The Resurrection: Why It Still Matters 2000 Years Later

 

In the Spring of 1916 Henry Ford said,

History is more or less bunk. It is tradition. We don’t want tradition. We want to live in the present and the only history that is worth a tinker’s dam is the history we make today.

While there may not be much value in memorizing lists of names and dates and places for a test after which we quickly forget everything we jammed into our minds, to say that past history doesn’t matter seems to be a bit of an overkill. Take for example your birth – it was a historical event. And to you, that event is pretty important because if it hadn’t happened, you would be alive.

It is also hard to deny that there is a profound influence on our lives today because the colonists won the Revolutionary War, the North defeated the South in the Civil War and the Allies were victorious in World War II.

Of all those historical events, however, none comes close to matching the resurrection of Jesus Christ in significance. Throughout his ministry he made outrageous claims about being the Son of God, the only One to give eternal life to human beings. He even went so far as to say that he is equal to God the Father. Some people thought he was insane to say such things. Others said he was a deceiver. And some believed him. Then he was crucified, and no one knew what to think. But then three days later the reports started to come out: “He’s alive. He has risen from the dead!”

The risen Christ appeared to over 500 people on at least 10 different occasions in all different types of settings at various times of the day. The people who saw him did not suffer from visions or hallucinations, they witnessed the results of the greatest historical event in human history – the Resurrection.

The influence of the massive wars mentioned earlier will continue to shape the future of our planet, but the moment each one of us dies, the effect they have on us ends immediately. For in death, the only historical event which will have any meaning or worth will be the Resurrection of Jesus. That’s why it still matters 2000 years later.

 Worship service times: Saturday: 6:00 pm, Sunday: 9:00 am & 10:30 am.

A Changed Eternity Means a Changed Now

 

The principal truth of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ is that in one moment in human history God himself accomplished the reconciliation of the human race with himself. The payment for sin which Jesus made on the cross when he experienced God’s righteous anger over all the evil, pain and suffering from the past, present and future was once, for all and 100% effective. While we typically apply how this massive truth influences where we will spend eternity, the effects of the crucifixion when applied to our lives in the here and now can only serve to strengthen our confidence in what we look forward to in heaven.

Chances are that at this very moment there are at least a few things which are making your life less than perfect. Probably, the cause of that sense of dissatisfaction has something to do with people in general, family members specifically, self-centered pride and a gnawing feeling that life is so hard while at the same time seems so insignificant. If you are nodding your head right now, know this, the most effective way to deal with all those issues is to bring them into the light of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. What Christ accomplished that day changes us, changes other people and changes what is important.

If you are looking for a change in your life right now, join us this weekend for one of our worship services. Jesus’ crucifixion is too powerful to be isolated in the future.

Worship service times: Saturday: 6:00 pm, Sunday: 9:00 am & 10:30 am.

Justice: Are You Getting What You Deserve? 

So, what do you think? Is life being fair with you or are you being unjustly treated? Those are questions people ask throughout their lives. And for some, those same issues have destroyed their inner lives. When we feel that we’ve not gotten what is coming to us while others we know have received what we haven’t, it is easy for an acidic-like bitterness to creep through every part of our lives, causing us to be negative and cynical about everything. 

There is the saying, “Life is not fair.” That is spot on, especially when it comes to human justice. This weekend we’re going to be studying the various trials of Jesus which led to his crucifixion. Each one was a mockery of justice to say the least. What is startling is Jesus did nothing to stop the outrage. It seems he had confidence in a higher justice, one that was able to take the injustice which was going on in his life and transform it into the greatest good. And that is exactly what happened on Easter Sunday morning! 

One of the great mistakes in life is to compare what’s going on in our lives with what is taking place in the lives of other people around us. All too often, we sense ourselves coming out on the short end. The great message of Easter is that we don’t get what we deserve, we get what God won for us. If you are feeling a little let down by life because you aren’t getting what you want, join us for one of our worship services this weekend and get filled up with what God wants to give you. Once you experience that, you won’t need to feel cheated out of anything. 

  Worship service times: Saturday: 6:00 pm, Sunday: 9:00 am & 10:30 am.

What Will Be on Your Gravestone?

 

What Will Be on Your Gravestone?

“Murdered by a traitor and a coward whose name is not worthy to appear here.” 

(Jesse James)

 

“So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”

(F. Scott Fitzgerald)

“…There goes the neighborhood.”

(Rodney Dangerfield)

 

“Go away – I’m asleep.”

(Joan Hackett)

 

“She did it the hard way.”

(Bette Davis)

When it comes to tombstone epitaphs, everyone seems to have a different opinion. Some try to get the last word in. Others want to leave something worth thinking about. Still others want to be funny and then there are those who let someone else write on their gravestones. If you do an internet search, you can find dozens of websites offering help in finding just the right words to put on your tombstone.  We only get one shot at it, so it probably is good to spend some time thinking about our final message to the world.

More important, however, is being ready to die. That’s why Jesus talked so much about the subject. It wasn’t that he was morbid, he was realistic. Our life on this earth is extremely short compared to the eternity we step into at the moment of death. This weekend we’re going to be studying some of Jesus’ most specific teachings on being prepared for either death or Judgment Day (whichever comes first). If you are worried about what you will put on your gravestone, join us for one of our worship services. You might get some great ideas!

          Worship service times: Saturday: 6:00 pm, Sunday: 9:00 am & 10:30 am.

Needs and Wants

 

Volumes have been written over the difference between what a person actually needs to survive with those “extras” which make life much more pleasant but with which we can live without. As our country has prospered exponentially in the last 75 years, most of us have put a whole lot of wants in our needs category with the result that we have become spoiled with our affluence.

But the whole needs and wants question doesn’t only have to do with our material lifestyle, it very much influences our relationship with God. We pray to God and tell him we need him to fix this or that situation. When he doesn’t act according to our plan we come to the conclusion that God is either unable to do what we want or unwilling. In either case, we’re disappointed with him.

Tomorrow is Easter Sunday. We often say the resurrection changes everything. That statement also applies to our needs and wants. While we tell God we need a life free of problems and pain, Jesus rising from the dead tells us we need eternal life. We say, “God, I need relief!” He replies, “You need the resurrection.”

Not only is the needs/wants issue critical to where we will spend eternity, it affects every aspect of our lives right now. If we are convinced God is obligated to meet our every want in real time, we’ll live in a constant state of frustration and resentment towards him. The resurrection shows us that right now is not the life God intended for human beings, that remains for the future.

Join us for one of our Easter weekend services. Get exactly what you need in life from the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

 Worship service times: Saturday: 6:00 pm, Sunday: 9:00 am & 10:30 am.