Jesus' Resurrection: The Answer to Hopelessness

 

“Let the resurrection joy lift us from loneliness and weakness and despair to strength 
and beauty and happiness.”  Floyd W. Tomkins 

Dr. Charles Johnson wrote in “Psychology Today”: “I find the degree of cynicism that permeates our world today striking and troubling…It is rare that a young person I work with expresses real hope about what lies ahead…I’m not in fact sure whether hope is warranted. Our times confront us with an array of truly existential challenges—climate change, nuclear proliferation, the specter of pandemic, and digital technologies that could run amok.” In other words, how do we cope with hopelessness?
  If you google suggestions for coping with hopelessness, they’re little more than suggesting cough drops for cancer. Suggestions like…stay present and focus on what’s happening now instead of worrying about the future. Name your feelings. Lean into your friendships. Find hope in a new hobby. Understand what’s behind your feelings. Be gentle with yourself.
  Is it any wonder that ours is such an anxious and often overmedicated culture, whether it’s prescribed or self-medicating with alcohol and illicit drugs? Yet, the world of the first century was similar, if not worse. It was only Christ’s resurrection that brought hope and was world changing.
  Christ-followers have a hope that scientific facts can’t explain. Martha, (John 11), understood this kind of hope. After her brother, Lazarus, died (and had been dead for four days), Martha met Jesus as He was arriving in Bethany. She said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” Even now? Four days after her brother was dead, she still has hope? Yes. She desires her brother to live again and fully expects Jesus to make that a reality.
  In the face of death, Martha’s hope was centered on Jesus. Her faith was in the One who is the resurrection and the life. As Christ-followers, we have that same hope. It’s a hope that goes beyond rationality but is not irrational. It requires belief, and to many seems unbelievable. It goes beyond the purview of scientific investigation, and yet is historical fact. We have the hope of the resurrection of Jesus.
  Jesus’s resurrection is the foundation of Christian hope. Because Jesus rose from the dead, we know that death, man’s worst enemy, is defeated. We have hope that we will be fully redeemed. We have hope that there is a new creation coming. We have hope that everything wrong with the world will one day be made right. Our desire to see everything made new, mixed with the expectation that it will be, is what makes life worth it now.
  Resurrection hope is life changing. It defies medical wisdom. It comes face-to-face with death and says, “you lose.” It stares into the face of insurmountable odds and demands the impossible.
  In his book, Surprised by Hope, New Testament scholar N.T. Wright puts it this way, “Hope, for the Christian, is not wishful thinking or mere blind optimism. It is a mode of knowing, a mode within which new things are possible, options are not shut down, new creation can happen.”
  Christian hope is anchored in Jesus’ resurrection. It looks beyond the brokenness of this world and into a future of renewed creation. It’s our reason to live and look forward to the future. We know the worst “hell” of this life is temporary, yet life with Christ will be perfect for all eternity.
  The resurrection moves the credibility of religion from the stage of belief onto the stage of history. It breaks us out of the circle of personal experience. Frequently, those who are not Christians respond to Jesus’ resurrection with, “That’s just your interpretation.” That objection suggests that Christian faith is subjective: I believe it because I want to. However, the resurrection is not a matter of religious faith—it’s a matter of history, open to investigation by anyone who will honestly examine the facts.
  The historical evidence shows that: the grave was empty; the grave clothes were neatly left behind; the stone enclosing the tomb was rolled away; the body of Jesus was never found; the grave had been guarded by Roman soldiers; and no one ever claimed to have stolen the body.
  The presence of the grave clothes is very significant. The spices attached too had value. Anyone removing the body for profit would have taken the wrapped body away and separated out the valuable mixture. The placement of the grave clothes, like the placement of the stone, perfectly fits with the resurrection as the cause, rather than with human agency as the cause.
  Then, there are eleven eyewitness accounts (not counting Paul) recorded of Jesus appearing to people proving that He was resurrected. These appearances were to: men and women, individuals, couples, groups, and at least one crowd of 500. The appearances were inside and outside, in different locations, and at different times of the day. Jesus was physically touched, audibly heard, visually seen, and ate food in the presence of witnesses. None of these witnesses believed that Jesus would rise from the dead before He rose from the dead. All of them knew Him before His death, so they knew He was the same Jesus who died on the cross.
  Many of the principal eyewitnesses to the resurrection of Jesus were killed because of their claim that Jesus was resurrected. Their lives would probably have been spared if they had recanted. This is very significant. We know that people will die for a cause, but these men and women died for a set of facts. They went to their grave rather than say that the facts were untrue. They died because they said the facts of the crucifixion and the bodily resurrection of Jesus were true.
  Christ-followers have a trustworthy hope based on historical fact and faith in God’s Word. We’re blessed, forgiven, redeemed, and sealed by the Holy Spirit, guaranteeing eternal life. We can now live according to our identity as children of God. This world is not our home. We have a new Home and perfect life awaiting us because our Lord is alive! And because He lives, as He has promised, we will live with Him forever! Now that’s true hope!

Can we help you spiritually? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

 

FORGIVENESS!

 

“To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable
because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you”  C.S. Lewis 

  It was the slap heard around the world. What was to be another self-congratulatory Academy Awards Ceremony went viral after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock in the midst of the ceremony. Social media and pundits debated “should he?” or “shouldn’t he?” on whether Smith should have reacted or if Rock overstepped boundaries with his cruel joke. Yet, what was missed by many was something that distinguishes Christians and the Church from every other segment in society – FORGIVENESS. 

