Easter ROARS Over a Devastated America

The Easter Morning sun rises on a devastated nation. The day that carries the best message mankind has ever heard, is greeted by scenes of chaos. Easter sees the cruel hand of government breaking the heart of patriots. Resurrection morning arrives to see America praising porn and even Disney parading perversion.

Easter 2022 witnesses America digging up her heroes from the very moral bottom of society—stifling truth, yet imposing lies on children. The morning sun finds mothers crying and the souls of the free and the brave sitting among the ashes in the prison yard of a ‘woke’ penitentiary.

In a prior blog, we investigated Mary Magdalene on the day Jesus died. Then we relived Peter’s agony on the day after Jesus died.

Now we get personal. We will talk about you, on this Easter Sunday Morning, in 2022.

You are trying to love God, raise your children, and eke out a life in this American Armageddon. And now the enemies of God have turned their weapons on the Church. They are hell-bent on driving Christianity out of our nation.

 I know you cannot imagine America coming back from this. But Easter Can!  

So, Easter stands up and boldly reminds you, “This is nothing new. It was like this the first Easter.” I know you cannot imagine America coming back from this. But Easter can! I know you cannot see a way for freedom, decency, justice, truth and love to pour down our streets like a river—but I can. The first time was total blackness and despair. Even those closest to Jesus could not imagine how resurrection power was about to turn the tables, flip the script, and deliver the blow to evil.

Easter, in 2022, is neither apologetic nor soft. Easter is acting like a general instilling courage into a beleaguered army.  Easter roars: “WE HAVE THE PROOF! AND THAT IS ALL THAT MATTERS!”

Easter is grabbing preachers by their lapels and shouting, “DON’T YOU DARE APOLOGIZE! I SAID WE HAVE THE PROOF—AND THE PROOF IS ALL THAT MATTERS!”

Easter is not an inspirational analogy.  It is not an anecdote to be preached in a wispy voice, reminding us, “The long winter will eventually give way to spring.”  That’s like talking about the atomic bomb as if it were a disposable lighter.

Today, our programs do not make Easter better.  The world can get better entertainment in many other places, under many other banners.  The idea that organizational-hype or stage-dazzle, can improve the resurrection, is pure foolishness.

On this day of all days, Easter demands we remember what separates the claims of Jesus from all religions on earth.

Easter is not polite. It is fire!  It is not about bunnies or eggs, and it has no place among the other harmless religious holidays.

On this day of all days, Easter demands we remember what separates the claims of Jesus from all religions on earth.

The difference is laid out in Acts 17:31, “For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the Man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead.”

The difference is that He has given proof.  The resurrection of Jesus is an imposing, unmatched event. It didn’t just happen; it is happening now.  Its evidence won’t go away. Its power never dissipated.  Its blast radius has yet to be measured.

Opposition only increases its power. The more man tries to bury the news of the Resurrection, the more it spreads.   Just when the enemies of the Cross feel secure in debunking Easter, some new wrinkle is found that pushes atheism back to square one.

Opposition only increases its power. The more man tries to bury the news of the Resurrection, the more it spreads.

The Resurrection rips away your excuses.  God has set a Day of Judgment—a day where everyone reading this, yea, every descendant of Adam, will stand before God to be judged.  And, He will do it with JUSTICE.

To do it with justice—to justify such a day, God would first commit an act—an act so undeniable it destroys every excuse for rejecting Christ.

Gospel preachers should never apologize at Easter.  They should proclaim!  The proof demands it!  It calls for all who hear to repent on the spot.  There is nothing to mull over or go home and think about.

The difference is the proof and the proof is the difference. That proof is why we know the gates of hell will not prevail against the Church. That proof is why we raise our heads, because our redemption draws nigh.

And, because He is risen indeed, that proof is about to be seen as we cast off the lies and the threats, take up the weapons of God, and reclaim our nation!

Monday, 07 NOV 2020

 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

John 11:25 KJV

“You don’t have to wait for the End. I am, right now, Resurrection and Life. The one who believes in me, even though he or she dies, will live. And everyone who lives believing in me does not ultimately die at all. Do you believe this?”

John 11:25 MSG

Don't Be Distracted

from what is truly important.

Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.

And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.

And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.

And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:

And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?

He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,

Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.

(Luke 24:1-7)

He is not in the tomb; He is risen!

God's Word for Sunday, 4/5/2020

For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

2 Corinthians 5:14-15 KJV

Our firm decision is to work from this focused center: One man died for everyone. That puts everyone in the same boat. He included everyone in his death so that everyone could also be included in his life, a resurrection life, a far better life than people ever lived on their own.

2 Corinthians 5:14-15 MSG

God's Word for Saturday, 4/20/19

For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:

After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.

1 Corinthians 15:3-7 KJV

The first thing I did was place before you what was placed so emphatically before me: that the Messiah died for our sins, exactly as Scripture tells it; that he was buried; that he was raised from death on the third day, again exactly as Scripture says; that he presented himself alive to Peter, then to his closest followers, and later to more than five hundred of his followers all at the same time, most of them still around (although a few have since died); that he then spent time with James and the rest of those he commissioned to represent him ...

