Category Archives: Scriptures

Empty Tomb

Easter: God is Alive

Easter, Meditation, Scriptures

On the third day, the unthinkable happened. After being completely dead buried in a tomb, Jesus is now walking around in flesh and breathing once again – God is alive! The Son of God has risen from the dead – a feat which no one else has been able to accomplish throughout the history.

It was on this day when mourning and sorrow turned into joy and dancing for everyone, for death has been defeated and vanquished forever. This celebration began with Mary Magdalene’s declaration, “I have seen the Lord!” Ever since that day, millions of Christians have gathered to celebrate this monumental event in human history and once again declare, “God is alive, and I have seen Him in my own life!”

Let the Alleluias ring once again, for Christ is risen this morning and God is alive forever! Let the Alleluias ring once again, for the power of sin, death, and darkness has been defeated forever! Let the Alleluias ring once again, for we are able to experience God’s love, grace, and mercy and have a personal relationship with Him, which are made possible only by Jesus’ resurrection and victory over death and sin!

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The Resurrection

1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3 So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. 4 Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went back to their homes.

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.

Source: The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2001). (Jn 20:1–18). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Day 19: “What Shall I Say?”

Evangelism, God, Lent 2016, Meditation, Preaching, Scriptures

Day 19: “What Shall I Say?”
Passage: Exodus 3:13-22

When Moses began his prayer filled with awe, fear, and doubt, and in spite of God’s assurance that Moses would not be alone, Moses questioned God and asked Him in verse 13, “If I come to the Israelites and say to them the God of your ancestors has sent me and they ask me what is his name? What shall I say to them?”

God, in verses 14-22, revealed to Moses his divine name, a divine self-disclosure of who He is: “I AM WHO I AM.” It is by the power of His name Moses shall go forth into Egypt and proclaim Israelites’ liberation not just before the Pharaoh but also assure that deliverance was at hand before the entire nation of Israel. To the elders of Israel, Moses will declare that they would be freed from the oppressive hand of Egyptians and that they will be divinely protected by God as they face various enemies in the Promised Land. If there was a shred of doubt that the Jewish leaders would follow suit, God reassured Moses that he would not only gain the support of Israelites but also be opposed by the Pharaoh and become an instrument by which God will demonstrate His awesome power and wonders before the entire Egyptian nation. Once all signs were performed, Israel will not only leave Egypt but also be affluent because of all silver and gold jewelry and clothing they would get from the Egyptians as plunder, a prize given to the victors of a war.

All believers are commissioned by God to proclaim the Gospel message (which means “good news”) before all men and women (Matt. 28:19-20). Yet we often ask God out of fear like Moses, “What shall I say?” In other words, what is the Gospel message we must know, accept, and proclaim in order to liberate men and women from the power of sin and death, and to restore their relationship with God again? 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 gives us an apt summary of the message we must know, accept, and proclaim before the world:

  1. Christ died for our sins;
  2. Christ was buried (in other words, literally dead); and
  3. Christ rose from the dead on the third day.

Additionally, we must proclaim that Christ offers His salvation as a free gift to everyone that can only be received by faith, apart from any works or merit on our part (Rom. 5:15; 6:23; Eph. 2:8-9). The gospel is “the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile” (Rom. 1:16). Apostle Paul, the same author, tells us, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom. 10:9).

The essential elements of the Gospel are as follows:

  1. All men are sinful, or separated from God;
  2. Christ died on the cross to pay for those sins;
  3. Christ rose from the dead to provide eternal life for those who follow him; and
  4. God offers the free gift of salvation to everyone who believes, accepts, and follows Christ.

Just like the Egyptians did and ultimately failed, the world will resist the gospel message for a while, but Philippians 2:10-11 tells us that “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” It is through the power the gospel and of God, the “I AM” of Exodus, that everyone will bow down in this world one day in the future.

What shall you talk about? The gospel message, the good news of how God has been reconciled with sinners through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ! The challenge is this: Are you committed to proclaiming the simple yet awesome, grace-filled, and liberating power of the gospel message before all sinful men and women through whatever means possible and wherever you go on a daily basis?