Our Risen Saviour

He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord
lay (Matthew 28:6).

Christ’s resurrection speaks to us of many things. The curse God pronounced upon
Satan in the Garden of Eden proclaimed Christ’s great victory over death and the
grave. Genesis 3:15 says: “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and
between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise
his heel.” In the resurrection of Christ, He crushed the head of Satan, gained
that victory and destroyed the works of the devil. Yet to do this, Christ also
had to be wounded. Satan’s head was crushed even though Christ’s heel, that is,
His flesh, was bruised.


Romans 4:25 says that Jesus “was delivered for our offences, and was raised
again for our justification.” This was the war in heaven against that old
serpent, which is the devil, the accuser of the brethren. All of his accusations
have been crushed.


These wounds of our lovely Saviour are the consolation of His church. We read
in Luke 24:38-39: “And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do
thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself:
handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.”
He used the wounds in His hands and feet to remove all fear, to remove all
distress for His church. The resurrection of our Saviour is our assurance that
the Father’s justice has been satisfied. We see the victory that has been gained
over death and the grave. We are to be baptized into His death and raised to
walk in newness of life.


When we receive a faith’s view of those wounded hands, Christ’s resurrection
becomes precious in a personal way. So often our sins rise up against us, and
our thoughts trouble us. Then we must look to the wounds of His hands and feet.
We read in Isaiah 49:16: “Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands;
thy walls are continually before me.” The resurrection of Christ becomes a
personal victory for us. He continually sees those names in the wounds of His
hands and comes before the Father and pleads for His church on that basis.


We see sin in its true light, and we see that blessed deliverance from sin,
because He was delivered for our offenses. This makes sin so exceedingly sinful.


For us to claim an interest in Christ’s resurrection we must also take part in
His death. We must understand what we read in Romans 6:4-11: “Therefore we are
buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from
the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of
life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we
shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: For in that he died, he died
unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye
also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus
Christ our Lord.” We must take part in His death if we are going to take part in
His resurrection. This means death to sin, death to self, death to everything of
this life. Then we will be raised in newness of life.


Those who are in Christ find they are complete in Him. We read in 1 Corinthians
1:30: “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom
[that we see the sinfulness of sin], and righteousness [His imputed, imparted
obedience], and sanctification [the work of repentance and cleansing], and
redemption [from the penalty of sin].” Notice the order. We do not take part in
His redemption apart from these other things.


Through Christ’s resurrection He restored all for His church as David said,
“then I restored that which I took not away” (Psalm 69:4b). The Lord Jesus
Christ restored that state of purity, that state of sanctification. He restored
what He did not take away. It was Satan who stole these things from us.

What was taken away? That perfect image of God in our human nature, which was
created for the glory of the Father. Jesus restored the true reflection of God's
image in our human nature. We see in John 1:14: “And the Word was made flesh,
and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten
of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”


By becoming our substitute, Christ restored our righteousness in the sight of
His Father. You and I had become sin, and He was made to be sin for us as we
read in 2 Corinthians 5:21: “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no
sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”


The resurrection of Christ restores our eternal inheritance, which was marred by
sin. We see this in 1 Peter 1:3-4: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto
a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an
inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in
heaven for you.” That inheritance that was marred by the fall of Adam was
restored. The Lord Jesus Christ has restored all things for His church. That
defilement that we brought on ourselves through sin, He has removed.


Christ’s resurrection restored peace with God, “by the washing of regeneration,
and renewing of the Holy Ghost” as we see in Titus 3:5. In the resurrection of
Christ we can be conformed to the image of Christ. He has brought about the
perfect character and image of God in our human nature, and we have the
reflection of that so we might be conformed to the blessed image of Christ. We
can be renewed by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy
Ghost. Our priorities can be straight. Our affections can be set on things
above. By the work of regeneration we can become a new man in Christ Jesus.


To regenerate is to renew the heart by a change of the affections; to change the
heart and affections from natural enmity to the love of God; to implant holy
affections in the heart. This is what the Lord Jesus Christ purchased for us in
His resurrection.


