Jesus is Alive!!

Hallelujah!! Jesus is Alive! 

Man’s Death, separated us from God.  God created us for fellowship and intimacy with Him.  He is heartbroken at our separation from Him and He is taking every effort to bring us back into intimacy with Him.  God does not want anyone to perish.  When Jesus Died our Death, the separation between Man and God was bridged and we could enter the Holy of Holies. 

Once Christ had completed His task on the cross, the mortal had to put on immortality; corruption had to put on incorruption. Resurrection was mandatory.  It had to happen.  At resurrection, Death was dealt a death blow.  Death was swallowed up in victory. 

Satan can no more intimidate us with the threat of Death.  Death has lost its sting.  In Christ we have victory over Death.  Obviously, this does not mean that we will not leave this earthly house, this tent.  We, in fact, groan to be clothed with our new habitation, which is from heaven.  We desire that mortality be swallowed up by Life.  Paul goes to this extent to say, “For me ... to die is gain”

The second victory that we enjoy because of resurrection is that we now can live here on earth, victoriously over the power of sin.  The resurrected Christ lives within us.  He invites us to be crucified with Him and the life, which we now live, will be no more ours but the life of Christ.  Once we have come to Christ and received His forgiveness, we cannot go back to live for the ‘self’.  This is the crux of the gospel.  The gospel only becomes personally applicable, when a person lives no more for the self but for Christ.  This experience of dying to the self and living for Christ is a constant, ongoing experience for a Christian.  This is not about our effort but trusting Him constantly.  This is why the Christian life is a Life of Faith. 

Thirdly, when we personally appropriate the work of Christ on the cross by repenting of our sins, seeking His forgiveness and inviting Him to be the Lord of our lives, Jesus became our Life.  God gives us eternal Life and this Life is in His Son.  He who has Christ has Life and he who does not have Christ does not have Life. 

There is a book in heaven called the Book of Life. Anyone who is not found written in the Book of Life will be cast into the lake of fire, which is the second death.  Man without Christ, though physically alive, is already Dead.  Physical life that Man lives is given for Man to repent, turn to Christ and have Life.  When Man is physically living, he has the opportunity to have his name included in the Book of Life.   

This is also the basis for missions and evangelism.  Every physically living person is living only for one reason and that is to have the opportunity to receive Jesus into his life.  We, who know Christ, are ambassadors of Christ, pleading on God’s behalf, with every physically living Man to turn to Christ and thereby be reconciled with God.  If a person dies physically, without entering into a relationship with Christ, his name will not be included in the Book of Life and he will be cast into the lake of fire. 

God is pleading for Man to come back to His intimacy and embrace.