Deep thoughts, part 5

Ok, now for some deep thoughts from a shallow mind. Realize that profound is just a word to me, and I live in the world of application (so what do I do with that?) So my thoughts will not stir you to great heights, but I do hope they will encourage you.

It's Easter week. This is the most important week in the Christian calendar. It's the week when Christ came into Jerusalem at the beginning of Passover week (we call it Palm Sunday).

It's the week of the passion, when Christ died on the cross.

It's the week when he rose from the dead.

All of this is history. All of it had been witnessed by hundreds, even thousands. More than 500 saw Christ at one time after his resurrection. These events are part of the history of the human race....and yet, almost yearly we see attacks on the resurrection of Christ. This year they "have found his grave"!

I heard one of the film makers say that if this is true it shouldn't affect the Christian faith at all.

Excuse me!

The whole of the Christian faith is built on the resurrection of Christ, and in fact most historians agree with the historical accuracy of the New Testament accounts of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.

Christ DID rise from the dead to live evermore, and will return to earth as the victorious King of all Kings and Lord of all Lords.

So what difference does it make? It makes all the difference! Paul writes,

1Co 15:13 If there's no resurrection, there's no living Christ.
1Co 15:14 And face it--if there's no resurrection for Christ, everything we've told you is smoke and mirrors, and everything you've staked your life on is smoke and mirrors.
1Co 15:15 Not only that, but we would be guilty of telling a string of barefaced lies about God, all these affidavits we passed on to you verifying that God raised up Christ--sheer fabrications, if there's no resurrection.
1Co 15:16 If corpses can't be raised, then Christ wasn't, because he was indeed dead.
1Co 15:17 And if Christ wasn't raised, then all you're doing is wandering about in the dark, as lost as ever.
1Co 15:18 It's even worse for those who died hoping in Christ and resurrection, because they're already in their graves.
1Co 15:19 If all we get out of Christ is a little inspiration for a few short years, we're a pretty sorry lot.
1Co 15:20 But the truth is that Christ has been raised up, the first in a long legacy of those who are going to leave the cemeteries.
1Co 15:21 There is a nice symmetry in this: Death initially came by a man, and resurrection from death came by a man.
1Co 15:22 Everybody dies in Adam; everybody comes alive in Christ.