Last week several of us went to Columbus, Indiana, to work with Samaritan’s Purse in helping people to clean up after the flooding. Check out the Servant Senders blog for photos from Kate Monahan who was there on Friday.
Here is also a link to a blog post from Rachel Winzeler who was there on Thursday.
This Sunday we’re going to look at John 20, which records the resurrection of Jesus Christ. As I was going over the chapter, I was struck by the strength of this statement speaking of the disciples:
“For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.” – John 20:9 (NKJV)
The resurrection is an essential doctrine of the faith. Without it there is no Christianity. Here are just a few more verses that come to mind:
“…if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” – Romans 10:9 (NKJV)
“For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.” – 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (NKJV)
“And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up…” – 1 Corinthians 15:14-15 (NKJV)
Not all “Christians” any longer believe the resurrection is such an essential doctrine. Consider the following 18 second clip from one of the Jesus Seminar scholars.
John Dominic Crossan on the Resurrection
It appears that John 20:9 is still just as true as ever, perhaps especially among certain scholars.
“For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.” – John 20:9 (NKJV)
Today we’ll read about Christ’s final trial under Pilate, His scourging, cruxifixion, death and burial.
Here are the notes and audio:
The next of these sayings is found in 2 Timothy 2:11-13 and it goes like this:
This is a faithful saying:
For if we died with Him,
We shall also live with Him.
If we endure,
We shall also reign with Him.
If we deny Him,
He also will deny us.
If we are faithless,
He remains faithful;
He cannot deny Himself.
Here it is again with some brief commentary:
This is a faithful saying:
For if we died with Him,
We shall also live with Him.
Receiving new life in Christ involves dying – dying to self, dying to our old life. We are no longer our own because we understand that He bought us and we live accordingly.
If we endure,
We shall also reign with Him.
If we deny Him,
He also will deny us.
The born again person will stick it out. Some people make emotional decisions for Christ that don’t last. Let’s not imagine that the evidence for eternal salvation is seen in a raised hand, a prayed prayer or filling out a response card at a Christian event. Everlasting life is, well, everlasting, and without faith in Christ it isn’t there – regardless of what seemed to be there at one time.
If we are faithless,
He remains faithful;
He cannot deny Himself.
God’s faithfulness doesn’t depend on my faith – or anyone else’s. Whew, that’s a relief. God would be in big trouble if He had to count on us. But it’s a big, faith-building truth that we can always count on Him.
Central Reflections 