Easter Sunday

I Corinthians 15:55-57: “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

What is the most important proof that Jesus was the Messiah? We can say that He fulfilled all the prophesies that the Bible said the one who comes and fulfills all these prophesies He is the Messiah. John the Baptist, who was the last great prophet of the Old Testament, said of Jesus that He was the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. Jesus proved He was the Messiah because no man could do the miracles that He did.

But the one thing that separates Jesus and says that He was the Messiah was the fact that He overcame death. I once heard of a father who had lost his wife and after the funeral, he along with his little daughter were riding back to their home and the dad was trying to explain to his little girl the loss of her mother. About that time a bee had gotten into the car and the little girl was frightened, the Dad reached up took the bee in his hand, and the bee stung him. The Dad showed his little daughter the bee and said that the bee could no longer hurt her because the stinger had been taken out.

Death has lost its sting because we are to look way beyond death. It is a doorway that opens up to vast regions of eternity. It starts us down not the hallway of time but of eternity. Now, do I like going through that door or do I like it when those I love enter that door? No, I don’t.

Because it looks like the grave has won, but “Oh grave where is thy victory?”  Many people have been successful as a businessman or politician, but even Presidents have died in office. Death is an awful monster.

But you see we celebrate Easter today because Christ has been down that road, and He went down that road for me and you. He tells us I’m your shepherd and remember He says, “remember I not only lead you through life but I will lead you through the deep waters of death and I will bring you into eternity.”  So, like a little child I’m afraid but I will put my hand into His nailed scared hands and He will lead me to the other side. O Grave where is your victory!

The sting of death is sin. You see sin has the real stinger and that is the law.  You see the law is the mirror that shows us who we really are.

But thanks be to God who gives us the Victory, and why because we are smart and cleaver and are overcomers. No, but because our Lord Jesus Christ that gives us the victory. Revelation 12:11 speaking of the tribulation saints it says, “they overcame Satan by the blood of the Lamb and that is the only way any of us will overcome.”

The Bible tells us in I Corinthians 5:8 that when we are absent from this body, we will be present with the Lord. So, the first person you will see when you walk through death door is your Lord Jesus. Jesus also said in John 14, “that where He was there, we would be also.” The Apostle Paul said “to die is gain” and he even went on to say that he was having a hard time deciding which would be better, to stay or to go on to Heaven, which would be far better. 

Pastor Lee Cruse there are times that I get homesick for Heaven, you see that is where my Dad and Mom and Grandparents are. I have said “that I know more people in Heaven now than those upon this earth.” But most of all that is where my Lord Jesus is.