We have seen this week that after the incarnation of Jesus, He was obedient to His Father to the point of death, even the death of the cross.  The story, however, did not end there.  Paul continued to tell us, in Philippians 2, that God highly exalted His obedient Son (Philippians 2:9).  This exaltation pointed to the resurrection of Christ.  His death, burial, and resurrection was not something that man controlled but was a part of God’s foreordained plan.  Peter put it like this:

Acts 2:22-24 (ESV)
²²  “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— ²³  this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. ²⁴  God raised him up…

This was the theme of Peter’s first two recorded sermons, and, in fact, of the majority of apostolic preaching—“God raised Him up.”  Peter continued to preach.

Acts 2:30-33 (ESV)
³⁰  Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, ³¹  he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. ³²  This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. ³³  Being therefore exalted …

We serve an exalted Savior for the gates of Hades could not prevail against Him (Matthew 16:18).  When Mary Magdalene went to the tomb of Jesus, along with the other Mary, they were met by an angel of the Lord who spoke to them.

Matthew 28:5-6 (ESV)
⁵  …“Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. ⁶  He is not here, for he has risen…”

Jesus has risen!  That is the most joyful proclamation ever heard.  It tells us that Jesus has prevailed, accomplishing what He came to do.  The Hebrews writer tells us that Jesus shared in flesh and blood so that He “might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2:14).  When Jesus was raised from the dead, He conquered death, snatching it away from Satan, figuratively bruising his head in fulfillment of the first messianic prophecy called the protevangelium, meaning “the first gospel” (Genesis 3:15). 

The resurrection of Christ assures us of two things.  First, we have an escape from sin.  Paul tells us that Jesus was raised for our justification (Romans 4:25). To be justified means to be acquitted of our sins.  While the blood of Christ washes away our sins, that blood did not become effective until Jesus was raised.  When He defeated death by His resurrection, mankind now had a means of being justified by faith when one obeys the gospel (Romans 1:16; 5:1).

Second, the resurrection of Christ assures us that we, too, will one day be raised by the power of God.  Paul told the saints at Corinth, some of whom were denying the general resurrection, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable. But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:19-20).

The day Jesus was resurrected from the dead was a terrible one for the devil, but for the rest of us, it was the best day ever.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.