Author Topic: Easter (Read 1656 times)

Olde Tymer · « **on:** March 27, 2019, 09:52:49 am »

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Most everyone the world over knows that Easter commemorates Jesus Christ's resurrection; but the thing that needs to be told again and again is that without it, his crucifixion would've been futile.

1Cor 15:17 . . If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.

Let me explain.

Rom 4:25 . . He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

The first half of that verse speaks of Isa 53:6

"We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all."

The second half of Rom 4:25 speaks of "justification" which is translated from the Greek word dikaiosis (dik-ah'-yo-sis) which means acquittal; defined as an adjudication of innocence.

In other words; it's by means of Christ's resurrection that people can get their records-- spoken of in Rev 20:11-15 --cleared so that on the books it's as though they've never been anything but 100% innocent.

Were I the Devil, the one component of Christianity that I would make my mission in life to invalidate is Christ's resurrection because it is by means of belief in his resurrection that hell-bound people have the opportunity to obtain an acquittal. Failure to believe it will result in losing their one God given chance to wipe the books; and thus they'll remain on a sure-fire path to the sum of all fears.
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patrick jane · « **Reply #1 on:** April 10, 2019, 01:31:44 pm »

https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2019/april-web-only/christs-confident-resolve-before-pilate-arrest-trial.html

Christ's Confident Resolve

What Jesus' arrest and trial can teach us about facing opposition.

“So again Pilate asked him, ‘Aren’t you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of’” (Mark 15:4).

When we approach Easter, there are many things we think about: Jesus’ death in our place, the disciples’ lack of understanding, God’s choice to have women be the first witnesses to the empty tomb, resurrection hope. There is a multitude of directions to go when thinking about the end of this most significant week in history.

But there is one we rarely consider: how Jesus got through that experience. Yes, we note Gethsemane where he wrestled with his coming fate and eventually handed it all over to God. But what did that mean for him? Is there anything for us to learn from how Christ faced the intense rejection by the world that the Cross represented?

During the entire second half of his ministry, Jesus taught his disciples that they would face opposition, resistance, and rejection just as he did. Their spiritual development depended upon how to cope with this reality—a reality our churches today are struggling with as we move into an increasingly post-Christian context. John O’Sullivan, former editor of the National Review, defines it this way: “A post-Christian society is not merely a society in which agnosticism or atheism is the prevailing fundamental belief. It is a society rooted in the history, culture, and practices of Christianity but in which the religious beliefs of Christianity have either been rejected or worse, forgotten.”

What can Jesus’ arrest and trial teach us about our own calling in such a world? How do we best remember what many in the world have forgotten?

Jesus was betrayed by one of his own. He was examined about his identity by the Jewish leadership. He faced Pilate with his life hanging in the balance, depending upon what he would say. The stakes were high as he stood before the Roman governor. As we contemplate Christ during his trial, what can we learn?

First, trusting the Father, Jesus did not fight back or reflect fear in the face of the rejection. The scene with Pilate is revealing. Pilate is shocked that Jesus did not respond as he’d expect someone in Jesus’ situation would. In fact, Mark 15:5 says Pilate was amazed. Jesus’ way of engagement with opposition is not like that of the world. As bad as the circumstances were (and as grim as they looked to Peter, who denied the Lord at about the same time), Jesus knew that the call the Father had given to him included this space. No hard fight back was required.

Second, Jesus rested in the confidence of his identity. He was secure in this place. As John the Evangelist notes, Pilate was surprised when Jesus initially made no reply to the accusations against him. Then, in John 19:11, we see Jesus’ response, which is rooted in the security his identity in God provides him: “You would have no power over me if it were not given you from above.”

Earlier Jesus had told Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world” (18:36). This previous exchange took place as they debated the nature of truth. For Jesus, God the Father and his way—connected as it is to Christ himself—was the truth, so there was no need to whine about what was happening, nor any need for rebuttal, nor any need to act out of fear. 1 Peter 3:14 expresses the idea this way: “But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.” Rejection will come, just as it did for the Master, but how we respond to it should reflect the path he took.

Third, we rest in the confidence that vindication and justice will come. When we face opposition, it can seem so risky to let such circumstances go, to not fight back. But Jesus’ confidence was not set in the present; he knew a day of vindication would come. This is clear in Jesus’ answer to a question the Jewish leadership had posed, asking if he was the Messiah. “I am,” said Jesus, “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One coming on the clouds of heaven” (Mark 14:62). Jesus’ reply was not only an affirmation that he was the Messiah but an assertion that he would sit with the Father in heaven—a remark the Jewish leadership considered to be blasphemy (v. 64). In fact, Jesus’ claim would have been blasphemous had it not been true.

