How Jesus Died and Rose Again
Why Jesus Died and Why He Rose
Why did Jesus die? And why did He rise from the dead? Was information technology actually necessary? Wasn't there another way? A cleaner manner? A less astringent way to pay for all humanity's sins and purchase their conservancy?
Jesus was perfect—the sinless Son of God. Couldn't He have triumphed over sin with a word, an act of ability, or some other wonderful miracle (like healing bodies or multiplying food)? Why did He have to die and give His life into the easily of sinners? Why was He beaten, spit on, and hung on a cross to die hours later of suffocation?
This is a divine mystery. And pondering it tin make us uncomfortable.
Easter—or Resurrection Day, equally it's known in church building circles—is to be the high signal of the church calendar. Fifty-fifty more and then than Christmas, which celebrates Jesus' nativity, we are to mark Resurrection Twenty-four hour period because without it there would be no Christian religion, no eternal life, and no promise.
Every prophet and spiritual leader has a birthday, just only one in all of history lived, died, and was resurrected—and all of that as full payment for our sins. Jesus' resurrection forms the cornerstone of our religion, and so much then that the apostle Paul writes, "If Christ is not risen, your faith is futile" (ane Corinthians 15:17).
So why is this fundamental deed and 24-hour interval and so important, and what does information technology mean for us nearly ii,000 years afterwards? What does the resurrection specifically tell us about God'southward eye and how we can live in the power and grace of Easter every day?
Permit's await for a moment at what Jesus did afterward He was resurrected. While the reasons for His death and resurrection are vitally important, and many books accept been written and sermons preached on these topics, peradventure what has not been as thoroughly explored is what Jesus' risen life means for the laic today.
Join me in examining iii of the traits that Jesus highlighted during the 40 days later He exited that tomb, and how these can apply to our lives today.
i. Being Relational
Jesus was and is all about relationships. He enjoys a perfect human relationship with His Father, and as a homo, He lived just to delight Him and accomplish His will "on earth as it is in sky" (Matthew 6:x). That is what prompted Jesus to go to the cantankerous, to "lay down [His] life that [He] may have it again" (John x:17), and to ransom us dorsum to God.
The cross was the ultimate statement of our worth and the way dorsum into a relationship with the Begetter for all who will turn and believe. Jesus built relationships during His time on globe, and that continued after He rose from the grave. During the 40 days subsequently the resurrection, He appeared to more 500 people at one time (1 Corinthians 15:6), restored Peter who had denied Him three times (John 21), cleared upward Thomas' doubts (John 20:27), and spent time with His disciples, teaching them almost Himself in the Scriptures (Acts 1:3).
Although He was now "the risen Son of God," He continued to chronicle to His followers (friends, really) much as earlier. He was relational, enjoying time with them, didactics them, and caring for their needs with the aforementioned compassion that marked His ministry before the cross.
This is good news for the states: the same God who died and rose from the dead wanted relationship with His spiritual family even after He had completed a major function of His ministry building. And He still wants human relationship with us even subsequently we receive the gift of conservancy past faith. Don't gloss over this point: salvation is the start of a journeying, non the end—just as the cross began a journeying the Church building is still walking out nearly ii,000 years later. At that place is more to the story!
Prayer: Lord, give the states eyes to encounter more clearly how much Y'all love us and desire a close relationship with us even if we've known You for years. Yous never go tired of us or lose involvement in our hearts. Allow us not lose interest in Yours. Amen.
two. Being Purposeful
Jesus came for a purpose, as He stated in His ain words to Pilate, "For this reason I was built-in, and for this reason I came into the world—to bear witness to the truth" (John eighteen:37, Internet). And He purposefully rose from the expressionless. Purpose marked everything He did, and information technology flowed over into the lives of His disciples.
In Jesus' first run across outside the tomb He charged Mary Magdalene to become and tell His brothers that He rose and that He would meet them in Galilee (Matthew 28:ten; John 20:17). Soon after, He charged His followers to go into all the world and preach the gospel and brand disciples of all nations, a mission that continues today (Matthew 28:eighteen–twenty; Marking 16:15).
Fifty-fifty when Jesus encountered two disciples on the road to Emmaus, He spent most of the conversation explaining how Moses and all the prophets testified of Him, demonstrating the ministry of proclamation (Luke 24:27).
Jesus wasted no time and spent most of the remainder of His 40 days on the earth educational activity His disciples well-nigh God'southward kingdom and preparing them to advance it. The work He had started was now to exist carried out in partnership with those who believed in Him. And almost 2,000 years subsequently, it still is through you and me.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, cheers for actualization to Your disciples to confirm Your resurrection and for sending them out with a mission. Encounter me afresh with the reality of Your risen life and crusade me to walk in the mission to which I'yard called, to the glory of Your name. Amen.
iii. Being Spiritual
Equally practiced equally it was for the disciples to see Jesus once again, He had promised them soon before His death that something amend—Someoneamend, actually—was coming. "It is better for y'all that I go away, because if I do not become, the Helper volition not come to you lot. But if I do become away, then I will send Him to you" (John 16:vii, GNT).
This Helper is the promised Holy Spirit, "the Spirit of truth . . . [who] dwells with y'all and will be in yous" (John 14:17). Jesus even told His followers to "tarry in the city of Jerusalem until [they were] endued with power from on loftier" before starting their ministry to "Judea, Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8).
The resurrection didn't cease our spiritual journey. It began it. Because of Christ's death and resurrection, "the veil of the temple was torn in 2," meaning that all believers now have access to the Holy of Holies—God's very presence (Matthew 27:51). God lives inside of us through His Holy Spirit, making each of us a temple or tabernacle for His presence.
This presence empowers u.s.a. to minister as evidenced by how the apostles proclaimed Christ boldly and performed many miracles in Jesus' name (Acts ii–ten). This power is intended for every believer and is available to u.s. today. Will we inquire (see Luke 11:13)?
Prayer: Jesus, I want to be filled with Your Spirit's power this mean solar day and every day. Assistance me to live in moment-to-moment fellowship with You, walking as You walked and living every bit You lived. In Your name, amen.
Easter, or Resurrection Solar day, doesn't have to exist a once-a-year celebration. It isn't meant to be. There's but too much there to be confined to ane day. And through these simple prayers, nosotros can continue to abound in being relational, purposeful, and spiritual, ready for proficient works that advance Christ'southward kingdom on a daily footing.
How can you walk in the power and grace of Christ'south resurrection on a daily basis?
For more on this topic, nosotros recommendContending for the Power of God past Mike Bickle. In this four-role teaching series (available for download, on CD, or MP3 CD), Mike Bickle weaves together inspiring stories from John G. Lake's life, an exhortation from Jude, and powerful, practical truths to have hold of day by day. Learn more >>
Adam Wittenberg
position
A Detroit native who was raised in Vermont and Connecticut, Adam worked as a newspaper announcer until 2012, when he moved to Kansas City to complete the Intro to IHOPKC internship. Afterwards, he earned a four-year document in Firm of Prayer Leadership from IHOPU and is now on full-fourth dimension staff in the Marketing department at IHOPKC. He also serves in the NightWatch (overnight prayer hours) and is active in evangelism. He, and his wife Stephany, have a vision to reach people everywhere with the good news of Jesus Christ.
Source: https://www.ihopkc.org/resources/blog/why-jesus-died-why-he-rose/
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