Dear Christian friends:

We have gathered here on this Easter day to look back and remember the most wonderful day of all history. There is no story and no preaching that can compare with the story and preaching and singing of Easter.

But why is Easter such a happy day? Why are you happy today? Maybe you are not happy today. Spring is late. Floods have destroyed many of our homes in Minnesota and may destroy many more. The war in Viet Nam is growing more and more. Maybe you are not happy but you can be anyway. Jesus' Resurrection has comfort for any time and any day:

I. What is it?

A. "Raised for justification."

All people will rise even the unbelievers. Christ didn't rise for His own sake as he died for us so He also arose for us. True, He at the same time is exalted but that's not helping us. He rose for our justification Paul says. Jesus died on the cross for our sins yes that is true but that is not enough for us. Was God satisfied with Jesus' suffering and death? Did He suffer enough for all of us? We would never know if Christ had not risen from the grave.

So also Paul says in another letter: "And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. (1 Corinthians 15:14&20) And in another chapter of Romans Paul asks who shall blame sin on God's chosen people? It is God who judges man right, yes, rather Christ who is risen from the dead and sits at God's right hand." (Romans 8)

So Jesus' resurrection proves very wonderfully that God has accepted Jesus' suffering and death on the cross. God let Him rise with honor and glory. He is no more in blood, shame, suffering and no more mocked, despised and forsaken.

The earth is no more dark and He no more cries out, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?

Easter shows that God is again friendly with Jesus and also friendly with us. Because Jesus did all this for us. Our text says, "He was delivered for our offenses (sins) and raised again for our justification (forgiveness, for God judges us right now and accepts us as His friends again.)

And, of course, if we have forgiveness of sins then we also have promise and hope from God to arise from death and live with Him in heaven forever.

Surely, this is the great Easter comfort. But now I must ask you if you have this comfort in your heart? How do we receive such wonderful comfort and hope? It is a gift of God. You can't earn it or win it or buy it with money. Its not for sale.

It is a free gift of God to them that believe or accept it. Paul says in Roman's 10:9 "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God has raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."

And before we heard what Jesus said to Martha when her brother Lazarus died: "I am the Resurrection and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live and whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die." (John 11:25-26)

Do you believe in Jesus Christ or do you still prefer sin and money and things? Are you happy this Easter or not? If you are happy today why? If you are not happy why not? You should be very very happy if you believe what Paul says in our text.

I promise you that If you believe, today will be a very happy day, even if the flood comes and carries away your house. You still have God and life everlasting and you will have a much better house in heaven soon. If you don't believe you will be very surprised and sorry one day!

May God help us all to believe and to continue to believe that Jesus was delivered for our offenses and raised again for our justification.

Amen.