Resurrection Sunday April 24th, 2011
Today may very well be the last Easter Sunday Celebration you experience here on earth.
For Christ Followers the world over, this is the day when we celebrate the Resurrection from the dead, of our Lord and our Savior.
In a sense, this day is important only for one reason….it is the day that gives you a choice to obtain life or remain in death. When Jesus AROSE, he defeated all the plans of the enemy (satan) who thought that if he could just kill Jesus, this would all be over and he (satan) would take over all power, and control the world and eternity.
We as people sometimes think we are all important. Some of us have millions of dollars in the bank, and are safe and secure in our lives. Some of us have no food for dinner, and don’t much care what the holiday is, because each day is like the last and yesterday there was no food either. Those who have nothing are no more unimportant than those who have much. Who we are is not determined by what we have….it is determined by who we know.
Do you know Jesus? Do you know that He is the one who said….Choose you this day who you will serve? He is the one who said…”there is no OTHER NAME given under heaven by whom you MUST be saved.” It is he who said that life or death was your choice. Heaven or Hell….which will it be?
He (Jesus) said that his yoke is easy and his burden is light….He is the one who said that Mary had chosen the right way….she chose to listen and learn and give her allegiance to Jesus, and Martha just worked away and became cynical and sad because there was no one to help her.
Lazarus died, and Jesus Wept……Perhaps Jesus Wept for all those who would never receive him (Jesus) and would go into eternity not knowing the full and complete love of Christ which would in the end, send them into a Christless eternity. (Otherwise known as Hell)
Life doesn’t end at death on earth. Life continues on. Only our bodies die. We have just this one chance….this one life here on earth to make our choices. Who will we serve? Will we fall down before the living Christ and tell him how bad we have been and ask his forgiveness? Will we commit our lives to him? Or will we just continue on, assuming that if there is a God then he is too good to not take care of us when we die.
The instruction manual is clear….Jesus Died that all could live. Jesus gave up HIS life so that we could be forgiven from our sins and spend eternity with him. It is a nice thought….He is a good God! We can rest knowing that he would never leave us with no hope….We can rest, doing our own thing in this world without worrying about the consequences of our actions, because if there is a God then he has it all under control….after all he gave us life.
Commitment is everything! Nothing is completed without commitment! High Divers know that they reach a point where all is focused on the dive and they are either going off that cliff with a leap….and they do. Or they will start the approach, hesitate, and fail or maybe die.
Have you ever started to pull out into traffic only to have second thoughts….paused even momentarily and ended up getting hit or almost getting hit or having horns blowing at you? It is not a good place to be. Have you ever seen the ballerinas leap into the air to be caught in mid-air by their dance partner? At some point commitment has to occur, or disaster looms. Have you ever started across the street only to hear the sound of cars coming toward when the light changes? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to end up dead because you messed up? You pulled out into oncoming traffic…you didn’t see the edge of the cliff and just stepped off? Did you ever watch as your child went running for a busy street and you were not close enough to reach them….the fear is immense…the horror….the end could be then for them.
In life we are responsible for ourselves. We are the one who makes the choices that affect our lives. Sometimes we do “stupid” things and we pay the consequences. Sometimes it is just a moment of “stupidity” or “rebellion” that causes us to do something we wouldn’t ordinarily do. Sometimes we are so busy “pushing the envelope” that the inevitable failure is coming, but we can’t see it.
There is sometimes, not “another” chance. There is sometimes and “end”. There is sometimes a huge regret because we knew and we failed to act. Someone once said that it is not so much the things we do, that we regret, but the things we failed to do……
Don’t let this Easter pass without knowing where you will spend eternity.
Don’t let the sun go down tonight without making the choice to trust in Jesus or disregard his free gift.
Free Will allows you to spend eternity without Christ. Your choice. Some people say that they don’t care….their choice. But today I ask you to make that choice. Tomorrow may be too late.
Choose Life with Christ! This may be the day your life on earth will end. There is only this one moment. You have now….only now. Perhaps you will have tomorrow or next week, but you have no control over that. You can try to hold on to life for one more second, but many never have another second.
Life with Christ or Life without…..Separation from God or forever with God. The bible speaks of death and hell, both in another dimension….but real none the less. Life on earth with Christ means you have made a choice to ask him to forgive your sin, it means that HE will never leave you or forsake you. It means that when the troubles of the world come, as they inevitably do, HE will be there to give you peace, and strength and courage, hope and LOVE.
Life without Christ means that when all hell breaks loose around you, there is no one who can help. There is no hope. The end is the end.
So today, don’t hesitate…but leap! Leap into the arms of Jesus and know that no one or no thing can ever hurt you again, because even death cannot separate you from him. Even though your world is collapsing, and your money is gone, and you have lost your home, and possibly someone you love…..You are safe in those beautiful arms that hung on a cross that you could enjoy the fruits of HIS LABOR and HIS LOSS and HIS DEATH….Choose Now…..Leap!
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