Easter - The Good News of Eternal Spiritual Life

 We are all temporaries. The Pandemic has made us more aware of this. We have all been in at least some bondage to fear of death. Those of us who have been vaccinated have sensed a great relief. The Resurrection of Jesus is the Good News that Christian believers will die physically like Jesus, but then be raised to a new form of eternal spiritual life with Jesus in Heaven. There are people among us who have seen heaven. Many have experienced the healing power of forgiveness in Jesus and the joy of this new spiritual life. All Christians are baptized into Jesus Covenant of forgiveness, healing and eternal spiritual life. The Resurrection of Jesus challenges us:

1.    To believe and put our trust in Jesus

2.    To seek forgiveness and healing and grow our spiritual life 

3.    To be witnesses to our own experiences of spiritual life

1. To believe and put our trust in Jesus

This is not just a story or a myth handed down. This is an actual eyewitness account directly from John and Mary. They both lived in or near Ephesus. A literary critic would say it is too detailed and chaotic to be mythical. The Resurrection was a supernatural act of God that is hard for many people to understand or believe in:

·      I needed to read the whole Bible and experience the Holy Spirit to understand and believe in The Resurrection

·     Bible reading gives us the background we need to understand the importance of the Resurrection

·     Many of us need a life crisis to motivate us to read the Bible and seek Jesus and the Holy Spirit 

·     We grow in our spiritual life as we pray and experience the supernatural 

·     Experiences make our belief stronger

·     “being saved” is a lifelong process

2. Belief in The Resurrection includes us in the New Covenant

The Resurrection is God’s divine “Yes” to the new Covenant of Jesus. The New Covenant of Jesus extends the Covenant of Moses by adding a new way to forgiveness, pouring out the Holy Spirit on all believers and eternal spiritual life. It is the ultimate GOOD NEWS!!

·     This is what God offers in return for our belief in Jesus as personal Lord and Saviour – read manual for details

·     How can this be Nicodemus asks?

·     Nicodemus does not understanding that Jesus is talking about being born again spiritually

·     Jesus lives on in a new spiritual body

·     Our spiritual life begins at Baptism and is energized by prayer, worship, good works and healing experiences

·     But how can a man die for the sins of the world?

·     Jesus was not just a man – God, not Joseph was the father

·     As God with us, Jesus sacrificial death was sufficient

3. We are to be witnesses to the resurrection life in Jesus

Once we have experienced the supernatural healing of Jesus we too can share our experiences of the Risen Jesus. We be eyewitnesses to the new spiritual life of forgiveness, healing and joy. Jesus modelled this for us on The Cross:

·     He said he was going to die and be raised to new life

·     John and Mary heard Him say this and saw it happen

·     This is the most powerful form of sharing the Good News of forgiveness, healing and Eternal Spiritual Life

·     Most Christians have had the painful experience of facing and dying emotionally to their feelings of sin guilt,

·     Taking this to the Cross and asking for forgiveness,

·     Accepting forgiveness from Jesus, and,

·     The joy of being forgiven and healed

·     We are all witnesses to new spiritual life in Jesus!!

·     He is Risen, Alleluia!!