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Devotional for the week – 14 September 2009 Sermon Title: Reason to Believe and to Hope The most powerful statement that Jesus is the Son of God is His resurrection from the dead. It is a statement with huge implications, for as Paul states in 1 Cor 15:14 “if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” But Paul certainly had deep conviction that Jesus rose from the dead and that He is indeed the Son of God. So deep was his conviction that he called himself “a servant of Christ Jesus” (Rom 1:1a). The New American Standard Bible uses the word `bond-servant’, a slave who loves his master so much that he willingly gives up his freedom to remain under the control of the master. Paul’s conviction came about because he was certain of his calling. He knew he was “called to be an apostle” (Rom 1:1b) to minister to the Gentiles. And this certainly spurred him to action. We read that Paul was “set apart for the gospel of God” (Rom 1:1c). In other words, he made a conscious decision to separate himself for Christ based on what He believed about Jesus. Prophecies of Jesus’ Life on Earth Paul was convinced of Jesus’ Lordship because he was familiar with the scriptures and realised that the life of Jesus on earth was the fulfilment of prophecies made throughout the Old Testament, it is “the gospel He promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures” (Rom 1:2). Scholars note that there are 191 specific prophecies concerning the messiah – where He would be born, the time and manner of His birth and death, that He would heal the sick, that He would speak in parables, that He would be rejected, that He would pray for His enemies. Paul realised the fact that each and every one of these prophecies came true - proving that Jesus is the Messiah. Paul also knew that Jesus would come from a kingly blood line and thus states that Jesus, “who as to his human nature” would be “a descendant of David”. (Rom 1: 3) But more than His life, Paul realised that the death and resurrection of Christ proves that Jesus “through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God” (verse 4), that is the resurrection declares and reveals who Christ is. For who has power over death except God? Therefore because Jesus rose from the dead, He is God. It is a certainty that Jesus was crucified and that He died on the cross. Crucifixion was a common mode of punishment in those days. The accounts given of the crucifixion of Jesus are in agreement with the customs and practices of the Romans in those days. He was crucified between two “criminals” (Isa. 53:12; Luke 23:32), and was watched by a party of four soldiers (John 19:23; Matt. 27:36, 54), with their centurion. Even after he had breathed his last, Jesus side was pierced by a soldier’s spear (John 19:34) causing a flow of blood and water and a rupturing of the heart. Yet, the fact remains that there was no body in the tomb. We not only hear of this from believers like Mary Magdalene and the other Mary (Matt 28 : 1-7) but also from sceptics like the chief priests and the elders, who “devised a plan” where they “gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, ‘You are to say, 'His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.'” (Matt 28:12-14) The fact that these sceptics went to so much trouble to try to `explain’ the disappearance proves that the body of Christ could not be found. The empty tomb factor is further supported by the appearance of Jesus to many. Jesus not only appeared to the disciples (Matt 28:16-20), but also to “more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time” (1 Cor 15:6) and also much later to Paul himself (1 Cor 15:8). It is this knowledge of Christ – His life, His death, His resurrection – that allowed Paul to lead a transformed life, to set himself apart for a life of joyful of service to Christ, forsaking all to become a servant do His will. What about you? As a Christian, do you believe that you serve a living God, Jesus Christ who rose from the dead? Does your life reveal this belief? Is your life one that is “controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit” (Rom 8:9)? Do we live as “heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ” (Rom 8:17)? Do we “share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory” (Rom 8:17)? As one who has not yet received Christ, what is holding you back from giving yourself to a living God who loves you? He who has power over life and death, can certainly transform your life in a way you never imagined. For “if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.” (Rom 8:11) Lord, I acknowledge your Lordship and your power over everything, including my life. Thank you for sending Jesus to save me from my sins. Thank you that because of His death and resurrection, I have a reason to believe and to hope. Through Jesus, you have revealed Your plan for man’s salvation. I want to be a part of that plan, Lord. Yet Lord I realise that your plans are big and that they are truly beyond my comprehension. So teach me to live in your presence each day, to not try to predict your moves but to simply be obedient to your voice when you call. In Jesus’ glorious name I pray. Amen. Devotional based on a sermon by Rev Dr David Geisler, President of Meekness and Truth Ministries.
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