Family of God: [FamilyofGod] happy easter coming up

The empty promise of Easter
I know, I find it hard to control myself. It's the preacher resident deep within me, with a hyperactive homiletical habitude (look that up in your Funk and Wagnalls!). When I see a slogan like the title above (online in a sermon by Steven Kellett, though if you Google it you will see it is widely used), it just screams at me to "preach it, brother, preach it!" Of course, the title is not referring to the English idiom, defined in one dictionary as "an empty promise, with no intention of keeping it." When related to Easter, it is a play on words to emphasize the promise of an empty cross and an empty tomb with empty burial clothes.

The "empty" promise was given in John 2:19-22: "Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." The Jews then said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?" But he was speaking about the temple of his body. When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken" (ESV). Jesus said this in his first year of his ministry. Hindsight is a wonderful attribute, isn't it? After the Resurrection they remembered what he had said, but did they believe "the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken" at the time he said it? Apparently not.

In addition to Old Testament prophecies of a coming resurrection, such as Psalm 16:10, Jesus himself told his disciples what was about to happen. "From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised" (Matthew 16:21), and Mark adds "And he said this plainly" (8:32). "And he said this freely (frankly, plainly, explicitly, making it unmistakable)..." (Amplified). Peter reproved Jesus for forecasting the end of the traveling evangelistic team but Jesus rebuked him with the famous words "Get thee behind me, Satan..." On the night before his death, Jesus again told them, "But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee" (Matthew 26:32).

"He is not here, for he is risen" (Matthew 28:6, Luke 24:6), so said the angel to the women who had come to anoint the body after the high sabbath. We even have the clear record of the temple guards who were guarding the tomb, but had to report to the chief priests that it was now empty. "And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers and said, 'Tell people, "His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep." And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.' So they took the money and did as they were directed" (Matthew 28:12-15). Bribery was common and they did financially well from telling their lie.

I have said many times that if I ever built a church building there would be no cross in it but an empty tomb. Even a quick reading of the Book of Acts reveals the apostles spread across the world proclaiming primarily the Resurrection of Christ from the dead. And the salvation formula in Romans 10:9 is based on belief in Christ's resurrection. Thank God for the person or persons who told you that Christ is no longer on a cross or in a tomb, but is seated on the right hand of the Father. "Because I live, you will live also" (John 14:19 NKJV). Paul's revelation of present truth teaches our identification in the sacrificial work of Christ, and "The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him" (II Timothy 2:11 ESV). And that is a faithful and sure promise, just like "the empty promise of Easter." -- Peter Wade.

Exploring God's Amazing Word
In this volume, I have included 18 positive studies solidly based on the Word of God. Twelve of these have been previously published in book form in two editions of "The Dynamics of Positive Living," of which this volume is the successor, and they have been completely revised. They are all concerned with teaching you the truth about yourself, and how to act upon the truth to enjoy to the full the guaranteed results.

The chapters in this book point to the sure foundation for everyday living: the Bible, the revealed Word of God. You are guided into an understanding of the magnitude of what God has made available. Then as you adjust your concepts to these ageless truths, you can tap into the resources for a positive and prosperous life to your fullest ability.

My desire is that you will see yourself as blessed with Heaven's best, and will believe "in the living God who gives us richly all things to enjoy" (I Timothy 6:17).

Order your copy today from online booksellers or direct from our ministry. See the full details at http://www.peterwade.com/exploring-gods-amazing-word and look inside the book to read sample pages. Try out the price comparison page and see the best price with postage from online booksellers. This is a book you will delve into time and time again.