Resurrection Reflections part 10

Resurrection Sunday is my favorite church service of the entire year.  Here at Summit, we get to baptize droves of people who take this Sunday to publicly proclaim their faith in Jesus.  All around the globe, the joy and hope that the gospel offers Christians is celebrated on this one Sunday.

Paul talks about the gospel as a message of “first importance” in 1st Corinthians 15:3-6.  In that chapter, he boils the gospel down to Christ’s death for sins, burial, and resurrection, which all happened according to the Scriptures.  Acts records the very first Christian sermons by the apostles, and the Resurrection figures prominently in all of them.  This is the message that turned the world up-side-down 2,000 years ago.

What’s so special about this message?  We’ll be doing some reflection on that in the next few weeks on this blog.  We’ll have several different contributors from Summit staff and small group leaders that will way in on this topic.

For me, I’ve been very enriched in my recent study of the Resurrection, and I’m very excited to share it with you.  1 Cor. 15:20-21 says “In fact, Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.  For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.”  Paul says that the Resurrection of Jesus was a glimpse into a glorious future.

Right now, death and sin are certainties in the present, and they continually rob us of joy, peace, life, health, fellowship, etc.  I’m sick and tired of it, and if I never have to go to another funeral I’d be thrilled.  Fortunately, God feels the same way, and He’s got the power to do something about it!  Sin and death are temporary and God is going to restore to us eternal life.

Imagine being one of the first witnesses of the Resurrection of Jesus.  Those who were there knew two things immediately:  1)  this was something that had enormous implications for EVERYONE.  Not just Jews, not just middle-easterners, not just citizens and colonies of the Roman Empire …. this had meaning for every single person.  2)  God was demonstrating in human history that he had power over sin and death.  Up until that moment, they may have vaguely or moderately hoped for a final victorious day where God made all things right.  But that moment made this hope come alive, bursting forth with power and promise, when Jesus rose again.

Jesus was the “firstfruits” of the New Creation.  Where he has gone, we will follow into a fully renewed, redeemed, and unceasing life!

If you want to hear more of how the Resurrection changes our lives and gives us hope, come to Basic Beliefs, Sundays at 11am.  Click here for more details.