A church in Shanghai held an Easter service to preach about the resurrection.
On April 17, during an Easter service at Xinjing Church in Shanghai, a pastor read Mark 16:1-7 and 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 in the sermon part. She pointed out that the Lord's death and resurrection were extremely important, and that the story of Jesus culminated in his crucifixion, then on the third day when he rose from the dead and lived forever.
As to the important message Jesus' resurrection brings to us, the pastor shared the following aspects: first of all, the resurrection of the Lord proves that He is the Son of God.
Second, the resurrection of Jesus demonstrates that God the Father affirms the salvation of the Son. Third, the resurrection of the Lord testifies that what the Lord has said is true and trustworthy. When Jesus was alive, he prophesied three times that he would suffer and be crucified, on the third day he would be resurrected. Jesus also declared that He Himself is the way the truth and the life. Today Jesus has risen, proving that everything he said is believable and reliable. Fourth, the resurrection of Jesus fulfilled the prophecies in the Bible.
Fifth, the resurrection of Jesus proved the eternal efficacy of the Lord's salvation. For our Lord is risen from the dead, and he lives forever.
Sixth, the resurrection of the Lord guarantees that all who believe in Jesus will be resurrected. Seventh, the Lord Jesus has been resurrected, so we also believe that He will come a second time, and at that time He will judge all nations.
"So today we Christians all know that what we believe is not in vain, and what we preach is not in vain," the pastor concluded.
To confirm the truth that Jesus has risen, he said that the first evidence is that the tomb where the Lord’s body was buried is empty, and the second is the testimony of the women, the disciples, the angels, and the tomb keeper. Third, the Lord appeared to the disciples 40 days after His resurrection and spoke about the kingdom of God.
The pastor pointed out that among the many appearances of Jesus, there are three appearances that we should pay attention to, the first time He appeared to two disciples on the road to Emmaus.
The second time is recorded in Mark 16, where the Lord appeared to Peter, especially so that Peter could be strong after failure, and Jesus entrusted him with the responsibility of shepherding the flock.
The third appearance is that the Lord appeared to the 11 disciples in Jerusalem, proving that what they had heard was true, today our Lord has indeed risen. What was more, those disciples who were once frightened are now empowered to preach, neither persecution nor even death could shake the disciples' faith in preaching and sharing the Gospel, for they were sure that Jesus had conquered death, and we should have the same faith today that our Savior has risen.
- Translated by Leo Liu
