A Never-Ending Triumph

I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies.
–John 11:25

Because of the tragedy of a crucified Savior, we have a resurrected Savior. And because He has conquered death, one day so shall we. That is the hope of Easter.

When I share this truth with a family grieving the loss of a loved one, they often ask, “Pastor, how do you know this is true? How do you know this future resurrection is really going to happen?” The resurrection of believers from the dead is not myth. It is not hopeful thinking. The resurrection of believers is based on the promises of Jesus Himself. Look at Jesus’s words:

• “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life” (John 5:24).
• “This is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:40).
• “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies” (John 11:25).
• “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In my Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:1-3).

I will say it again: the resurrection is not hopeful thinking; it is based on the promises of Jesus Christ. And the fact that Jesus conquered death Himself means He has the power to deliver on the promises He has made to us. That is how we know this is all true. And it is why Paul could say with absolute conviction in 1 Corinthians 15:54, “Death is swallowed up in victory.” It is why the apostle John could say with confidence in Revelation 21:4, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

Was John saying that one day in heaven, God is going to do a memory wipe and we will no longer remember the agony of losing a loved one? No, John was saying when the day comes that we cross the river of death and are welcomed into heaven by the Lord Jesus, as we stand there with our loved ones and look back on what happened on earth, we will see for the first time how what appeared to be an unending tragedy was simply a prelude to a never-ending triumph.

***

Today’s devotion is excerpted from “From Tragedy To Triumph” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2022.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org.