God’s vote in this dispute, blasphemy or exaltation, is really what Easter is all about. Jesus was saying, essentially, “You might do to me whatever you want, but a day is coming when the Father will vindicate me and give me my place at his side where I will be your judge.” The reality of his coming vindication gave Jesus the confidence to be faithful as he was accused and tried. Jesus did not take things into his hands because he knew the Father had his back. The Resurrection we celebrate was God’s vindication of Jesus’ claim.

There is an irony in this that should not be missed. This word from Jesus about the Son of Man seated at God’s right hand is technically what got him crucified. The religious leaders had struggled to get testimony they could take to Pilate—then Jesus supplied that testimony himself. The leadership understood the point Jesus was making, but they failed to believe it. After he was beaten and mocked, they took him to Pilate where he was crucified for sedition—for making himself a king Rome did not appoint, because Jesus’ kingdom was not of this world.

Jesus was so committed to going to the Cross for us that he provided the very words which got him crucified. He did it because he knew God would vindicate him three days later. That is how deep his love for us is.

How can we respond to resistance or rejection? Like Christ did. We trust God in the face of opposition. We rest in the identity God gives us so we need not fear that rejection and overreact. We know that in the vindication tied to Jesus we find our own restoration when all will be set right. In this is the way of the Cross.

Darrell L. Bock is executive director of cultural engagement and senior research professor of New Testament studies at Dallas Theological Seminary. He is the author of over 40 books and commentaries, including Jesus According to Scripture.

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patrick jane · « **Reply #2 on:** April 23, 2019, 09:27:19 pm »

4 Historical Facts that Prove Jesus Really Did Rise from the Dead

Why would anyone believe that Jesus Christ was crucified, buried and then rose from the dead three days later? Dr. William Lane Craig explains four historical facts, accepted by the majority of historical scholars, that lead to the conclusion that Jesus really did rise from the dead.

28 minutes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmKg62GDqF4&list=WL&index=7&t=0s

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patrick jane · « **Reply #3 on:** April 24, 2019, 05:46:29 am »

The Resurrection of Jesus (The Historical Evidence)

45 minutes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0iDNLxmWVM&list=WL&index=10&t=230s

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patrick jane · « **Reply #4 on:** March 09, 2020, 09:21:06 pm »

He is Risen !!!

patrick jane · « **Reply #5 on:** August 04, 2020, 01:39:10 pm »

patrick jane · « **Reply #6 on:** September 21, 2020, 03:57:58 pm »

Quote from: patrick jane on August 04, 2020, 01:39:10 pm

Amen

yes

patrick jane · « **Reply #7 on:** October 11, 2020, 10:15:54 am »

Quote from: patrick jane on September 21, 2020, 03:57:58 pm

Quote from: patrick jane on August 04, 2020, 01:39:10 pm
Amen
yes

patrick jane · « **Reply #8 on:** October 14, 2020, 04:02:27 pm »

Quote from: patrick jane on October 11, 2020, 10:15:54 am

Quote from: patrick jane on September 21, 2020, 03:57:58 pm
Quote from: patrick jane on August 04, 2020, 01:39:10 pm
Amen
yes

patrick jane · « **Reply #9 on:** October 16, 2020, 08:51:58 am »

Quote from: patrick jane on October 14, 2020, 04:02:27 pm

Quote from: patrick jane on October 11, 2020, 10:15:54 am
Quote from: patrick jane on September 21, 2020, 03:57:58 pm
Quote from: patrick jane on August 04, 2020, 01:39:10 pm
Amen
yes

✝

Jesus Truth · « **Reply #10 on:** October 18, 2020, 08:50:00 am »

Quote from: patrick jane on October 16, 2020, 08:51:58 am

Quote from: patrick jane on October 14, 2020, 04:02:27 pm
Quote from: patrick jane on October 11, 2020, 10:15:54 am
Quote from: patrick jane on September 21, 2020, 03:57:58 pm
Quote from: patrick jane on August 04, 2020, 01:39:10 pm
Amen
yes

✝

He is Risen !!!

patrick jane · « **Reply #11 on:** January 13, 2021, 10:49:23 am »

https://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2021/january/vital-information-for-churches-and-christian-leaders.html

Will Churches be Back to Normal by Easter, Summer, or Fall? Vital Information for Churches and Christian Leaders

A brief overview of Ed Stetzer's interview with Dr. Francis Collins, Director of the National Institutes of Health

Ed Stetzer: [Church leaders] are asking questions about when we might be back together. Help us understand the timeline a bit more, knowing thing might not go the way that we expect.

