Easter Devotional by Pastor Mark Cowart
Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, “The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.” Luke 24:1-6 NKJV
THE MOST SIGNIFICANT EVENT
The resurrection of Christ is the most significant event in human history. It is the pivotal moment in God’s plan to redeem us from the consequences of the fall, eternal separation from God, our Father, our Creator, our Source. Without this supernatural evidence of the divinity of our Lord Jesus, we would not have a Savior. It is so important that we stop and contemplate this truth, at least once a year at this time of celebration.
At the same time, it is important to remember that our Lord was fully human. Although He had just told His disciples what was about to happen at the Last Supper, He hesitated to proceed to the fulfillment of this plan, as evidenced in His prayer later in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night he was arrested. For the first and only time, we see Him there asking His Father if there is another way. At the same time, He continues to repeatedly state His submission to the will of His Father, if this must be done.
He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, ‘O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.’….Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, ‘O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.’ Matthew 26:39-42 NKJV
If Jesus was not crucified as the perfect sacrificial lamb, and if He did not rise from the dead, you can just throw your Bible away and forget about being a “Christian”.
And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. I Corinthians 15:14 KJV
WHO WAS HE, REALLY?
One cannot consider Jesus of Nazareth an outstanding teacher or give Him any other earthly accolades without recognizing His divinity. C. S. Lewis, a theologian of the past century, argued that it is not possible to logically believe Him to be other than a lunatic or a liar or exactly who He says He is. This is known as Lewis’ “Trilemma”, as presented in his book, Mere Christianity. I have seen unbelievers impacted by considering this reasoning. Our Lord made significant prophetic statements that are either true, or He was deluded or deceptive. When you look at it this way, there is literally no other possibility. With that, one must either receive Him as who He is or reject Him outright as a fraud or an insane person. Centuries of those who have known Him personally attest to His deity.
He is indeed Lord of Lord and King of Kings. Whether a person sees this or not, one day it will be evident to all. Jesus Christ, who rose from the dead, is and will be the judge of all humanity. That includes everyone. Before that day comes, we get to tell them the Good News that He died for their sins and reconciled them to their Creator, and that He overcame death for all of us by His resurrection!!
And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:8-11 NKJV
A LONG TIME COMING!
In Scripture, there are over 300 prophecies fulfilled in the life of the Messiah, 27 of them in one day. The first is in Genesis 3:15, after Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden. God tells them how the seed of the woman will crush the head of the serpent, and the serpent would bruise His heal. Thus, our Father began to reveal how He would redeem mankind through His only begotten Son.
For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us:… I Corinthians 5:7b KJV
Remember the Passover lamb in the Old Testament, first sacrificed in Egypt on the night of the final plague that killed all the first-born of the Egyptians but not the Israelites. The blood of the flawless lamb on their doorposts protected them from the wrath of God. He Himself made this provision for them, and those who walked in obedience were spared. This foreshadowed God’s plan of salvation for mankind, foretold in the Garden of Eden and through every prophet thereafter.
In the same way, we are invited to apply the blood of the Lamb by faith to our hearts and lives. As John the Baptist declared, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29 NKJV
The prophetic significance of the Passover was fulfilled in the sacrifice of the Messiah at that last Passover. It was a very brutal thing that Jesus had to endure. It has been said that the resurrection completed the inauguration of God’s kingdom. This decisive event demonstrates that God’s kingdom really has been launched on earth as it is in heaven. So, Easter is a demarcation point that all of the Old Testament points to, and all of the New Testament expands upon. It can be said that “the old testament is the new concealed, and the new testament is the old revealed.”
When the angel appeared to the virgin, Mary, he said, “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS.” (Luke 1:31 NKJV) Then, in Matthew chapter 1, the angel told Joseph the same thing, adding, “So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us’.” Isaiah 7:14
The same angel went on to tell Mary the following: He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end. Luke 1:32-33 NKJV
You and I are part of that kingdom. It starts now in the earth in our lives. Just as Mary’s obedient response to the angel’s proclamation facilitated the plan of God, ours must also align with His will. We must remember that we have resurrection power to draw from in carrying out our part in advancing the kingdom of God.
FAR-REACHING EFFECTS
How can something that happened over 2,000 years ago affect and empower you and me today? How can what Jesus did way back then help you overcome your problems and challenges to operate in spiritual authority now? The fact is, resurrection power can flow through you, if you will give the Word of truth priority in your life.
Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. Matthew 24:35 NKJV
The Word of God is eternal, and it is in what we call the Holy Bible. That is the written scriptures. We must get into that written word, the logos in the Greek. We must read, study and meditate it, so that it becomes the living word, the rhema (Greek). This is the supernatural revelation from God that we all need, each for our particular circumstance.
In His temptation in the wilderness after His baptism, the Lord Jesus said this in response to the challenge to turn
stones into bread to satisfy His hunger, “But He answered and said, ‘It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every WORD that proceeds from the mouth of God.”’ The Greek for “word” here is rhema, revelation from God which will sustain us through this life. Matthew 4:4 NKJV
Every question you and I have is answered through the Word of God.
Every challenge we have can be overcome through the Word of God.
We have a vivid illustration of how the resurrection of the Messiah can affect us now centuries later in the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986. Now, decades after, it remains one of the most radioactive areas in the earth. You can see current pictures online of the “Exclusion Zone” in Ukraine. The destructive effects of the radiation released from a faulty nuclear power plant setup will be evident in nature ongoing.
This comes from the powerful nuclear reaction happening in first one atom and then continuing in a chain reaction through others. How much more far-reaching is the life- giving energy released in the raising from the dead of the King of Kings? We walk in this resurrection power, as we stay connected to Him, abiding in the Vine.
…being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; Philippians 1:6 NKJV
THY WORD IS TRUTH!
Just as the splitting of the atom releases incomprehensible amounts of power, we are to rightly divide the Word of God, to cut a straight line through it, to realize these benefits. You might think, how can this book called the Bible which collects dust in many homes, how can that affect me today? When you rightly divide it through reading, studying and meditating on it, by the power of the Holy Spirit, as a born- again believer, supernatural power is released into your life. There may be things that you need right now. You or your loved ones may be challenged in extreme ways. You have access to resurrection power. Anyone who has come to the Lord and been born again, and thus been saved from eternal separation from God, is a walking miracle. The resurrection we celebrate at Easter is not only a historical event. It is a modern-day occurrence every time someone gives their life to the Lord!
All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.
John 6:37 NKJV
Our celebration at Easter reminds us that God has empowered every believer through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He has thus enabled us to choose to live in the Word, to be in Christ and Him in us.
Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.
John 8:31 NKJV
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. John 15:14 NKJV
HE IS RISEN INDEED!
Father, we thank you for your mercy and grace demonstrated in your plan of salvation for mankind that brought about the appearance of the Messiah in the earth and his death as a sacrifice for our sins. Thank you that He then was raised from the dead by your Spirit, making the way for our resurrection to life in Him. Help us to lay hold of the ongoing provision in this explosive transaction in our lives today. In the holy matchless Name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen!
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