As we approach the wonderful celebrations of Easter, let us remember that all our songs in approaching that day are songs of ascent. We are climbing a mountain, not as recreational hikers, looking for a panoramic view, but as worshipers, seeking to declare God’s praises in the high place that He has assigned for His name. From that high place, we declare God’s gospel to the world. We do this once a year, of course, but we too often forget that we do the same thing every week. Christ is not the risen Lord of heaven and earth once a year. He is Lord of heaven and earth, now, all the time, and we need to be reminded of it every seven days. And what we as Christians need to be reminded of every seven days, the unbelieving world needs to hear every seven days.
And so we tell them. Every Lord’s Day marks the resurrection of Christ from the dead. Everything revolves around this. This is our justification, that He is risen, and risen indeed. This and only this is the salvation of the world.
This resurrection that occurred two thousand years ago accounts for everything. It explains everything. It establishes everything. Christ’s conquest of death is not the thing that needs to be proven—rather, it is our proof of everything else.
Christ will rule and judge the nations of men. God has given proof of this by raising Him from the dead (Acts 17: 31). Christ was from the line of David according to His human ancestry—His last name was Davidson—but He was the Son of God as well. How do we know this? God declared it to be the case by raising Jesus from the dead (Rom. 1:4).
The unbelieving world responds, “But that’s not what we mean by proof! You are just asserting, declaring . . . preaching.” To which we respond, “That is exactly so. And through the foolishness of preaching, God confounds the wise, and gives grace to the simple.”
And we continue to declare this good news to the world, unembarrassed. “Why should you resent the fact that we preach life from the dead. We would think you should be interested in such a message. For all your wisdom, you walk in death, do you not?”