Dr. Francis Collins: I’ve been working from home for almost a year and I expect I’m going to be in my home office for a few more months. Here we are at the beginning of 2021, and this pandemic across our country is the worst it’s been, with 3,000 people or more losing their lives every day.

The bright spot, of course, is the development of vaccines. We do now have two such vaccines that are carefully reviewed, shown to be safe and effective by rigorous means, and authorized by the FDA for emergency use. We’re doing everything we can to get those dosages into people’s arms because that is how we are going to get past this.

I know people may have mixed feelings about the vaccine. For me, as a scientist, it feels to me that God gave us the skills to be able to understand how these things work, to identify this pathogen, and to (in record time) be able to come up with the vaccine, which has 95% efficacy. They’re actually a lot better than most of us dreamed we would have at the present time. So this is a gift from God, and a gift we all need to embrace to get past this.

To be able to immunize 300 million people is not something that can be done in less than a few months. I do think, by June or thereabouts, we might be getting close to that point where 80-85% of the country is immune. At that point, the virus has to start fading away, because there aren’t enough new people to infect.

I don’t think that we’ll be able to bring churches together for an Easter celebration this year, though I would love if that were the case. It is going to take all of us to get there.

I am concerned that people of faith, in some instances, seem reluctant to embrace this as a gift. If only half of Americans take this vaccine, we will not be past this any time soon. We have to get to the point where most of the population is immune, or we haven’t really ended things.

Stetzer: What would you say to those who think this vaccine was rushed?

Collins: We did move this more quickly than has ever happened. Partly this is because of new technologies that were developed in the last 25 years. Let me assure you, as a physician and scientist who has been in the middle of these vaccine developments for the past year, the only corners that have been cut were the bureaucratic ones.

The science is as rigorous as anything we have ever done, in terms of vaccine development. The ultimate conclusion about safety and efficacy, which is in the public domain, is incredibly compelling. 30,000 people enrolled in these trials, and 95% efficacy showed up with no real evidence of any safety concerns. The data is there! So, ignore the conspiracy theories and look at the evidence. That is what we are all called to do.

[Dr. Collins also addressed question about stem cell lines, the process, and conspiracy theories. Listen to the full interview here]

Stetzer: You’ve said elsewhere that taking the vaccine is not something you do for your just yourself, but as a way to love other people. Can you tell us more about that?

Collins: There are two primary ways.

First, this virus is so hard to manage because you can carry it and spread it without even knowing. Vaccination is a way to reduce that risk.

Second, on a larger scale, if we are all part of a community, we really need all of us engaged in the effort to generate herd immunity.

We need everyone to succeed. This isn’t so different from putting on a seatbelt or not drinking and driving. We don’t want to make the vaccine a law, but it is a moral responsibility.

Stetzer: What do you think the level of mitigation will be at by summer?

Collins: I wish I could be more precise. Some of this depends on whether other vaccines get approved. There are six more being studied. The more that get approved, the quicker we can vaccinate.

We also have to study whether or not the vaccine is safe and effective for children. There is still a lot of uncertainty.

Don’t have your heart set on June, but by the fall we ought to be in a pretty good place. I don’t think it would be totally unrealistic to think that by June or July that we might be in a place to have a lot more public gatherings, including churches, but I can’t promise that.

If 30% or 40% of Americans don’t take it, we don’t get out of this.

Stetzer: When you say it’s going to be different in the fall, what will it look like?

Collins: There is a big unanswered question.

We are intensely investigating whether or not those who have received the vaccine can still spread the virus even if they don’t get sick. If the vaccine means they don’t get sick and they can’t convey the virus, mask wearing won’t be expected. If you can still spread the virus even after the vaccination, you’ll still have to wear a mask.

I don’t think so, but we have to keep the option open.

Stetzer: To close, give us a short vision on why Christians should be engaged with the vaccine, and should advocate for it.

Collins: This is not the first plague that we’ve had to deal with. Christians have always had the courage to figure out how to help. We should do that now.

We won’t help the situation if we don’t get the vaccine and continue to spread the virus or ignore protective measures.

One of the ways we evangelize is through our actions. Are we creating a positive public witness? Are we a group people want to be a part of? Are we helping our neighbors? Are we reaching out to the lonely? Are we being a listening ear, virtually?

Let’s focus on being a part of worldview that others want to be a part of. We can get through this, but we have to get through this together.

Ed Stetzer is executive director of the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center, serves as a dean at Wheaton College, and publishes church leadership resources through Mission Group. The Exchange Team contributed to this article and has updated the article.

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Author Topic: Easter (Read 1656 times)

Olde Tymer

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