RESSURECTION SUNDAY (Lenten 48)

CHRIST IS RISEN, HE IS RISEN INDEED

Today is RESSURECTION SUNDAY, when we celebrate Christ rising from the dead, and the culmination of God’s Salvation plan He created in eternity past. On Good Friday Christ’s death dealt with the sin question once and for all, but Paul tells us in Rom. 4:25 PASSION Jesus was handed over to be crucified for the forgiveness of our sins and was raised back to life to prove that He had made us right with God!

The proof that the  sin question had been dealt with once and for all, is confirmed by the fact the Jesus rose from the dead.

Most of the translations basically read HE ROSE AGAIN FOR OUR JUSTIFICATION.

Justification  is a legal term, and in relation to sin and our sin in particular, that through the death of the Lord Jesus, we have been ACQUITTED AND DECLARED NOT GUILTY.

In Sunday School Justification was described for us simply as JUST AS IF WE HAD NEVER SINNED.

In simple terms it means we are FORGIVEN, and have been declared RIGHTEOUS.

WHAT A GLORIOUS “SO GREAT SALVATION”.

Do you remember the chorus we used to sing many years ago, it spells out our Justification so clearly.

I AM COVERED OVER WITH THE ROBE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
I am covered over with the robe of righteousness that
Jesus gives to me, gives to me;
I am covered over with the precious blood of Jesus
And he lives in me, he lives in me,
Oh what joy it is to know my Heavenly Father loves me so,
And gave to me, my Jesus,
When He looks at me He sees not what I used to be, but
He sees Jesus, Jesus.

On this RESURRECTION SUNDAY, let us rejoice before the Lord that we have been acquitted, and have the GIFT OF ETERNAL LIFE, but also make a fresh bold COMMITMENT as expressed by the Apostle Paul in Phil. 3:14 NLT

I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

MESSAGE I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back.

We now move on in the Liturgical Calendar and head towards WHITSUNTIDE.