  Denzel Washington did something increasingly rare these days. He sought redemption for someone who’d made a serious mistake. After the incident, Washington and actor/director Tyler Perry reportedly put their arms around Smith and prayed with him during a commercial break. Why? During an interview, Washington said, “But for the grace of God go any of us. Who are we to condemn?”

  It appeared that most of the rest of Hollywood, after at first giving Smith a standing ovation when he won “Best Actor” for his role in the film “King Richard,” quickly turned on him and condemned his behavior. Smith apologized to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and later apologized to Rock. But the Academy has banned Smith from attending a ceremony for ten years and he’s now resigned from the Academy.

  The Academy doesn’t understand God’s forgiveness. God’s desire is redemption. It’s what’s wrong with our world today. Relationships from marriages to parent-child ones to work ones to even our penal system know nothing of forgiveness, repentance, redemption, and restoration.

  Condemnation is the norm in our politics and culture these days. Condemnation only leaves people condemned. It never gives hope or produces life change. Instead, it has the effect of hardening hearts, both of the one who condemns and the one on the receiving end.

  The message of the Cross, Easter’s message is that there’s a better way. It’s what we celebrate today! It’s what believers celebrate every Sunday.

  In her book, Hope Has Its Reasons, Rebecca Pippert, shares of counseling a woman that could not forgive herself for aborting her unborn child. 

  The woman told Pippert, “I cannot forgive myself! I have confessed this sin a thousand times, and I still feel such shame and sorrow. The thought that haunts me the most is how could I murder an innocent life?”

  Pippert took a deep breath and said what she’d been thinking. “I do not know why you are so surprised. This is not the first time your sin has led to death; it is the second.”

  The woman looked at her in utter amazement. Pippert continued, “When you look at the cross, all of us show up as crucifiers. Religious or non-religious, good or bad, aborters or nonaborters-all of us are responsible for the death of the only innocent One who ever lived. Jesus died for all of our sins-past, present, and future. Do you think there are any sins of yours that Jesus did not have to die for? It does not matter that you were not there two thousand years ago. We all sent Him there. So if you have done it before, then why could you not do it again?”

  The woman stopped crying. She looked Pippert straight in the eyes and said, “You are absolutely right. I have done something even worse than killing my baby. My sin is what drove Jesus to the cross. It does not matter that I was not there pounding in the nails, I am still responsible for his death. Do you realize the significance of what you are telling me? I came to you saying I had done the worst thing imaginable. And you tell me I have done something even worse than that.”

  Pippert comments, “I grimace because I knew this was true.” Then the woman said, “If the cross shows me that I am far worse than I had ever imagined, it also shows me that my evil has been absorbed and forgiven. If the worst thing any human can do is to kill God’s Son, and that can be forgiven, then how can anything else-even my abortion-not be forgiven?”

  Pippert concludes: “I will never forget the look in her eyes as she sat back in awe and quietly said, ‘Talk about amazing grace.’ This time she wept not out of sorrow but from relief and gratitude. I saw a woman literally transformed by a proper understanding of the Cross.”

  Smith’s slap is a minor misdemeanor compared to Deicide, the murdering of God. If we’re honest, we can all relate to the Apostle Paul’s confession of 1 Timothy 1:15: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—and I was the greatest of them all” (Living Bible). I too am the worst sinner that I know. I am responsible for murdering God and so are you. The reason that we can forgive is that we have been forgiven of so much. There is nothing that Christ’s death on the Cross didn’t pay for.

  A constant theme of the New Testament is that Christians, the forgiven, are the forgivers. We’re following Jesus’ example who from the Cross said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”

  Ephesians 4:32 commands us, “ forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” The first Church martyr, Stephen, prayed for the forgiveness of the ones hurling stones at him. The history of the Church is a constant thread of forgivers. One of the greatest indications that one is truly a Christ-follower is that one has not only been forgiven but is also a forgiver.

  It’s the only way you can explain the wives and children of the five missionaries killed by the Auca Indians in Ecuador who returned to share the gospel of forgiveness with the ones who’d murdered their husbands and fathers. Other than the power of the gospel and God’s forgiveness how else do we explain the response of the families of those slaughtered by White Supremacist Dylann Roof? Roof murdered nine people during a Bible study at Emanuel African Methodist Church in Charleston. He was convicted and sentenced to death, but the survivors and relatives of the victims extended grace and forgiveness to him, his wife and his children, shocking the nation!

  Easter reminds us that two things distinguish Christians from a hateful, vengeful world. We’ve been forgiven and we forgive! That’s real power! That’s the gospel! Have you met the One who can truly transform your life? Have you met Jesus, the One who died in your place? Have you been forgiven? Are you a forgiver?

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

  

Christ's Resurrection Gives Us Hope

“Hope is called the anchor of the soul (Hebrews 6:19) because it gives stability to the Christian life. But hope is not simply a ‘wish’ (I wish that such-and-such would take place); rather, it is that which latches on to the certainty of the promises of the future that God has made.” R.C. Sproul

   Henri Nouwen told a story in his book, Turn My Mourning into Dancing: A solder was captured as a prisoner of war. His captors transported him by train far from his homeland. He felt isolated from country, family, and anything familiar. His loneliness grew as he continued not to hear anything from home. He could not even know if his family was even alive or how his country was faring. Thus, he lost a sense of anything to live for. But suddenly, unexpectedly, he got a letter. It was smudged, torn at the edges from months of travel. But it said, “We are waiting for you to come home. All is fine here. Don’t worry.” Everything instantly changed. He did the same difficult labor on the same meager rations, but now he knew someone waited for his release and homecoming. Hope changed his life. That’s what Easter is about – Hope! If the cross had ended it all. If Jesus had not risen bodily from the grave, we would have no hope. That’s the thesis of the great chapter on the resurrection, 1 Corinthians 15. 

