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Easter Sunday pt. 1: Khristós Anésti! Alithós Anésti!

April 23rd, 2011 by Leemarc

Part 1 | Part 2

Χριστός ἀνέστη! Ἀληθῶς ἀνέστη! (Christ is Risen! He is risen indeed!)

It has been said many times in history and it shall be said again:  Easter is the most significant event, not only in the Christian faith, but in the history of the entire world.  This momentous event delineates our calendars to this day whether you call it B.C. (Before Christ) and A.D. (Anno Domini – “The Year of our Lord”) or by the more prosaic “Common Era”.

The Lynchpin of the Christian Faith

Easter Sunday is the outrageous notion that after centuries of the dead staying dead, one man, Jesus the Christ, had returned to life bodily from the gates of Hades.  And he did not return in just any sort of feeble bodily resurrection, but a resurrection in a different sort of physical body – an imperishable, perfect body no longer subject to the decay and corruption endemic in our world of death.  Easter Sunday is the shocking news that what had happened to Jesus the Christ will also happen to those who call him Lord and Savior in heart, mind, and soul.

The implications of the resurrection of Christ are immense.  It gives us a new hope and a future hope.  These hopes are hinged on the truth of the resurrection.  If not, the Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:14, then the Christian faith and everything Christians have done to preach it, spread it, and live their lives according to its precepts are in vain.  The resurrection is the defining moment in Christianity.  It is the smoking gun, the ultimate event that legitimizes the claims of its founder, Jesus Christ.  It is the lynchpin of the faith.

According to 1 Corinthians 15:17, without Easter Sunday, Good Friday will not be good.  It will just be Friday.  Then tomorrow is Saturday and Sunday comes afterwards.  Fortunately for us, the resurrection demonstrates the power and approval of God in Christ Jesus.  It shows the power of God over death in raising Jesus bodily from death.  It shows the approval of God in Jesus and puts the seal of legitimacy in his message of grace and mercy to the world.  After all, if God did not approve of Jesus and his message, he would not have been raised.  But as it is, God has glorified Christ and Himself by raising Jesus from the dead.

A New Hope

Christ-followers are so strongly identified with Christ that Romans 6:4-5 proclaims that we had died and were buried with Christ.  Likewise, we were resurrected with Christ to walk in the newness of life.  This newness of life is a new hope, but not strictly a future hope.  It also says that just as we were united with him in a death like his, so also we were united with him in a resurrection like his.

Man has always sought after something greater than ourselves.  We seek after what is good and elevate that thing to the level of a deity in our lives and spend our lives in pursuit of this thing, whatever it may be.  Despite the naive proclamation that idol worship is dead in our postmodern world, nothing could be further from the truth.

Dr. Tim Keller referenced David Clarkson who said that there are two forms of idolatry: (1) Open, outward idolatry, when men physically bow to anything besides the true God. (2) Soul idolatry, “when the mind is set on anything more than God; when anything is more valued than God, more desired than God, more sought than God, more loved than God. Then is that soul worship, which is due only to God.”  Soul idolatry is essentially treasuring or worshiping something that does not necessarily have a physical form.  It can be beauty, financial security, fame, respect, or something vague.  And the thing about idols is that they enslave all those who worship them.  You will work hard to feed that idol until you come to the end of yourself.

It began when Christ chose you to be bound to himself.  In the death of Christ, we were not only pardoned and exonerated from sin, but we also died to the gods we served.  In the resurrection of Christ, we are raised to newness of life no longer subject to the gods of old.

Are you sick of your life?  Have you tried to change but nothing ever seems to last?  Examine yourself and see if you are in soul idolatry.  Every single human being worships something (a particularly big one is worshiping one’s own self).  If you do not worship and enjoy God, you will worship something else and that something will let you down.

The solution, however, is not to destroy the gods in your life, nor the desire to serve a god.  The solution is to replace the old gods with something bigger, better, something more enjoyable and only God is big enough to drive out all the other false affections we put our hope into.

I invite you to come and be reminded that in the death and resurrection of Jesus, Christ has put to death the gods of this world and raised us to new life.  In his death, Jesus unshackled us from the spiritual masters that held us in slavery and secured the way back to God. His resurrection confirms the truth of His words, gives us a new hope, and guarantees a future hope.

If you have not yet done so, put your hope and your affections in Jesus and experience the power of his resurrection.

Reflection in Song

- In Christ Alone.  Keith & Kristyn Getty.
- Christ is Risen.  Matt Maher.
– Love’s Redeeming Work Is Done.  High Street Hymns.

Resources

- “The Grand Demythologizer: The Gospel and Idolatry“.  Tim Keller – The Gospel Coalition National Conference 2009.  (Streaming Video)