“On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.  And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken.  It will be said on that day, ‘Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.’” (Isaiah 25:6-9 ESV)

“Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.  So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.’ So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb.  Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.  And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in.  Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb.  He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself.  Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead.” (John 20:1-9 ESV)

“Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.  For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.  Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.  Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.” (1 Corinthians 15:1-8 ESV)

He is risen! He is risen indeed!
Credit to: Riddleblog

We sang several hymns at our Easter service today, but this one always stands out for its timeless message, composed by John Wesley in 1739.

Christ the Lord is Risen Today

Christ, the Lord, is risen today, Alleluia!
Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia!
Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!
Sing, ye heavens, and earth, reply, Alleluia!

Love’s redeeming work is done, Alleluia!
Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia!
Lo! the Sun’s eclipse is over, Alleluia!
Lo! He sets in blood no more, Alleluia!

Vain the stone, the watch, the seal, Alleluia!
Christ hath burst the gates of hell, Alleluia!
Death in vain forbids His rise, Alleluia!
Christ hath opened paradise, Alleluia!

Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia!
Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!
Once He died our souls to save, Alleluia!
Where thy victory, O grave? Alleluia!

Soar we now where Christ hath led, Alleluia!
Following our exalted Head, Alleluia!
Made like Him, like Him we rise, Alleluia!
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!

Hail, the Lord of earth and Heaven, Alleluia!
Praise to Thee by both be given, Alleluia!
Thee we greet triumphant now, Alleluia!
Hail, the resurrection, thou, Alleluia!

King of glory, Soul of bliss, Alleluia!
Everlasting life is this, Alleluia!
Thee to know, Thy power to prove, Alleluia!
Thus to sing and thus to love, Alleluia!

Hymns of praise then let us sing, Alleluia!
Unto Christ, our heavenly King, Alleluia!
Who endured the cross and grave, Alleluia!
Sinners to redeem and save. Alleluia!

But the pains that He endured, Alleluia!
Our salvation have procured, Alleluia!
Now above the sky He’s King, Alleluia!
Where the angels ever sing. Alleluia!

Jesus Christ is risen today, Alleluia!
Our triumphant holy day, Alleluia!
Who did once upon the cross, Alleluia!
Suffer to redeem our loss. Alleluia!

Without the resurrection we are still in our sins and death is still very much a reality to be feared.  But Jesus Christ conquered sin and death, pronouncing it “finished” on the cross before giving up his spirit.  Emerging from the grave on resurrection Sunday, his resurrection stands as the evidence for his divine claims and that his life has prevailed over death.

“But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:20-22 ESV)

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.” (John 6:47 ESV)

“Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” (John 8:51 ESV)

“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.” (John 11:25-26 ESV)

To the apostle Paul, the resurrection was absolutely central to the gospel message he was called to proclaim, as it proved once and for all that Jesus was indeed the Son of God.

“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ” (Romans 1:1-6 ESV)

We serve a risen Savior – Alleluia!

Greg

Greg,

Thank-you for posting the wonderful Hymn “Christ The Lord Is Risen Today”. This has always been a favorite of mine, not only for the wonderful lyrics, but also the powerful music. As I am Sure my friend Stan(hopefully verified again soon) can attest, this is a great song for us trumpet players to let it all hang out on, when played with a large congregation singing, and a big pipe organ. For many years I was invited to play this song on my horn with the Casavant pipe organ in the 1st United Church here in our community. What an absolute joy!

As Adventists we sang many of these wonderful hymns that attested to Christ’s ultimate sacrifice, Hymns such as “The Old Rugged Cross” and “When I Survey The Wonderous Cross”.

We also sang the wonderful hymns that taught of the completeness and sufficiency of God’s grace. Hymns such as “Amazing Grace” and “Marvelous Grace” to name but a few.

I grew to appreciate these powerful sermons in song, and it wasn’t until I transitioned out of Adventism, that it dawned on me that often times in Church, we sang the Pure Gospel, only to hear it compromised in the sermon that followed. I have to believe that God found me in the music.

The Easter weekend has come to be a spiritual highlight of the year for me now. I am always so moved and in awe of Christ, as I attend the Good Friday service, and this year it was especially powerful. I actually draw closer to God then than during the Easter Sunday Celebration, although both are emotional highs.

Should we have emotional highs, in a religious service? I would question my walk if I wasn’t moved. Growing up Adventist, the emotional side of spirituality was only really endorsed during alter calls and such. I am so happy now, that I can share freely, and commune freely with the Holy Spirit with my emotional side, and not have it considered questionable, or in some way charasmatic or phony. It really is funny how I used to think.

As I reflect on this past Easter, I can only echo your praise to Jesus, and am thankful that HE IS RISEN.

