Faith for Today and Tomorrow lies in the Empty Tomb (Part 1)

Mark 16:14 "Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.

Do you know that a man can believe that Jesus died for his sins, and yet never quite believe that Christ was raised from the dead to have a real relationship with him? But do you think that God wants his church built up the dead Christ or the living Christ? Christ DIED, but he is not DEAD. Because He’s alive, I live!

Is your Christ dead or alive? Some don’t mind, dead or alive, as long as they are safe and saved. But faith in the resurrection of Jesus changes everything.

• Because Christ has been raised from the dead, we too can be raised up to a new life. Not just a salvation, but a new life. Because He has been reconciled to the Father, we can be reconciled. Because He has entered the glory, we can be transformed in ever increasing glory. Because Jesus and the Father are one in Heaven, we can be one. Whenever there is a diminished revelation of the resurrected Christ in a marriage, a friendship, a church or a nation, there will always be (a) lack of relationship with God; (b) lack of transformed lives; and (c) division and disunity in the marriage, friendship, church and nation. Without resurrection life in a church, we have Old Covenant religion in some form. “Destroy this temple and I will rebuild it in three days”. Man-made temples have to come down when His Body becomes our tabernacle.

• Faith in the resurrection is the only safeguard against idolatry. Whenever our hopes are anchored in something less than eternity, earthly-mindedness sets in. The "law of displacement" tells us that you cannot simply defeat a competing affection - you need to displace it with a higher affection. Ultimately, there remains forever only ONE Pearl of Great Price. When we see the risen Lord, it is not a hard thing to sell all our precious but lesser pearls.

• The resurrection validates Christ’s firm promise to us His disciples, ”and surely I am with you always, even to the very end of the age” (Matt 28:20). He is not only the Son of Man who walked with people in Palestine 2000 years ago. this very day He walks with us by His Spirit, Who is His identical. So, the resurrection means we can have a real and living relationship with Jesus today. “Today, if you hear His voice…” (Heb 3:7). to this day, faith comes by hearing His voice. We live by every word that proceeds (present tense) from His mouth!

• Faith in the resurrection is the only way fear in us can be conquered. “He freed those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death” (Heb 2:15). Do you believe in life after death? In dying on the Cross, Jesus was shouting to us, "watch me!". In being raised from the grave, Jesus was shouting, "you will most certainly be raised from death too - fear not!!"

• His resurrection is the sole guarantee of our FINAL resurrection in Him. Because He has been raised from the dead, and because we are IN HIM, we too will be raised up into heaven when we die. Charles Simeon, the famous English pastor, was asked on his death bed by his best friends why he never had stopped smiling, through all the decades of suffering and persecution. His answer? "My Lord has passed through the prickle bush - and I am joined with Him - so why ought I complain about a few thorns on the way through that same bush, to be with my Lord in glory forever??"

• And finally, His resurrected status in heaven is the anchor to all Christian faith. He stands before the Father, having satisfied His justice, forever our Man in Glory, forever interceding. He is the Author of our Salvation, says Heb 2:10, and He is "the Author and Finisher of our Faith", says Heb 12:2.

When I speak of resurrection faith, I am speaking of our faith that flows from the revelation that Jesus is alive today. We can lose this faith. This is why Paul was prompted to declare that he "had kept the faith" - not "the Christian faith" as some new moral code, but faith that kept his eye on his risen Lord, and kept him persevering with joy through everything the devil threw at him.

The disciples, men who had walked and eaten with Jesus, were taken off guard by the resurrection. so much so that Jesus rebuked them for their stubborn refusal to believe His eye-witnesses. May you and I be eye-witnesses of His face, His glory and His entire Person...today!

love, Nick