Michael Youssef - Easter in the Middle East
Blessed Palm Sunday. I am so glad you tuned in because you are in for a treat. It's a very special program, "Easter: The Resurrection" from the heart of the Middle East. You will love the music by one of the great maestros and also a message from the Word of God about the Resurrection of Jesus that I preached right in the Middle East through an Arabic interpreter. And you will be blessed by that, enjoy.
Hello. We are so glad that you joined us. This is a very special day. Resurrection Sunday, we celebrate the very essence of the Christian faith. The Resurrection Sunday makes the Christian faith to be the Christian faith. And that is why the man who had an encounter with the resurrected Jesus. He could say to us if Christ had not been raised from the dead, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. Without the Resurrection of Jesus, Christianity would be a dead religion. Without the Resurrection of Jesus, then all of our faith is empty. Without the Resurrection of Jesus, Christianity is meaningless. Without the Resurrection of Jesus, the faith of two and a half billion people in the world would be a hoax. But then there's more.
The Coming of Jesus from heaven, the Crucifixion of Jesus on the cross, and the Resurrection of Jesus from the grave. has been prophesied and predicted many years earlier. In fact, the Bible from cover to cover tells us that. The cross of Christ and the empty tomb are inseparable as God's plan of salvation. By his Crucifixion, Jesus took our punishment on his holy body, a punishment that we deserve. But by his Resurrection, he assures us of a place in heaven with him. By his Crucifixion, he became the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of whoever believes in him. But by his Resurrection, he became the Lion of Judah who reigns and rules forever. By his Crucifixion, Jesus made himself to be a victim of our sin.
But by his Resurrection, Jesus destroyed the power of death for his believers. By his Crucifixion, Jesus reconciled us to God the Father. But by his Resurrection, he adopted us to be his brothers and sisters. By his Crucifixion, Jesus pardoned and forgave the sin of everyone who repents. But by his Resurrection, Jesus appoints the believers to judge the entire world. By his Crucifixion, Jesus washed us and cleansed us from all our sins and guilt. But by his Resurrection, he qualified us to reign and rule with him forever. By his Crucifixion, Jesus opened the door of salvation to whomsoever comes to him, everyone who will receive him as the only Savior and Lord. But by his Resurrection, he placed the Christian believer at the seat of honor in heaven.
Question. Why is this vitally important to understand? Because the Crucifixion and the Resurrection are inseparable. The Crucifixion and the Resurrection of Jesus are like one coin. If you split it, it becomes ineffective. Why is that so important? Because the historical Resurrection of Jesus is at the core of the Christian faith. And therefore, it is at the very core of our only hope of escaping judgment. Because only the resurrected Jesus. can assure us of our own eternal life with him. Because only Christ's empty tomb can give us hope for living. Only Christ's empty tomb can give us purpose for living. Without the empty tomb, Christianity and Christians are helpless. And that is why the historical Resurrection of Jesus is everything.
Now, throughout history, people, men and women, tried throughout history to deal with death. It's a powerful enemy. Nobody could defeat it. It is a powerful enemy of every human being on the face of the earth. Different cultures try to deal with death differently. Some tried to avoid it and they thought they can escape it. Others tried to cope with it as an inevitability. All these efforts of coping with death are useless. But we have indisputable evidence, evidence of how to deal with death and the grave. All of man's effort to cope with death are an indication that everybody wants to live forever. But God provided us with a way to live forever. He gave us the power to overcome death. And that is why Jesus rose from the dead on the third day. And that is why God the Father raised him up on the third day.
The only power against hopelessness of death is found in the one who says, "Because I live, you also live". The only answer to the hopelessness of life. Is found in the one who says, "I am the resurrection and the life". The only answer for the hopelessness of death is found in the one who said, "I go to the Father and prepare a place for you". The only answer to the hopelessness and fear of death is found in the one who destroyed death. And he's the only one who has power to destroy death. He's the one who defeat fear of death. He's the only one who destroyed the dread of death. And he opened the door of eternal life to everyone, everyone who trusts him as the only Savior of their life.
This, my friend, is the greatest news of this Resurrection Sunday. The good news of the Resurrection of Jesus outweighs all of the bad news of the world. Can I ask you a question? And I pray to God that you must answer it now. If you die today, will you be confident that you will be with Jesus for all of eternity? You have to understand that heaven is Jesus's heaven, and without Jesus, there is no entry into heaven. So, if your answer to the question is yes, I will be in heaven, then the next question is this: On what basis will Jesus let you come into his heaven? I have done some good things. That will not give you entry to heaven. I hope that my good will outweigh my bad. That will not enter you into heaven. God's Word said, that none of us are good enough for heaven, and only faith in the resurrected Jesus will guarantee us entry into heaven.
Only holding on to the righteousness of the resurrected Jesus can usher us into heaven. After all, Jesus is the only perfect, sinless God Man who ever lived, and only a sinless Christ can stand and mediate between us and a holy God. It is my prayer that you can say today Lord Jesus Christ, come into my life, forgive my sins. Only through the death and the Crucifixion and the Resurrection of Jesus, I can come into heaven. And Jesus promised that when you invite him into your life, he will come and dwell in you by his Holy Spirit. My friend, today, you can experience that joy by surrendering to the resurrected Jesus. Today you can experience the joy of his forgiveness of all of your sins. Today you can experience the peace that passes understanding. Today you can be assured of eternal life in heaven with Jesus right now.