  Christ’s resurrection gives us hope in the face of death. Read the Gospel accounts for yourself. Until His disciples met the risen Christ, they had no hope. The only explanation for their radical change from the terrified to the bold was meeting the risen Christ. It’s why one of our favorite Psalms is the 23rd where it says, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…” (vs. 4). Because Jesus is alive we know that we will not be left in death. The moment that the born-again Christian closes their eyes on this life, they wake up in heaven with the Lord Jesus for all eternity. “Absent from the body…at home with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8).

  Christ’s resurrection gives us hope to see those who died in faith again. Heaven becomes sweeter for me each year. For over 50 years now, I’ve longed to see my Mom once again. In 1970 she was taken in a tragic car accident into the presence of her Savior.

  One of the burdens of long pastorates is that you have to bury your friends. But they’re not gone. They’re not dust and ashes. No, because of the resurrection I know that they are waiting for me and you. They are more alive today than they have ever been. The longer that I am a Christian, the more that I understand the Apostle Paul’s heart when he said, “For to me to live is Christ, to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). Who but a Christian would believe that death is gain. Because of Christ’s resurrection, we know we leave a temporal world of pain and suffering for eternal bliss.

  Christ’s resurrection gives us hope that we are forgiven. Because Jesus died and paid for our sin, we know that we’re forgiven BUT if He had not risen from the grave, we would have wondered if it was enough. Because of His resurrection, Romans 8:1 is not an empty promise, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” When I look back at my life and my dark, evil heart. It’s hard for me to believe that a holy God loves me and forgives me. For years it haunted me that my last words to my Mom a few weeks before she died were: “I hate you!” Sure, they were uttered by a 10-year-old, but they were words that I never had a chance to apologize for. Even the night that she was killed, they came ringing back in my heart. But because of Jesus’ cross, because of His resurrection, I know that I’m forgiven for that and my innumerable other transgressions. It’s not because I’ve done anything to balance things out with God. It’s because Jesus paid my sin debt. He paid it all. It’s all of grace that I’m forgiven. If you’ve trusted Him as your Savior, so are you!

  Christ’s resurrection gives us hope that we have a new body. My earth suit is wearing out and so is yours. Every year there are more parts that creak and groan with aches and pains. It has an expiration date. But I’ve got a new one waiting for me. “For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality” (1 Cor. 15:54-55). Jesus’ resurrection and His glorified body gave us a peek into what God has for us in our new and eternal ones. 

  Christ’s resurrection gives us hope that there will be a new earth. The Creative Mandate requires that we not abuse this planet (Genesis 1:28). We’re managers of God’s creation and property. Because of sin, we know that mankind has miserably failed. We’re terrible managers of God’s property. We pollute. We abuse. We burn and pillage. We wreck and ruin. But someday there will be a new earth, better than Eden, better than the world contaminated by sin (Revelation 21:1).  

  Christ’s resurrection gives us hope that there will be a new government. Too many Christians have placed their hope in human political leaders. Even the best governmental leaders have hearts contaminated by sin. Too many believers wring their hands over what temporal leaders do. Should we be involved? Yes. Should we vote. Yes. And we must pray. Yet, we know that all government has a very short shelf life. 

  In the midst of sometimes shocking political upheavals, we know that  Jesus Christ is the ruler of all the kings and presidents and chiefs and premiers and governors and prime ministers. If President Biden says to Jesus, “How can you be the ruler over me? I have my office by the election of the people of the United States, a sovereign nation, and by virtue of a constitutional inauguration and installation.” The Lord Jesus will answer, “I have my office as ruler over you by God’s sovereignty and by virtue of my resurrection, my indestructible life, and my installation at God's right hand.” When Jesus rose again, God the Father exalted Him and gave Him a “name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee might bow” (Phil. 2:9-10). That includes all the rulers and kings of the earth. Jesus is alive today presiding from heaven over the rulers of the earth. It’s a breathtaking thought and something most today do not believe, but it’s at the heart of biblical truth. Jesus Christ is alive and reigns. It should revolutionize the way we watch the news and live out our lives. Because of His resurrection, we watch the events of this world through the eyes of faith. His resurrection turned the 1st-century world upside down. It must revolutionize our lives! Easter is God’s reminder of that.

  As John Donne wrote, “Death, be not proud.” God won’t let death win. Jesus is alive and we will live with Him forever and ever!

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

 

Who is Jesus?

“He became what we are that He might make us what He is.”

Athanasius

  C. S. Lewis, the famed author, was also a professor at Cambridge University and once an agnostic, wrote this about Jesus:  “I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.’ That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse…You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

  As we come into the Easter Season, more are thinking about and considering that vital question: Who is Jesus? There is no more critical question. The best way to find the answer is to read the biographies about Jesus found in the first four books of the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. It’s amazing how Jesus becomes real as we read about His life from those early biographies of His life. When you read the original writings, you will quickly discover that the Jesus of the Bible is very different from some of the common misconceptions about Jesus. Many believe in a Jesus that doesn’t exist. Maybe that’s you.

  For example, there’s the John Lennon Jesus? All you need is love, that’s all that really matters. Just love and peace and spirituality. We could call this Jesus the “why can’t we all just get along?” one. But that’s not Jesus.  

  There’s the Tony Robbins Jesus. You’ll see this Jesus in an infomercial. You were created to succeed! You’re a winner, so call yourself one. All you have to do is picture it, believe it, and achieve it. But that’s not Jesus.  

