Acts 2:22-23 “Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain.”
Acts 2:24 “Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.”
This is the fifth in an eight-part series originating from our new book: In God I Trust: Making Our National Motto My Personal Declaration. It slightly deviates from the order of the items as they appear in the book based on this weekend’s celebration of the resurrection of our Saviour:
There was no greater time of despair for the human condition than during the crucifixion of Jesus. The future seemed bleak and hope had all but evaporated. The Saviour had been slain, and the King had been executed. The Bible records the bleak conditions in Acts 2:22-23.
He was dead! Yet, the Bible goes on to provide a quick moment of miraculous recovery in the subsequent verse.
In a few short days and a few brief words, Christ went from dead to alive. He went from crucified to arisen. He loosed the pains of death in the biggest comeback in human history!
Every year, during the celebration of Christ’s resurrection, I watch a video of one of my favorite songs from a couple of my favorite musicians – Daniel Hopkins and Freddy Kearney.
My favorite set of lines are as follows:
His enemy, his ancient foe,
Content the dead was done.
Stood upon the battlefield,
convinced that he had won.
As Satan rose in triumph,
to put away his sword.
From somewhere in the darkness,
came the voice he’d heard before …
I WILL ARISE! I WILL ARISE!
Like the sun at dawn’s first light,
I WILL ARISE!
You can bury me that day,
Seal the tomb and turn away,
But the Power of the grave will be denied.
I WILL ARISE!
Christ is a turn-around master. He is the comeback King! Not just on Calvary, but at every place, and every time, for all who believe. He turns despair into hope and helplessness into transformation. Our Saviour provides the most definitive reason why we must trust in God even when our situation seems hopeless and helpless! It provides the perfect punctuation to ensure that we engrave In God We Trust into our lives!
PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO TRUST IN GOD EVEN WHEN OUR SITUATIONS SEEM HOPELESS AND HELPLESS.
ADMIN: This PLUS post comes from my new book, In God I Trust: Making Our National Motto My Personal Declaration, written alongside Pastor Brad Wells. You can find it on Amazon here:
