KKCC Easter Sunday (12/04/2020) Service reflection/sermon
This is an undisputable, unarguable and unquestionable attestation. The court guards, unbelieving historians and philosophers all agreed to this fact that the grave is empty. For the followers of Jesus Christ, this is a great victory, assurance and hope.
Resurrection of Christ is the core foundation of Christian believe without which there will be no hope according to 1st Corinthian 15: 17-19. It is important today that we digest the great event and celebration in the following key areas.
1) Efficacy of the empty grave: The potency and benefits of the empty grave is very crucial to Christianity and in the current chaos in the world today. It proves that God is truth to his word. No situation, no power, no event , no scheme of man, no change in government or emerging technology can alter God’s plan. It is a clear assurance that whatever is God’s plan for you can stand. He is in control. Jesus foretold the disciple that the son of man will be killed, buried but will resurrect on the third day. In Revelation 1: 18, Jesus confirmed ‘ I am who lives, who was dead, and behold alive forevermore.; Are you worried with situations of things in your live, the Covid -19 ? Do not give up, God is still in control. The grave will not hold you back. Jesus had authority over grave. Our stain of sins is washed away and forgiven through the shedding of the precious blood of Jesus on the cross- Hebrew 9:22.
2) Inescapable reminder of the day of Judgement: Life does not end in the grave. The worst thing in life is not dead. The bible confirms in Ephesian 2: 1-5, that we were all dead (spiritually) in our transgression but because of His great love and mercy, we were made alive with Christ. Hebrew 9: 27 confirms that it is appointed unto man to die once and then judgement. Spiritual dead + physical dead = eternal dead. As we can see with the current Covid-19 pandemic, death does not discriminate, age, race, societal status, health status are all immaterial .The empty grave reminds us of the its reality but there is hope beyond the grave. Revelation 20: 11-15, reminds us of the day of accountability which will come with both positive and negative rewards. It is therefore our responsibility to decide which side of the reward we desire. While we are free to make choices but sadly enough, we are not at liberty to choose the consequences of our choices.
3) A clarion call for self-examinations. As Christians, are we confident to speak like saint Paul in Galatian 2:20, ‘ I am crucified with Christ nevertheless, the life I live is Christ’. The resurrection of Christ enables us to overcome sin and power of darkness. A thorough review of Galatian 5: 19-21 can give us a clear picture of our stand. At this crucial moment where testing to know our health status is important, a thorough examination or a deep dive of ourselves in line with the above scripture will glaringly reveal our spiritual status. All that you need is your Bible and your deliberate decision to start, your sincere conscience cannot deceive you in this exercise. Avail yourself of the lockdown and self-isolation opportunity to examine check your life.
4) The empty grave brings hope: Jesus Christ conquered the grave and gave us victory, assurance and hope. We can get out of the grave of sin, frustration, grave of compromises, grave of spiritual complacency, grave of unbelieving, grave of double standard, grave of operating as a sacred disciple etc. Morality is not Christianity. Cornelius in Act of Apostle 10, a centurion was good man, feared God and gave harm generously to people. The all-knowing God knew that Cornelius needed more and the power of resurrection to sustain him and his household. Cornelius became the first gentile convert after the encounter with the Holy spirit. Apostle Peter in Act 10: 34 confirms that God shows no partiality. The empty grave gives you that opportunity. You too can make it.
5) Conclusion: Are you still looking for the living among the death or dwelling with unbelieve about the scripture? . As the angle reminded the women at the tomb that the grave is empty, I will like to assure you that there is hope for you. It does not really matter where you have found yourself or what your life is like and how long you have been in that situation. In Isaiah 1:19, God is inviting us to come and reason with Him that though our sins are like scarlet , they shall be white as snow. God did not send His son to into the world to condemn but to save the world through him (John 3:17), God is standing at the door of your heart and knock, if you open to Him (Revelation 3: 20), He will come in and dine with you, change your situation and renew that relationship that Jesus paid the price on the cross (I Corinthians 6:20). The ball is in your court, you hold the handle of the door. All that you need is to confess and repent of your sins, invite Jesus into your life as your Lord and saviour, ask Jesus henceforth to be the driver of your life. Your role is to ask Jesus for help and surrender, then leave the how-to change for God. I had personally struggled with the word ‘born again’ for years in my life until December 18, 1988. I thought being fully involved in religious activities and given a Christian name etc by my parents were enough. My life has not been the same after my personal encounter with Jesus. There is no other way than to personally accept Jesus as our Lord. It is a decision nobody can decide for you. The prince of peace will grant you peace as you take this decisive decision. Remember, the grave is empty, because Christ lives, you can face tomorrow.
God bless you all.