  A childhood favorite is the Mr. Rogers Jesus. We all need to be careful not to hurt anybody’s feelings, make sure we love everybody and treat everybody fairly. Don’t do anything to offend anyone because we’re all God’s children. But that’s not Jesus.  

  What about the Oprah Jesus? You’re doing a great job. You can do it, just believe in yourself. You’re beautiful! You’re strong! Everything you need to succeed is already inside of you. You don’t need anyone else. But that’s not Jesus.  

  Perhaps the American favorite is the Genie Jesus. Everyone loves Genie Jesus because He sits up in Heaven just waiting for us to ask for whatever we need and then we just have to say those three magic words, “In Jesus’s name.” It’s the ask and you shall receive Jesus. But that’s not Jesus.  

  All of these Jesuses and many more have two very important things in common. First, a lot of people believe in them. Second, and much more important – they’re all myths. They don’t exist. Essentially, they’re an adult version of an imaginary friend that we’ve given the name Jesus to.

  There’s only one Jesus – the Jesus revealed to us in the Bible. Without question, Jesus is the most dominating figure in history. Who was He? Or, in the words of Jesus Himself in a question to the leaders of the Jewish community, “What do you think of the Christ?” Every intellectually reflective person must come to grips with this engaging question.

The Jesus that the Bible describes is called the Son of God, the Christ. The Jesus of the Bible is described as Redeemer, King of Kings, Righteous Judge, Bread of Life, Good Shepherd, Great I Am, and the Resurrection and the Life. That’s the real Jesus. He’s not some karma Jesus, sports Jesus, vegan Jesus, career Jesus, racist Jesus, butler Jesus or some good man or good teacher Jesus. Who Jesus is isn’t some hypothetical question. It’s a life-changing one, an eternal destiny changing one. It’s imperative then that we have a right understanding of who Jesus is. Who is Jesus to you? It’s a question each of us must answer. When this question is personalized, it becomes the most important question one will ever be asked or will ever answer: Who is Jesus Christ to YOU? 

  Jesus said, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." (John 10:10).  Who wouldn’t want to have a fulfilled and satisfying life? Then, in 1 John 5:11-13 we’re told that if we have the Son of God in our life we can know that we have eternal life. The bottom line is that Jesus is the only way for us to live an abundant life here on earth and receive eternal life in fellowship with God in eternity.

  Easter is about Jesus dying on the cross to take the punishment for our sins so we could be forgiven and justified with God. If we don’t receive the free gift of eternal life by experiencing the forgiveness achieved by Jesus, justice demands that we will receive the punishment we justly deserve.

  Jesus must become the Lord of our lives. Imagine your life as an automobile—Jesus must be behind the wheel of your life. Jesus doesn’t want us to clean up our acts, He wants us to surrender our mess to Him. He wants to revolutionize your life at this very moment.

  It begins with owning your mess – admitting your sin, repent of it before God, believing that Jesus died for your sin on the cross and receiving the gift of eternal life which Jesus died to freely give you. That’s the real Jesus. He wants to come into your life and give you new life now and eternity in heaven. Please don’t believe some contemporary fairy tale Jesus. Read one of the biographies about Jesus for yourself. Before you decide it’s a big hoax, check it out for yourself. What do you really have to lose?

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

Easter means living in Resurrection Power!

“Perhaps the transformation of the disciples of Jesus is the greatest evidence of all for the resurrection. At the time of His death they were very much afraid. Peter went to the extent of vehemently denying that he knew Christ. But in a few days this same Peter fearlessly proclaimed the Gospel in the same city. There had to have been a sufficient reason for such a transformation.” John Stott

  In the days prior to Easter, well-meaning Christians often post on Facebook that Easter is more than bunnies, colored eggs, family events, or new Sunday outfits…and it is. Yet, I think even believers miss the significance of Easter. Often, we act as if Easter is essentially that Jesus died on the cross and arose from the grave. We might go so far as to connect that His resurrection means our salvation is complete, our sins paid for, and our forgiveness and eternity in heaven are now assured. That’s all true. Yet, there’s so much more, so much that we unfortunately miss.

  In my circle of relationships, there is no one more than my Mother that I’d love to have alive again. It’s been almost fifty years since she was killed. It would be wonderful beyond words to have her back. BUT it wouldn’t radically change my life or turn my world upside down. Having my Mom would essentially be little more than another addition to my life as it is now. That’s not what Jesus’ resurrection is to be for the believer.

  The Apostle Paul longs to experience “the power of His resurrection” (Philippians 3:10). The disciples were paralyzed by fear after Christ’s death, yet after His resurrection there’s an unexplainable transformation. On Pentecost they laid it all on the line. It’s why, too, we find those early Christians described as those, “who have turned the world upside down have come here also” (Acts 17:6). Jesus’ resurrection means our world is turned upside down. It’s to be lifechanging. We’re to be world changers.

  But for the average believer, Christ’s resurrection might as well be little more than chocolate bunnies and spring flowers. His resurrection hasn’t radically changed our lives. It’s hardly resulted in more than a yawn. So, no wonder much of the world scoffs at the resurrection. Why would they consider it as something radical? If it’s done so little to change us, why should they even consider it as a viable, lifechanging option?  

  Where do we begin if we want to experience resurrection transformation? We must return to the Cross. The Christian life begins with Jesus’ death. There’s no new life without the believer’s death to the old life. A constant, yet oft ignored teaching of the New Testament is the crucified life. Jesus repeatedly commanded His followers, “take up your cross and follow Me” (Matthew 10:38). A cross means death. Jesus was commanding us to die to our old nature and self. The Apostle Paul expounds on this death to the flesh and the resurrection life in Romans 6.

