Hosanna Restoration Church

In the course of a week, Jesus had gone from cheers to boos, exaltation to being impaled, cross to grave, and literally hell and back, and here he was saying, “Peace be with you.” On this day that we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord we can take that peace, knowing that resurrection is always coming! The power that raised Jesus from the dead is working mightily in us and for us and we can have peace.

On the cross, Jesus did not say much, but what He said was powerful. To the thief He promised that they would be together in paradise. In other words, Jesus was certain that the outcome of all things would be just as the Father had promised and has He Himself had declared. He also asked God to forgive the folks who did this because they had no idea what they were doing. He certainly did not want to take bitterness with Him into eternity. I do not think it is necessary to explain what this teaches us. As the intensity of the struggle increased, He said, “I thirst.” I believe He was thirsting for the strength and comfort that only God could give as well showing one last time that He was Son of Man while on this earth. The way to peace in every circumstance in our lives is found in the living water that God provides. We must remain thirsty!

Finally, Jesus declared, “Into thy hands I commit my spirit.” Put it in God’s hands. Do all you can do to stand and put it in God’s hands and you are guaranteed the same results as Jesus. Here He stood in their midst and brought them the blessing of peace. He did not tell them how hard it was to go through what He just went through. Instead He told them that nothing was too hard for God. Don’t sit around licking your wounds and talking about what a fiasco the whole previous week was, take the peace and go make some disciples.

His appearance was the confirmation of everything He had taught them. It was not the end of anything; it was the beginning of the greatest time of their lives. The same powerful peace that carried Jesus was theirs for the taking and it is ours for the taking today.

We celebrate the empty cross where the power of sin to rule died, the empty tomb from which the power of eternal life exploded, and the power of death died. We celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and the promise of eternal life.

Yes, we celebrate Jesus. We celebrate life. Make your life a celebration of the resurrection of our Lord. Receive the peace that passes all understanding. Don’t lose heart. Thirst for more of Him!