4-minute Devotions - the Podcast

In his excellent book, Truth on Fire, Adam Ramsey writes,

“If there was no resurrection, then the payment Jesus made as the sacrifice for our sins was rejected. If there was no resurrection, then the whole Bible was written by liars or lunatics. If there was no resurrection, then there is no hope.”

I’m so glad that the resurrection was real.

Is real.

Powerfully real.

Today, let us remind ourselves of its glorious truth.

Starting at Pentecost, the resurrection dominated the preaching of the Apostles: “Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But 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” (Acts 2: 22 - 24).

In just a few words, Peter has said it all. “Jesus – the one from Nazareth, you know him! You know the miracles he did. Even though you put him to death, it was all part of God’s great plan to conquer death.”

Peter said the same thing to astonished witnesses of a lame man’s healing at the Temple Gate in the next chapter of Acts. “You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead” (Acts 3:15) and then to the household of Cornelius: “We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen” (Acts 10: 39 - 40).

News of the mighty miracle resounded throughout the ancient world as believers travelled far and wide, taking the news with them. The persecutor, Saul became the Paul, the loudest witness and proclaimer: “Fellow children of Abraham and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent. The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath. Though they found no proper ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him executed. When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the cross and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead,” (Acts 13: 26 - 30)

And as Paul, and others, continued to share this stunning truth, the profound implications of it created a hope beyond their wildest dreams. The early writings exploded with celebration:

“He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification”, wrote Paul to the Roman church in chapter 4: 25, and then to the Corinthian church: “By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also” (1 Corinthians 6:14).

Peter also marvels at the life to come: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade” (1 Peter 1: 3 – 4).

Amen. Christ is risen. He is risen indeed.

Now Moses said to Hobab son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, “We are setting out for the place about which the LORD said, ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us and we will treat you well, for the LORD has promised good things to Israel.”

He answered, “No, I will not go; I am going back to my own land and my own people. ”

But Moses said, “Please do not leave us. You know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you can be our eyes. If you come with us, we will share with you whatever good things the LORD gives us” (Numbers 10: 29 – 32)

Years ago, a friend of mine wrote a song for our church, based on this passage, called “Come with us and we will do you good”. I don’t recall the tune or the rest of the lyrics, but I do remember that we sung it most weeks. The basic idea of the song was that as followers of Jesus, we are wonderfully caught up in God’s plans for the world and motivated to share the good news of Christ’s death, resurrection and new life through faith in Him.

We, along with other believers around the world, were excited about our mission, we felt our lives had purpose and we wanted to invite all and anybody around us to join us in that journey.

Come with us. God is with us. There are good things to come, and we want to share them with you.

When Moses’ brother-in-law (that is, Hobab) started to feel the draw to return to his home country, Moses effectively said three things to try to persuade him to stay with him and the travelling Israelites enroute to the Promised Land. First, you will be treated well, “for the Lord has promised good things to Israel”. Moses is not offering an easy life, he knows that the immediate future promises nothing but tough, wilderness living. But he can guarantee the faithfulness of God both now and in the Promised Land ahead.

Second, he effectively says ‘we need you’. We need your eyes and experience to choose the best places to camp on the way. We are not asking you to join us to bolster numbers, we want you to play your unique part with the gifts and abilities the Lord has given you.

And thirdly, Moses promises, that Hobab will share in all the good things that God gives the Israelite community. ‘Come with us, it may not be easy, but God is with us. There is a glorious future ahead and your gifts and abilities will help us to get there. You will share in the joys and blessings the Lord gives to us. Come with us and we will do you good.

When we share our faith with those who don’t yet know Jesus, we are giving the same invitation. Come with us, repent of your sin and ask Jesus to be Lord of your life. The days in front of you may not always be easy, but Jesus promises to never leave you. And we will love and support each other along the way. There is a glorious future ahead, and your gifts and abilities are vital to God’s great purposes. Come and share the joys of a new life in Jesus Christ.

Why do we find it difficult to surrender everything to God? Perhaps a fresh look at His love for us might help.

On what do you base your faith? David would encourage us to allow the scriptures to take us on a journey through the history of God's faithfulness

Anybody can have extraordinary faith. Perhaps it starts with simply thinking about what we have heard about Jesus and remembering what we (and others) have already experienced. Then it continues with the active resting on the unchanging promises of his Word and trusting he can do it again. Are you ready to reach out a hand and touch the edge of His robe?