Rose from the dead

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Picture this. A friend of yours says, “I’m going to die. Then, on the third day, I’m going to rise from the dead.” How would you react? I think I’d have a really hard time not bursting out laughing!

But how would you react if your friend DID it? Would you be surprised? Of course! Would you understand it completely? Probably not right away. And … the next time your friend made a promise to you, do you think you’d listen? Absolutely!

The above scenario? That’s what Jesus did. He told his disciples on several occasions that he would die, and that he’d then rise. That’s exactly what happened.

Here’s how. After Jesus died—at 3:00 p.m. on Friday—several of his followers hastily buried him in a tomb cut out of the rock, like a cave. A stone was rolled in front of the entrance. The burial was hasty because the Sabbath Day began Friday at sundown—the Jews would not allow themselves to work on the Sabbath. The religious leaders remembered Jesus’ promise that he’d rise. Of course, they didn’t believe it, but they thought that the disciples might steal his body and claim he had risen. So, they asked Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, for permission to seal the tomb and post a guard. Pilate agreed.

Early Sunday morning an earthquake shook the whole area. An angel rolled the stone away from the front of the tomb, revealing that the tomb was empty. The grave clothes were still there, folded nicely. During that day, Jesus appeared several times to different groups of his followers, assuring them that he had risen, just as he’d promised.

During the next 40 days, Jesus appeared more than a dozen times after his resurrection, sometimes to individuals, sometimes to small groups, sometimes to his group of disciples, and one time he appeared before 500 people! He wanted people to know that he really had risen.

But so what? What does it mean? For the answer, listen to what the apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:17, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.” If Jesus didn’t rise, then his work was useless. If Jesus didn’t come out of the grave, you and I are stuck—stuck in our sins, with no way out. You and I would stand before God as guilty, to be condemned eternally.

But what if Christ HAS risen from the dead? What would that mean? That would mean that we’re no longer “in our sins.” That would mean we’re forgiven! That would mean that we stand before God as innocent! Christ HAS been raised! He did come out of the grave! That is God’s ULTIMATE proof to you that you’re forgiven, and by faith in the risen Christ you have a new life now and the sure hope of heaven forever!

Saved by Grace through Jesus

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When the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of
righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. – Titus 3:4-5

What can happen if you forgot to close the gate in your back yard and you let the dog out? You were 99% sure you closed it. What might happen if you are 99% sure you turned the stove off before you left the house? We don’t like to be less than 100% sure of something; it makes us uncomfortable that something bad can happen.

That’s why we really like the word GRACE. For the past 500 years the Lutheran church has focused on the fact that the Bible tells us very plainly that we are saved by grace. God tells us that he has done everything for our salvation and he gives eternal life to us as a free gift—there is nothing we have to do for it. This is an amazing message of good news!

However, the proclamation of God’s Word wasn’t always clear. For many years the message of the Bible was not made available to everyone. People went to church, they confessed their sins, they heard the priest tell them to go and do certain things and then maybe, hopefully they might make it into heaven. How would people ever know if they did enough, or if they were good enough? They were led to believe that Jesus’ life and death were not enough; they still had to contribute in some way for their salvation. Even after they died, someone still might need to do something to help them finally reach heaven. Imagine the doubt.

The Word of God removes all doubt about our salvation. The Bible teaches us: “When the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.” Salvation does not depend on what we do, but entirely on what Jesus Christ came to do for us.

Jesus had great mercy on us. In his love he died the death we deserved and rescued us from our sins. By faith in him as our Savior, we have complete confidence of eternal life in heaven.

This is the main message of the Bible that we preach and teach in the Lutheran church. We are saved by grace through Jesus. Please come and hear it for yourself.

Trust your faithful Lord and Savior

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“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” – Isaiah 41:10

“Do not fear.” “Do not be afraid.” “Fear not.” God has spoken those reassuring words to his people throughout history. Scripture contains dozens and dozens of instances where the Lord spoke such words of comfort. Whether it was to Abram before his big move or to Joshua trying to fill the shoes of Moses or to Mary and Joseph about to become parents of the Messiah or to the Israelites in Isaiah’s day facing war and destruction, God has lovingly said to his people: “Do not fear.”

When do you need him to say those words to you? Maybe you are about to have surgery. Maybe it is when you are anxious because it is your first day on the job or your first day of retirement. Perhaps it is when you are trying to get up the courage to speak to your friend about Jesus. Or maybe it is when you recently lost a spouse and don’t know how to move forward. On such days as these, your Lord says: “Do not be afraid.”

‘That’s easy for him to say,’ we may think to ourselves. ‘He’s not the one going through what we are going through.’ Dear friend in Christ, please realize that when the Lord says, “Do not be afraid,” those aren’t just nice words meant to flatter us for a moment or to give us a quick pep talk. Those words are spoken by the Almighty God who has already backed up his words with powerful action. The One who tells us not to fear is the same one who has achieved our salvation by sending his Son into this world to live and die for us. Jesus’ death and resurrection in our place prove that God will always be there for us. He will never leave us alone. He has planned our future and it is eternal and perfect and glorious.

God’s encouragement for us not to be afraid comes with words of power: “I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” God knows exactly what we need and what we are going through and he knows exactly what he needs to do to keep us safe and finally bring us home to heaven.

Whatever you are facing today or tomorrow or the next day, don’t be afraid. Trust your faithful Lord and Savior to get you through each day and to bless you with strength and faith and everything else you need for this life.