God Is Not Dead

No this is not another movie review or critique. One is enough for a while, although the movie “God Is Not Dead” was a good one. I even have the hat to prove it. Or is it a T-shirt that proves things? Oh well, God is not Dead.

That is the message of Easter. God came to earth, in the body of Jesus. That body walked and talked and humanly lived on this planet for roughly 33 years. While here, He did nothing wrong. Read the Old Testament rules for behavior and bringing a sacrifice. Then add to that the rules about the preparation and presentation of the sacrifice by the priests. That cumulative load of detail was completely and fully satisfied by this one Man.

And, for His trouble, He was crucified on a hill. I heard a comment that said the hill named Golgotha, just outside the city of Jerusalem, was transformed into Calvary by what happened there. It is interpreted by the evangelists as meaning "the place of a skull" ( Matthew 27:33; Mark 15:22; John 19:17) In Hebrew, “Gulgoleth” ( Numbers 1:2; 1 Chronicles 23:3, 24; 2 Kings 9:35), means "a skull."

The name Calvary is used only in Luke 23:33. That is the Latin name “Calvaria,” which was used as a translation of the Greek word “Kranion,” by which the Hebrew word “Gulgoleth” was interpreted. It also means "the place of a skull." The important thing, regardless of what it is called, is that it was the place where the eternal sacrifice for sins, my sins and your sins, was consumated.

Some atheists have claimed that the supposed death of Jesus, God, proves that there is actually no God at all. “If God died, then why didn’t everything cease to exist or at least fly apart?”

I think the more pertinent question is, “Why did not the entire universe implode on this minuscule, insignificant planet that had the temerity to crucify the Creator of the cosmos?” But it didn’t.

And three days later, Three Days Later, THREE DAYS LATER, He rose! As Aslan in the “Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” explained, death was reversed and made to work backwards.

The last time we were together we looked at a couple of hymns that celebrate this glorious fact. (Link below: “Christ the Lord is Risen Today,” and “I’m Saved by the Blood of the Crucified One”) An appropriate song for today is “Up from the Grave He Arose.” The next phrase is, “...with a mighty triumph o’er His foes.”

Focus on the Family spent two days with Lee Strobel considering his quest to disprove the Resurrection. Instead, it verified it. (https://www.focusonthefamily.com/media/daily-broadcast/understanding-the-importance-of-easter-in-new-ways-pt1
https://www.focusonthefamily.com/media/daily-broadcast/understanding-the-importance-of-easter-in-new-ways-pt2)

I love the words of the first hymn, “Christ the Lord is Risen Today.” They go, “Death cannot keep its prey....” All hell was unleashed in an attempt to thwart the Resurrection and keep Him dead. But all the power of heaven crushed that opposition and THREE DAYS LATER, He rose! He is alive! Mind if I get a little excited? I am. God is not dead! What a story to tell. And the significance is not just that He either never existed, or has been banished from reality, but that He really was dead–for three days. Then He took His life back and rose from that grave, never to die again.

The Good News? I have that same testimony. I may die once, but I cannot and will not die again. God is alive, and so am I! GOD IS NOT DEAD! Glory! Hallelujah!

Have a Blessed Easter–Resurrection Sunday. God is not dead.


Friday, April 19, 2019 Everything Is Coming Up Easter https://reflectionsfromjim.blogspot.com/2019/04/everything-is-coming-up-easter.html