Good News for the World

Paul says in Romans that the resurrection was the declaration that Jesus is in fact the Son of God. He was declared to be the Son of God with power in His resurrection. The resurrection was God’s public service announcement that Jesus is King. Jesus is the Messiah, the Anointed One, our high priest, our king, the prophet of the Lord. Easter is the celebration of this fact. We are celebrating the fact that 2000 years ago, God proclaimed Jesus King of the World. But as you know, not everyone has submitted to the rule of Jesus. Every knee is not yet bowed, and not every tongue has confessed that Jesus is Lord. And that’s where you come in. If we understand Easter, if we understand the resurrection, then we know that the proclamation of Easter is the best news in the world. It’s good news when we know our failures. It’s good news when things have gone badly. It’s good news when we wonder how our children are doing. It’s good news when we don’t know what the future holds, when we are afraid, when we are worried. The resurrection of Jesus means that the worst thing that can possibly happen is for you to die, but Jesus will bring you back from that too. It also means that you are in the care of a King who cannot die. Your King will go with you and guard you in all things. And this announcement, this message is for the world. It’s for your children, your spouse, your parents, your roommates, your neighbors, your coworkers. This isn’t a private message, a personal cult. This reality is for the world, and it will affect the world one way or another. Everyone will one day come face to face with the resurrected Christ. So as you continue to celebrate the good news of our risen Lord, do so in prayer for your neighbors, in genuine hope for our city, for our nation. And pray that you might be used to speak good news to those around you. That the declaration that Christ is risen might not be some private, code word for us only, but that it might be good news for the world.