He is Risen!

Matthew 28:6
"He is not here: for HE IS RISEN, as he said.
Come, see the place where the Lord lay."

Been to so many funerals, I can kind of imagine that scene, seeing someone you've known for some time, lying motionless in the coffin. Everything that has to do with that person is over, THE END.

How did Jesus' followers feel when they saw their Lord nailed to the cross and died? He said He was the Son of God, yet there he laid, in the tomb? Sad? Puzzled? Hopeless now?

Today, we know that Christ didn't just lay dead in the tomb. His body wasn't stolen. The fact is, He is Risen! What does that mean to us?

Hear these words:
1] "He is not here..."
- this means He didn't lay in the tomb! He has risen! Christ has conquered death and sin. As Christians, this means a lot to us. Christ promises us the same victory over sin and death!

2] "... as he said."
- The Gospels record Jesus predicted His death, telling his disciples that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Indeed, Christ kept His word! That's a wonderful truth for us. God cannot lie. All that He has said in His word is truth and will be fulfilled. What a comforting thought.

3] "Come, see..."
- The angel invited the 2 women into the empty to 'SEE'. The empty tomb gave evidence of His resurrection. He physically appeared to them and dwelt amongst them 40 days before His ascension. Truly the Lord knows our weakness - how we walk by sight and not by faith!

The victorious life is made available to all simply by believing in Christ's death, burial and resurrection. What a comforting thought!

1 Corinthians 15
Death is swallowed up in victory.
"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.
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable,
always abounding in the work of the Lord,
knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.