  It’s only after death to self that we can have resurrection life reality. Christ’s resurrection wasn’t taught in the early church as a symbolic representation of wonderful higher spiritual truths like, “We must always keep hope.” It was taught as a paradigm-shattering, impossible to dismiss fact that changed everything. No longer would life or death cause fear. Because of their experience on that first Easter, they believed that as our Risen Lord said, “Because I live—you will live also.” (John 14:19) This gives us something to cling to in life—cling to even when the death that comes for us all—comes. Jesus rose again, and we will rise too!

  Without Christ’s resurrection, the Bible is just another ancient work of literature…that makes no sense. It’s only because of the Jesus’ resurrection that Scripture makes sense. It makes sense because Jesus is the focus—His birth, life, ministry, atoning death and victorious resurrection is what Scripture is all about. The key to understanding the written Word is Jesus, the living Word or the “Word made flesh” (John 1:14). Christ’s resurrection is the key to understanding it all and why it must change us!

  For example, the Jewish sacrificial system only makes sense if it points to Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. The Passover meal only makes sense when paired with the Resurrection. The promise of Abraham’s descendants blessing the whole world only makes sense if you realize this happens through Christians sharing the good news of our Risen Lord. It’s only in the resurrected life that God’s Word makes sense and becomes life-altering.

  Many Christians fail to read the Bible. That leaves them living under the dead man of the flesh. God’s Word plugs us into resurrection power, giving us a new life direction. Instead of a new life, many believers live little more than a zombie like existence, dead but alive. They feed on the decomposing things of the old nature, rather than the living Word of Scripture.

  The resurrection is the beginning of the exchanged life. Christ’s resurrection is the source of the power that you can experience in your own life, every moment every day. The same power that brought Jesus from death to life is available to each believer. Freedom from sin and guilt, and hope in Jesus that the resurrection produced brings joy and peace. Because of the resurrection we can experience joy and peace that remain constant despite life’s circumstances. We see beyond this life to eternity and the God who has ultimate control over life and always acts according to what’s best for us. Because of the resurrection, we’re confident in our Father’s love and don’t need to fear the future. When we encounter trouble, we can trust God to lead us through it and accomplish His purpose in the process.

  Christ’s resurrection is much more than He’s alive. It’s that we too are alive for all eternity! Easter means that we can live the resurrected life!  

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

Guilt Free!

God has dealt with our guilt. It is the best news in all the world. It is the only strategy that owns up to the truth of God's righteousness and the depth of our debt before Him…Jesus removes our guilt.”  John Piper

  William Shakespeare might have made a great psychotherapist. He accurately described guilt in Macbeth as “life’s fitful fever.” Anyone whose suffered pangs of guilt knows that the Bard nailed the essence of this spiritual malignancy. It contaminates our life and even invades our dreams. An obsessed Lady Macbeth sleepwalks, incessantly washing her hands, screaming, “Out damned spot. Out, I command you! … Why should we be scared, when no one can lay the guilt upon us?” All the soap and water in the universe couldn’t wash away the dirty guilt in her own heart.

  What is guilt? It’s that awful feeling which hits us in the pit of the stomach when we know we’ve done wrong. We’ll do almost anything to get rid of it. It’s the dread of the past; a pain that wells up because we committed an offense or failed to do something right. It’s a phantom pain, a bit like amputees experience after a limb has been removed. Some experience this same kind of dread obsessed by the memory of some wrong committed years, even decades ago. It never quite leaves, crippling the enjoyment of life and relationships with others. They live in fear that someone may discover their past failure.

  Guilt is the bane of human existence. It’s one of the most crippling maladies of the soul. Psychiatrists and doctors say that unresolved guilt is the number one cause of mental illness and suicide. Psychologist Roy Baumeister of Case Western Reserve University studied guilt, discovering that the average person spends approximately 2 hours a day feeling guilty.

  Yet, guilt is God ordained and for the most part, guilt is constructive. It’s like an electric fence that gives us a jolt when we stray beyond our boundaries. Like pain, guilt tells us when something is wrong. When you feel it, you don't just sit there, you do something about it. It’s guilt that ultimately drives us to God, to the Cross and to Jesus Christ as our Savior.

  Guilt cannot be ignored. We were not designed to handle guilt. Either it’s forgiven and we’re free from it, or we must attempt to escape it…but it can’t be escaped. Guilt is the “hound of heaven.” Yet many still try…

  Some seek to blame game away guilt. Adam and Eve established a pattern continuing to this day – the Blame Game. They rationalized their choices, blaming others…even blaming God. We foolishly think that if we can blame someone or something, we’ll feel less guilty. It doesn’t work.

  It’s why many are incessantly angry or critical. Those can be coping mechanisms for a guilty conscience. If you can aim anger toward parents, spouse, circumstances, job, ad nauseam, it’s a distraction from peering into the darkness of your own heart at your failures and personal responsibility.  

  Some attempt to relabel guilt as a disease. It’s common to relabel moral failure as a disease or some addiction, but calling sinful behavior a disease isn’t really helpful. If guilty behavior is a “disease,” isn’t it unjust to incarcerate someone for actions they did as a result of their addiction? We don’t lock up cancer victims. I can’t help it if I get sick, but I volitionally choose to have another drink or engage in some wrong behavior. 

  Some attempt to excuse guilt with a victim mentality. It’s the rational of “I’m poor. It’s why I steal.” Yet, what about individuals who are poor, yet never steal and even choose to work to change their economic situation? Being poor is not morally wrong; stealing is. It’s as silly as if I were to suggest that because I’m bad at math, I don’t have to pay taxes. Children are victims; adults are volunteers. 

