Each Sunday morning, remembering is an important part of the service, for we take communion on a weekly basis in our church, choosing to set aside the hustle and bustle of the week to remember the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Dave preached this morning from 2 Timothy 2:8, looking in particular at the resurrection of Christ, having considered His death last week.
This verse urges us to “Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel.” Paul, writing towards the end of his life, was at pains to urge Timothy to teach the gospel and good doctrine so as to keep the church pure. We are urged to remember Jesus Christ, whose name reflects both His role as Saviour and His mission as God’s anointed one and who was fully human as well as fully God.
The death of Jesus is well documented and although it has been refuted by many who claim He merely ‘fainted’ or ‘passed out’, there is much evidence to indicate that He was truly dead. The Romans were used to crucifying criminals and the evidence of blood and water from His side shows that He was really dead. The women who embalmed His body also would have recognised death. Yet there is also ample evidence that Jesus did not stay dead. Other religious leaders may have set good examples, but their tombs can still be visited and the remains of their bodies are still there. Jesus, however, is no longer in the tomb. He was raised to life and this fact was witnessed by about 500 people, so it was not exactly the figment of a few people’s imaginations!
The resurrection of Jesus acts as a proof that there is indeed life after death, for He came back from death to demonstrate this fact. He had a spiritual body, yes; but it was a body that could be touched, that could eat, that was more than just a ‘spirit’ or ‘ghost’. His resurrection underlines the hope we have that after death we too shall have a glorified body like Christ.
The resurrection also acts as a seal, showing that God has accepted Jesus’s sacrifice for our sins. Death (the result of sin) was defeated at the Cross. Death could not keep its hold on Jesus, for He was without sin. He paid, instead, for our sin.
What Jesus promised to do (see John 2:19 and Matt 12:40) before His death, He did indeed do and therefore we can trust His promises in every aspect of our lives.
It’s good to remember Him and to remember all He has achieved for us through His death and resurrection.