Easter is one of the most joyful times of the year for a Christian. It’s a time to celebrate the greatness of our God, the victory that He has had over death, and how our lives are forever changed because of Jesus’ love for us. There is a reason why so much effort is put into Sunday morning church services on Easter Sunday all over the world. If there is ever a day for the church to celebrate, Resurrection Sunday is the day to rejoice and sing with gladness.
There are many sections of Scripture in the New Testament that speak of Jesus’s resurrection and how His resurrection should change the way we live every day. One of the most significant passages we can be encouraged by in this Easter season is Colossians 3:2-4 which says,
2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. 3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.
In these verses we can be reminded of some of the most encouraging truths in God’s word and at the same time find various ways in which Jesus’ resurrection can provide application for our lives today.
The Glory of Jesus’ Resurrection
This passage in Colossians describes our resurrected Lord as being someone defined by glory. This is one of the best ways to describe Jesus because of what His resurrection accomplished and because of how He displayed Himself after His resurrection.
The Bible is clear that the resurrection was essential for our salvation. Three days before Jesus was raised, He innocently suffered at the hands of evil men and was crucified for our transgressions. We understand that His death was a sacrificial death and that on the cross He was receiving the wrath of God on our behalf.
But without the resurrection of Christ, there would be no hope for the Christian. Without Jesus being raised, our faith would be in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:14) There is glory in the resurrection because the King has had victory over His enemies and has proven that He is Lord of all. In the resurrection we see Jesus as our holy God who is exalted over all.
There is also glory in the resurrection knowing that Jesus’ body changed after He was raised. He no longer had a body that was prone to injuries, sickness, or death. In contrast, His body after being raised was a heavenly body. A physical body that is now fit to reign for eternity.
The Hope of Our Resurrection
Colossians 3:2-4 gives us a glimpse of the glory that is seen in Christ’s resurrection, but it also gives us the hope of sharing in that resurrection. It says that we “will be revealed with Him in glory.” One of the greatest truths of Christianity is that Christians will one day be physically raised from the dead to spend eternity serving our Lord.
Like Jesus’ body, ours also will be a body that is not prone to injuries, sickness, or death. Death will be swallowed up and it will no longer have any sting. Unlike the perishable bodies we have now, we will be raised with an imperishable body. (1 Corinthians 15:42) Our bodies that were once mortal and fragile will then be immortal in nature.
When Christ returns, Christians will be raised from the dead with a body that is fit to live for eternity in heaven. We will be sinless, righteous, and have a body we can use to worship the King of Glory. There is much hope in the resurrection because God’s people will have the privilege of living with God in His Kingdom. There is no story that has ever been written by man that can outshine the beauty of God’s resurrected saints living with their resurrected Savior.
Life in Light of the Resurrection
One of the most important observations to note about Colossians 3:2-4 is that is passage is written for the purpose of application. If you continue reading in Colossians, you will find that Colossians 3:2-4 is a launching pad for application points throughout the rest of the letter. The glorious truth of the resurrection is meant to change the way we live every day.
First, if you are reading this and do not have a saving relationship with Jesus Christ, I encourage you to trust in Him today. By placing our faith in Christ and turning from our sin, we can be made right with God and receive eternal life. What better occasion is there to come to Christ than this time of year when we are meditating on His death, burial, and resurrection? If you place your faith in Christ this Easter season, there will be plenty of rejoicing knowing that God has redeemed another brother or sister in Christ.
Second, for those of us who are believers, this passage in Colossians commands us to “set your minds on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.” It is often said in our world that “some people are so heavenly minded that they are of no earthly good” yet God’s word says the opposite right here in the book of Colossians.
The people who do the most good in this world are those who continually dwell on the things of Christ and what He has accomplished. This is because the most God-centered and productive people in this world are people that are not driven by worldlines but driven by Christlikeness. By desiring to be like Christ and do His will, you will have the greatest impact on the people around you and on your community.
With that in mind, what does it look like for you in this Easter season to be filling your mind with truth on things above? One of the most effective ways to do this is by memorizing key passages of Scripture. I encourage you to memorize Colossians 3:2-4 if you have not already done so because this truth will motivate you to live a godly life this coming week. There are a lot of things we could be filling our minds with in this spring season but there’s nothing better to rehearse than precious truths from God’s word.
Finally, Colossians tells us that Jesus “is our life.” It is appropriate for us to have a more somber tone when thinking of Good Friday since that is the day when the sinless Son of God died in our place. Easter, however, is a day that is about celebrating because it is not about death, it is about life. Christians should be meditating on the death of Christ daily, but we should always remember that our lives are to be characterized by the joy of life we now have in the Lord Jesus.
This Easter
So, what does it look like for you to be sharing this joy with others this Easter season? I encourage you to find at least one person to share the good news with. These truths are truths that should be proclaimed from the house tops because our Savior is alive. He has defeated death in glory, we will one day be resurrected with him, and we can enjoy eternal life in Him today!
If you do not normally attend church on Sunday, what better time to start attending than this Easter? We would love to worship with you at one of our campuses this Sunday. And if you do attend regularly, we encourage you to use this as an opportunity to invite someone else to worship. Christ the Lord has risen, and His resurrection brings joy to the nations!
