The death and resurrection of Jesus are central truths of our Christian faith. The miraculous resurrection of Jesus gives assurance to Christians that he really is the Son of God.
“Jesus said to [Martha], ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?’” (John 11:25-26). And my question for you is, do you believe that Jesus is the resurrection and the life?
It is common practice at Easter to sing songs that proclaim the glorious resurrection of our Savior. Lyrics such as, “He lives! He lives! Christ Jesus lives today!” ring out in traditional Christian churches across our land as voices are lifted in exuberant praise.
Again we are preparing our hearts to bow before him and rejoice in his victory over death. My former crusade soloist Dallas Holm composed a classic Easter song entitled Rise Again that contains the lyrics, “Yes, I’ll rise again! Ain’t no power on earth can tie Me down. Yes, I’ll rise again! Death can’t keep Me in the ground.” But Dallas ends the song with these words: “Yes, I’ll come again. Come to take My people back.”
Jesus defeated the power of sin and death and because God raised Jesus from the dead, we, too, have reason to believe that we will be raised to live in God’s presence forever. Because he lives, we shall live with him!
During this wonderful season, we should do more than look back on the triumphant event of Christ’s coming out of the tomb. While that is enough to make us rejoice with full hearts, we also have the hope of being united with him in heaven forever — a truth that is not easy to grasp. As the Holy Spirit gives us revelation, may we allow hope to grip our hearts and renew our anticipation of living with him eternally.