  Some attempt to anesthetize guilt. Countless individuals seek to self-medicate, numbing the pain of guilt with substances or behaviors. The cure is frequently worse than the disease. Think about the myriad of “aholic” terms commonly used; workaholic, shopaholic, rageaholic, even chocoaholic. Some take medications to hopefully silence symptoms of guilt like paranoia, anger, stress or depression. (Please understand, not all mental health issues are guilt related). It’s why there may be seemingly no end to the treatment because the root problem is never addressed – guilt.  

  God gave us a conscience to make us aware of sin. There’s never been a civilization that didn't have laws…rules about right and wrong. The moral codes of every civilization prove there’s an objective authority who has set a standard. The human conscience is evidence of God's existence and His standards for behavior. As we violate His standards, we feel guilty.

  Is there a cure for guilt? Yes! It’s the Easter story. Ultimately, God is the One we offend when we sin. That means only He can provide the remedy for guilt. It’s why Jesus came to earth to die. He’s our Substitute in that Jesus took the punishment for our sin so we could be forgiven and right with God. God wants us to be free from guilt. Through Christ, He’s wiped our record clean and wants us to live in freedom. “How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!” (Hebrews 9:14). 

  Jesus’ death on the Cross and His resurrection is God’s cure. When we trust Him, He forgives our sin, cleansing our conscience of guilt. When we trust Christ as Lord and Savior, sin and guilt are gone. In God’s courtroom, they’re eradicated, as if they’d never even happened. It’s why we begin a new life in Christ with a clean slate. As a new creation, God gives us His Spirit, empowering us so that we’re free from sin’s penalty, power, and ultimately in heaven, it’s very presence. Christ’s Cross is our emancipation proclamation from guilt!   

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.

Easter: Be Our Guest!

“During Easter a lot of people regret

not buying the clothing that was on sale.”

There aren’t many church or family traditions that I’m nostalgic about. One Easter tradition I’ve always enjoyed is when children got new clothes and dressed up for Easter. Today you’d be hard pressed to find a sport coat in a store for a young boy. We’ve become so practical and I understand, yet I always enjoyed seeing the girls in their Easter dresses with black patent shoes and the boys in sport coats and ties…for at least one Sunday.

  When I was a child, Easter was a highlight of the year. It meant new clothes. Our whole family dressed up. My Mom and sisters would even have Easter hats. My Dad, brothers and I had new suits or sport coats. And we’d all pose for a family photograph on the front steps of our home.

  Easter meant an Easter basket. On the Saturday before Easter we’d color hardboiled eggs. There might be an Easter egg hunt, though I never did figure out Easter egg hunts. Maybe the eggs they hunt today are better but the ones we hunted for were like rocks. Why someone wanted to “win” gathering the most of those repulsive things, I’ll never know. It seems to me the winner would be the one with the least Easter eggs.

  Easter means many things to different people. Probably for most it’s an opportunity to get together as a family. Those are some special times. Yet, it’s so much more. As believers, we know that, or at least, we should.

  I’ll never forget a lady many years ago telling me that she was going to have to skip church on Easter because her family was coming over and she had to make Easter dinner. Somehow she missed the point.

  So please don’t miss the point. Easter is about Jesus and His resurrection. It’s about the fact a just and holy God sacrificed His own Son for our sin to pay our debt. Jesus suffered and died a horrible death. But it’s not the end of the story. It looked like evil had won. Jesus was dead. There was no hope…

  But that was Friday and Sunday was coming. On Sunday, the One who was dead physically rose again and walked out of the tomb. It demonstrates that God was satisfied with His sacrifice. It gives us hope. Death is now a defeated foe. “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:55-57).  

  Easter is about forgiveness, eternal life, victory, hope BUT do your lost family members, friends and neighbors know that? Or, do they think Easter is about family get-togethers, bunnies and Easter egg hunts? Unless you tell them there is so much more, how will they know? Sometimes in the church we’re so enjoying the victory of the Easter Celebration, we forget the many who are just enjoying the “celebration,” yet have no idea what they’re celebrating. Easter is also a time when many who’d never consider going to church will attend because it’s tradition or even out of curiosity.

  So are you inviting guests to come with you to one of our Easter services? There are many people in your circle the Holy Spirit is already working on. They’re being drawn to the Lord. The Lord can use you—your words and courage—to bring someone within the sound of the gospel.

  According to Thom Ranier, 82% of the unchurched are at least “somewhat likely” to attend church if they’re invited. That means more than 8 out of 10 of the unchurched would come to church if they were simply invited. But Ranier sadly points out, “Only 2% of church members ever invite an unchurched person to church.” When was the last time you invited someone to come to church? Easter is one of the times when people are more open to attend church than nearly any other time of the year. So how can you invite folk for Easter?

  Pray for God’s help. Prayer is always the place to start. Creativity flows from God and so does the power to incline your neighbors toward Christ. Take some time with your family and ask the Father to help you with the ideas and the energy to do it. First, pray. Then, invite.

  Have a time and a plan. The Enemy does not want you to invite anyone, so he’ll pull out the best in his bag of tricks: busyness. Easter will come and go, and you’ll be buying discounted chocolate bunnies before you know it. So once you land on an idea, put your plans on the calendar.

  Ask if they’re planning to go to church this Easter. An easy place to start is with a casual conversation. Even in a passing chat about the weather, ask if they’re planning on attending an Easter service. Many are already thinking about it. Even if they’re not, going to church on Easter is still cultural enough to be an inoffensive topic. One of the most common hesitations potential visitors have is not knowing anyone at the church. Resolve that by offering to attend with them and to sit with them.

