In This month where we celebrate Easter, may we never take for granted the necessity of the death of Christ. If He was not willing to shed His blood for our sins, then we could not be forgiven and none of us could enter the Kingdom of Heaven. In the Gospel of John, we find this perhaps obscure verse.
John 12:14 “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls in the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”
The grain of wheat is the seed that is planted that produces a harvest of grain, and when planted it bears much fruit. Jesus died and was buried so that He could produce much fruit for the Kingdom of God. You and I, as followers of Christ, are the fruit of His death, burial and resurrection. I have life because Jesus was willing to give His in my place. We are not joint heirs with Christ because He was willing to die.
Every Sunday is a celebration of the resurrection that is why church should be an exciting place to be. How can we be sad about a risen Savior? There is a time to mourn and a time to weep but there is also a time to rejoice. We don’t live our lives with the sorrow of the cross, though we should always remember the cross. We live our lives with the victory of the resurrection. Jesus is alive! As the words of that wonderful hymn reminds us:
“I serve a risen Savior, He’s in the world today. I know that He is living whatever men may say. I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer, and just the time I need Him, He’s always near. He lives! He lives! Christ Jesus lives today! He walks with me and talks with me along life’s narrow way. He lives! He lives! Salvation to impart… You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart!”
If that is true for you, you understand the wonderful joy of that hymn. If that is not true, I pray you would come to the experience that today. Admin you are a sinner, invite Christ into your life, believing He is who He says He is and He will save you from your sin. You can know the joy of the resurrection in your life if you first die to yourself so that you might bear much fruit!
In His Amazing Grace,
Dan