The Great Miracle
The greatest miracle wasn’t the first or last one
People love a good list. How many articles have you seen titled “30 best products” or “The top 10 [insert activity ]”?
When it comes to God’s miracles, there is an amazing list! Creation, Noah’s ark, Daniel in the lion’s den, the virgin birth of Jesus, the raising of Jairius’s daughter — the list goes on.
But the greatest one is the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. His death on the cross was for our sins and his resurrection was for our justification. All he did, he did because of “the joy set before him”.
What is this joy?
The joy set before him was the peace between mankind and God. He was “delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.” He took onto himself our sins, and then accepted the consequence of that sin, and paid it in full. He left no outstanding balance for us to meet.
His resurrection proves the hope of our own, pending resurrection. If Jesus were not raised, we should be “pitied above all men,” because our hope would be in nothing. But instead, we can look to him as the “firstfruits” of what is to come for all who believe.
Thanks be to God to for our justification which brings us peace!
Here is the full sermon text from Matthew 28 :
The Resurrection
Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”
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Announcements
Going Away Potluck: Andrew and Elizabeth Berg will be leaving us soon for Fort Wayne, Indiana so Andrew can pursue an MDiv to become a pastor. Join us on April 30th, immediately after the church service, to wish them farewell with a potluck lunch.
Bible Study: Our midweek Bible study is on hiatus during this season. Sunday morning class meets at church at 10 am.
Donations: While we have suffered a decline in attendance since the pandemic, unfortunately, the expenses continue. If you wish to donate, please mail your gift to the St. James post office box as that is a secure location. You may also donate online. We appreciate every dollar and thank you in advance for considering us.