He is Risen, Indeed!

Our pastor, Jerry Iamurri, of Bethany Evangelical Presbyterian Church, knocked one out of the park again today. He described how Psalm 22, particularly the following verses (14-17), vividly describes the process of crucifixion, hundreds of years before this form of execution was being practiced:

I am poured out like water,
And all My bones are out of joint;
My heart is like wax;
It has melted within Me.
 My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
And My tongue clings to My jaws;
You have brought Me to the dust of death.

 For dogs have surrounded Me;
The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me.
They pierced My hands and My feet;
 I can count all My bones.

How could the psalmist paint such a vivid picture of this horrible form of torture, which didn't even exist yet, if he weren't being guided by a divine hand?

Our pastor went on to say that the huge rock that sealed Jesus' tomb was rolled away, not so that Christ could emerge, but so that His followers could enter!There would have been no need for Him to have an "exit plan," as Scripture is clear that He could walk through walls and appear and reappear in His resurrected physical body:

"Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” (John 20:19)

Note how the resurrected Savior just bypassed the closed doors to make His unconventional entrance! And in the following passage, note how He appears out of thin air and departs the same way:

"Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him. And He said to them, 'What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?' Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, 'Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days? And He said to them, 'What things?'

"So they said to Him, 'The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened. Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us. When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see.'  Then He said to them, 'O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?' And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

"Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther. But they constrained Him, saying, 'Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.' And He went in to stay with them.

"Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight." (Luke 24:13-31)

Pastor Jerry also made the point that we don't have to worry about accomplishing all the goals on our "bucket lists" because what awaits us in heaven is far superior to anything we could experience on earth. Jerry stated that since Christ ate, walked and conversed with His disciples in His resurrected body, we can assume we will do those things in heaven as well. We can forego our bucket lists and even our rights because "no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly" (Psalm 84:11). Furthermore, Jerry stated that He has "paid off all our bills" in the sense that He took the punishment we deserved; it really is finished! When God applies Christ's righteousness to our account, our sin is paid for completely - just like if a millionaire paid off our credit card debt, wiping our slate clean.

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(attributed to Mother Teresa)