Resurrection Reconsidered - Pt. 1 Reclaimed

Today is known too many as Good Friday and the first part of what is considered the 3-days of Christ's crucifixion and resurrection. I'm sure you like so many have heard the message of Jesus' being condemned, crucified, and resurrected.

What I would like to do though is share with you a Reflection of the Resurrection. In respect of this important weekend, I will be providing a three part message on this subject with today's being Part 1. Even though it is considered a foundation stone of our faith according to Hebrews chapter 6, it is in my experience something that is seldom mentioned or spoken of today.

What I mean by this is that when the message of Christ's Resurrection is spoken of it is usually a focus on going to Heaven.

Perhaps one of the most important parts to Christ's Resurrection is that it is directly connected to what is celebrated by many as Passover. So let's get started, by first looking at the book of Exodus in chapter 12. Now this chapter focuses on a very important part to the Passover, the sacrificial lamb whose blood was spread around the door frames by people of Israel.

A little important note that when this was done it wrote out the Hebrew word Chet חֵטְא, which stands for the word Sin. In other words, God tells the people of Israel in Exodus 12 to apply the blood of the lamb to Sin (Chet). Now in verse 11 it states, "This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the Lord’s Passover." Why is this particular part important? The description of cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand is an imagery of describing someone going forth. To be prepared.

Here is Part 1 of the Resurrection. The blood of the lamb is applied to sin for the purpose of going forth or moving forward. Jesus is that lamb that came from God Himself. God complied with his own teaching that he gave to the people of Israel to apply the blood of a lamb to the door frames - to the Chet "Sin." Consider this, God does not ask to do something that HE is not willing to do Himself. God provided His Lamb, Jesus the Messiah, and applied it to the door posts, to Chet - Sin, our sins.

But for what reason? To simply have us say some recital for our sins to be forgiven? To say a prayer? The only thing we should recite or pray is that of praise and giving thanks to him for providing that lamb and for applying it to the door frames, to the Chet - Sin in our lives. Why would we pray asking good to wash away our sins when he already did it for us?

Why would we beg God to take away our sins when He already sacrificed the lamb (Jesus) and applied it to our door posts - to our sins already? I want you to take just a moment and consider this, and if you wish to give him a prayer or recite something then let it be a prayer or recital of saying, "Thank You God, praise your God for applying that lambs blood on my door frame, on my sins of my house, on my life!" But here is the important question you and I should be asking..Why? For what purpose?

God placed that lambs blood on our Chet - Sin in order that we might Go Forth, Go Forward with our lives for a Purpose. Before answering this question, look further on Exodus 12 verse 27, "then tell them, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.’” Then the people bowed down and worshiped." You've probably heard the story of Israel being freed from enslavement in Egypt.

And of the plagues that hit Egypt in the book of Exodus. But what was the final plague that hit all of the land? It was death. Death came to the land and those whose door frames had the lambs blood on it was Passed-Over. This very important event in the book of Exodus directly points to the fact that just as death Passed-Over those whose door frames had the lambs blood on them, so to did death Pass-Over our homes because of God sacrificial lamb (Jesus) whose blood was placed on our door frames, on our Chet-Sin in order that death might Pass-Over.

The proof of this, the confirmation that death has been defeated, that it Passed-Over our homes was when Jesus Rose From Death - The Resurrection Of Christ. Yet, as I asked earlier, Why? Look at Exodus 12:13, "The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt. " The blood is a sign for you! This is all a pointing toward a future redemption, an Exodus of being freed from enslavement and death! God Himself became that lamb and offered Himself is that future sacrifice for our lives in order that we might be freed from enslavement and death For A Purpose!

Many today are enslaved too something. For some it is a personal enslavement to despair, a feeling of being lost or without hope in their lives. Some, it is an enslavement to something or even someone in their lives. Whatever it is you are enslaved to or to whatever or whomever is tormenting your lives, feeling as though you have no hope, no freedom or Empowerment in your own life know this...God has already offered Himself as that lamb that He applied the blood to the door frames of your home.

Christ's sacrifice is more than you simply asking God to forgive you of your sins, of praying to Him and asking that you be set free. He has already set you free! What we need to focus on is the Why, not the What or the How. Why did God do this? In order that you might be freed from whatever it is you are enslaved to for a Purpose! So what is that purpose? Take a moment to read the next chapter in Exodus - Exodus 13. In Exodus 13:3, "Then Moses said to the people, “Commemorate this day, the day you came out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery, because the Lord brought you out of it with a mighty hand.

Now look at Exodus 13:5, "When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites and Jebusites—the land he swore to your ancestors to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey..." This imagery of God freeing Israel from the enslavement of Egypt to a land of flowing with milk and honey is not about going to Heaven. Heaven is not a land, it is not a place here on earth. And yet it is this land flowing with milk and honey here on earth. Resurrection is not some metaphor for some post death spiritual experience.

Resurrection is not about ascending to some spiritual plain of existence, it is a physical reality. It is a physical re-embodiment, it is a physical life - after - life after death! God has placed blood of the lamb on your door posts - on your Chet - Sin, in order that death might Passover you so that you will experience life after death in a physical re-embodiment, not an immortality of the soul. Think for a moment, God created you! He created the earth! To do what? Simply through it all away?

In Genesis 1:31 it tells us that, "God saw ALL that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning--the sixth day." God saw all that he had made! You, your friends, neighbors, and the earth itself and not only did God say that it was good, but in fact it tells us that God saw it all as Very Good!.

In Hebrew, this term very good, Tov Meod טוֹב מְאוֹד is a descriptive term that has to do with fulfillment, or having Purpose. God saw all that he had made for a fulfillment of something, for a Purpose! The Resurrection is about God giving back to you a life of Purpose! God Empowering your life! Back to the story of Exodus. Moses several time tells Pharaoh to let Gods people go in order that they may worship me [Exodus 7:16; 8:1; 9:13]. A well known verse in John 8:31-32 states, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

So now let's answer that big question of WHY? God set Israel free in order that they might serve Him. Jesus teaches that if you hold to my teaching, you are my disciples - then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. Resurrection is about the forgiveness of your sins, which has already been done. But what we do not know is that it was for a purpose. That purpose is to serve God, that purpose is to hold to teachings of Jesus - of God - to be his disciples, and then we will know the truth.

The truth is that you have, not will be, not after death will you be, but can be right now set free from enslavement, from death in order to serve God. In order to apply Jesus - God's teaching in your life, to be his disciple. You can experience resurrection in your life today, right now if you decide to live a life empowered by God. If you choose to serve him, to follow after His teachings and be his disciple you will in fact experience Resurrection. You will begin to life a life after death because God already defeated death when he placed the lambs blood on you door frames, on your sin.

You can begin to life an Empowered Life right now if You Choose to do so. Take some time today and this weekend to dwell on this for yourself, for your family, and for those who need you to live this empowered life in order to empower them.

The Next-Step in Part 2.