Laced With Grace – Christian Devotions

He Is Risen!

By Dana March 23, 2008 Devotion, Reflection, Scripture

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. 1 Peter 1:18-20

Today is Easter Sunday, the day we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection from the tomb. We celebrate hope in a Savior who died for our sins so that we could live in freedom. We celebrate the fact that God had his only Son take on our punishment being treated as though he was the most unrighteous person so that we could be made righteous before the Lord. We celebrate the fact that the cross and resurrection is the basis of our salvation and without that sacrifice we would live in total depravity forever. We celebrate the final blow Jesus dealt death. The atoning work of Christ on the cross and subsequent resurrection gave us, the believer, more power to live in victory that we sometimes acknowledge.

We can rejoice today in our salvation. The cross is our justification, our atonement and our ransom payment. The death on the cross and resurrection is our hope! Jesus reconciled us with the Father by paying the price of our sins in His death. Romans 3:24-25 ESV says:

and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.

For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying, “THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THEM AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD: I WILL PUT MY LAWS UPON THEIR HEART, AND ON THEIR MIND I WILL WRITE THEM,” He then says, “AND THEIR SINS AND THEIR LAWLESS DEEDS I WILL REMEMBER NO MORE.” Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin. Hebrews 10:14-18 NASB.

Because of Jesus’ work on the cross we are given the incredible opportunity to become a saint upon our conversion. As the Holman Bible Dictionary says, we are not free from sin but free from the death penalty of sin. Our salvation begins our lifelong process of sanctification and enables us to live a holy and righteous life with God through the power of the Holy Spirit for all eternity.

Also, the cross is victory over Satan. It is ironic that Satan thought he had done the ultimate in having the Lord Jesus crucified. Satan did not understand the sovereignty of God to work out His plan. Satan succeeded in his own mind in having Jesus put the death, but the cross is what defeated Satan! Satan played the ultimate role in his own demise. The cross disarmed the demonic powers (Colossians 2:15) and as the Holman Bible Dictionary says, “the cross…forged the final triumph over Satan and his hordes, forcing those spiritual forces to follow his train in a victory procession.” Revelation 12:12 ESV says,

Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”

My prayer for your Easter Sunday today is that this brief devotion will ignite and excite you in your own Christian walk with the powerful work of the cross and subsequent resurrection. God loved us so much that He sent His only son to pay a degrading penalty by death on a cross. In God’s ultimate sovereignty it doesn’t end there as Jesus was gloriously risen on the third day so that we could be forgiven of our sins and have eternal life. It was all the work of God that brings us glorious salvation.

How can a simple man become acceptable to a righteous God? John MacArthur answers this question in his teaching this week on Easter

“God, out of love, chooses not to punish the sinner but to punish his son. Therefore does he preserve the integrity of his nature and his reputation and give place to his grace as well. If the sinner were to suffer for his own sin he will suffer eternally and even eternity cannot pay the price or eternity would end. But God is gracious and provides a sacrifice. Jesus Christ died the death that you deserved. He became sin who knew no sin. He died in our place. He is our substitute. He had to be man to die as man. He had to be God to overcome death and sin. And so the God Man had to suffer.”

Our gracious and heavenly father who sits on the throne in glory in splendor, Lord I praise you for your atoning work on the cross to save me in my depraved state of sin and hopelessness to come into saving and amazing grace. Lord, I worship you today as we celebrate You the risen Lord who was in control then and in control know. Thank you for the ultimate sacrifice that gives eternal life to the saints, defeated Satan and death and saved me. I love you with everything I have. In Jesus Christ’s holy and glorious name, Amen.

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26 thoughts on “He Is Risen!”

  1. HisGirl

    He is Risen, indeed!

    Thanks for one more centering before I head out the door to serve Him this morning. It’s a beautiful thing!

    Blessings to you this Easter!

    *and, enter me, please!

  2. Valarie Elswick

    HE IS RISEN INDEED!!!

    Today has been an incredible day of worship so far and I’m anticipating a great afternoon just thinking about how good the Lord is and how His mercies are new EVERY morning, not just Easter morning!!

    Thanks for this great post and please Enter me.
    Val

  5. Angela

    Little did Satan know that before his existence God had a plan to defeat him. That blows my mind that God would create Satan whom he knew was going to rebel then create man whom he knew would rebel but mad provisions to allow us an escape from Satan and hell. I am in awe of God. Praise God for his mearcy and grace. I than him for loving me enough to offer me a way to escape hell. Thank you Dear Lord for your sacrifice. May all of you have a Blessed Easter.

    “enter me”

  6. Elaine Olsen

    What a blessed and beautiful Easter I’m having. What a burdened past week I’ve walked. I was never so glad to get to church this morning. I can’t wait to share heaven with my Savior face to face and with all of you. May this Easter be a turning point toward better living for our lives.

    peace~elaine
    PS: “enter me”

  7. Rachel T

    Have a wonderful blessed Easter!! My children and I made resurrection buns together. It was a great way for them to learn about the Easter story. They are rolls with marshmallows inside, which become hollow as they bake, it represents the tomb of Jesus on Easter morning and how “How He Is Risen!”
    If you would like the recipe email me at rtmarykay1@cinci.rr.com
    I would be happy to share it with you.

    Have a blessed Easter!!
    Smile Jesus Loves You!!

    Rachel T

    ~~Please enter me today~~~

  15. Lisa E.

    I love Resurrection Sunday! It is time for celebration indeed. Thank you for sharing my heart felt sentiments. Happy Easter!

    Please Enter Me
    Lisa E

  16. Shoua

    “It is ironic that Satan thought he had done the ultimate in having the Lord Jesus crucified. Satan did not understand the sovereignty of God to work out His plan.”

    I love the above statement. Thank you for sharing such strong but true statement.

    I’ve been feeling so blah lately. Thank you for this enlightenment and encouragement!

    God bless you!

  20. Pamela

    I hope we never forget what Christ went through for us. We should live every day as if it was Easter.
    In His Graces~Pamela

    Inhisgraces.blogspot.com

    PS-“Enter me”!!

  23. Sherry

    I love how God rejected our rejection of Jesus through the resurrection! Praise God!!

    in HIS grip,

    Sherry

    PS, please enter me!

  24. LindaLinda

    It is hard to take in the enormity of what Jesus did for us on the cross that day. I am so very thankful for the finished work of the cross.

  25. Connie

    It is because He is Risen… I have hope of being with my sweet Daddy again… my first Easter without him was hard… but I have hope… and that I can live with.

    thank you

  26. Shalee

    You know what has struck me as amazing this Easter? It’s not a new thought, I’m sure, but sometimes I am slow on the uptake. The most amazing thing to me right now is not that Jesus died on the cross (though this thought makes me cry with SHAME that I put him there); nor is it that he was raised again three days later (though this thought makes me cry with JOY and HOPE that my God trounced satan so soundly). What amazes me most is that my Savior agreed to be separated from God for that time. Anyone who knows the love of God so fully and deeply cannot look forward to those moments of darkness, even if he knows that it was for a short period of time. How desolate that time must have been – to be away from God and his almighty love! THAT is the joy of Christ to me – that he was willing to separate himself from God for that time.

    I separate myself from God, but it is usually from my own stupidity. Jesus did it because he knew that his Father had a righteous plan that would allow me to keep coming back to our Father when I’m over my moments of foolishness. That is a boggling thought indeed!

    Enter me please.