LESSONS FROM THE TOMB (1)

·         The stone was rolled away!

In Matt 28:1-3 there came the faithful (Mary Magdalene and the other) to render service to God via anointing the body of Jesus, but then something held them back- THE STONE! But as they looked up on that resurrection morning the stone was rolled away- Jesus was alive.

You see, the stone represents anything that causes us to draw back from service to God-guilt, sickness, poverty and any disability. The stone is already rolled-off our way in the light of the resurrected Christ. All you have to do is look up and see the finished work- He’s alive!

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus...

Rom 8:1

That’s not all- He also sat on it!

This indicates restfulness- permanence if you like. That stone was not just moved away it’s also not moving into our way so far as God is concerned. I don’t know about you- but I’m so glad that guilt can’t get in the way of my service to God.

If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

Jn 8:36

BEYOND THE GRAVE

What did the resurrection of Jesus Depict?

1.      Victory!:

Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

Col 2:14-15

The Cross shows that He fought the battle; the resurrection shows that He won!

2.     Reconciliation:

And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

2Cor 5:18-19

It may interest you to know that ‘reconciliation’ from the passage above literally means ‘exchange’. It’s an old word that was commonly used to refer to the business of coin exchange, because at the cross, He paid the price, and His resurrection is the proof that the transaction is completed!

3.     Ratification of the New covenant:

But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and [I will]write it in their hearts; and [I]will be their God, and they shall be my people.

... for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

Jer 31:33-34 [emphasis mine]

            God made a covenant with Israel based on 10 things that they shouldn’t do, (which of-course they failed to do), but through Jesus, He put into effect (ratified) a better covenant which is based on 5 things that God said, He would do (i.e. the ‘I wills’), and we know, from Bible convention that the number 5 is representative of Grace.

            The focus of this covenant is on Jesus and not our deeds or misdeeds; the old covenant says; thou shalt. The New says; I will.

4.     Son-ship.

Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

            Jesus’ resurrection gave us something that even the perfect man- Adam didn’t experience: SONSHIP. Adam had a creature-experience of God, the law gave us the servant-experience of God, but Jesus gives us the son-ship experience of our loving Father.

  

LESSON FROM THE PRODIGAL SON

[Lk 15:11-32]

Jesus’ words attracted publicans and “sinners” and naturally the religious mafia were envious and murmured, so what exactly was He saying;

            Now from Jewish tradition the 2^nd born was to obtain half as much as the first born, so he took one-third of his father’s estate and blew it off in a far-away land. It’s good if we understand the implications of the illustrations that Jesus used: The prodigal son was sent to feed pigs (we’re not sure if he was paid); now the Jews wouldn’t even eat pigs, thus feeding them was the depth of shame for a Jew; a son of God, he desired the food of the pigs, but no one gave him that luxury- in fact, that phrase literally implies that they “kept refusing him”; he kept begging and they kept saying NO!

            Then, he came to himself.

I will arise and go to my father...

Notice the change of focus now; he now looks to his father rather than to himself. It seems to me that;

“Until God is everything, He won’t mean anything to us”

Now a lot changed about this particular son: He went from riches to rags, from benevolent to beggar, from landlord to homeless, but before his father one thing remained: He was still a son and when he saw him yet a great distance away, he ran, embraced him and kissed him; in fact that word literally implies- “kept kissing” him, still in his rags and ‘swine aroma perfume’.

            Then, instead of the scolding he deserved He gave him the best robe (righteousness) to put on, a ring (royalty) and sandals (freedom- only freemen wore sandals in those days), best of all there was the feast with the fatted calf as the delicacy.

Can you see the restoration: the son squandered one-third of his father’s lively hood and here the father gives him a three-fold blessing; the robe, the ring and the reception.

At the beginning of the story, both sons were referred to as Uihos- the Greek word for mature sons (Lk 15:11), but at the end only this prodigal son retained it, the father later referred to the service-conscious elder brother as Teknon- the Greek word for a child (Lk 15:31) because Servant-hood changes, but son-ship doesn’t! So, like a little child he still needed to learn the love of the father.

There’s always restoration and solace when you see God as your father.