The “washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost,” is the new birth
by the grace of God; that change by which the will and natural enmity of man to
God and His law are subdued, and a principle of supreme love to God and His law,
or holy affections, are implanted in the heart.

The resurrection of Christ is our assurance that the Shepherd was smitten to
open a fountain for the watering of His sheep. We read that Jacob was going to
see his uncle, and he found the place where the sheep were gathering, but a
stone was on the well’s mouth. They had to wait till the man came to roll the
stone away so they could drink. This typifies how the sheep, the flock of
Christ, are hungering and thirsting after righteousness and they come to the
well’s mouth but a stone covers it. In the resurrection of Christ, that stone
was rolled away. Now the flock can come to that watering place. We read in
Zechariah 13:1: “In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of
David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.” That
fountain is opened in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Shepherd, Jesus
Christ, brings His flock, the church to this precious well. The thirsting after
righteousness is satisfied.


Salvation is twofold. The body of Christ, which is the bread of the Lord’s
Supper, teaches us that the broken body of Christ points us to the satisfaction
of the penalty of sin. The blood of Christ also points us to sanctification for
cleansing. This thirsting after righteousness is thirsting after the cleansing
from the power and pollution of sin.


Christ’s resurrection teaches us that He first died and was buried. This is
very important to His church; as our forerunner, Christ sanctified the grave as
a holy resting place. We will all be taken from this life one day. As we are
taken from this life, we will be laid in the grave, and if we have been
sanctified, if our hearts have been cleansed, if the work of regeneration has
been wrought in our soul, then we will be laid in a sanctified grave where our
blessed forerunner has gone before us. We read in Isaiah 57:1b-2: “The righteous
is taken away from the evil to come. He shall enter into peace: they shall rest
in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness,” that is, those who have
walked in uprightness “shall enter into peace: they shall rest in their
[graves].” His soul will enter into peace. His soul will enter into heaven. The
body will rest in that bed that was prepared and sanctified by Jesus, the
firstborn among the dead, who has gone before us. Those who have walked in
righteousness will enter into peace, and they will rest in their sanctified
graves. This is what Christ has purchased for us, but we must notice that before
He was raised, He had to be laid in the grave. Entering the grave comes first.
If we are going to take part in His resurrection, we must take part in His
death.


Christ’s resurrection assures us that our bodies will rest in a sanctified place
while our souls “enter into peace,” to await the reunion of our body and soul in
the last day. John 11:25 says: “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and
the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.” If
we believe Him, we will obey Him. The work of sanctification must be wrought in
our souls.


Our Saviour went before His church to the grave that all our fullness should be
of Him. We are complete in Him. We read in Colossians 1:18-19: “And he is the
head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead;
that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that
in him should all fulness dwell.” In His resurrection we are raised from the
death of the grave and the death of sin. We are to be conformed to Christ’s
image.

Christ’s sanctification of the grave as a resting place for His church was
foretold in the Old Testament burnt offerings. We read this in Leviticus 6:11:
The ashes of the burnt offerings were to be carried forth “without the camp unto
a clean place.” The ashes were what was left after the wrath of God devoured the
sacrifice. In those remains we see the broken body of Christ. So it was with the
ashes of the sacrifice that Christ made for sin, that is, His body was broken by
the sword of God’s Divine justice. We see this in John 19:41-42: “Now in the
place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new
sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid. There laid they Jesus therefore
because of the Jews’ preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand.” His
body was laid in a clean place, which signifies that He has sanctified the grave
for you and me. It is from there we will be resurrected and all sin and all
flesh and all that is corrupt will be left behind. That new resurrected body
will be perfect, and there will be no sin.


Our Great High Priest offered Himself upon the cross where the fire of God’s
wrath was poured out by the sword of His Divine justice to atone for His church.
Christ’s resurrection is the assurance of His church that the Father accepted
Christ’s sacrifice as payment in full; that His blood has cleansed away all sin
and reconciled a Holy God with hell-deserving sinners.

