Truth Confirmed (John 20:1-18)

The resurrection is something that is radical and rather unbelievable to be honest.  However, the resurreciton is necessary for Christ to conform the grace and truth of the Lord's promise.  How does this truth come to bear on the immediate audience?  What does that teach us about ourselves today?

Friday Fools (1 Corinthians 1:18)

Christ assures us that the folly of Christ’s cross is salvation manifested by the power of God.  How can this be?  This sounds impossible because the cross is a method of execution.  Why would we want this symbol?  The tragedy is that we are tempted to sanitize this symbol, but why is that so tragic?  What could be the possible benefit of this cross?

His Death and Exaltation (John 20:1-18)

The disciples know where they buried Christ.  They are the ones who placed Christ in the grave.  They showed their care for the Lord in their provision for Him, but yet Christ is not where they put him to rest.  What has happened?  Why does it seem like the only rational for Christ being some place else is because of grave robbers?  What other option is there that we should see, appreciate, and love?

How Are We Benefited by Christ’s Resurrection? (John 17:3; LD 22)

We are invited to listen to the last prayer of Christ prior to going to the cross.  What sort of things matter to Christ in this prayer?  What does this prayer communicate about the benefits of Christ’s resurrection?  What information could we even glean about the resurrection if Christ has not even died at this point in His ministry?  So, how are we benefitted by Christ’s resurrection right now?

Misdiagnosing Easter’s Problem (Mark 16:1-8)

There are times when we think that we know the solution to a problem.  We might think that the solution is easy, and the solution might be easy for the problem that we perceive.  Do we ever stop to think that maybe at times we are diagnosing the wrong problem?  Do we ever realize that sometimes our intentions, no matter how good, still might be wrong?  How were the ladies on the first Easter morning very well intentioned, but at the same time incredibly wrong?