“God’s Easter Triple Whammy”
“This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be
glad in it.” But, why are we glad? What is it we are
celebrating? In today’s Epistle Reading from 1st Corinthians chapter 15, Paul
reminds us what it is we are celebrating today: The Good News of Christ’s
victory for us over the three great enemies we all face: sin, death, and the
devil; the Good News of “God’s Easter Triple Whammy.” God’s Easter whammy against sin: “Christ died for our sins according to
the Scriptures.” Christ’s death on the cross was not a mistake or unintended accident of
history. We call the day of his crucifixion GOOD Friday because these
events all happened “according to the Scriptures,” according to God’s plan, for
our good. Jesus told his disciples: “We are going up to Jerusalem, and
everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be
fulfilled. He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him,
insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him. . . for what is written
about me is being fulfilled.” What was the purpose of this plan? It was for your salvation.
“Christ died FOR OUR SINS according to the Scriptures.” Isaiah prophesied:
“Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows. We observed
him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. He was pierced for our
transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought
us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like
sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has
laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Jesus bore your sins in his body on the cross. His crucifixion is
the sacrifice that makes up for our sins, and not only ours, but also for the
sins of the whole world. On account of his suffering and death, God does
not count your sins against you. The blood of Jesus cleanses you from
every sin. Peter says in Acts: “God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the
prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. . . This man was handed
over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of
wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. . . All the
prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives
forgiveness of sins through his name.” That is God’s Easter whammy against sin: “Christ died for our sins
according to the Scriptures.” God’s Easter whammy against death: “HE was buried.” Christ met the enemy death head on, and he won the battle for you.
Hebrews says, “By his death he destroyed him who holds the power of death—that
is, the devil—and freed those who all their lives were held in slavery to their
fear of death.” Death and burial seem so ultimate, so final. But
Jesus says, “I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever!” By his death Christ transformed death for us, from the fearful END to
the blessed BEGINNING of eternal life; by his burial he transformed the grave
for us into the gateway of heaven. When you stand at the grave of a loved
one, remember the Good News “HE was buried.” And just as “HE was buried”
and rose from the dead, so all who trust in him shall rise to eternal life.
“For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him
shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” “HE was buried;” Christ met the enemy death head on, and he won the
battle for you. “Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our
Lord Jesus Christ.” “God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the
agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.”
“Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first to rise in the harvest
of those who have fallen asleep.” “We know that the one who raised the
Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus.” “We believe that
Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those
who have fallen asleep in him.” That is God’s Easter whammy against death: “HE was buried.” Finally, God’s Easter whammy against the devil: “He was raised on the
third day according to the Scriptures.” At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry the devil tried unsuccessfully to
thwart him with temptations. Luke says, “When the devil had finished all
this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.” Three years later, on
Good Friday, Satan thought he had finally found that “opportune time.”
There was rejoicing in hell over death of Jesus Christ. For, Satan and his
demons thought they had finally won the spiritual war fought for so many eons;
they thought they were victorious over the Lord’s anointed one; they thought he
was utterly defeated, dead, gotten rid of for good. But, their party in
hell was crashed by a very unexpected visitor. Peter says: “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for
the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made
alive by the Spirit, through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in
prison.” This is Christ’s descent into hell we speak of in the Apostles’
Creed, not to suffer, but to proclaim his victory. As Paul says in Colossians:
“And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of
them, triumphing over them by the cross.” The resurrection of Jesus Christ
is God’s Easter whammy against the devil, from which Satan is still reeling and
hell
will never recover. Paul says in Romans, “He was delivered over to death for our sins and
was raised to life for our justification.” The resurrection of Jesus
Christ is God’s announcement to the world: Your sins are all forgiven, because I
have accepted my Son’s sacrifice for you. The resurrection of Jesus Christ
is God’s stamp of “Paid in Full” on the bill of your sins. As Paul says in
Colossians, “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us
into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the
forgiveness of sins.” “Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you,
which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you
are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have
believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance
: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried,
that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” That is “God’s Easter Triple Whammy”—for you! Return to Top | Return to Sermons | Home | Email Church Office
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