  Make cookies and deliver them. Who doesn’t like cookies? Making Easter eggs is fun too, but they don’t quite go down as well with a glass of milk. Your neighbors will not only enjoy it, they’ll be impressed that you took the time to make it and share it. If cooking isn’t your thing, there’s nothing wrong with buying some candy to share. Deliver the goodies and then invite them to an Easter Service.

  Take them some spring flowers. So candy isn’t your thing. After a hard winter, flowers are a breath of fresh air. Drop off a small bouquet. Send the kids. Who can resist a cute kid with a handful of flowers? Then, invite them to come as your guest.

  We have invitations that you can use to invite folk. The bottom line is that it doesn’t matter how you do it, it just matters that you do it! Will you?

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.

Easter Brings Hope

“More than any other time in history, mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness. The other, to total extinction. Let us pray we have the wisdom to choose correctly.”   Woody Allen

  Is there anything worse than hopelessness? I’ve been down that dead end road more times than I want to remember. It seems there is no way out, it’s futile…all hope is gone.

  Can we even then begin to imagine what the disciples and Jesus’ followers must have felt when He cried out, “It is finished!”? It was the death of hope. No wonder they hid out in the upper room. Sure, they were frightened of the Jewish leaders but I think they huddled together in mutual hopelessness.

  Jesus’ resurrection is a message of many things. One of the greatest has to be that there is hope! The greatest enemy any of us will ever face is death, yet Jesus conquered death when He arose bodily from that tomb. And with His victory, He gave us hope.

  Sadly, we’ve tamed or domesticated Easter. It’s become just another holiday. It’s often devolved into little more than Easter egg hunts or baby chicks, rabbits or ducks. It’s about new clothes or family get-togethers. BUT it’s not! Sadly, even in the Church we’ve re-made Easter into something dull and bland. I heard of a church a few years ago where on Easter the pastor threw out beach balls, making it a big party. But Easter is not about springtime and renewal. It’s not gentle or warm and fuzzy.

  Read the biblical account. The Gospels shout at us with words and phrases like “terrified,” “bowed their faces to the ground” and “amazed by what had happened.” Those followers of Jesus had just gone through an unimaginably traumatic experience. Their beloved leader, who’d been called the Messiah and the King of the Jews, had been horribly tortured by Roman soldiers in Jerusalem only three days earlier and then publicly executed by the cruel, gruesome act of nailing Him to a cross. These were the most despondent and demoralized of people. They fled and sought to not to be associated with Jesus at the end. They were nowhere to be found – leaving only a few loyal women like Mary Magdalene and His mother, Mary, at the foot of the cross.

  Author, Annie Dillard, in her book, “Teaching a Stone to Talk: Expeditions and Encounters,” catches our domestication: “On the whole, I do not find Christians, outside of catacombs, sufficiently sensible of conditions. Does anyone have the foggiest idea what sort of power we so blithely invoke? Or, as I suspect, does no one believe a word of it? The churches are children playing on the floor with their chemistry sets, mixing up a batch of TNT to kill a Sunday morning. It is madness to wear ladies straw hats and velvet hats to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life preservers and signal flares; they should lash us to our pews. For the sleeping God may wake someday and take offense, or the waking God may draw us out to where we can never return.” Easter is so awesomely powerful that we need a bomb disposal suit and a crash helmet. Easter is power beyond what we can imagine apart from Scripture and the eyes of faith, because Easter is true hope.

  Easter means that a holy God is satisfied! Jesus died to pay for our sins, the world’s sins, all sin – past, present and future. And a holy, just God is satisfied – the debt has been paid. For those who have come to the Cross and trusted Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, there is no more guilt. The debt has been wiped clean. Jesus paid it all, (Romans 8:1). The only reason a believer confesses sin is for renewal of fellowship, but the relationship is secure and eternal. Nothing else needs to be done. There is absolutely no more debt to pay. “It is finished!” (John 19:30).

  Easter means that all our suffering is temporary! All of us know or have a loved one who’s suffering with a broken, decaying body. Easter reminds us there is hope, because every believer has a new and perfect body awaiting them (1 Corinthians 15:53). No more suffering, no more pain, no more sickness.

  This past week I hit a wall. Being sick for so long began wearing on me. I cried out to my Heavenly Father and began to sob because I was so weary of this sickness. Yet, my time of sickness has been so limited compared to someone who’s been disabled or born with a handicap, or dealing with cancer or some other dreaded disease. And it’s all temporary! It will all ultimately end and there is a new and glorious body awaiting every believer which we will have for all eternity!

  It also means mental anguish is temporary. Many struggle with depression, anxiety, bi-polar disorder or some other mental/emotional malady. They grow so weary of the struggle, longing for relief, even death. Easter means even that any and all suffering is temporary. Easter is God’s dynamite ultimately blowing all our suffering away. It means we have pure joy everlasting awaiting us!

  Easter means that our worst situations are all fleeting! God has blessed me with a wonderful marriage and family. I have the greatest job in that I have the privilege of sharing the Word each week. On top of that, God has blessed me with the privilege of being your Pastor. Yet, this joy was not always my situation. As a teen, I felt my circumstances with an addicted, volatile father and as a motherless child were eternal – they weren’t. And neither is your situation. I know some are in miserable marriages. Some carry the heartache of a wayward child or a fragmented family. Some struggle in horrendous work situations. Yet, because of family obligations or because they’re nearing retirement, they’re trapped. Yet, it’s all temporary. Someday there will be no strained or contaminated relationships. Easter is the power that shouts into our soul – “The worst of this world is transient!”

