The celebration of the Easter season is a unique opportunity to reflect on the significance of the empty tomb of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The Bible comprises many prophecies in the Old Testament concerning the coming of the Messiah into this world, the birth, ministry, suffering, death and finally, the resurrection of Jesus Christ the Messiah. Psalm 16:10, Psalm 22, Isaiah 9, Isaiah 53:5, Isaiah 61:1. In John 1:29, John the Baptist also confirmed the word of God when he declared upon sighting Jesus “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" Throughout the time of Jesus Christ on earth, the signs were there for all to see that He was the Messiah sent by God to solve the problem of sin and death for mankind once and for all but the majority could not understand as it was a mystery. The Bible says in Matthew 13:11 " He answered and said unto them, because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given." This mystery of man's redemption through the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed on the Cross of Calvary is only revealed to those who have received Jesus into their lives. To the world out there, it is just a story. Even the disciples that followed Jesus Christ for three years and witnessed His ministry as He preached and performed many miracles initially did not understand the mystery surrounding His death and resurrection. John 20:8-9 says “Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed. For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead." When Mary Magdalene and the other women who were followers of Jesus Christ saw the empty tomb of Jesus Christ, they were perplexed as they thought His body had been taken away but some angels of God appeared to them saying “Why seek ye the living among the dead" Luke 24:5. In other words, they were searching for the Lord at the wrong place. These were disciples that really loved the Lord and wanted to serve the Lord but they were seeking for God in the wrong place. Seeking for God in the wrong place only leads to frustration and a waste of time and resources. This is an opportune time to reexamine our lives in our Christian journey as we seek God's face. Have we been seeking God in the right way or are we doing it according to our own way or according to the spirit of religion. Proverbs 14:12 says “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." We need to ask ourselves as Christians; In what ways have we departed from the way of the Lord Jesus Christ. In what ways have we as the Church departed from the way of the Lord. In what ways have our nation departed from the way of the Lord. No matter how far one may have gone in a wrong way, the only way to make it right is to turn back and seek the right way to follow as going further along the wrong way will only complicate the journey and lead to frustrations and wasted efforts. As Christians in this age, the church of Christ has abandoned the important things of the gospel of the Kingdom of God and we are now chasing after ephemeral things of life. Jesus said we are the light of the world, what light does is to exert its influence over darkness. We are supposed to influence the world with the light of the gospel of the kingdom of God but it is the world that is influencing the church these days. The same world that is filled with hate, wickedness, selfishness, pride, intolerance, greed is gradually influencing the church. Ultimately, society will be negatively affected as we are witnessing in our nation today. What the world needs is forgiveness and redemption but what the world wants is miracles, money, prosperity, promotions and other good things of life. These things are important but they are only temporary just as our stay on this earth is temporary. Our focus as Christians should be on the eternal which exists in a higher realm than this worldly realm. It is important for us as Christians to be able to distinguish between "needs" and "wants". In economics, a want is something that is desired. Wants are often distinguished from needs. A need is something that is necessary for survival (such as food and shelter), whereas a want is simply something that a person would like to have.
A good sign of maturity of an individual is to be able to distinguish between needs and wants. Also, as Christians, we should be able to make that distinction. Only God Who is our Creator knows our needs. He that created us knows exactly what we need to fulfill our mandate and destinies in life and God is ready to supply all our needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19, Matthew 6:31-32.
Unfortunately, we have been focusing on our wants without paying any attention to our needs to fulfill our mandate and destinies according to the word of God. In John 6:26-66, Jesus told the people what they needed to hear but the people said they could not bear it and they went away from Jesus. These were people who were following Jesus about; they traveled long distances only to see Jesus and touch Him but not to hear the word of God. They were only interested in watching Jesus performing miracles, healing the sick and feeding thousands of people with five loaves of bread and two pieces of fish, but they were not interested in hearing the gospel of the kingdom of God which is the truth they needed to hear. When Jesus was explaining to them the reason why He came to this world which is to die for the sins of men, they could not bear it and they moved away from Jesus. It is important for us to check ourselves too in case we have moved away or deviated from the way of Jesus.
Hence, the word of God for us at this critical moment is “come and let us return to the Lord." It is time for us to return to the Lord as only Jesus holds the keys to the kingdom of God. Matthew 16:19 " And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Only Jesus knows and can decode the mystery of our lives and destiny. Only Jesus knows our needs and only Jesus can meet our needs in life and destiny. Note that the keyword here is needs and not wants.
Jesus is the Vine and we are the branches. No branch can survive on its own if it is cut away from its roots. John 15:5, Jesus said “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing."The only way you can survive and bring forth fruits is to remain connected to Christ. It’s to remain in Christ and for Christ to also be in you. That is the only way a believer can survive. No matter how big a branch is, if it is cut off from the Vine, it will eventually die, note that the branch may not die instantly after it has been cut off, it may still be looking ok and healthy initially but if it remains disconnected from its root, it will start dying gradually. No matter how big and strong a branch is, if it is cut off from the tree, it will die. No matter how fruitful a branch may be , if it is cut off , it will die eventually. The vine is the source of nutrients for growth, fruitfulness; it’s the source for power. It’s the source for life and survival. Without the vine, the branch cannot do anything. Everything the branches need to grow and be fruitful is inside the vine. Jesus knows what we need to survive and be fruitful but sometimes we leave the Vine to go after what we want for ourselves. Most times, these wants which are mostly worldly things may be dangerous to our destiny. Let us check our lives; in what way have we been disconnected from the Vine. Note a branch may still be looking healthy externally for some time after being cut off from its vine but internally, that branch is dying and decomposing. It’s even possible that a branch that is cut off from a tree may still carry some fruits with it and looks like everything is ok for some time but if that branch does not quickly reconnect to its vine, it will die. You may still be manifesting some fruits but are you still connected to the Vine. As a church, are we connected to the Vine Who is the Head of the Church or have we cut off from Christ and now doing things on our own. That may explain why the church is where it is today. Are we practicing our Christianity the way Jesus taught the disciples or have we created another different set of doctrines and traditions. We need to examine ourselves based on the word of God to know if we have departed from the ways of our Lord and Saviour. The good news is that there is hope for us. The word of God says in Job 14:7, there is hope for a tree, if it is cut down, it will sprout again. Jesus is our hope. Jesus holds the key to resurrection and life. Jesus said in John 11: I am the resurrection and life. In Every way you have been cut down, if you connect to Jesus today, you will receive a new lease of life. The good news is that Jesus does not give up on anyone. With Jesus, no matter how far away you have gone, there is still hope for you if only you can open up to Him and accept Him into your life today. Revelation 3:20 says " Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."
PRAYERS;
Oh Lord, please divinely directs the affairs of my life.
Oh Lord, re-arrange my life to suit your purpose
Oh Lord, let me be fully and genuinely repented.
Oh Lord, order my steps according to your plan and purpose for y life.