If you were to die today, would you be dead?

Jesus cried and prayed to God the Father who was able to save him from death (Hebrews 5:7), that the cup of God’s wrath on him be passed over (Luke 22:42), but God willed for him to be the passover Lamb that takes away and the sin of the world (Isaiah 53:10; John 1:29) and Jesus knew this. He himself had said earlier, that he had come to give his life (to die) as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). Then why would Jesus pray and request that God save him from death?

We must be careful to recognize that when Jesus prayed for being saved from death, he prayed for being saved from the midst of death, and not necessarily to be spared from dying. In other words, Jesus prayed that from the midst of death, God save him, by resurrecting him from the dead and God heard (answered) this prayer of Jesus as we see from the account of the Resurrection, recorded in the Scripture (Matthew 28:6).

Points to ponder:
The Scripture affirms that we are all appointed once to die (Hebrews 9:27), but we are not appointed unto death (spiritual/second death) and all who believe in Jesus Christ, whom God heard and saved from the midst of death, resurrecting him, will also be resurrected from being dead in sin, to being dead to sin and to walking in the newness of life (Romans 6:4). If you were to die today, would you be dead?

Hebrews 5:7 (KJV)
⁷ Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;

Romans 6:3-11 (KJV)
³ Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
⁴ Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
⁵ For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
⁶ Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
⁷ For he that is dead is freed from sin.
⁸ Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
⁹ Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
¹⁰ For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
¹¹ Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Post Resurrection :: Appearance of Jesus

Following his resurrection, Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene (Mark 16:9-11), two on the road to Emmaus (Mark 16:12-13), his disciples (Mark 16:14), a gathering of 500 (1 Corinthians 15:6), and all of the apostles (1 Corinthians 15:7), but what is interesting to note, is that while some who saw the risen Christ worshipped him, there were others who doubted (Matthew 28:17).

Points to ponder:
Jesus said to Thomas, because you have seen, you have believed, but blessed are they who believe in me even if they have not seen me (John 20:29). For when we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the Savior of all mankind, the end result would be ascribing unto him worship. Today, if the risen Lord appears to you and the eyes of your heart sees him, will you worship him or will you doubt? Don’t be a doubter!

Matthew 28:17 (KJV)
 ¹⁷And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.

John 20:29 (KJV)
²⁹ Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. 

The true meaning of the Resurrection

What is the resurrection? On Easter Sunday, all of Christendom celebrates the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, commemorating his victory over sin and the power of the devil, which is death (Hebrews 2:14), but let us be careful not to miss out on the true meaning of Resurrection.

While Easter to many in the faith may mean one or more of the following:
The day that the Lord Jesus Christ rose from the dead (and/or)
The day that the tomb in which Jesus was laid after his death became empty (and/or)
The day that the sting and bondage of the grave was loosened (and/or)
The day when the devil was destroyed and the power of death vanquished …
let us be careful to not miss out on the true meaning of Resurrection.

When Jesus told Martha that Lazarus, her dead brother, shall rise again; Martha responds by saying, “I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day”, but Jesus asserts to her that “He indeed is the resurrection, and the life”.
Resurrection is more than just an event. It is a person. It is Jesus Christ.
So the correct question to ask is not “What is the Resurrection?” but “Who is the Resurrection?”

Points to ponder: 
Jesus Christ said, “I AM the Resurrection and the Life, if anyone believes in me, though he shall die, yet he shall live and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die” and then questioned, “Do you believe this?” Do you?

John 11:21-27 (KJV)
²¹ Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.
²² But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.
²³ Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.
²⁴ Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.
²⁵ Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
²⁶ And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
²⁷ She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.

What is Easter? Easter Acrostics

It is Easter morn and as my darling wife Sangeetha, beloved son Reuben and I view the Harbor from our hotel in Hong Kong, I can’t help but wonder the beauty of God’ provision of life unto mankind. Just as the sun rises over the clouds in the Harbour, Jesus Christ rose on Easter day by the resurrection Power of God defeating the power of death, over the cloud of sin and death to give each of us a spectacular view of His beauty.

What is Easter? Easter in essence is death abolished and Life abundant.

Death - Erased, Abolished, Slayed, Terminated, Eliminated, Rescinded (EASTER)
Life - Enlivened, Abundant, Sprung, Teeming, Enlightened, Renewed (EASTER)

May you all have a God blessed Easter. Happy Easter 2011.

Living among the Dead

It’s Easter (Passover), the day where people worldwide, celebrate the fact that Jesus, who was killed had risen from the dead and is Alive today.

The question that the two men posed to those who sought the body of Jesus in the tomb where they had laid Him, after they had taken Him down from the Cross, was “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” and then they exclaimed, He is not here, He is risen.

Because He is risen (alive), all who come to accept Him (Jesus) as Lord and Savior will have eternal life and not perish (die the second death).
We are commissioned to reach out (seek) souls that don’t know Jesus as Lord and Savior (dead souls), among those who do (living souls).

This Easter, the question is not just “Why seek we Jesus, the living among the dead?” but the real question must be
“Why aren’t we seeking the dead among the living?“. Think about it!

Luke2 4:1-8

¹ Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.
² And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.
³ And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.
⁴ And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:
⁵ And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?
⁶ He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,
⁷ Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.
⁸ And they remembered his words

What is the Maundy in Maundy Thursday

Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday is the immediate Thursday that precedes Good Friday (that commemorates Jesus’ crucifixion) and Easter (that commemorates Jesus’ victory over sin and death by his resurrection from the dead).

As I researched the origin of the word, “Maundy”, I was surprised to learn that it is a derivative from the word mandé that was used in the medieval times of England and archaic France, with roots to the Latin word mandatum. Mandatum is the first word in the phrase “Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos” which is recorded in John 13:34 that states “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you“. This was said by Jesus as he washed his disciples feet, demonstrating that just as He, the God of the universe came to serve, we must also do so, with compassion/love (the new commandment) and humility.

This Maundy Thursday, let us realize that we are given

1. a new commandment (mandatum) to LOVE (God first, and all others as ourselves next) as God loves us (which  is unconditional, sacrificial and sanctifying)
2. a commission to SERVE – for just as God (Jesus) washed the feet of his disciples, we must also humble ourselves to serve one another. A leader for God is a Servant unto him and men/women first.

John 13:34
³⁴ A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
³⁵ By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.