The Resurrection and the life

Spend a few moments in silence before God preparing your heart to hear from Him.

1Keep me safe, my God,
    for in you I take refuge.
2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
    apart from you I have no good thing.”
3 I say of the holy people who are in the land,
    “They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.”
4 Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more.
    I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods
    or take up their names on my lips.

5 Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;
    you make my lot secure.
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
    surely I have a delightful inheritance.
7 I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
    even at night my heart instructs me.
8 I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
    With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
    my body also will rest secure,
10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
    nor will you let your faithful[b] one see decay.
11 You make known to me the path of life;
    you will fill me with joy in your presence,
    with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

– Psalm 16

What does this Psalm say about death?

Pray: Psalm 16 is a prophetic song that points to the future Messiah. As Christians we know that this Messiah was Jesus Christ. When Jesus died, all hope appeared to be lost. His disciples and all who loved Him and hoped He would be the one to save the world were devastated. But God! Through the power of the Holy Spirit, God the Father, kept His promise and raised His Son from the dead. Through Jesus’ resurrection, the power of sin, death, and the grave were utterly defeated. Pause and find a song that celebrates the resurrection of Jesus and spend some time worshipping God through the words of the song.

What does it mean to you that Jesus rose from the dead?

“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: ‘For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:31-39

Read: John 11:1-44

What does this passage teach you about Jesus? What is the significance of Jesus raising a man who had been dead for four days? 

This story is incredible and gives us a glimpse into the heart of Jesus. He purposefully waits a few days knowing Lazarus will die, and he will perform His greatest miracle yet. Even though Jesus knows how this situation will end, He is still touched by the grief of Mary, Martha, and the people who have gathered to mourn. He weeps, literally shedding tears because of the pain the consequence of sin has caused. Even though Jesus came to defeat sin and death, He still hates the destruction and turmoil the power of evil has caused the people He dearly loves, those made in His image. Jesus deeply cares about you. He grieves when you grieve and rejoices when you rejoice. He came all the way to earth as a man so that He could offer you forgiveness and healing. He invites you just as you are to come to Him, the only source of true, abundant life, and He promises to make you holy and whole.

Listen: Check out the following video for further study.

What needs to change in your life as a result of hearing this message about Jesus? 

Pray: Use the following passage of Scripture as a guide for a closing prayer to your time spent with God today.

“Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” – Ephesians 2:19-22