, (G)od is powerful, we worship you (G)od, we surrender to you (G)od, (G)od your will be done." All of these things are completely true about the one true, Jehovah God. However, other religions could possibly claim these same things about their god.
So does that mean we shouldn't preach, teach, or sing these things about our God? I'm not necessarily saying that. What I'm saying is we need to make sure we are proclaim what is different and true exclusively about our God; Jehovah God.
What is this truth? What is the distinction we are to make in our lives and churches about Jehovah God? I tell you this... The distinction is found solely in the person of JESUS CHRIST!
Jesus Christ is the center of everything. He is the center of Bible. He is the center of calendar. Everything in our lives as believers is because of and centered around the person of Jesus. The person who came to us, died for us, rose again, intercedes for us, and lives in us! Every other religion is based on our efforts to reach god. The Bible declares that God came to us! We can have peace with God through Jesus. Once we have peace with God, also through Jesus, we are equipped with power and purpose. Other religions have that backwards. They try to have power and purpose and accomplish things here on earth so that one day they will be able to achieve peace with god. Jesus changed that! He came to us, died for us, rose again, intercedes for us, and lives us. He accomplished what we could not. He absorbed the wrath of God that was meant for us. He was perfect while we are sinful. He is holy while we are disgusting. He is righteous while we like filthy rags. He conquered death, hell, and the grave so that we too can and will one day overcome death, hell, and the grave and live forever with Him!
This Sunday is one of the two biggest holidays in the world and they both are centered around Jesus. So as we gather, we are celebrating the life of JESUS. Proclaim the name of JESUS. Sing the name of JESUS. Preach the name of JESUS. Teach the name of JESUS. Not just this Sunday, but everyday may our lives, the lives of the church, proclaim, portray, shine, and lift high the "name that is above every name, so that at the name of JESUS every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that JESUS CHRIST is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."! (Phil. 2:9-11)
You ask me how I know He LIVES? He LIVES within my heart!
JESUS LIVES!
