It's Easter; Be Happy!

And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable” (I Corinthians 15:17-19).

The early church never took the resurrection of Jesus Christ lightly. The apostles coupled the resurrection with the whole process of justification. “Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification” (Romans 4:25). To leave out this great truth is to leave out one third of the gospel, because the definition of the gospel is: “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (I Corinthians 15:3,4). To use the word “miserable” for the way we would respond to Christ being not risen from the dead would be using a word that is very emphatic and inflexible in definition, for "miserable" means: that which would cause someone to feel wretchedly unhappy or uncomfortable. Check our just a few of the synonyms: sad, sorrowful, dejected, depressed, downcast, downhearted, down, despondent, disconsolate, wretched, glum, gloomy, dismal, melancholy, woebegone, doleful, forlorn, heartbroken, dreary, dismal, gloomy, drab, wretched, depressing, grim, cheerless, bleak, desolate; poor, shabby, squalid, seedy, dilapidated, flea-bitten, informal: blue, down in/at the mouth, down in the dumps. There is no way of finding double meanings here; miserable is so bad, there is no sign of things getting better, only worse. Indeed things would be bad and only getting worse, if Christ be not risen from the grave. Thanks be to God, we do not have to worry about that, because our Lord is risen from the grave; He is risen indeed! Therefore, we are of all peoples in the earth the most blessed and should be by far and away the happiest people on earth. Why are we happy, cheerful, cheery, merry, joyful, jovial, jolly, jocular, gleeful, carefree, untroubled, delighted, smiling, beaming, grinning, in good spirits, in a in a good mood, lighthearted, pleased, contented, content, satisfied, gratified, buoyant, radiant, sunny, blithe, joyous, beatific; thrilled, elated, exhilarated, ecstatic, blissful, euphoric, overjoyed, exultant, rapturous, in seventh heaven, on cloud nine, walking on air, jumping for joy, jubilant, chirpy, over the moon, on top of the world, tickled pink, on a high, as happy as a clam? I would suggest a short, non-exhaustive list of three simple, wonderful reasons:

1. We are happy because we are forgiven.
“And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins” (I Corinthians 15:17). Dr. Ed McAbee had preached in Alaska and was flying home to South Carolina with one of his fine deacons, who had accompanied him on this preaching trip. As the plane flew out over the Pacific Ocean the pilot tilted one of the wings and announced, "just below us is the deepest part of the ocean known to man." When this happened the “shouting deacon” jumped from his seat, after peering into the deep blue waters and exclaimed with enthusiasm, “Hallelujah! Glory to God, blessed be the name of the Lord! All my life I have wondered what happened to my forgiven sins and where they went. For the first time, today I have seen where God put my sins because He said, “…thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:19)!

2. We are happy because that which is dead may live again!
Literally speaking, we see this refers to the physical body of the Lord Jesus Christ, but we are reminded that His resurrection assures us that that which is dead may live again. Is there a believer that has wandered far from the Lord? God has made a way back home for you. You may live again in spiritual fervency again. This is what revival means. The word "revive" comes to us from Latin roots, “viva” meaning “to live” and the prefix “re” meaning “again." Putting it together it means, “to live again." Is someone reading this whose marriage is on the proverbial rocks? Well, as surely as our Lord rose again, God can resuscitate and resurrect your marriage. Be aware we must be willing to “roll away the stone." When Jesus brought Lazarus up from the grave, the Scripture records: “Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid” (John 11:41). Let us by faith roll away the stone that needs to be removed so that nothing restricts death coming back from the life. Too many people not only pronounce their marriage dead, but even “throw dirt on the grave and say good-bye." Should there be a struggling marriage, don’t say good-bye; say hello to the welcome words of Jesus, “…come forth” (John 11:43)!

3. We are happy because we shall see each other again.
I am writing this article on Friday morning. In just a few minutes, I shall be giving the service in which we celebrate the life of one of our fine church members, Burnice McGlaun. He and his precious wife, Margaret would have been married for sixty-five years this coming June. I may confidently tell Margaret, her daughter Patsy and their grandchildren that they will see husband, father and grandfather again. Not only will they see him, but also they will see the son who preceded his dad in death. This is the promise of Scripture, for the Bible says, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words” (I Thessalonians 4:16-18).

Let misery be far, far from us. There are too many promises in God’s Word to assure us of happiness not only in eternity, but right now in this time. Allow me to quote my dad who went home to be with Jesus twenty-three years ago this month, whom I shall most assuredly see again, “Cheer up; we’ll soon be dead.” Be even more encouraged with this passage: “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (I Corinthians 15:51-57).

So, happy Easter! We have every reason in the world to be happy!
-Pastor Pope