Randy

Thanks Randy and Greg for the inspiring posts above. Yes I am back on a regular computer and keyboard. The small cell phone works pretty well and it is sure better than no computer access, but it is good to be back home.

I agree Randy about the music. I also wondered why the gospel songs sounded so good, but the message we were taught as Adventists growing up completely contradicted the message of the songs. I would just love to sing the gospel songs at the Soquel campmeeting, and we would hear good gospel sermons, but when getting back home, the gospel was sucked right out of the songs when I got back to the academy.

I was interested in Greg’s scripture quotation above:

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes HAS eternal life.” (John 6:47 ESV).
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The above text is just one of many affirming our eternal security as believers. Jesus made so many statements in the gospel of John that affirmed that if we believe we have eternal life. I am still wondering why I was taught so forcefully that our salvation was not secure, and that if we even committed one sin that we may have forgotten to confess (as if there is any merit or work we can perform to confess our sins and be worthy of salvation), that we may be lost. Just check out what Jesus says in John 5:24, and John 6, and John 10:

“The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, 26but you do not believe because you are not part of my flock. 27My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28I give them ETERNAL life, and they WILL NEVER PERISH, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29My Father, who has given them to me,[a] is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30I and the Father are one.”
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Now, to our Adventist and other Arminian friends, is that promise given by Jesus above not good enough? What part of “will never perish” is so difficult to understand? (smiley)

It is amazing the contortions and handstands some will do to try to explain away some of Jesus’ most direct and clear teachings in the gospel of John. It is very likely that the gospel of John was one of the very last books written, even written after Revelation according to scholars such as RC Sproul. This would mean that the Holy Spirit inspired John to write the final messages to the church, and to crystallize and clarify Jesus’ teaching on salvation.

Jesus actually obtained eternal redemption for us on Calvary’s cross. He didn’t just make salvation possible if we struggle and hold on for dear life lest we get snatched away by the devil. Jesus says it is not possible to get snatched away by the devil, because he says above in John 10 that NO ONE WILL SNATCH THEM OUT OF MY HAND!

Isn’t that great news? This still makes me want to jump and shout for joy--yes Randy I still get emotional quite often when I contemplate this wonderful news.

When “up from the grave He arose”, The guarantee that our salvation was complete was finalized. The very same power of the Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, also raised us who believe from being spiritually dead in our trespasses and sins, to being alive forever more!

Praise God, He is Risen Indeed!

To Him be Glory and Power for ever and ever. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Hallelujah!

Stan

Here is quote from an Easter sermon preached by Charles Spurgeon:

Ah! you may think as much as ever you will of Calvary, and let your tears flow like rivers. You may sit at Gethsemane, and say, “Oh, that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for my Lord!”

But, after all, you must wipe those tears away, for He is not in the grave; he rose again on the third day. O blessed morning! not to be celebrated by an Easter once in the year; but to be commemorated on every first day of the week, more than fifty times in each year. Every seven days that the sun shines upon us brings us a new record of his resurrection. We may sing every Lord’s-day morning–

“To-day he rose and left the dead,
And Satan’s empire fell:
To-day the saints his triumph spread,
And all his wonders tell.”

The first day of the week stands for ever the remembrance of our risen Lord, and on that day he renews his special communings with his people. We believe in him; we rise in him; we triumph in him; and “he ever liveth to make intercession for us.”
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This is why I believe Adventists play down the importance of the resurrection. They are scared to death of anyhing that speaks of Sunday worship. You should see the protests over on Revival Sermons, when Pastor O’Ffill even suggested that it may be OK to go to an Easter sunrise service. The logic of what Sir Charles is saying above is inescapable.

D. James Kennedy said it well: “Every Sunday that Christians get in the car to go to church, they give testimony to the world that Jesus Christ is indeed risen from the dead!”

Stan

[quote author="Stan"]You should see the protests over on Revival Sermons, when Pastor O’Ffill even suggested that it may be OK to go to an Easter sunrise service. The logic of what Sir Charles is saying above is inescapable.

I read this, too. When I first began checking out that site I was a bit put off by O’Fill’s emphasis on some of the old “standards”. But I’ve since come to see him as being pretty Christ centered and concerned about the church’s faithfulness in that regard. He does focus a bit too much on “minors” as I see it. But O’Fill is pretty receptive to questions from his posters and is pretty fair minded about many things, unlike some of his commenters who as you noted, are so concerned about SDA orthodoxy (as they understand it) they’ve been led to discount the heart of Christianity.

Glenn,

It is amazing that O’Ffill comes off as a moderate on that website. I believe he is a genuine Christian. He is a big fan of John MacArthur. After banning me two years ago, he has been gracious enough to allow me back on after I got banned from another famous former SDA website. He has laid down ground rules to follow. It is an interesting world over there.

Stan