Because He Lives
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Because He Lives
Acts 4:32-35
Psalm 133
1 John 1:1-2:2
John 20:19-31
He is risen! Because he lives, we are able to experience what would seem like impossible things and we will one day receive what would be an impossible thing because we know that our savior lives. We know he lives because John tells us in one of his books that he and others saw with their own eyes and felt with their own hands that he is alive. Such amazing things happened after he rose from the dead and after he ascended into heaven. Things that would normally never happen all on their own. People did things that you would normally never expect them to do.
John tells us in chapter 20 that shortly after the empty tomb was discovered Jesus appeared to them in the room where they were hiding. The door was locked and yet he appeared before them and disappeared on them in the same way. This happened twice as Thomas was not there the first time and even though his friends told him what they saw he was still skeptical. They had no reason to lie to him and he had every reason to trust them. However, he still had his doubts. Kind of like how many people in our world today have their own doubts. Jesus once again appears before them as he did before. Many people have said that Jesus only arose in spirit and it is because of this that he was able to appear and disappear from the room like a ghost. However, when Thomas sees him Jesus tells hm to touch him and feel his hands and his side and to believe. Thomas calls him his Lord and his God. It is because he now lives, he proved what he said he was he really is. He was not blaspheming before the Sanhedrin. He really is the son of God and he had just proved it to be so as only God would be able to conquer death.
As the Church developed some amazing things happened that do not normally happen between people. This is all described in Acts 4:32-35. All who believed sold all of their property and possessions and brought the money from the sales to the apostles to be distributed among the believers and to be given to those as they had need. Because everyone shared what they had no one was ever in need. This is not a natural thing for people to do. It actually more natural for people to have an animal like nature and hoard and protect their possessions for themselves. No one just goes to sell everything unless they are compelled to do so by some outside influence. Most will look out for themselves rather than think about others. That is the sinful nature of humanity. However, because he lives all fear of lacking and all desire for hoarding was gone. Because they trusted in God and trusted in Christ the Lord, they lacked nothing just as the David has said in Psalm 23.
The song goes, “Because he lives, I can face tomorrow.” If Christ were not living how could we face a new day. Our days would only be anguish and pain. Though we still experience pain and loss in our lifetime, we are able to move forward to the next day because our savior lives. We are able to face tomorrow because we know that our pain, suffering, and loss will not last forever. It may not even last past tomorrow. We know that because he lives that there will be a new day of joy, love, and peace.
“Because He lives, all fear is gone.” When we would be afraid of what tomorrow brings, he brings peace. It was because this fear was gone that the early church believers were able to share all that they had with those that were in need and still trust that they too would have all that they needed for themselves. It is because all fear is gone that the disciples were willing to die as martyrs for their faith. It is because he lives and fear is gone that even 2000 years later there are still believers willing to suffer pain and persecution for what they know to be true. They know that “He holds the future.” They know what their persecutors do not know. Those who live by hate and persecute others have no idea of what the future holds for those who believe. Those who believe are focused on eternally things while those who persecute are only focused on the present.
We know that “life is worth the living just because he lives.” It is worth living through the difficulties of life. It is worth living through the difficult emotions, the entrapments of the mind, and the sufferings brought upon by others. It is worth living this life because our savior lives. It is because he lives, we know that we can live too. We know that we will have victory over death and suffering just as he did. My life could have been very different if I did not know that my savior lives. I could have been on a different path. A path that would have been destructive towards myself and others. I know this because I have observed others around me follow this path. I have seen where this path leads and it does not look pretty. There is no lasting happiness down this path. Therefore, I am glad that I know that he lives because my life has been worth living. It may not be full of the adventures that I dreamed of when I was a child. However, it is full of greater adventures than I could have ever dreamed of. There still have been moments of loss, fear, and pain but they have only lasted a moment. For my savior has washed these things away and he has shown me what my future holds. It is a future of great joy and peace filled with love. All of this is so just because He lives.
I want you to know that you can trust that he lives. If you don’t believe me then listen to the thousands who have come before me. Listen to the believers who sold all they had to be shared with all who were in need. Listen to the hundreds who saw him alive and were witnesses to the truth. Listen to those who even today are persecuted, tortured, and killed because they know that He lives. People don’t do something like that for someone who is dead or for something that is not true. It is because of such things that we know that He lives.