By Doug Cox
 
Easter reminded us how Jesus Christ rose triumphantly from the dead. What a pleasure it was to celebrate that triumph with others. His Resurrection changed the course of the world and was no doubt a jaw dropping event. It should still be because it gives believers in Christ a hopeful future, the promise of eternal life and the bonus of a new body someday and also, the chance to have a changed life now.
 
Jesus was controversial. The cross was proof of that. Not everyone received Him, not then, or now. His haters thought the cross would be the end of Him, but instead it opened the door for even greater things for mankind.
 
On Good Friday, after Jesus died there was an earthquake that caused the veil of the Temple to be torn from top to bottom. That same quake also opened the graves of many saints buried just outside the city. Then miraculously, on Sunday, right after Jesus’s resurrection those dead saints were also raised to life and went into the city and appeared to many.
 
Killing Jesus didn’t stop the plan of God. Instead, it actuated a whole new phase of it bringing opportunity for anyone to get saved. The apostle Paul wrote of a hidden, mysterious wisdom that God ordained “… before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” (1 Corinthians 2:7-8 NKJV)
 
The religious leaders enjoyed and wanted to keep the power and prestige the old covenant gave them, but that was not what the Levitical system of worship was meant to do. It was not meant to give power to men but to be a temporary system where God’s people could have their sin covered. The reality is, when the veil was torn in half God was saying He’s done with that old system of worship involving animals and grain offerings.
 
Jesus became the ultimate sacrifice. The apostle Paul tells us, “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.” (Romans 5:6 NLT) He declared that “… God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.” (Romans 5:8-11 NLT)
 
Romans 8:11 says “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” (NKJV) Think of that. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is now alive in those who put their faith in the risen Christ. That power is not a myth or a metaphor, it is a real, living, transformative power available to any repentant sinner.
 
Many Christians celebrate Jesus’ resurrection without understanding there is more available to them than singing He is risen. They can have access to Spiritual strength and purpose which can bring about victorious living in the here and now if they will only believe.