The 15th Station

I remember when my husband and I traveled to South America a few years back. We visited several churches that had the various “stations of the cross” in stained glass on the exterior walls of the sanctuary. The 14 scenes, artistically beautiful, focused on Christ’s journey to the cross beginning at his trial in Pilate’s hall and ending with the placement of Jesus’ body in the tomb.

As important as these 14 stations are, they only tell part of the story. If the story ended here, we would be without hope, as Paul stated in 1 Corinthians 15:16-17, 19, “And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins… If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” We must remember that the story ends with the empty tomb and a resurrected Saviour!

The resurrection is the culmination of Jesus’ ministry. It is important to remember that He came from heaven, lived a sinless life, and died on the cross for the sins of the world. But if He simply came, He would only be considered a visitor. If He just died, He would have been remembered as  a great teacher…

But Jesus rose from the dead, proving that He was exactly who He said He was! Jesus was God Himself!

Today, there are many church services across the country that remember “Good Friday” as the day of Jesus’ crucifixion, but like Christmas, when we celebrate the birth of Christ, these are just two moments in time. Those events came; those events passed… unlike the resurrection. When Jesus arose, He rose to live eternally! It was not a single event that occurred sometime in history, but is an event that continues to day! Jesus is alive!

Because of the resurrection, there are four wonderful things that we have!

1) Love – 1 John 4:9 states, “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.”

• We see the extent of God’s love in a very real and painful way. The love of God sent Jesus to the cross, but it didn’t leave Him there. The love of God resurrected Christ.
• Romans 5:8 tell us “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” It is the death of God’s own Son that provided a way for us to be reconciled with our Creator. He loved us so much that He made a way for us to live forever with Him in heaven and that was for Jesus to take the punishment for our sin, which is separation from God. Think about that moment on the cross when Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). For the first time in all eternity, God the Father became separated from Jesus, His beloved Son. The agony must have been incomprehensible for both the Father and the Son. Because we could not atone for our own sins, Jesus willingly went to the cross in our place. That is the manifestation of the love of God. That is John 3:16. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

2) Life – Romans 6:4-5 records, “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:”

• Those who have accepted Christ as their personal Saviour have a new birth and a new life! We are “new creatures” in Christ. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” As Christians, we now show the love of God to others in our new life in Jesus.
• Our identification is with Christ. In baptism, we “die” to our old self and “… the sin which doth so easily beset us” (Hebrews 12:1), and we emerge to a new walk in life where we are united with Jesus in His resurrection life. “But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you” (Romans 8:11). With His spirit within us, we become spiritually alive! Jesus alone has the gift of eternal life that he freely offers to us.

3) Hope – Titus 1:2 states, “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;”

• As believers, we have hope through the resurrection of Jesus. Why? Simply because He is risen! Think about that for a moment… Jesus rose from the dead! He is our hope! We have hope for today, tomorrow, and forever!
  • Today – Regardless of what happens today, we have hope that God will carry us through. In Paul’s day, the church and its believers were constantly and terribly persecuted. To the Christians in Rome, he wrote, “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost” (Romans 15:13). He is reminding them of the hope that is within them through the power of God… the same power that resurrected their Saviour. We have that same hope.
  • Tomorrow – If tomorrow brings struggles and challenges, we have hope that Jesus is with us. We know that He holds us firmly in His hand, and we are promised victory through Him. “Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.” Psalm 55:22
  • Future – When we look at the chaotic global situation, we have hope that there will be something greater, better, and eternal for us! Titus 2:13 states, “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” We hope because we know that Jesus is coming to take us home to be with Him forever as He states in John 14:2-3, “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”
  • Death – When death comes, we have hope that it doesn’t all end with the grave. We go through death with Jesus; He is at our side, and we don’t face death alone. He doesn’t wait in some heavenly realm for us to find our way to Him. He will come for us as Psalm 49:15 reassures, “But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah.”

4) Power– 1 Corinthians 6:14 states, “And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power.”

• The power of God is available to everyone who has trusted Christ as Saviour. God raised the Lord Jesus from the dead, and one day, He will raise us up in his own power either when the church is raptured or from the grave, whichever should occur first in our lives.
• The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is also available for our daily lives. To have victory over daily lives, to reject the temptations of sin offered by the world, to enable us to worship, to face anything, to have hope… we are empowered by the Holy Spirit of God to do all of these and more! 2 Timothy 1:7 states, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

Because of the resurrection, all who know Christ as their Saviour have God’s divine love, His promise of new life, hope for all eternity, and the power to live godly lives now and forever! Without the “15th station”, the first 14 would be meaningless. Praise God for the empty tomb!

God sent His son, they called Him, Jesus;
He came to love, heal and forgive;
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives!
 
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living, just because He lives!

(from “Because He Lives” by Bill and Gloria Gaither)

“And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.” – Matthew 28:5-6

Many thanks to David Wade, whose message inspired this post.

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If you’ve never received the forgiveness of sins that Christ offers… never trusted Him as Lord and Saviour of your life, you can do that right now. Simply bow your head and pray to God. Admit you’re a sinner who needs the forgiveness that only Christ can give. Repent and ask Jesus to forgive you and become the Lord of your life. It will be the best decision you’ve ever made, and you’ll see Easter in a whole new wonderful way!