He is risen, He is risen indeed

This is Easter Sunday and Christians all over the world will be celebrating the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Do we know why this is so important? Read what the apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:17 - and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. The resurrection of the Lord Jesus was the reward of His sacrifice. Therefore He sat down at the right hand of the Father. The resurrection was the Father's reward for the complete and finished work of Christ on the cross. If Christ had not been raised then the sacrifice would have been deficient and we would still have to carry our condemnation, judgment and guilt not only now but into eternity. The message of Easter is found several verses later in 1 Corinthians 15:20 - "but Christ has been raised." And we as Christians can celebrate knowing that the life He lived qualified Him for the death that He died, but the death that He died and His marvelous resurrection qualify us to live the life NOW and Forever that He lived then.
Therefore would you say with me this morning: HE IS RISEN, HE IS RISEN INDEED!