We can become calloused or de-sensitised to the Easter story after many years of celebrating it. But this year, let the truth that you have been redeemed seep deep into your very being and remind you of the wonderful promise you have in this life. Your Redeemer is not dead – he lives!
Hope Arise
For the disciples and those near and dear to Jesus, those last few days must have been a blur; the denial, betrayal, the gruesome death now etched upon their hearts and minds. The one who they loved was no longer with them, and now all hope seemed lost. The many unanswered questions, the why’s and if’s, the uncertainty. What would their future be like without Jesus?
I’m glad that the Easter story doesn’t end with hopelessness, with Jesus still on a cross or buried in a borrowed tomb. That first Easter morning hope was restored; Jesus is alive!
When He arose, every restriction and limitation was broken. As Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:55-57, “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (ESV)
Jesus broke the sting of sin and death; the grave could no longer contain the Saviour of the world. The Great I am, the one who was and is and is to come, was victorious. He took the keys of death and hell and rose triumphantly. Today we can say like Job “I know that my Redeemer lives” (Job 19:25 ESV).
He calls you by name, and you are His. He will be there with you; He will never let you down. He is your personal God.
Paid In Full
To redeem is not merely to set right. It is the act of buying back or paying the price to return and restore to its rightful place.
Jesus paid the ultimate price to redeem and purchase us from the sin that held us captive. The death sentence from the wages of sin weighed so heavily, but because of God’s great love, Jesus paid in full and forgave us for all of our sins and wrongdoing. We were the guilty ones, and yet we are the ones who go free.
Isaiah 43:1-2 says,
“…. Don’t be afraid; I’ve redeemed you. I’ve called your name. You’re mine. When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you. When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down.
When you’re between a rock and a hard place, it won’t be a dead end— Because I am God, your personal God, The Holy of Israel, your Saviour.” (MSG)
Let the truth of these words penetrate the depths of your being. Don’t be afraid, you are redeemed. He has paid in full and bought you with His precious blood. He calls you by name, and you are His. He will be there with you; He will never let you down. He is your personal God.
Today, that same power that conquered the grave lives within everyone who has acknowledged Jesus as Lord and Saviour. His life-giving spirit quickens and brings hope to every troubled heart. Allow His presence and peace to cascade over you, flooding every area of your life so that you would know and say, “my Redeemer lives!”
