Archive for the ‘He is risen indeed’ Tag
“Resurrection For Real Life!”
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Comments (1) Devotional By Pastor Timothy Brassell
Scripture: John 20
“He is Risen Indeed!”
When Mary Magdalene wept outside the tomb, she thought Jesus was gone. But then—He said her name. “Mary.” In a moment, despair turned to joy. The risen Jesus stood before her, not as a ghost, but in a glorified, real human body. She ran to tell the others, “I have seen the Lord!”
The resurrection isn’t just something that happened—it’s Someone alive. Jesus didn’t just rise; He is the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25). That means resurrection isn’t primarily an idea or doctrinal teaching first. It’s a Person you can know. The Person of Jesus!
Real Hope for Real Life
The empty tomb means more than victory over death. It means you will live. As Paul wrote, “In Christ all will be made alive” (1 Cor. 15:22). Resurrection is humanity’s future—because Jesus is humanity’s new Head transforming bodily the entire human family. You’re not facing death alone, or anything alone. You’re heading toward life in Christ.
So, what does this mean now?
- It means you can face and share grief with hope. “This is not the last word.”
- It means you treat every person as someone God wants to and will raise.
- It means your ordinary days are colored by God’s extraordinary future.
The Risen Christ Comes to You
Mary saw Him. Thomas touched Him. The disciples heard His “Peace be with you.” His meeting them as the Living Savior personally made all of the difference. And now, Jesus comes to you, personally. Not as a memory, but through the Holy Spirit, the Risen One reveals Himself to you – your heart, the very center of your being. You can’t study Him like any other subject to know Him. He must meet You, and you Him —again and again, and this all by His initiation and grace!
Have you?
If the Resurrection is personal, and it is, it’s also a call. Jesus doesn’t ask for admiration. He asks for relational allegiance. He is the Resurrected One that you might share with Him in His Relationship with His Father in the Holy Spirit forevermore! You can’t stand in the middle. He doesn’t allow you to take Him neutrally. You either worship and walk with Him or walk away, resurrected body and all. But to those who believe, Jesus says: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.”
Today’s Reflection:
Jesus, You are not only alive—You are here. Make Yourself known to me. Make Yourself known to me again, today. Let Your Resurrection Life and hope shape my words, my work, and my worship. I don’t just want to admire You—I want to follow You. I want to know and trust Your Father as You do. I want to be filled with the pleasures of Your Spirit in communion and fellowship with You and the Father forevermore, overflowing into my relationship with all creation! Thank You!
Question for the Day:
Who do you say Jesus is? (hint: Your response will only be correct when it is the same as Jesus’! Ha!)
“What happened on that day (of Easter) became, was and remained the center around which everything else moves. For everything lasts its time, but the love of God—which was at work and was expressed in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead—lasts forever. Because this event took place, there is no reason to despair, and even when we read the newspaper with all its confusing and frightening news, there is every reason to hope.”
— Karl Barth, Insights: Karl Barth’s Reflections on the Life of Faith, p. 30
“Keeping First Things First This Easter/Resurrection Season!”
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Part A:
Part B:
Full Message:
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15
As we gather and prepare our hearts for this upcoming Resurrection Sunday, this message calls us to remember that the empty tomb means nothing without the cross — and that the risen Christ invites us not just to celebrate, but to participate in His life, death, and victory.
“The resurrection of Jesus was not just a coming back to life of a dead man, but the coming of eternal life into our world of sin and death, breaking its way through into the form of a new creation.”
— T.F. Torrance, “Space, Time and Resurrection”
Summary:
In this deeply reflective Easter sermon, titled “Keeping First Things First”, Pastor Timothy Brassell delivers a powerful Gospel message that proclaims the Triune God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — revealed in Jesus Christ. It’s a call to realign our Christian life and church practice around the full narrative of Jesus’ life, not just the Resurrection.
Pastor Tim walks the congregation through the context of 1 Corinthians, exposing the moral, theological, and communal dysfunctions within the Corinthian church — all of which trace back to losing focus on Christ’s full story: His life, crucifixion, death, and resurrection.
This message isn’t only about looking forward to our personal resurrection — it’s about being transformed now by the risen Christ and living into His life today. In a world and church distracted by individualism, factionalism, pride, and cultural confusion, the message calls for repentance, humility, and renewed dependence on Christ’s death and resurrection. It is both sobering and hope-filled — reminding us that the resurrection is not just a future hope but a present way of life.
Key Highlights from the Sermon
1. ✝️ The Whole Gospel: Life, Death, and Resurrection Are One
Jesus’ Resurrection cannot be rightly celebrated apart from His life, crucifixion, and death. The full Gospel is one seamless act of redemption.
💬 Discipleship Question: Have you embraced all parts of Jesus’ life—or only the ones that comfort you?
2. 🤝 Christian Unity Over Division
Paul calls out divisions in Corinth — factions over leaders and prideful preferences — and reminds them (and us) that unity in Christ demands humility and sacrifice.
💬 Discipleship Question: In what ways do my preferences get in the way of Christian unity?
3. 🚫 Immorality & Legal Disputes: Signs of Forgetting Jesus
The Corinthians’ sexual sin and lawsuits reveal what happens when Jesus’ sacrifice isn’t central to Christian life.
💬 Discipleship Question: Where do I seek justice or gratification outside the life of Christ?
4. 🏛️ Your Body: A Temple of the Risen Lord
Paul reclaims the body as sacred, affirming its value through the Resurrection. Holiness isn’t optional — it’s our new normal.
💬 Discipleship Question: Do I honor Christ in how I treat my body and others’?
5. 💍 Singleness and Marriage in Light of Christ
Whether single or married, Paul teaches that our status is secondary to our call to serve Christ in love, sacrifice, and purity.
💬 Discipleship Question: Am I using my current relationship status to fully serve Christ?
6. 🔄 Misusing Spiritual Gifts Without Gospel Centrality
Confusion and pride around spiritual gifts erupted in Corinth because they forgot the Cross. True gifts serve others, not self.
💬 Discipleship Question: Do my spiritual gifts point to Christ or to me?
7. 🌅 Resurrection Power Starts Now
Resurrection isn’t just for the future — Jesus brought the future into our present. His life changes our now.
💬 Discipleship Question: How is Jesus’ resurrection transforming your life this week?
8. 🍇 Communion: Remembering Christ Together
The Lord’s Supper isn’t just a ritual — it’s a communal encounter with Jesus’ broken body and poured-out blood. It demands reflection and unity.
💬 Discipleship Question: Am I truly seeing Christ — and His church — when I take Communion?
9. 📣 Include the Cross in Your Gospel
A true Gospel is not just inclusion into life but inclusion into Christ’s death and crucifixion. That’s the path to transformation.
💬 Discipleship Question: Does my Gospel include the cost of following Jesus?
10. 🕊️ Live the Risen Life in Community
Living into Christ’s resurrection means radically loving, serving, and forgiving within the church. Our witness starts with one another.
💬 Discipleship Question: How are you revealing the risen Jesus through your church relationships?
Reflection: The “He Is Risen Indeed” Tradition
The sermon beautifully affirmed the rich Christian tradition of proclaiming:
“He is risen!”
“He is risen indeed!”
It’s more than a greeting — it’s a declaration of shared life, rooted in Christ’s victory over death. But the full meaning only comes when we remember that Resurrection follows crucifixion. Jesus died to kill death — and rose to raise us now.