“Who was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification.” – Romans 4:25

There was a skeptic who was talking with a little girl one day. She loved the Lord Jesus with all of her heart. He was trying to shake her faith and he said, “Young lady, Christianity is not the only religion, you know. There are plenty of religions in the world. There are plenty of Christs. Which Christ do you believe in?” She thought for a minute and said, “I believe in the One who was raised from the dead.” Amen! That’s the One I believe in, too!

The death of Christ on the cross without His resurrection cannot save you. If Christ died on the cross and that is all that happened, then Jesus was just one more religious leader. Do you know the proof positive that God accepted His payment for sin? He raised Him from the dead. If Jesus is still in the grave, your hope of heaven is not worth half a hallelujah.–By Adrian Rogers

And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.–Luke 24:11

As we prepare to celebrate our Lord’s victory over death, hell, and the grave, this is a good time for us to remember that not everyone believes it. There are more doubters than disciples.

Billy Graham once told “TIME” magazine,”If I were an enemy of Christianity, I would aim at the Resurrection, because that is the heart of Christianity”. I haven’t always agreed with Billy on everything, but he got this right. He is on target. That’s exactly what the enemies have done. One after another has denied it and denounced it as though it was a mere myth, a foolish fable. How sad!

Dear friend, you can deny it– as though it was a lie, or ignore it– as though it doesn’t really matter, but you can’t change the facts. You can continue ignoring all the evidence and deprive yourself of hope if you so choose, but I choose to embrace it as the truth, enjoy what it provides, and exclaim it until the day I die. If you want to do otherwise that’s your privilege, but you had better consider the consequences of being wrong. You won’t get a second chance to get it right.

If you’re not a believer I encourage you to reconsider and to examine all the facts before you dismiss the claims of Christ. It not only makes a world of difference now, it determines your eternal destiny. You can’t afford to be wrong! Jesus said,”–I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”(John 14:6). There is no reason to be deceived –He is the “way”. There is no reason to be doubtful–He is the “truth”. There is no reason to be dead in your sins–He is the “life”. He is all you need!

  —-he said, “It is finished!” and he bowed his head and gave up the ghost. —John 19:30

The cross was the goal of Jesus from the very beginning. His birth was so there would be His death. The incarnation was for our atonement. He was born to die so that we might live. And when He had accomplished the purpose He had come to fulfill, He summed it up with a single word: “finished.”

In the original Greek, it was a common word. Jesus probably used it after He finished a project that He and Joseph might have been working on together in the carpentry shop. Jesus might have turned to Joseph and said, “Finished. Now let’s go have lunch.” It is finished. Mission accomplished. It is done. It is made an end of.

So what was finished? Finished and completed were the horrendous sufferings of Christ. Never again would He experience pain at the hand of wicked men. Never again would He have to bear the sins of the world. Never again would He, even for a moment, be forsaken of God. That was completed. That was taken care of.

Also finished was Satan’s stronghold on humanity. Jesus came to deal a decisive blow against the devil and his demons at the cross of Calvary. Hebrews 2:14 says, “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same, that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.” This means that you no longer have to be under the power of sin. Because of Jesus’ accomplishment at the cross, finished was the stronghold of Satan on humanity.

And lastly, finished was our salvation. It is completed. It is done. All of our sins were transferred to Jesus when He hung on the cross. His righteousness was transferred to our account.

So Jesus cried out the words, “It is finished!” It was God’s deliberate and well-thought-out plan. It is finished—so rejoice!

Have you experienced the “finished” work of Jesus for you? –By Greg Laurie, emphasis’ mine.Scripture references changed to KJV.

—-he is altogether lovely—- Song 5:16

If you are tired of all the bad news, weary of all the political debates, fed-up with all the materialism, and sick of all the self-promotion, Easter ought to be like a breath of fresh air. It changes our focus from the corruption of this wicked world to the glories of Christ. To prepare your heart for the Easter celebration, these words from an unknown person ought to thrill your heart:

Christ the Chiefest, or better than the rest.
His love is unknowable. (Eph 3:19).
His riches are unsearchable. (Eph 3:18).
His joy is unspeakable. (1 Pet 1:8).
His ways are untrackable. (Rom 11:33).
His grace is inexhaustible. (2 Cor 9:8).
His peace is unfathomable. (Phil 4:7).
And He Himself is unsurpassable. (Ex. 15:11).

His character was beautiful with holiness in every detail. (Heb 7:26).
His love was pure and faithful in all its affection. (Jn 13:1).
His service was true and beneficent in all its workings. (Acts 10:38).
His words were tender and true in all their utterances. (Jn 7:45).
His life was consistent in every department. (Mt. 27:24; Acts 2:22).
His aim was single and concentrated in glorifying God. (Jn 17:4).
His mission was to benefit all who would have Him in dying a death
which they deserved. (2 Cor. 8:9)

Christ is Christianity, and the best evidence of Christianity is Christ.

Christ is the very essence of all delights and
pleasures, the very soul and substance of them.

As all the rivers are gathered into the ocean,
which is the meeting place of all the waters in
the world; so Christ is that ocean in which all
true delights and pleasures meet.

Jesus is altogether lovely- his excellencies are
pure and unmixed. He is a sea of sweetness
without one drop of gall.

Away with those empty nothings, away with
this vain deceitful world, which deserves not
the thousandth part of the love you give it.
Let all stand aside and give way to Christ.

O if only you knew his worth and excellency,
what he is in himself, what he has done for you,
and deserved from you; you would need no
arguments to persuade you to love him!

O how many pour out streams of love and delight
upon the vain and empty created thing; while no
arguments can draw forth one drop of love from
their stubborn and unbelieving hearts to Jesus Christ!

Let us all be humbled for the corruption of our
hearts that are so eager in their affections for
vanities and trifles, and so hard to be persuaded
to love Christ, who is altogether lovely.
–By John Flavel