  Easter means that our sin and the curse of death are conquered! Please read 1 Corinthians 15. At the end Paul seems to shout, ““O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (vss. 55-57).

  Not only is the penalty of sin totally paid, the power of sin has been eradicated and ultimately, the very presence of sin will be removed. It means as I stood recently by the casket of my adopted Mom and so many other loved one through the years who have died in Jesus, it is never “Good-bye.” It is instead only “Good night! I’ll see you in the morning, that great Resurrection morning!”

  Easter is power! Power beyond anything in this broken world. Christian friend, let the Spirit unleash its power in your life (Philippians 3:10-11). Live in Easter’s power! And please share this power and the message of Easter, the only message of true hope with a dying hopeless world!

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You're so rich, it's going to take forever to count it all

“This is all the inheritance I give to my dear family. The religion of Christ will give them one which will make them rich indeed.”

Patrick Henry

  Legendary basketball coach, Dean Smith, grew up in a small Kansas town, the son of Baptist school teachers. He only wanted to be a basketball coach. When he was a bench-warmer for Kansas, he’d closely watch Jayhawks’ legendary coach, Phog Allen, a man who learned the game from James Naismith himself. In the end, a man who grew up hoping to coach basketball ended up doing so much more.

  Dean Smith died at his home on Feb. 7, 2015. He was 83. Yet, though he was gone, he wasn’t done giving to the players that he’d coached during his 36-year career as the University of North Carolina men's basketball coach. His will designated that each of the lettered players who’d played for him during his long career be sent a $200 check after his death to “enjoy a dinner out.” In total, Dean Smith gifted $36,000 by giving each one of his 180 former lettered players $200 each.

  The Bible says that giving is better than receiving. Former University of North Carolina basketball coach Dean Smith made sure this was the case for his former players, even after he was gone. And his final act of generosity moved his former players. Former center, Serge Zwikker, said that he teared up when he opened the letter and he’ll never cash the check. “Even after he passed, he was still all about his players,” Zwikker said.

  Because Jesus died on the cross, those who have trusted Him as their Savior, also have an inheritance. Unlike most inheritances, the One who gave us ours isn’t dead – He’s alive and will be forevermore! Today and every Sunday (not just on Easter), we celebrate that our Lord is alive. Yet, sadly, too many Christians eek out an impoverished spiritual existence, never claiming the inheritance that they have in Christ.

  Imagine for a moment that a distant relative has included you in his will. As part of the execution of that will, money is placed into a bank account for you and you’re notified of that fact. But somehow you foolishly reason, “It can't be true!” Or, you never get the notification…or worse, you forget all about it. So you never bother to write a check against that account. Although you have the inheritance, you don’t benefit from it because you lack the faith and willingness to claim it. How tragic! 

  Because Jesus died for us, we’re heirs of God the Father. As children of God, we must be aware of our spiritual inheritance and claim it by faith. As we do, we begin to experience the abundant spiritual riches God has for us as His children.

  This inheritance is both present and future. Periodically, a wealthy person will divide his inheritance into two parts for his children. He gives them some of their inheritance now and some later. For example, he may help his son start a business or help his daughter purchase a home. They will receive additional money from time to time as they demonstrate that they can handle it well. But the bulk of their estate will come later. 

  In the same way, increasing spiritual maturity and faith release increasing measures of our spiritual riches. The riches begin the moment we become Christians, yet the full riches of our relationship with God will be revealed when we’re finally Home in heaven.

  Christianity though isn’t just about heaven or after this life is over. The child of God has an inheritance that’s beyond words now, today!

  Some years ago, Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer, the founder and first president of Dallas Theological Seminary, wrote a wonderful article entitled, “The Riches of Grace in Christ Jesus – God’s 33 Precious Promises.” And even that doesn’t scratch the surface of our riches in Christ. Let me just touch on three blessings that the believer has now, in this life.

  1. We have God’s help for day to day living. Loneliness is a terrible malady of our world, yet the believer is never alone and never without God’s help. God has given us Himself to us in the person of Christ and the Holy Spirit. Admittedly, we all need help at various times. We humans are often quite helpless. We need the Lord’s comfort, peace and rest in life. We also need His grace and wisdom with raising our children, in our marriages, with our work and all of our relationships. God will help us with all of these and much more if we’ll seek Him and His guidance in His Word. We’re empowered by the Holy Spirit. The Bible teaches us how to really live. His name is “Counselor” and our counselor isn’t guessing. God’s Word is always true and right. God knows what He’s talking about in His Word. The Bible is a trustworthy instruction manual and our heavenly Father is all-powerful and all-wise. Whatever it is that we must do or face in life, the Lord is willing to help us and guide us. He’s always just a prayer away.

  2. We have God’s provision for our needs. God has promised to take care of His children. David said, “I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread” (Psalm 37:25). Our Father has promised to take care of us, to remember us and provide for us. Of course, He only promises to provide for our needs, not necessarily our wants. The truth is that He over-abundantly blesses us and wonderfully, He even gives us the grace to learn to be content.

  3. We have confidence even facing death. One of this life’s greatest fears is death, but the Lord Jesus conquered death. Because Christ paid the penalty for our sin, for the believer, death is a shadow (Psalms 23), just an entry into the real world, heaven and eternal life. That’s why the Apostle Paul said, “Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at HOME with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8).

  Are you afraid to face death? To face God in death? You don’t have to be, you can be part of God’s Forever Family today and an heir. Put your trust in the only One who has conquered death, Jesus Christ. Make this your best Easter ever. Trust Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior today!