“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.” 1 Corinthians 15:3–4
A few weeks ago we celebrated that truth, the truth that is of first importance, on Easter Sunday. It was a huge joyous resurrection party where we got to see how that gospel changes people’s lives. We witnessed Jesus save people, we got to baptize people, we saw families reunited around Christ, we saw children come to faith, we saw people sing and shout and celebrate that truth. We saw a glimpse of how the gospel comes to bear on people’s lives and it was an amazing thing to watch. The truth that Jesus is alive changes everything. That truth changes people’s lives.
But here we are a few weeks after Easter and there have been some rough days since that party. For all of us, we’ve had to go back to normal life; back to living in a land of death. We’ve had long hard work days, we’ve made mistakes, we’ve failed, we’ve suffered loss, we’ve sinned against each other, we’ve been disappointed, we’ve felt pain, we’ve been opposed, we’ve hurt and been hurt.
But the resurrection has implications for today. Jesus is still alive today. The gospel has the power we need for today. I’m writing this as a reminder, because we can never hear this too many times and we tend to forget. Jesus died for you. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is good news for you because Jesus did it for you. “Christ died for your sins.” Remember that today. We need the gospel as much today as we did the day we first heard it and it’s as powerful today as it was the day we first heard it.
Here are a few implications that 1 Corinthians 15 has on your life today.
Jesus died for you because he loves you and nothing can separate you from his love. In his death, your sin is put to death. In his resurrection, you can have eternal life. The tomb is still empty and that means that your savior is alive and reigning over your life and you can rest in his sovereignty and power. Death has been defeated and has no sting anymore. The salvation you gained through his work on the cross canon be taken from you today. You cannot out-sin his grace today. Jesus still loves you today.
We get to live this day in the wake of the resurrection. He is (still) risen!
Pastor Cam Huxford is the worship pastor at Mars Hill Downtown Seattle and leads the band Ghost Ship. Ghost Ship is releasing a new single today! Click here for a free download.
