Christ is Risen! He is Risen, indeed! Once you grasp the truth of the Resurrection, there will be a passion in your life to worship the Living Lord. There will be a freedom and a lightness in your life because all fear of this life and of death has been eliminated. And you will have a story to tell. Because He lives, we too shall live!

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What does it mean to be crucified with Christ? In effect, it means to be on the cross of Christ. Do you recall what I have said is true about someone on a cross? An individual on a cross cannot come down off the cross or turn around and go back. An individual on a cross is facing in only one direction. And a person on a cross has no future plans that are his own. It is also important to realize that a person cannot crucify himself. Someone else has to do it. That is part of the process of surrender, because only when we have been crucified with Christ can we truly live for Christ – and know that our Savior is living within us. 

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As we go to the Cross, we recall that the Gospels record the “seven last words” of Jesus from the Cross. When we study these statements, we begin to comprehend, better perhaps than in any other biblical account, the very heart of God. The final word from the Cross is one of the greatest words of all. It is a prayer. The seven last words begin with a prayer as Jesus asked the Father to forgive those who crucified Him. And here, in this last word, is another prayer. And this prayer is the very essence of the Christian life. It is about surrender. Jesus prayed “Into Thy hands, I commit, that is, I surrender all.” As we learn to surrender our all to the Lord Jesus Christ, we just extend our arms, and we surrender all that we are to Him – and He will catch us every time. 

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In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus asked the Father, “If Thou art willing, remove this cup from Me.” What do you think Jesus saw in that cup? I think He saw Hell itself. He saw all the trash, the chicanery, the hypocrisy, the sin…all the filth of humanity in that cup. He saw your sin and mine. Can you imagine how terrible that would be? It wasn’t the physical act of crucifixion, as horrible and shameful as that was. But as He looked in the cup, He saw all that would come upon Him, that price that must be paid as He became our Substitute. But love compelled Him to endure it all for us. Despite His agony, He then prayed, “Not My will, but Thine be done.”

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In Genesis, we are told that Adam and Eve walked with God in the Garden of Eden. Can you imagine the fellowship and joy they experienced! But that all ended when they disobeyed God and ate from the forbidden tree. It is here we learn that the tragic result of sin is not a broken rule, but a broken relationship. Yet God, in His grace and mercy, has provided a way to restore our relationship and fellowship with Him through His Son Jesus Christ. The finished work of Jesus on the Cross is God’s invitation to come to Him and to know Him. It is an invitation to anyone and everyone…and it comes with an RSVP card and stamped return envelope. Have you replied?

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Have you ever been in a store where there was a sign that read, “If you break it, you’ll pay for it?” Usually the store is filled with all kinds of fragile things made of glass or pottery, and you tend to walk through the store on tiptoe, fearful that you may break something. God doesn’t operate that way. If He had a store, it would have a different kind of sign on it. Through His sacrificial death on the Cross, Jesus demonstrated that we no longer need to live or walk in fear. Instead, He declares, “If you break something – if your life is broken – tell Me about it, and I’ll forgive you.”

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What a wonderful word picture Jesus has given us in this verse. One day, I was in one of those giant superstores, and I needed to find something. When I asked a clerk where it was, she said, “Follow me, and I’ll take you there.” I told her that wasn’t necessary and to just give me the directions. But she insisted! She didn’t just point out the way, she became the Way. That’s what Jesus is saying here. He is saying, “There isn’t a chart you need to follow. You just get in Me, and I will get in You, and I will become the Way.” God provides His children with a built-in guide and compass. Jesus Himself is the Way – and the Truth – and the Life.

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What is a Christian? It is someone who has had his own Palm Sunday experience. Did you know that? If you have had your own Palm Sunday experience, that means you have invited Jesus to come and to ride into your life and take over your life as King and as Lord. John 1:12 states that “as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.” Ride on, King Jesus. Ride into my life. 

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Whether you ever saw the television show “All in the Family” or not, you are probably familiar with Archie Bunker’s catchphrase to his overly talkative wife, Edith: Stifle yourself! Stifling may be good for some situations, but never in the case of your heart or your witness. And we stifle both when we try to stay quiet about our faith. Listen, the world is starving for truth, but looking in all the wrong places. In fact, you will probably come across someone this very day who has lost their way in life and needs to hear the true Truth of God. If you know Christ, then you know the Truth, because He is the Truth. So, don’t stifle yourself. Follow His lead and speak the truth in love. Someone is waiting to hear from you.

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Many people end up just auditing church for a lifetime. They sit, and soak, and listen, but they stay on the bench. The Apostle Paul realized there is more to the Christian life than that. He understood that the life of adventure means getting off the bench and into the game. Our primary passion in life should be to discover why Christ “laid hold” of us. Otherwise, why are we running the race in the first place? Jesus did not save us just to have us wither away and shrivel up on the bench. He wants us on the field. He wants us to be involved.

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