Because He lives, we also can live and face tomorrow victoriously.

The joy of Easter is the remembrance of what Christ did for us. According to 1 Cor. 15:1ff, Jesus died and resurrected for us according to the scriptures; and is alive forever for us.

His death and resurrection hold much value for us: He died for our sins and suffered for the consequences of our sins. Death being a common phenomenon holds no significance in the works of Christ, if it stands alone, for we would have no gospel. It is in His resurrection that His death makes sense. He did not perish like others; He came out to bring everyone out of doom.

He is now exalted to the heavens; positioned at the right hand of the FATHER and living as High Priest and Advocate for all who come to the father by Him. His present life is beneficial to us as He saves “… to the uttermost, those who come to the father through Him, for He ever lives to make intercession for them.” He alone can make a full end of all our issues and challenges as we come to Him.

Two things are portrayed here: 1). He saves, making a full end; while 2). We come to Him.

His resurrection gives victory to His cross experience, otherwise it would have been the sign of victory for the devil. He arose in glory (better than when He was buried); to justify us; to be exalted; and to be the Lord and saviour. Our sins have not only been taken care of, we have also being justified. These are two different things. Forgiveness is pardon and removal of punishment; Justification is right standing; right of access and removal of guilt and condemnation.

The place of our coming to Him is important for the process of being continually saved. This coming is not meant to be just as the approach of the needy seeking for help or as the approach of a worshipper basically venerating a deity. He wants much more than this from us. He wants us to come CONSTANTLY to Him as those who come in for fellowship. This is the act of setting Him always before us, as David testified in Ps 16:8.

To set here means to level with Him; to equalise with Him; to agree with or be like Him – these only happen through union. You don’t level with someone greater unless you have come into fellowship or union with the person. This is why not just anyone can worship him – Jn 4:24ff. It takes being born of the spirit to worship the Lord as required in the New Testament; and that worship happens as a fruit of our being partakers of His divine nature – 2 Pet 1:3-4. Our worship would not be meaningful or will not put Him in His place of honour unless it practically meets up with His expectation of us. It is time we optimised our union with Christ, to share with Him what He shares with the Father.

It is when we practise this deepened relationship or fellowship with the Lord, keeping Him in His place of honour that we can practically experience the continual salvation which He offers.

This salvation is experienced as:

SECURITY – We can be secured as David pointed out – ‘I shall not be moved (slip, shake, fall)’;

JOY – We can cheer up and be excited for the joy of the Lord is our strength and the key to drawing His provided resources – Neh 8:10; Isa 12:3;

REST IN HOPE – It is the person who has entered in practice into oneness with the Lord that can settle down securely and continue in hope. He is so securely bound to what lies ahead that no temporarily disturbing stuff can ruffle his spirit;

DELIVERANCE FROM SHEOL: Sheol is both literal and figurative as a place of no return; of captivity, of bondage, of loss; of extreme degradation in sin. The righteous will not actually be abandoned to it. He can come out inasmuch as God did not allow Christ to see corruption. God’s people can go through circumstances; His interest and ability however is that they will not see it just as Christ went through the grave without seeing corruption. This is the key for coming out of trouble: He empowers us to see beyond the plight, so that it will leave no effect on us.

It is your time to stay alive, fresh, strong, renewed, revived, and sustained; a time to be in His presence and to experience the pleasures of His right hand.

Jesus is alive! Because He lives, we also can live and face tomorrow victoriously.