Our blessed Forerunner was the firstborn from the dead where He gained the
victory over death and the grave as we see in Psalm 16:10: “For thou wilt not
leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see
corruption.” Jesus sanctified the grave and came out with a holy triumph. The
holy triumph that Jesus Christ exclaimed over death and the grave has been cause
for joy to His whole living church throughout all ages as we see in Revelation
1:18: “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore,
Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” He is telling us of the
tremendous crown He has gained as a victory over the grave.


Oh beloved, let the enemies of the King of kings tremble and fear. We see in
Matthew 28:2-4: “And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the
Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door,
and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as
snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.” The
enemies of Christ will be made His footstool. They will be put under His feet.


But let those whose enmity against God has been broken rejoice—those whose
affections have been renewed and regenerated by the Holy Spirit. We read in
Matthew 28:5-8: “And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye:
for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is
risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and
tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before
you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. And they departed
quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his
disciples word. And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them,
saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.”

There is nothing for us to tremble about if we are walking in the way of Christ.
Those seeking Jesus were told to see where the Lord lay. See the sanctified
grave, the grave over which He has gained the victory. His enemies fled in
fear.


Oh, what a blessing we see in the message of the angel as the friends of our
Saviour stood at the empty grave: “He is not here!” He is not in the things of
death. If we feel that the Lord has withdrawn Himself, then we must ask
ourselves: “Where has He gone? Why has He departed?” It is because we are at the
wrong place. We should not be among the things of death.


He is not found in the soul of a dead sinner! He cannot be found in the
soul-destroying pleasures of this world! If our hearts are set on the things of
this earth, Christ will withdraw. We must be dwelling among the flock of Christ.

He is not found in the workhouse of the self-righteous Pharisee, nor in the head
knowledge of the puffed up scribe. We can come to where we think we are such
authorities in the Word of God, but we find that the Lord is not there. He is
not in a legal repentance of those who desire to escape the consequences of sin,
but still love sin and trample on the blood of Christ. To all those the angel
says, “He is not here: for he is risen, as he said.” If we want to dwell among
the things of death, He is not here. We must look to a Jesus who has been lifted
up. Then we see that after we have understood the sting of sin and the sting of
the things of death, then our eyes are lifted above these things. Our eyes are
lifted up to a crucified Christ, the crucified victor over death and the grave.


What a blessing if we know what it is to find our lovely Saviour on the throne
of His exaltation, when our eyes are lifted above the things of this life, to
see a Saviour exalted above the things of death. I will show you where that
throne is, and it is such a condescension. We see in Isaiah 57:15: “For thus
saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I
dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble
spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the
contrite ones.” A contrite and humble heart is the throne of that risen Saviour.
That is where He rules as prophet, priest and king. This to me is the most
precious part of the resurrection of Christ—He has been exalted and is sitting
as King of kings and Lord of lords. That throne has been established in the
hearts of the humble and contrite.

When we learn to bow before His throne we shall find peace for our souls. The
kingdom of heaven is at hand. Enter it today. Enter into the service of the Lord
so He may rule as King on the throne of your heart. We read in Matthew 11:28-30:
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye
shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Those who are laboring under the heavy load of sin, those who are struggling
against the powers of hell and sin and find that they have no might against this
army, He tells them to come to Him and He will give them rest. He knocks at the
door of our hearts and calls us to open the door and let Him in. He wants to
rule our hearts. He wants a humble and contrite spirit and wants to sit on the
throne of our hearts. He wants us to look up and worship Him.


We learn that He is in the blessed image of God, reflecting the character of God
in our human nature. He humbled Himself and became obedient to death, even the
death of the cross. He is telling us to humble ourselves and become obedient to
death, the death of all things of sin.


He is telling us to learn of Him and to follow in His footsteps. He has become
the express image of His Father. Now He wants us to be conformed to that image.


Are we looking for a place to rest from the things of this world? Are we looking
for Christ to set up His throne in our hearts? We do this by learning of Him.
His yoke is easy because if we have labored under the heavy load of sin, then it
becomes the delight of our hearts to do His will.