Easter: Daily Meditations On Holy Weekنموونە

Easter Sunday: Risen

INTRODUCTION

Text: Today we pause to engage with Easter Sunday, the day Jesus rose from the dead.

Reading: Read and consider this verse: “... Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him.” (Mark 16:6 ESV)

Text: Take a few moments to let your imagination fill your mind with images of the empty tomb. Let your emotions follow your imagination. Think of actually finding a man you buried no longer in his tomb. 

Prayer: Pray this prayer and consider its words: “Powerful God, only you are stronger than death. Since you are eternal, you never had to taste death. Yet, because of your great love, you became flesh in order to die, but the grave could not hold you. You not only rose from the dead but defeated death itself for us. Thank you, Jesus, for tasting death and beating death. Amen.” 

BACKGROUND

Text: The followers of Jesus could not believe that he had died. They also seemed to lack any hope that he would rise again, but the Bible has always known that the Messiah would rise from the dead. 

Verse: Read this prophecy: “Therefore, my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.” (Psalm 16:9-10 ESV)

Text: David wrote these words, but he did indeed die. In fact, his tomb was in Jerusalem and could be visited by any who wished. 

Text: Take a moment to remember one specific grave you’ve visited. Remember how still it looked. Recall how preserved and untouched it was. This is what David’s grave would have looked like, but not the grave of Jesus.  

RESPONSE

Verse: Read this verse: “... I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day…he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption.” (Acts 2:29, 31 ESV)

Text: Jesus is the fulfillment of the words written by David in the Psalms. In fact, all the promises God made to King David are actually made true by Jesus and apply to him. 

Verse: Read this covenant God made with King David: “... I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” (2 Samuel 7:12-13 ESV)

Text: Jesus is the true descendant that came from David’s body. Therefore, it is through him that God established his kingdom. The ultimate twist in the story is that the king who came to earth is God himself – the highest king. God came in the person of Jesus and, therefore, is the one who sits, not on an earthly throne, but on the heavenly throne. Jesus is the one God “raised up ..." and is now  ... exalted at the right hand of God, ...” (Acts 2:32-33 ESV) This is the glory of the resurrection: he who died now reigns on the throne of the universe. He who defeated death is now king of life. 

Prayer: Take the next few minutes to pray your own prayer to Jesus as the exalted King on his throne. Thank him that he did what no earthly ruler could. Thank him for bringing heaven to earth by becoming flesh.  

CONFESSION

Text: It is a sobering fact to realize how regularly we ignore the glory, beauty, and power of the enthroned Jesus. How quickly do we move through our lives unaware of the Lord? How often do we take the blessing of the cross for granted without stopping to truly treasure and love the beautiful one on his throne? Take a moment to consider, lament, confess and repent of the ways you have belittled the majesty of the enthroned Jesus.  

Prayer: Pray this prayer: Enthroned Jesus, we praise you for your power, beauty, and love. You reign over everything including death itself. I confess the ways in which I have overlooked your unmissable power for the weak things of this world. Give me new eyes, Jesus, to see the power of your resurrection and the permanence of your throne. Amen.”  

GOSPEL

Text: The resurrection of Jesus is the foundation of our greatest hope. Since he was raised from the dead, we will be raised like him as well.  

Verse: Listen to the promise made to all who are born again in Christ: “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.” (Romans 6:5 ESV)

Prayer: Spend a few minutes in prayer, thanking Jesus for securing your own resurrection by defeating death himself. Marvel at the truth that you will certainly rise from the dead just as he did.  

Text: The greatest joy which the resurrection brings is the second coming of Jesus. He rose and is coming back. When he comes back we will be raised from the dead and will inherit our glorified bodies, just as he did. Our glorified bodies will be like his, just as our resurrection will be like his. 

Verse: Read this glimpse into the second coming of Jesus: “Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:2 ESV)

Prayer: Spend the remaining moments in joyful prayer, thanking Jesus that he will return to raise you from the dead just as he was raised. Marvel at the fact that you will be made like him. Above all, rejoice that you will see him as he is and dwell with him forever. This is the greatest joy of Easter.