Holy Week Message, Part 3: It All Begins at Calvary

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"For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS according to the Scriptures, and THAT HE WAS BURIED, and THAT HE ROSE AGAIN THE THIRD DAY according to the Scriptures" 1 Corinthians 15:3-4.

There were WITNESSES of the Resurrection of Christ, to that there is no doubt. AND in the following passage from 1 Corinthians 15, the Apostle Paul CITES Peter and the eleven apostles who saw the LORD after His resurrection, and then he further states, "After that, He was seen of more than FIVE HUNDRED brethren at once. He was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all, He was seen of me also as one born out of due time" 1 Corinthians 15:5-8.

That Christ was "raised again the third day" is of the UTMOST importance because it is the receipt from God, Himself, that our sins have been paid in full, signed in His own blood, as it were.

Death and Hades could not keep the Son of God in its icy grip. Unlike you and me, the LORD Jesus Christ had no sin, He is "holy, harmless, undefiled, [and] separate from sinners" Hebrews 7:26...and possessing "the spirit of holiness" God "declared [Him] to be the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead" (Romans 1:4).

Pay very close attention...The Father raised Christ from the dead. Galatians 1:1. The Holy Spirit raised Christ from the dead. 1 Peter 1:18. The LORD Jesus Christ raised HIMSELF from the dead. John 10:18. In the resurrection of Christ, God shows "what is the exceeding greatness of His power to usward who believe". Ephesians 1:19.
Now, another important point...Christ's appearance to Paul was VERY different than His appearances had been unto all those other saints. The Apostle Paul saw the RISEN, EXALTED, and GLORIFIED, LORD JESUS CHRIST in the glory of His Grace. Listen to Paul's own testimony, "And when I could not see for the Glory of that Light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus. And one Ananias said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know His will, AND SEE THAT JUST ONE, and shouldest hear the voice of His mouth" Acts 22:11-14.

So in the Apostle Paul's Gospel when he focuses upon the "crucified" One, 1 Corinthains 1:23, he proclaims "Jesus Christ according to the Revelation of the Mystery" (Romans 16:25). In our endeavors, therefore, to keep our congregations informed of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ may we NEVER forget that we "who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the BLOOD of Christ". Ephesians 2:13. What love, and what Grace, that should compel our worship, our praise, and our adoration of our wonderful LORD and Savior Jesus Christ. And it all begins at Calvary.

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In Ephesians 1:13 the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul declares that men are saved and sealed by hearing and BELIEVING the Word of Truth, the Gospel of your Salvation. Therefore, here, now, is declared unto you the Word of Truth, the Gospel of your Salvation: "that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures" 1 Corinthians 15:3-4. BELIEVE today. The time is short.

So There You Have it!

Spread this message to everyone you know, far and wide.

Grace be to you and peace, from God: our Father, and The LORD Jesus Christ.

In The LORD Jesus Christ,
The Lion and Lamb Ministry

LLM - Ambassador for Christ in the Ministry of Reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18-20)