April 29 – LD 17, Day 7: The Resurrection in the Gospel Message

Acts 3:26 - "Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.”

This message declared by Peter on Resurrection Sunday, sets the tone for their gospel preaching. Already he had said to his adversaries, Acts 3:13 “The God of Abraham….hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied….” For this they must repent and embrace the Living Lord. This note of victory permeates every message the apostles brought to the people of their day. It was offensive to many because the resurrection of Jesus made things much worse for them than the day of His crucifixion. Now He was not simply a miracle worker, now He was Lord over death, the grave, and sin itself. As you read some of the sermons by the apostles, it is when they come to the part where they tell the people that Jesus not only suffered, died, but He AROSE from the dead, their response became vehement and aggressive, see Acts 4:1,2 “And as they spake unto the people, the priests and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them, being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead.”

For every preacher of the gospel, the message of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead has a key place. It lifts every burdened sinner’s soul from despair to forgiveness and life. The catechism has just explained how the resurrection of Jesus from the dead gives to every believer a three-fold profit. No wonder then, that this resurrection was declared with such enthusiasm by the early church.

We often say, the heart of the gospel is the cross of Jesus, and certainly it is. Yet, if we stop to think a moment, the cross apart from Bethlehem or apart from the empty tomb means very little to us. The good news of the gospel is that Jesus, Who was nailed to the cross, was not simply a victim, a human being who was violated by cruel men, but He was very God and very man. Thus, His birth sets forth His qualifications. Also, the cross without the resurrection is a human tragedy. The resurrection is God’s mark of approval upon the cross of Jesus. He is a mighty Savior.

Meditate upon the resurrection and embrace it for your soul’s salvation.