A Thing Incredible
Today’s Verse:
Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead? ~Acts 26:8
Today, we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. It is the greatest of miracles because Jesus, Who was dead, raised Himself from the dead. Paul called it “a thing incredible.” The word “incredible” means something beyond belief or, even, unbelievable. It was incredible, but it really happened. It is incredible because it is true. It is incredible because the crux of our faith rests on the evidence and reality that Jesus rose again from the dead.
It is incredible because of the proof.
When Jesus arose on that morning, the Roman seal was broken. For anyone to break that seal from the outside meant certain death. The large stone that covered the entrance was rolled away, and the soldiers guarding it fled away. The grave clothes lying on the slab demonstrated that the body came through it. The napkin that covered His face was neatly folded and left in its place, indicating that Jesus was coming back. There were the hundreds of witnesses that saw Him.
It is incredible because of the power.
We cannot overlook the power that raised Jesus from the dead. God raised Him from the dead. It was the power of God that raised Him up. God’s power gave breath to a body that had stopped breathing. It gave power to a heart that had stopped beating. A body that was lifeless became alive. He walked as normal men walk. He could eat and drink as normal men could eat and drink. Thomas placed his hands in the wounded hands of Jesus and said, “My Lord and my God.” It is amazing power. It is unmatched power. It is incredible power.
It is incredible because of the proclamation.
The resurrection is the crux of our message. Without the resurrection, our faith is in vain. We have no message without it. We have no gospel without it. The gospel is the proclamation of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. The distinguishing feature of the gospel is that Jesus rose again. He is a risen Saviour. He is not a dead corpse that is rotting away and is just a memory. He lives! The message of the resurrection is a message of hope. Jesus said, “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore.”
It is incredible because of the promise.
“Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation” (John 5:28-29). There is the promise of future resurrection. There is the resurrection of the saved. Their bodies will be raised incorruptible to be reunited with their soul and to be forever with the Lord. There is also the resurrection of the unsaved to appear before the Great White Throne Judgment and to be cast into the Lake of Fire for all of eternity.
Every sinner must confess with his mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in his heart that God raised Him from the dead in order to be saved. Jesus gives us hope, Heaven, and a purpose. Rejoice today that He lives!
Have a faith-inspired God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: 1 Kings 3-5