The Empty Tomb.
Jesus Christ was raised from the dead.
Can you share that message?
Paul,
begins his letter to the Christians at Rome by noting who he was preaching to
and what he was telling them. He wrote to Gentile, not Jewish, people who lived
in Rome about the “Good News” which Paul specifically tells us about God’s Son.
Jesus was born into King David’s family lineage. He proved that He was God’s
son when He was raised from the dead. At this point, Paul doesn’t say that
Jesus was crucified for our sins…but he gets into that later. Why is it a big deal
to be raised from the dead? Jesus also raised at least three people from death:
A little girl, a young man who was an only child and Jesus took pity on his
mother, and of course the famous friend, Lazareth.
As Jesus was saying this, the
leader of a synagogue came and knelt before him. "My daughter has just
died," he said, "but you can bring her back to life again if you just
come and lay your hand on her." ... When Jesus arrived at the official's
home, he saw the noisy crowd and heard the funeral music. "Get out!"
he told them. "The girl isn't dead; she's only asleep." But the crowd
laughed at him. After the crowd was put outside, however, Jesus went in and
took the girl by the hand, and she stood up! Matthew 9:18, 23-25
A funeral procession was coming out
as he approached the village gate. The young man who had died was a widow's
only son, and a large crowd from the village was with her. When the Lord saw
her, his heart overflowed with compassion. "Don't cry!" he said. Then
he walked over to the coffin and touched it, and the bearers stopped.
"Young man," he said, "I tell you, get up." Then the dead
boy sat up and began to talk! And Jesus gave him back to his mother. Luke 7:12-15
When Mary arrived and saw Jesus,
she fell at his feet and said, "Lord, if only you had been here, my
brother would not have died." When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other
people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply
troubled. ... Jesus was still angry as he arrived at the tomb, a cave with a
stone rolled across its entrance. ... So they rolled the stone aside. Then
Jesus looked up to heaven and said, "Father, thank you for hearing me. You
always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people
standing here, so that they will believe you sent me." Then Jesus shouted,
"Lazarus, come out!" And the dead man came out, his hands and feet
bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them,
"Unwrap him and let him go!" John 11:32-33, 38, 41-44
Jesus gave His life for all people throughout the
history of mankind so that they might be spiritually saved. He had and still
has great power. He is God. He is the only person, and the only god, who was
resurrected from the dead and never died again.
Paul
was tasked with telling the Gentiles about Jesus—and we have that same opportunity
or responsibility. God has given us the privilege and authority as apostles
to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will
believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name. Are you ready, willing,
and able to tell others about Jesus? If not, now is the time to get prepared. With
other Christian friends or family, you may need or want to practice telling
others what God has done for you. It can be small things like little answered
prayers for safety, big things like health issue healing, or strength and
comfort after loosing a loved one. God is with us always. He has promised to
never leave us or forsake us. What have you promised the Lord God that will
bring Him glory? The choice is yours.
This
letter is from Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, chosen by God to be an apostle
and sent out to preach his Good News. God promised this Good News long ago
through his prophets in the holy Scriptures. The Good News is about his Son. In
his earthly life he was born into King David's family line, and he was shown to
be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy
Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord. Through Christ, God has given us the
privilege and authority as apostles to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has
done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his
name. Romans
1:1-5
Prayer
– Lord God, one day we will sing in a mighty chorus: "Worthy is the Lamb
who was slaughtered—to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and
honor and glory and blessing." from Revelation 5:12. May You receive glory
and praise every day now…from everyone. One day every knee will bow and
recognize You as King of kings and Lord of lords. You are my Lord and Savior.
Meditate.
Consider the privilege you have to share the Good News about Jesus.
Verse
of Salvation ~ And this is God's plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the
Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God's children. Both are
part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they
belong to Christ Jesus. By God's grace and mighty power, I have been given the
privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News. Though I am the least
deserving of all God's people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling
the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ. Ephesians 3:6-8
© 2025 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All
rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless
otherwise noted.
New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale
House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
Books by Mickey M.
Hunacek
Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com
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