"Jesus' Resurrection - Why It Matters"

So, today is Monday, the day after Easter. Does what we thought and did yesterday have an lasting effect on today and tomorrow and next month? As I looked through the myriad of Facebook posts yesterday, I counted only a mere handful that failed to wish "everyone a Happy Easter" or some similar sentiment that was connected to Jesus and his resurrection. That's a good thing. Now we all go on with life as we choose to live it.

The title I chose for this post is stolen from my good friend and brother, Charley Bazzell, the pulpit minister at University Church of Christ in Murray, Ky. His sermon yesterday morning challenged and encouraged all of us to consider why Jesus' resurrection matters. His premise was that celebrating Easter as a holiday for coloring eggs, family gatherings and wearing a new dress or hat or whatever is a good thing if we see more to Easter than any or all of those priorities. Obviously there is much more that can easily become secondary in our personal belief and celebration of the holiday that truly "matters".

Peter wrote these words long before there ever was an Easter celebration -

"Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, through whom he went and preached to the spirits in prison who disobeyed long ago." 1 Peter 3:18-20 NIV

Although I am not certain how to interpret Peter's meaning or intention regarding the "spirits in prison" to whom Jesus preached, I feel confident of the message that his statement conveys to me, a message that is directly tied to the ministry of God's Holy Spirit. Peter said the Spirit was responsible for two huge events -
he brought Jesus out of the grave and was in some way active in Jesus preaching to those spirits in prison.

My heart wants to include ME in that number of imprisoned spirits, even though that may be an improbable interpretation at best. The Spirit has now revealed to all the human family for all time, past-present-future, that Jesus Christ IS the Son of God and that his death in a human body and subsequent resurrection was the central element of God's eternal plan so that he could defeat our own ultimate death and give us everlasting victory in Jesus.

Paul wrote these monumental words at 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 -

"Death has been swallowed up in victory" (quoting Isaiah 25:8)
"Where O death is your victory? Where O death is your sting? (quoting Hosea 13:14)
"The sting of death is sin and the power of sin is the law. Bit thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

I tend to think all of us are included in "the spirits in prison" because we all have been imprisoned by sin and headed toward a dark, hopeless eternity. However, because the Spirit resurrected Jesus from the tomb, we now know that death no longer represents any loss or defeat but victory just as it did in Jesus.

Charley's great message ended with a question - "What does Jesus' resurrection mean to you?" Probably all of us could create a fairly long list in answer to the question, but for me it kinda sums up in this - GOD REALLY DOES LOVE ME! Through his Son and by his Spirit's ministry, I can celebrate victory over death and the grave. Now that's something to celebrate every day!  HALLELUJAH!