He Is Risen

We rejoice that He is risen.
We rejoice that He is alive.
We rejoice that He did not stay in the grave.

Last week we talked about what happened between Palm Sunday and the cross.

I want to focus on what happened between the resurrection and the ascension.

Undeniable Proof

In the Acts of the Apostles we read:

Acts 1:2 to 3

“He shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs… being seen of them forty days.”

For forty days, Jesus revealed Himself with undeniable proof that He was alive.

Yet even His closest followers struggled to believe.

Struggling to Believe

In the Gospel of Mark:

Mark 16:9 to 11

Mary Magdalene saw Him first and told the disciples.

They did not believe her.

They were grieving.
They were broken.
They were confused.

In the Gospel of John we see that fear drove them behind closed doors.

John 20:19 to 21

They were hiding.

But Jesus still showed up.

He stood in the middle of their fear and said, “Peace be with you.”

When Doubt Shows Up

Thomas was not there the first time.

When the others told him, he refused to believe.

John 20:24 to 29

He said, I need to see it for myself.

Eight days later, Jesus showed up again.

He met Thomas in his doubt.

And Thomas responded, “My Lord and my God.”

Jesus then said something powerful.

Blessed are those who believe without seeing.

That is us.

Why Seek the Living Among the Dead

Let’s go back to the moment the tomb was found empty in the Gospel of Luke.

Luke 24:5 to 6

“Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen.”

The angels reminded them of what Jesus had already said.

That He would die.

But that would not be the end of the story.

One word stands out in this moment.

Must.

It Had to Happen

The cross was not an accident.

It was not an interruption.

It was necessary.

It was part of God’s plan for redemption.

This is what God pressed on my heart.

Trials are a must before the promise is fulfilled.

The Pattern

There is a pattern we see all throughout Scripture.

A promise.
A battle.
A victory.

God never sends you into a battle without first giving you a promise.

When the children of Israel approached the promised land, they already knew there would be battles.

The land was good.

But it also had giants and walled cities.

Why could Joshua and Caleb say they were able to take the land?

Because they had a promise.

The Promise Came First

That promise was given long before in the Book of Genesis.

Genesis 17:7 to 8

God told Abraham that his descendants would inherit the land.

The promise came first.

Then came the process.

Joseph had a promise.
Moses had a promise.
Joshua had a promise.

It Was Necessary

Back in the Gospel of Luke:

Luke 24:44 to 46

Jesus said everything written about Him had to be fulfilled.

The word “behooved” points to divine necessity.

It means it was required to fulfill God’s plan.

That includes the suffering.

There Is Purpose in Pain

Our trials are not random.

Our suffering is not meaningless.

There is purpose in our pain.

There is purpose in our valleys.

There is purpose in what we walk through.

We may not like it.

We may not understand it.

But God is working through it.

Why God Does Not Remove Everything At Once

In the Book of Exodus God told Israel something powerful.

Exodus 23:29 to 30

He said He would not remove their enemies all at once.

If He did, the land would become desolate.

Wild animals would take over.

Instead, He would drive them out little by little.

In the Book of Deuteronomy:

Deuteronomy 7:22

God repeats the same principle.

Victory would come step by step.

Little By Little

God works in seasons.

God works in process.

God works in progression.

Sometimes we want instant freedom.

But God is building something in us through the process.

If He removed everything at once, we might not be ready to sustain the promise.

A Place of Hope

So what does this mean for us?

It means your pain is not wasted.

It means your struggle has purpose.

It means your trial is part of the process.

God is not ignoring you.

God is preparing you.

Closing Thought

The same Jesus who rose from the grave is still working today.

He meets us in our fear.
He meets us in our doubt.
He meets us in our pain.

And He reminds us that what we are walking through is not the end of the story.

There is a promise on the other side.

There is victory coming.

And what feels heavy right now is part of God shaping something greater in you.