Why Does It Matter To You?

Someone asked me, “What gets you up in the morning? What gets you out of bed?"The Resurrection of Jesus.If it really happened, it’s the biggest news in world history. It answers all the questions of humanity. It also solves all the problems of mankind. If Jesus really rose again from the dead, there are huge ramifications that transcend a church doctrinal statement. It matters for everyone, inside and outside the church.Jesus’ resurrection proved that there is life after death. But it went further than that. His resurrection was more than about his own life after death. He made it very clear that it was also about your life after death. And I’m inclined to believe someone who came back from the dead, aren’t you?Speaking of his resurrection, he said, “Because I live, you also will live” (John 14:19 NIV), and in another place, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying” (John 11:25 NLT).All of those promises about eternal life and a place for his followers in heaven would have been empty and meaningless, had he not followed through on his promise that he himself would rise from the dead after being killed. But he did follow through. After voluntarily giving his life on the cross, and after three days of laying lifeless in the grave, he came forth and presented himself as the resurrected Savior of the world.Here’s what that means for you. His resurrection was not just about his own life after death. He made that clear in the above verses. His resurrection was about your afterlife. He came back from the dead so that you could live with God in eternity as well. His afterlife is about your afterlife. That’s why this matters!One of the witnesses of Jesus’ resurrection and author of a lot of Scripture, the Apostle Paul, wrote this, “By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also” (1 Corinthians 6:14 NIV).Maybe the idea of Jesus’ resurrection being a real historical event is new to you. There are plenty of resources for you to investigate, but the evidence that he really did is compelling if you are willing to consider it with an open mind. And I encourage you to do just that, look into it further. Because a lot is at stake––your eternal life.Jesus is alive and he offers you the same kind of life that he has: eternal. Knowing that and proclaiming that is the driving force of my life and ministry.It’s what gets me out of bed in the morning.