1 Corinthians 15:3-7 MSG

God's Word for Friday, 4/19/19

But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

1 Corinthians 15:20-22 KJV

But the truth is that Christ has been raised up, the first in a long legacy of those who are going to leave the cemeteries. There is a nice symmetry in this: Death initially came by a man, and resurrection from death came by a man. Everybody dies in Adam; everybody comes alive in Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:20-22 MSG

God's Word for Sunday, 4/14/19

Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

1 Corinthians 15:1, 3-4 KJV

Friends, let me go over the Message with you one final time— this Message that I proclaimed and that you made your own; this Message on which you took your stand and by which your life has been saved. (I’m assuming, now, that your belief was the real thing and not a passing fancy, that you’re in this for good and holding fast.) The first thing I did was place before you what was placed so emphatically before me: that the Messiah died for our sins, exactly as Scripture tells it; that he was buried; that he was raised from death on the third day, again exactly as Scripture says ...

1 Corinthians 15:1, 3-4 MSG

God's Word for Good Friday, 4/14

Friends, let me go over the Message with you one final time— this Message that I proclaimed and that you made your own; this Message on which you took your stand and by which your life has been saved. (I’m assuming, now, that your belief was the real thing and not a passing fancy, that you’re in this for good and holding fast.) The first thing I did was place before you what was placed so emphatically before me: that the Messiah died for our sins, exactly as Scripture tells it; that he was buried; that he was raised from death on the third day, again exactly as Scripture says; that he presented himself alive to Peter, then to his closest followers, and later to more than five hundred of his followers all at the same time, most of them still around (although a few have since died); that he then spent time with James and the rest of those he commissioned to represent him; and that he finally presented himself alive to me. It was fitting that I bring up the rear. I don’t deserve to be included in that inner circle, as you well know, having spent all those early years trying my best to stamp God’s church right out of existence.

1 Corinthians 15:1, 3-4 MSG

What's Easter All About?

To believe as Paul said, that God raised Jesus from the dead (Acts 2:24), is the key to our salvation. Such belief does in fact run counter to the laws of nature -- as a result, those who believe it and openly confess it are then open to mockery and ridicule. But religion or politics that compromises essential truth to appease skeptics holds no hope for the present or the future.

The death and the literal resurrection of Jesus are just as essential in our redemption as His virgin birth and sinless nature. While the skeptics and critics may scoff at belief in the resurrection, there can be no victory over the grave for you and me without it. Take a few moments to read the following piece on the resurrection from Rob Schwartzwalder, Family Research Council's Senior Vice President for Policy.

He Is Risen

The resurrection of Jesus was the most decisive, glorious, and astonishing event in history. Conceived in a virgin, sinless in nature, human in body, fully God and fully man, Jesus was raised to life, His body not resuscitated but renewed and transformed.

He could appear and, just as suddenly, disappear. He could ascend from earth and pass through walls and yet prepare grilled fish and urge one of His disciples to place his fingers in the wounds in His body. Only God can do all of these things.

Why? Why does His resurrection mean so much?

Before the resurrection came the cross. On the cross, Jesus bore the punishment for sin that each of us deserves. He "Who knew no sin became sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (Christ)" (II Corinthians 5:21), and the Father poured His rightful anger at all human sin into His Son. Jesus's physical suffering was unparalleled, but His inner suffering – experiencing the judgment of hell, the separation from the Father, on our behalf – was what purchased our redemption. Only an eternal and infinite being could experience eternal and infinite pain in time and space.

He bore the penalty for our sins so we don't have to. He is our Savior – but He wouldn't be our Savior unless He was a risen one.

Jesus's resurrection proved that once His atoning work on our behalf on the cross was finished, the sinless God-man could not be held in the grave.

His resurrection also showed that Jesus's claim to be God in human flesh was true. "The Resurrection serves as the … demonstration of the truth of His claims about Himself," writes theologian R.C. Sproul. It was "an act by which the Father universally vindicates the authenticity of His Son. In this sense, Christ is justified before the whole world by His resurrection."

Jerry Bridges served with the Navigators ministry for roughly 60 years. He went home to be with his Lord earlier this month at the age of 86. Jerry was not an imposing figure, or an eloquent preacher. He simply knew, deeply, the Risen One, and wrote classic books (The Pursuit of Holiness, "Respectable" Sins) that have helped hundreds of thousands of believers draw closer to the living Christ.

In 2008, Jerry wrote this about the resurrection:

The resurrection of Jesus assures us of our justification. Paul wrote, "And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins" (I Cor. 15:17). If Christ were still in the tomb it would mean God's wrath was not satisfied, and we would still stand guilty before God. But as Paul also wrote in Romans 4:25: "[Jesus] was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification."

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is a fact of history. It provides the assurance of eternal life to all who will trust in Christ alone for their forgiveness. And it offers them the confidence of knowing there is a living Savior, Lord, and Friend Who "is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them" (Hebrews 7:25).

If there's better news than that, no one has ever heard it. And here's the most joyous thing of all: It's true!

Happy Resurrection Day to you and your family!