Mensa Otabil - He Is Risen
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Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed, indeed and truly the Son of God is risen from the dead, no more to die, but to return as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Matthew 28, verses 5 and 6. But the angel answered and said to the women, «Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here, for He is risen as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.»
What marvelous words! He is risen as He said. This is what they were trying to prevent; this is why they took all the precautions, and He still rose from the dead. Jesus is alive! The women went to the tomb on Resurrection morning; they were not expecting a risen Savior. They were just going to take further care of Him. They wanted somebody to roll away the stone so they could go in again and embalm the body. But Jesus did not wait for embalming.
What Mary did a couple of days ago, about a week earlier, prepared Him for it; that was all that He needed for His body, and He rose again. For the disciples of Jesus Christ, the resurrection was a promise, a prophecy, but it was difficult to believe because it had never happened. They had seen Jesus die, or they had heard of it; they had seen all the signs of death buried; as far as they could tell, this was the end of the story. The question is, they were looking for Jesus Christ in the wrong place. He is not here, and that’s a very important question for us to consider.
You know, most people acknowledge Jesus Christ to be something — he’s a good teacher, a good philosopher, a good man, a good philanthropist-you know, positive things about Him. But what kind of Jesus are you seeking? Are you just seeking a good teacher, a good philosopher, and a good man? What are you looking for? Because if you’re looking for Him in the wrong place, you’re not going to find Him. If you’re looking for the wrong Jesus, you’ll never find Him. And that’s what they were doing: they were looking for Jesus in the wrong place-in the tomb. He says He’s not here. If you’re looking for Him in philosophy, He’s not here.
If you’re looking for Him just with science, He’s not here. There is a place to find Him, and that is to find Him in the words He spoke, as He has said. And today, as we contemplate the resurrection, it’s also a moment for us to consider what we are looking for in Jesus Christ and where we are looking for Him from. And if we are looking for Him and we want to find Him, then His words must become the basis of our discovery. He is the way, the truth, and the life. He is the light of the world; He is the bread of life; He is the living water.
If you’re looking for water for your soul and bread for your soul, if you are hungry spiritually and you want to be satisfied, then you will find Him because that is who He is. If you’re just looking for a nice philosopher, you’ll never discover the true Jesus.
If you’re looking for Him among religious leaders, you’ll never find the true Jesus. He is not here. Don’t keep looking for just a human Jesus, a philosophical Jesus, a dead Jesus. Look for the living Jesus, the one who is alive, the one who conquered death, the one who gives life, the one who heals the sick, the one who breaks barriers, the one who gives victory, and that is where you’ll find Him. I pray today that you discover Him in a supernatural way. Go to church, encounter Jesus, and have a relationship with Him that will last you for the rest of your life. What a wonderful day, Easter, to celebrate the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ!
Let us pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, I celebrate Christ’s victory over death. Help me to walk in the power of His resurrection. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.» Well, I’ll catch you again tomorrow. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom! Peace and life to you.