THE GOOD NEWS OF THE RESURRECTION OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

“But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Cor. 15:20 NKJV).

The resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ is the foundational truth of Christianity. Everything else that we may believe stands or falls on this great truth. We must never compromise this doctrine. It is entirely non-negotiable.

Our resurrection depends entirely on His resurrection. If the Lord Jesus was raised, then we will be raised too. The fact that 2000 years have passed means nothing since God dwells in eternity.

Our resurrection bodies will be radically different from our present bodies yet intimately related to them. It will be much different in every respect yet related to who we are in this present life. We will never regret being resurrected and we will never ask for our old bodies back.

When the Lord Jesus Christ returns, both living and dead Christians will receive their resurrection bodies and death will finally be defeated. Between now and then death may seem to win many temporary victories, but our ultimate victory was assured on that memorable Easter Sunday morning over 2000 years ago.

The good news of the resurrection is that all who united by faith with the Lord Jesus Christ, are by His resurrection assured of their own resurrection. These truths ought to encourage us to stand firm and serve God joyfully, knowing that our labor is not in vain in the Lord.

(Adapted from Ray Pritchard – How are the Dead Raised)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“The best news the world ever had came from a graveyard!”

Anonymous

Word Study

Firstfruits

In 1 Cor. 15:20 we read, “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (NKJV).

“Firstfruits” is the Greek word aparchḗ (ἀπαρχή = ap-ar-khay'). It is made up of two words: “apó” which means away from, and “árchomai” which means to begin. Literally, the word means firstfruits. In classical Greek it was a technical term for sacrificial firstfruits of any kind that were offered to the various gods. In the Septuagint, aparchḗ was also a technical term used to describe the first portion of a grain harvest, fruit harvest, or the first portion of an animal offering. It represented the first portion of an offering and considered as belonging specifically to the Lord (cf. Ex. 13:12-15; 23:19; Lev. 2:12; Num. 18:15). The firstfruits of a harvest of grain was an indication of a greater harvest to come. In the New Testament, aparchḗ was also generally used to mean the firstfruits in relationship to everything else produced. Often it is in association with sacrifice or offering. Here in 1 Cor. 15:20, the apostle Paul is using the word figuratively to present the Lord Jesus Christ as the firstfruits of the resurrection. His resurrection is the guarantee of the resurrection of all believers. The firstfruits are a sign and a promise of the success of the remainder of the harvest. It symbolizes God’s harvest of souls.

Did You Know…

According to Matt. 13:55, the Lord Jesus had at least four named brothers (James, Joses, Simon, and Judas), yet He assigned the take care of His Mother to John, the disciple who is described as the “disciple whom He loved” (John 19:26-27).

Bible Quiz

What were the soldiers told to say regarding the missing body of the Lord Jesus?

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz

On what charge did the Jewish court sentence the Lord Jesus to death? The charge of blasphemy - "The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God” (John 19:7).

Prophecies Fulfilled by the Lord Jesus Christ

The Blood of the Lamb Saves from Wrath (Ex. 12:13; Rom. 5:8)

"Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt” (Ex. 12:13 NJKV).

The essence of the Passover is found in Ex. 12:12 where God said He would strike down all the firstborn, both human and animal, execute judgments against all the gods of Egypt, and pass over the houses of the Israelites. And so the Israelites were to kill a lamb and “take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat” the lamb (cf. 12:7). The killing and eating of the lamb would have done no good for any one in Israel if the lamb’s blood was disregarded. Likewise, it is not enough to know about the Lord Jesus; a person must receive Him as their Savior. His blood must be applied to the ‘door of the person’s heart.’ The blood of the Lord Jesus is absolutely essential in soul salvation, for “without shedding of blood there is no remission” (Heb. 9:22). The “blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). Those who have been born again have the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ covering them. And God has promised that when He sees the blood of the Lord Jesus on us, His wrath against our sins will pass over us. He will forgive our trespasses as He sees the righteousness of the Lord Jesus as our own (cf. 1 Cor. 1:30; 2 Cor. 5:21). What a merciful God!

Did You Know – Christian History

Isabella Thoburn was born March 29, 1840 in Clairsville, Ohio. She was an American Christian missionary of the Methodist Episcopal Church best known for her establishment of educational institutions and missionary work in North India.

Thoburn’s parents were immigrants from Ireland. She attended local schools and the Wheeling Female Seminary in Wheeling, Virginia. Thoburn became a teacher, and after teaching for several years, in 1866, was invited by her brother James Thoburn, a Methodist Episcopal missionary in India, to assist him in his educational and missionary work in India. She delayed her departure until 1869 when the formation of the Women’s Foreign Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church enabled her to undertake missionary work under denominational affiliation and sponsorship.

Thoburn worked tirelessly in behalf of the rejected women, traveling across India to urge the founding of church schools for girls. She began a program of education for Indian women that would lead eventually to the creation of the first Christian college for women in Asia. She began with six girls in one room in the bazaar in April 1870. This developed into a boarding school, then a high school, and in 1886 the college began which she named Lucknow Woman’s College. And for many years Thoburn edited a semi-monthly newspaper in Hindi, called Women’s Friend.

Thoburn was in the United States on furlough from 1880 to 1881, and again from 1886 to 1896 because of ill health. During this latter period, she became one of the first deaconesses in the Methodist Episcopal Church and worked with Lucy Rider Meyer in the Chicago Training School for a year. Then in Cincinnati, Ohio, she helped to found the Deaconess Home and Training School and also Christ Hospital. In 1891 she returned to her educational work in India until 1899 when she came back to the United States to raise funds for the college. After giving three addresses at the Ecumenical Missionary Conference in New York in 1900 Thoburn she returned to India. The following year she died of cholera at the age of 61 and was buried in Lucknow. After her death the college she founded was renamed Isabella Thoburn College, which is now the women’s college of Lucknow University. University.lawyers.73.373.disappointments.rs.

A Little Humor

The originator of a new religion came to the great French diplomat-statesman Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Perigord and complained that he could not make any converts. “What would you suggest I do?” he asked. “I should recommend,” said Talleyrand, “that you get yourself crucified, and then die, but be sure to rise again the third day.”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“God’s retirement plan is out of this world!”