Resurrection Day .." and he (John) saw and Believed"... John 20:8b

 

.." he saw and believed".. . An empty tomb with empty grave clothes showing an exited, raised body transformed John from a mourning disciple into a believer. 

This post is written after hearing the message by John Lennox, "The case for the Resurrection." See here.

And this quote from Norman Anderson,  The Case for the Resurrection - (link here) comes in at around 16 mins..

"  Easter is not primarily a comfort, but a challenge. 

 

Its message is either the supreme fact in history or else a gigantic hoax. This seems to have been realized in the days of the early Church. On the one side there was a little company of men and women who turned the world upside down by their passionate proclamation of that miracle which had transformed their lives: on the other, those who vehemently denounced the whole story as arrant blasphemy. 

 

We ourselves find it hard to see the issue so clear-cut, for ours is a tolerant age and one suspicious of all fanaticism. Most people have not the slightest desire to attack the Easter message; and yet they only half believe it. To them it is a beautiful story, full of spiritual meaning: why worry, then, whether it is literal fact?

But we miss the point. 

Either it is infinitely more than a beautiful story, or else it is infinitely less. If it is true, then it is the supreme fact of history; and to fail to adjust one's life to its implications means irreparable loss. But if it is not true, if Christ be not risen, then the whole of Christianity is a fraud, foisted on the world by a company of consummate liars, or, at best, deluded simpletons. 

 

St. Paul himself realized this when he wrote in:

1 Corinthians 15:14-16

 14  And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.

15 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.
 

16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:

 

Yet God is true, His Word is true and to be trusted. Praise God, Jesus is indeed risen as He said.

Praying much that all everywhere would see the truth of this, seek Jesus and His gift of salvation and a heavenly home.

For there is a heaven to gain and a hell to shun.

Hell is the punishment for our sin's curse. I am forever grateful I saw this at 12 years old, and trusted in Jesus as my Saviour from sin! 

How blessed am?! and how I rejoiced with great joy on that day I was saved. 

 

Closing with a hymn I love - "Because  He lives I can face tomorrow" or link here

(Lyrics to hymn)

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.

How sweet to hold a newborn baby,
And feel the pride and joy he gives.
But greater still the calm assurance,
This child can face uncertain days because He 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.

And then one day I'll cross the river,
I'll fight life's final war with pain.
And then as death gives way to victory,
I'll see the lights of glory and I'll know He 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!

Words: Bill & Gloria Gaither

 
Praying earnestly - may the real reason of Easter shine brightly in your heart and home. 

Thanks for reading this post, and especially commenting. I’m sorry I don’t post very often - but at Easter there's 2 posts in 3 days! 😂 truly a joy to have such good news to share. If you'd like to read a different Resurrection post, as well as craft and Australian Nature, I'd really appreciate it if you would to pop over to my craft blog too HERE!.

May God richly bless your day, wherever you may be.

Prayer hugs, 🙏🤗
Shaz in Oz.x 
 
If you're not sure if you're a Christian , please read this post here Who or What is a Christian? 
 
 IF you haven’t I'd love it you to join as a wonderful encourager of this blog ...  link HERE.  Thank YOU to those who have done so already. It really encourages me to keep on. 😁
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Good Friday 2026 - Our Life is but a Sacrifice given unto You, LORD!

 I’ve no idea why or how things happen in the sad world in which we live, but I tie the heart sacrifice with cords to the altar of the Most High God. 

I was given this verse by dear Bro Mac, a prayer saint from 1990’s. It’s meaning as I understand is that God wants us to bind our life as a sacrifice to the altar just as they bound the sacrifice in Old Testament times, and as Jesus bound His life as a sacrifice to the cross. 

He was Almighty God, He could have come down from that cross at any time, but He chose to die for our sins upon the cruel tree. He then indeed did show us the Light of the World. 

“God is the LORD, which hath shewed us light: 

bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.” 

Ps 118:27

The one thing that really strikes me in reading through the gospels is that the life of Christ was given to much prayer. Note the last prayer scene before the cross in the garden of Gethsemane where we see our LORD Jesus wrestling in prayer, where He sweated as it were great drops of blood, praying to His Father.  

Matt 26:39 …" He went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: 

nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt." 

“if it be possible”, of course it was possible because with God ALL THINGS are possible. However Jesus wanted above all else to do the will of His Father, that ought to be our most earnest desire…to do the will of our Heavenly Father. And that’s why Jesus was given to MUCH prayer. He knew it was the only way He could fully obey His Heavenly Father. This following quote is most apt.  

George Mueller. "No-one ought to expect to see much good resulting from his labours in Word and Doctrine if he is not much given to prayer and meditation." 

And so on this Good Friday 2026, it's good to remind ourselves of some things. Primarily the importance of prayer and to see in the seven sayings of Jesus on the cross when He gave up His life for us. The last two sayings are, "It is finished. " "and He gave up the ghost". None took His life, He gave it willingly for you or me. Yesterday, Thurs afternoon,   I gave a tract on the real meaning of  Easter to a lady who was a believer but she believed also she needed to keep the law, the Sabbath etc. When I asked her Jesus surely cried, "it is finished" , because He had finished Salvation's work, she had no answer. She appeared to trust in Jesus for salvation + works. Satan is ever a deceiver. 

Praise God, Jesus is coming AGAIN! ... and coming soon and they can be deluded in bondage no longer.  Our Saviour gave His life freely for us, and that's what we delight in remembering on Good Friday. 

Link also here 

He suffered so that we might live, and walk in the light as He is in the light, and faithful and true to Him. 

Also if you've time please visit my craft blog, it presents a Joni perspective on this day (here). 

 Thanks for reading this post, and especially commenting. I’m sorry I don’t post very often these days, health is the main reason, also these posts take a long time to write. I started this one ages ago. 

May God richly bless your day, wherever you may be.🙏🤗
Shaz in Oz.x 
 
If you're not sure if you're a Christian , please read this post here Who or What is a Christian? 
 
 IF you haven’t I'd love it you to join as a wonderful encourager of this blog ...  link HERE.  Thank YOU to those who have done so already. It really encourages me to keep on. 😁
If you'd like to receive these posts in email to email link option on the sidebar there is a follow it box. 
If there is no sidebar then scroll down to the bottom of page and select "View Web Version".
This will bring up sidebar and Follow by Email link. Thank you. 😃