Luke 24
Believe
that He is Risen
They came to
the tomb and He was not there. They
didn't know what to believe. Peter had
to see for himself. They experienced
Jesus for themselves. He is risen!
We too must
believe that He is risen – that is essential to our faith and matters for how
we live our lives.
THE REST OF THE STORY
That isn't
it. Jesus rising from the grave isn't
it. That is just the beginning. If we sit comfortable on Easter and don't
move forward, we are missing it. Yes,
Jesus conquered death and the grave.
Yes, He is risen. But, that isn't
it. There is more to the story. This is the beginning of the journey.
Jesus had
been preparing the disciples for this.
He had been preparing them for what was to come. Jesus was teaching them so that they would be
ready so that when He was risen, they could move forward. There was more to the
story (the rest of the story). It wasn't to go back to their old
lives. It wasn't to just sit and enjoy
that He had risen and how awesome that was and IS. It was for a purpose that they were prepared
that day!
What do we
do with this? How do we move forward on
Easter?
It does
begin with believing that Jesus is risen – but there is the rest of the story…
Live
because He is Risen –
If you
believe that Jesus is risen, then you will live because Jesus is risen. Your life will reflect a resurrected
life. Death to the old…Life to the new. Jesus tells them get ready. He tells them that they should go from there
with power from on High. He is giving us
power in the risen life. He is giving us
purpose in the risen life. He is giving
us a new start in the risen life. He is
showing us the way in this risen life.
We are not bound to this world and we are not bound to the grave. We are living a whole new life. Old things are passed away. This is a new life. We are not slaves to sin or to our past…we
can move forward for Him.
This new
life has peace and hope and joy and abundant love. This new life is amazing. This new life is tough, and filled with
troubles and people who want you to change back. It is filled with adversity from the
world. But, it is filled with Jesus.
Tell that
He is Risen –
If we
believe and live it, we will tell about it.
Our lives will show it…our words will tell about it…our joy will show…
and our light will shine. People will
want to know and even if they don't, we will tell them anyway. Jesus is risen and that means more than an
Easter celebration. That means a changed
life. That means a new beginning to a
life long journey with Him.
There is
more to the story than Easter. What are
you going to do with the rest of the story?
