By Dr. Jacquelyn Simmons
Scripture: Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I have preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures. And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas (Peter) then of the twelve. After that he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as one born out of due time… Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen. And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised. And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable (pitiable). But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that have died. For since by man came also death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive… The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for as much as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. (Selected Passages from 1 Cor. 15).
My friends, merchants are having a financial Easter sales bonanza due to their flooding their shelves with God forbidden multi-colored flavored eggs, live and dead chicks, and rabbits and various greeneries. Many shoppers are inadvertently paying homage to the false idol goddess , Oestre, whose body is always depicted with a multiplicity of female breasts.
When you purchase the aforementioned goods, you are paying homage to Oestre, also. In our text for this message, the Apostle Paul assures us that many people saw Jesus after his resurrection.
Don’t be discouraged, the resurrection is a historical fact. One day you will see the living Christ when he returns for us. Celebrate his resurrection on Easter Sunday and every day.
