Paul is seeking in this passage to both encourage and call on his listeners to encourage others to be hopeful about those who have died in Christ. It is absolutely not the end for them. They can and must remain hopeful. But how? Paul gives clear direction. They (and we!) remain hopeful by looking to Jesus (the One who died but didn’t stay dead), listening to what Jesus says on this matter, and by going and comforting others with these truths.
As we celebrate Easter Sunday and the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, we look closer at Luke’s account of the Resurrection, the grave was not the last word. He Lives!!!
On this Easter Sunday we look at the 7 last words spoken during His last hours on the cross, specifically unpacking one little word “TETELESTAI” (Greek for It is Finished).
(Luke 23:25-24:12)
The Resurrection of Jesus brings hope, spiritual life in the present, and the promise of eternal life in perfection. The resurrection account shows us how the disciples went from lost and hopeless to stewards of the Good News.
A living, growing, lively hope is one of the most important things that we gain through the resurrection of Jesus.
What can we learn from seeing the way the women and disciples responded to the resurrection. How did this change them, and how does it continue to change us today?
This week we will begin the second chapter of Ephesians by examining the lowly state of our lives in sin so that we might also see more fully what Jesus has done for us.
After reminding the Ephesian church of their status as God’s chosen and adopted children, he thanks God for them and prays a powerful and loaded prayer for them. We’ll take a look at what this prayer means for all believers in Christ.