Told You So!
"The angel said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; He has risen, just as He said."- Matthew 28:5-6
The THREE most powerful words ever uttered in the history of mankind were declared by the angel on that first Easter Sunday morning to the first to arrive to the Empty Tomb, "HE HAS RISEN". This victory announcement brought an unparalleled dimension of jubilee and triumph to the disciples. The victory Jesus accomplished by overcoming the grave and defeating death registered a new level of hope, joy, and boldness in this group of believers. The resurrection became the reality by which their hearts would joyful no matter the circumstance, their faith would be strengthened no matter the opposition, and their testimony would center on no matter the audience. The women at the tomb go from sadness to joy; the disciples in the house go from fear to boldness; and the church goes from a small band of followers to being a world-wide movement.
As wonderful as these three words have become to our Easter celebration, the FOUR words that follow them from the angelic being are just as important to our present understanding and future hope. The angel's communication speaks to all that Jesus had declared and promised, "JUST AS HE SAID". Jesus had prepared the disciples for the fact that He would be betrayed, made to suffer, be put to death, only to rise again on the third day. His purpose for coming to the world became the repeated announcement and reminder to His disciples the closer Jesus came to the cross. When Jesus rose from the grave He fulfilled everything He had spoken to His friends. The significance of this is that it proves that He really is the Son of God. It also should cause us to TRUST in all the other promises He has made. If Jesus rose from the dead as He said, then we can also rest in and be reassured of the promises He spoke as it relates to everything else of our faith and futures.
In this Year of UNSHAKEABLE TRUTHS we can trust in what our Savior has spoken:
1) That He would not leave us alone.
"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you."- John 14:18
2) That He would send the Holy Spirit to be our Helper.
"But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My Name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you."- John 14:26
3) That He would empower our lives with His authority.
"Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in Me will do the works that I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father."- John 14:12
4) That He would give us peace for no matter what we face in life.
"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."- John 14:27
5) That He will return for us to fully redeem us and bring us into His glorious presence.
"And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am."- John 14:3
What makes these sureties so amazing is that each of the ones I listed are found in John 14. Think about this for a moment, in just one chapter, in one moment in time, Jesus shares multiple promises that the disciples are to live by, trust in, and hold onto. If we can find so many reasons to believe and hope in one chapter, how many more can we discover throughout all the gospels!
In returning to these four words, "JUST AS HE SAID", I want to encourage us to remember the things that the Lord has spoken to our hearts and receive them as absolutes. I truly believe that the Lord has spoken promise, truth, and hope to every one of us. It may have been through a time of reading the Bible that a verse or passage became a personal promise for our lives. It may have been through a dream or vision that God has unveiled a picture of something in our lives that will come to pass. It may have been a message that we listened to spoke something that unlocked our understanding into our identity and purpose. It can even have been through something someone has spoken over our lives, that we may not have fully comprehended at the time. I believe that the same Jesus who rose from the dead, is the Savior who is working to make His promises a reality in our lives in this season!
May our Heavenly Father meet us in this season of Resurrection with an announcement that what he has spoken and purposed for our lives is a reality and is being accomplished. May we hear the words of our loving Father saying, "I TOLD YOU SO!" This Easter Jesus wants to remind us of His promise and cause us to go our way living in that hope, praising God for that victory, and telling others of that good news.