There is a King, Alive, Washed, Agnus Dei/King of Kings

Do you experience the fact that Jesus is truly alive today? How have you seen God actively working in your life recently?

Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, 4 who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake, 6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ; 7 to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world. 9 For God, whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you, 10 always in my prayers making request, if perhaps now at last by the will of God I may succeed in coming to you. 11 For I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established; 12 that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other’s faith, both yours and mine. 13 I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that often I have planned to come to you (and have been prevented so far) so that I may obtain some fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles. 14 I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. 15 So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.”

Jesus is RISEN! Resurrection Sunday commemorates and is a remembrance of Jesus who, 2,000 years ago, died, and resurrected from the dead. We need to understand THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESURRECTION, because Christianity stands or falls based on Christ’s resurrection. The Apostle Paul gives us three things that establishes its significance:

PROMISE

Romans 1:1-2 shows us that the resurrection of Christ was promised to us by God. Paul knew his calling – a bondservant (slave), and an apostle, set apart for a mission for “the gospel of God”. The gospel is not from men – it is from God. This was promised through prophets in Scripture. The gospel focuses on His Son (Jesus) who is a descendant of David (v.3). This was promised by God in 2 Samuel 7:12-13,16 which speaks of His eternal kingdom. Psalm 16:10 also proclaims that the Messiah will not remain in death. Romans 1:4 reminds us of the “hypostatic union”, that Jesus is both 100% man and 100% God. You cannot separate the resurrection from the Gospel because it proves who Jesus is, and it shows us that in God’s perfect plan, He knows how to redeem us all from the clutches of sin. Imagine that – an infinite and powerful God, thinking about you and your redemption intentionally – and there was a meticulous plan to make you feel His love for you! The promised redemption plan was fulfilled in Jesus Christ!

What is the gospel? 1 Corinthians 15 tells us that this gospel has the amazing power to save, and the idea of salvation means that we must believe (hold fast) that Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sins. Paul did not invent the gospel – Christ died, was buried, and was raised on the third day – all according to the Scriptures.

The Old Testament speaks of Jesus too. Isaiah 53:4-6 points to Him on whom our iniquity has fallen, as we are all sheep who have gone astray; He was pierced for all our transgressions and sins, and by His scourging we are healed. Verses 10-11 even tells us that He would render Himself as a guilt offering. There are more prophecies in the Old Testament that speaks of Jesus and is confirmed in the New Testament:

Romans 1:4 declares to us that Jesus’ Resurrection proves who Jesus is. He claimed in John 10:18 that He has authority to give His life and take it back. When Jesus hung on the cross, He gave up His Spirit – a willful offering.

PROOF

Paul continued to write about witnesses of the true events of the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:6-8). Paul used his life as a witness of the resurrection’s impact (Acts 22:3-5). He testified about who he was, and how he hated Christians. He went to Damascus to take Christians as prisoners! In a parallel passage (Acts 26:9-10), Paul talks about how he had blood in his hands – voting to put to death some of the Christians. Paul was very sincere, but sincerely wrong in his former beliefs.

In Acts 22:6-7 onwards, he recounts about his encounter with Christ on the way to Damascus, with a light so bright that it made him blind. The Lord gave Paul his next steps – after asking, “WHO ARE YOU LORD?” (vv.8-10) – so must all of us come to that point of deciding who will be the Lord of our life. Are we doing what God wants us to do? A certain man, Ananias, was used by God to restore Paul’s sight (Acts 22:12-13). God uses people to help other people. Ananias did not want to help Paul because of what he did to the Christians. But God sent Ananias to see Paul and he obeyed, impacting one life – the life of Paul, giving him his mission to be “a witness for Him” (vv.14-15).

The first century church has the Resurrection of Christ as its core message (Acts 2:24, 2:32, 4:33). They willingly died for this. Why would people be willing to give up everything for the gospel? Blaise Pascal said “I believe those witnesses that get their throats cut” – proclaims the truthfulness of what they believe in.

PURPOSE

It was through Christ that we receive grace and this mission and task to obey by faith – a responsibility we must fulfill (Romans 1:4-5). When Paul encountered Jesus, he did not only receive grace, but also a mission. In Romans 1:14-17 he writes that he is under obligation (a deep gratitude that forces and obligates you to do something) to preach to everyone. The righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith – trusting in Him completely and ends in faith too – as we continue to trust Jesus. Faith transforms your life to obey. Do we believe that sharing the gospel is a mission we must do? Paul also said he was eager for the gospel and that he was unashamed of the gospel! If we have experienced salvation and changed lives, we will really desire for others to know the gospel too! The world is hungry for Jesus, not religion.  There is great joy in seeing somebody transformed.  Acts 17:31 tells us of a day of judgment, and we must cling to Jesus as He is the “proof to all men”. Jesus granted Paul a purpose (Acts 26:16,18) – leading people to Christ so they can be forgiven, be sanctified, and experience the power of Jesus.  Paul took this seriously, as seen in his defense before King Agrippa (Acts 26:19-20). Like Paul, we must be intentional in living out this purpose of speaking to others about the greatest news ever – that Jesus Christ rose again, and lives and sits on His throne, able to redeem people from sin, and will return one day soon to take all that belongs to Him. We celebrate Jesus, and we speak about Jesus so that more will embrace the hope that is found in Him!

Pray that the world around you, and the nations of the world will get to know about the Risen Savior and Lord, and our soon Coming King, Jesus.

Be an eager and unashamed witness for the gospel everywhere you go this week!

• Worship God for who He is, what He has done, and what He will do in our lives.

• Upright and moral governance of public servants; repentance and salvation for government leaders and citizens for a Christ-centered Philippines.

• For legislators to promote and support bills and laws aligned with God’s Word.

• Pray for persecuted Christians in Sudan and Nigeria) — many have been beheaded and murdered; earnestly seek God’s intervention to stop the bloodshed. Pray for freedom from oppression, that God’s word and His people bring them comfort and hope.

• PRAISE God that all Israeli hostages have been restored to their families! Continue to pray for Israel’s war with terrorists to end according to God’s purpose and for His glory. For Jewish people worldwide who are experiencing a surge of antisemitism. May this lead them to the Messiah, Jesus as they turn to God for help and comfort.

• For nations in turmoil (e.g., Ukraine, Middle Eastern countries, etc.) to experience true freedom in Christ and become centers for massive spiritual revivals in their regions. For new Iranian leadership to rise up that will be for the people of Iran, will promote freedom of worship that the Iranian believers will be able to reach out to the rest of their countrymen and the people of the Middle East.

• That CCF Members would honor and love God and make disciples.

• For elders, pastors, dleaders, and families to become holy, humble, harmonious, happy, and heart-working.

• Ministries and churches expand worldwide.

• Worship and Training Center

• Prayer Mountain

• Deeper intimate relationship with God.

• Righteous living.

• Salvation of family and friends.

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.