TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. Revelation 21:4
Listen: Revelation 21
TODAY’S MESSAGE
The week before he died, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, proving God has power over death. Lazarus’ resurrection is a picture of what Jesus will do for all of us. From the moment the “first Adam” chose to disobey God and eat from the forbidden tree, God had a plan. Adam’s disobedience (sin) brought about the curse of death. Jesus, the “new Adam,” chose to reverse the curse by dying on the cross to pay for our sin. He then bodily rose from the dead.
The Apostle Paul describes the risen Jesus as the “firstfruits,” a term used for the first fruit of the harvest. The risen Jesus is evidence that what God has promised in the future—a renewed world (the new Heaven) where all in Christ will live with him forever—is true. John Dickson writes, “What God had promised to do at the end of history, he has demonstrated within history in raising Jesus from the dead.”
Death is the great enemy of all humankind and Jesus defeated it. God’s promise in the Old Testament (Daniel 12:1-3) to raise the dead and revive creation at the end of history finds a down payment in the resurrected Jesus. Jesus is the new Adam in God’s new Heaven and Earth.
IN YOUR CHAIR TIME TODAY
Follow along as Hillsong performs, “Who You Say I Am.” Praise God that through his resurrection Jesus leads us to a place in our Father’s house.
Download a printable PDF of the BTW week here.
