The new series for the Bible studies will start this Thursday (12th April) at 7.30 p.m. We will be looking at the ‘General Epistles’, or those letters in the New Testament not written by Paul! We will be starting with James and working our way through from that book to Jude.

And if that isn’t enough to bring you to the Bible study, maybe the lure of presents will! These will be distributed on Thursday.

Curious? There is a direct link between the Bible study and the presents, but if you want to find out more, you’ll have to be there!

We also had a birthday to celebrate last night:

Garry preached from John 18:28-38 last night, perhaps a slightly unusual reading for Easter Sunday in that it is the conversation between Pilate and Jesus before the Crucifixion. In this conversation, Pilate asked Jesus (probably somewhat rhetorically!) ‘What is truth?’

Nowadays, truth is often thought of as relative and the notion of absolute truth is rejected by many. Some truths are indeed relative (which side of the road you drive on depends on the country you are in, for example), but this should not blind us to the fact that God is the ultimate truth. We are disillusioned by the lack of truthfulness we see in others (politicians, journalists, the police) and therefore often find it difficult to believe God. Jesus taught, however, that God is truth (John 14:6, John 16:13) and that the devil’s native language is lies (John 8:44-45).

The fact of Jesus’s resurrection from the dead is not a relative truth, something that it’s O.K. for me to believe in if it makes me feel better, but it’s equally O.K. for you not to believe in if you don’t want to. It’s an absolute truth, based on God’s character. People often dismiss its accuracy nowadays by saying that people in Bible times ‘didn’t know any better’, but the fact remains that people were astounded and scornful of the truth that anyone could rise from the dead even then! The reaction of crowds to Paul’s preaching (Acts 17:22-32, Acts 26:19-27) show that this was an ‘unbelievable truth’ even in Biblical times. Moreover, it is clear from the Gospel narratives that the disciples, despite Jesus’s prophecies about His death and resurrection, were definitely not expecting this news! They fled at the Crucifixion, fearful for their own lives, afraid of what would happen, not expecting anything further from their crucified leader. Even when confronted with the risen Saviour, they took some convincing! (see Thomas’s reaction, for example!) The total transformation of the disciples from cowering, defeated wretches to bold, confident witnesses was the result of the actual fact of the Resurrection, not to some vague philosophical idea! That same transformation is available to us as we meet with the risen Lord, for the truth will set us free.

Stephen preached on the ’empty Easter promises’ this morning. He said that as a child, he had preferred Easter eggs with sweets or chocolates inside, eggs that rattled with the promise of an extra surprise! Nowadays, all the ‘extras’ seem to be on the outside!

Acts 13:29 talks about the empty cross: “when they had carried out all that was written about Him, they took Him from the tree and laid Him in a tomb.” The cross, following the death of Jesus, was empty, but in actual fact this represented the full salvation purchased for us by Christ.

Mark 16:4-7 tells the story of the empty tomb. This gives us the promise of eternal life, for it shows that death does not have the final word: ‘death in vain forbid Him rise’. In Christ, we can have fullness of life.

Luke 24:12 talks of the empty burial clothes in the empty tomb. Our Lord is alive! Because of this, we can have a full and living relationship with our Lord.

These apparently empty Easter promises actually give us everything we need:
(1) a full salvation
(2) everlasting life
(3) a living relationship with our Lord.

Easter Sunday is probably the greatest day in the Christian calendar, the day when we remember the amazing resurrection of Christ from the dead. In the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, we see the heart of the gospel and the providence of God; we see His love, mercy and grace, not to mention His almighty power!

Christ the Lord is risen today,
Hallelujah!
Sons of man and angels say,
Hallelujah!
Raise your joys and triumphs high,
Hallelujah!
Sing ye heavens and earth reply!

All creation sings,
“Hallelujah! The King is risen!
Glory to the name of the risen Lord!”
Let all the earth proclaim,
“Hallelujah! Our sins forgiven!
Glory to your name forevermore!” (‘Risen Today’, Aaron Shust)
‘Risen Today’, Aaron Shust

As we consider all that Christ did for us on the Cross, a topic that will surely never be exhausted, even in eternity, let’s remember that He gives us strength to face each day and the power to overcome.

“When the path is daunting
And every step exhausting
I’m not alone
I’m not alone, no, no.
I feel you draw me closer
All these burdens on my shoulder
I’m not alone, I’m not alone
You pull me me from this place

Hallelujah
You carry me every day
You carry me all all the way
Hallelujah
You carry me to the
You carry me to the cross
The cross
You carry me to the
You carry me to the cross.” (Kutless, ‘Carry Me To The Cross’)
‘Carry Me To The Cross’, Kutless