Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:  And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believes thou this?  John 11:25-26

Everything Jesus Christ said is right, pure, and powerful! Everything Jesus did and is doing is good, and just, and desperately needed! Our Lord even did so much, including miracles and making people feel better, during His ministry on Earth that the world could not hold the books it would take to write them all down in.

A there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.  John 21:25

But there is absolutely nothing at all that Jesus did on Earth any more important to our salvation than His dying for us on the cross of Calvary. And, there is likewise absolutely nothing more important to our faith than what He said to Martha regarding His resurrection.

The resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ is the foundation to the Christian faith. It's not so much how strong your faith in something is as it is the object of your faith. When my pond freezes in the winter time, I might believe I can walk across the pond on the ice. It wouldn't be long though before I'd be splashing round with wet clothes in cold water. It wouldn't be my belief that I could walk on the ice, which would take me under, rather it would be the though that the ice, the object of my belief, could support me in the situation at hand.

Jesus plainly and simply tells Martha how it is and then challenges her to respond by asking her if she believed what He just said -- that He was the resurrection and the life and that the person who believed that would never die, even though they appeared to be dead. Note too, that Jesus said this at a most vulnerable time for Martha, during her grief for the loss of her brother, Lazarus. We can be sure when we're down to nothing, have nothing and can do nothing, God is up to something. This happens because of the resurrection. When we get down in the dumps and too much has been dropped on us we think, the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ gives us the strength and wherewithal to straighten up and go on.

Recently, a man approached me at a meeting and said, "Today is the fourteenth year anniversary of the death of my son and I still miss him so!" Instantly I responded, "But we have the resurrection, your son is alive." I saw a smile come across this man's face and he said, "Yes, you are right, I will see my son again." Without the resurrection there would be no hope for any of us, but because of the resurrection we can do everything God wills us to do, including dying and dealing with the death of our loved ones. Had Jesus not risen again, our sins would still be on us; but, because He rose from the grave, we can die debt free! He paid it all and His resurrection proves that God the Father accepted the payment and He also accepts us. No resurrection would mean no church, no preaching nor praising God. There would be no need for the farmers to plant seed for crops. Prayer would be pointless and pain would be unbearable. Not only should we believe in the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, we should also thank God for it!

The best way to show our appreciation for the resurrection is to live a resurrected life. It's easy for us to forget we serve a living Savior and that our old sin nature is dead. Practicing godliness should be every Christian's desire and discipline and this is exactly why we were given the Holy Spirit; to assist us in the work out. Besides, what greater reason is there to live for Him than realizing He died for us, just so we could that!

I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.  Galatians 2:20

We Live the resurrected life by being hopeful

Are you a hopeful person or are you a woeful person? A hopeful lifestyle exhibits a positive attitude as it looks for the best in everybody and in all things. We sing a wonderful hymn that says, "Because He lives, we can face tomorrow." The implication in facing tomorrow is one of hope, not fear. The resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ proves that God can make whatever happens that needs to happen and it will always be right and done in the right way at the right time. Jesus' resurrection makes it impossible for our life story to end in despair and confusion. God has written every chapter of our life including the last chapter. And it's going to end up alright, even just right, because of His grace and His resurrection.

The resurrection is powerful because it overcame our fiercest enemy -- death. This inevitably results in all our life moving toward light, abundant life, and sacrificial love. The resurrection is the reason God has promised us a good ending to our time here on Earth.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.  Jeremiah 29:11

Living a resurrected life is living with the assurance that things and people can change. Christ made the ultimate exchange just for that purpose. No matter the situation, be hopeful, even when you don't feel like it. The resurrection and our faith for that matter, are not about feelings, but about facts. I am sure Martha didn't feel much hope seeing her brother Lazarus dead. Still, Jesus acquainted her with something far more prominent and precious than her brother which was being in him as Resurrection and Life. When it seems like we're at the end of our rope, the best thing to do is tie a knot and hang on. That knot is the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and it won't slip.

We live the resurrection life by being helpful

Eternal life is not only a gracious gift of the Holy Spirit but it's also a catalyst for "doing." Laziness is a work of the flesh and no valid Christian can live that way, at least not for very long. When Paul met the resurrected Lord Jesus on Damascus road, his immediate response was, "Lord, what would thou have me to do?" We need to remember that the only reason we are alive and saved by grace here on Earth is so that we can help others. God, the God of all comfort, does not comfort us to make us comfortable; but, He comforts us so that we can comfort somebody else. The God of Heaven does not enable us to make money just so we can be rich and have a lot of stuff. He does so that we may give it to others in a helpful way. Any person who squeezes a dollar so tight that he offers a needy person a fist instead of a helping hand is certainly not living like he or she believes in a risen Savior.

Our God describes Himself as a "present help in time of trouble." A present help means all the time available and accessible, but most especially in time of need. One of the best helps we can be to somebody else is to pray for them. The fact of our Lord and Savior's resurrection alludes to the assurance of His interceding for us right now as He provides access to our Heavenly Father's throne of grace to find help in time of need, both for ourselves and others

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.  Hebrews 4:16

A person who doesn't believe in the resurrection is a person who won't do much, mainly because they are afraid of doing something wrong. A true Christian is motivated to do good works because the Holy Spirit lives within our hearts. The Holy Spirit is there because Jesus died on the cross and rose the third day and lived about forty days on Earth before giving the Holy Spirit to comfort, teach, and guide us to do the good works we were saved to do; and, then He ascended to His Father where He abides even as I write this newsletter. Because He lives not only can we face tomorrow we should also help our neighbor!

Here's why:

And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.  Matthew 25:40

We live the resurrected life by being humble

The fact that Jesus Christ took our place on the cross, suffered, bled, and died for us there, should humble us to the hilt. The fact that Jesus Christ rose from the dead ought of wanting just what God wants, even if it's not what we think we want nor what we think is best. Living the resurrected life means having a willingness to go the extra mile. We should all do something every day that we don't want to do, just for God. Surely, Abraham didn't want to kill his son Isaac as a sacrifice on Mount Moriah, but he did it. That is he did what God said and was obedient until God intervened and provided a ram to be the sacrifice instead.

Abraham's obedience to God is a true exhibition of living the resurrected life; because, what Abraham did up to the point of the Lord's intervention showed he believed in the resurrection.

By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac; and he that had received the promise offered up his only begotten son, Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:  Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.  Hebrews 11:17-19

To know that our Savior lives should both encourage us and humble us. We need to "refresh" the resurrection mode on our life scape every day. We have been adopted into God's family, made joint heirs with Christ, and have been given the privilege and responsibility to live a life that would bring glory to His powerful, resurrected name. Thomas doubled the resurrection until he saw the scars, but when he realized that Jesus had risen from the tomb he responded, "My Lord and My God!" There will be times that our Lord will cause or allow hurtful things, disappointments, even despair in our lives. Lazarus' death happened not because Jesus didn't love Lazarus, Mary, and Martha, but because He did love them. It took that situation to show them the glory of God and to believe that Jesus is who He said He was and did what He said He would do. Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the resurrection and the life? If you do, be ready to prove it by living a resurrected life.

Brother Randy