The Resolution

Hi, this is Bernie Dake. Welcome to the Salvation Army's Words of Life. Love doesn't discriminate.

It doesn't pick and choose. When there's so much to fight against, love fights for. When others flee, love runs toward. And when darkness prevails, love remembers its strength. For 156 years, the Salvation Army has loved all who feel lost.

With your help, we'll never stop. He is risen. He is risen indeed.

Welcome back to Words of Life. I'm Cheryl Gillum. And I'm Bernie Dake. Happy Easter, Bernie. Happy Easter to you and to all of our listeners.

How do you celebrate Easter, Cheryl? Oh, well, when all my kids are there, of course. I mean, we in the morning have their baskets, you know, but more importantly, we all go to sunrise service together. Usually we're playing in the band or something too. So there's an extra level of, you know, it's exciting to be in a band on an Easter morning sunrise service. Yeah. Now I don't want to confuse any of our listeners, but like your idea of band is what the Salvation Army calls its portable organ. They have generally have brass bands.

Yes. But they also have worship bands, praise and worship bands like the contemporary or traditional sort of bass, drums, guitars, pianos, worship singers. And that's my favorite. I hope that wherever you find yourself this Easter, that you will celebrate the risen King, because he is risen. We actually have one more episode next week in our Easter series, but it's been so good to have Major Ruth Neu join us for the series. I just love her teaching. She's such a student of the word and can explain complicated theology real clearly.

So we're just so happy to have had her. Amen. The theme behind this week's message is a phrase that we see over and over throughout the Bible. And it's a message we shouldn't ever tire of hearing.

Do not be afraid. If you're enjoying Words of Life, we want to invite you to check out another show brought to you by the Salvation Army. The Holiness Podcast is a monthly Bible study with Lieutenant Colonel Vern Jewett. This show is a deep dive into the scriptures, studying what the Word of God says about holiness. With each episode, there is also a corresponding study guide.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts or visit salvationarmysoundcast.org. We have a lot of material to cover today, so let's dive right into today's selected passages. Matthew 28, verses 1 through 10. After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and going to the tomb, rolled back the stone, and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.

The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, do not be afraid, for I know that you're looking for Jesus who was crucified. He's not here. He has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples he has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.

Now I have told you. So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell the disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them.

Greetings, he said. They came to him, collapsed his feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee.

There they will see me. When we acknowledge that Jesus is God and come face to face with the risen Christ, we may experience certain emotions that may consume us. Shame, guilt, sadness, or fear. Jesus understands our confused and anxious hearts and amid our fear, he tells us, do not be afraid. That is the first phrase from the lips of the angel of the Lord in verse five, do not be afraid. If we do a quick Bible gateway search for the words do not fear, we'll find about 30 verses that include this phrase. It is a common emotion if God encourages so many biblical characters with these words. The most common instance is when God calls the story's protagonist to a particular mission and his first sentence is don't be afraid. For example, in calling Abram and making a covenant with him, God tells him in a vision, do not be afraid Abram.

I am your shield, your very great reward. God also appeared to Isaac and encouraged them with his words. I am the God of your father, Abraham. Do not be afraid for I am with you. I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant, Abraham.

Then when Moses charged Joshua with the task of leading the people of Israel into the promised land, he told them, the Lord himself goes before you and will be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid.

Do not be discouraged. As the Lord comforted his people in exile and Babylon, he encouraged them to not fear for I am with you, do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. That beautiful verse is found in Isaiah chapter 41 verse 10. And a couple of more verses. When an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, he said, Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. When Jesus called Peter to leave the fishnet and follow him, he told him, don't be afraid.

From now on, you will fish for people. You see, God has a specific purpose for your life. He calls you today to follow and obey him. He told the women at the tomb, don't be afraid. Everything will be all right. And he says to you today, amid your difficulties and or doubts, don't be afraid.

I am with you. Everything will be fine. Christ tells us, I am alive. How do we know that everything will be all right? Because Christ lives. Jesus is alive and he lives in our hearts to guide, comfort and teach.

The angel said to the women, don't be afraid. He's not here referring to the grave for he has risen. You know, we cannot say that phrase of many people who claim to be divine in the history of humankind because, well, they're all dead.

We can find their graves containing the decomposed remains of their bodies, but there is no tomb containing the body of Christ, no death or hell can hold him because he is truly God, the only God, the living God, Elohim, hallelujah, the first and the last, the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. This truth is the core of the gospel, the central message, as Paul tells Timothy, remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel. This powerful verse is found in 2 Timothy 2.8. So the women at the tomb experienced a massive moment of clarity as they learned that Jesus's entire body, not just his spirit, had been resurrected. It was a message of hope as they recognized that they too would rise with him one day in the future.

And it is a message that is a message of hope for us today. Paul writes to the church in Thessalonica, brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.

Therefore, encourage one another with these words. That beautiful passage was found in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 verses 13 to 18. God's third message to us from the empty tomb is that Jesus goes ahead. Jesus goes first. Verse 7 says, Then go quickly and tell his disciples, He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.

Now I have told you. Christ has marked the way for us to follow. He guides us.

He shows us the path. Christ is the north star that drives us to heaven. The scriptures imply that after his resurrection, Jesus did not go to a throne somewhere far away from where he watches all that is happening on earth.

No, the risen Jesus is present and alive in our lives. That same Christ wants a relationship and friendship with you and me. He's not far away. He's right here to guide, close and tangible, available. Since creation, God has always desired an intimate, active and palpable relationship with us.

We already mentioned the verse in Deuteronomy where he tells Joshua, The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged. See that phrase again? The Lord walks in front of us. He goes ahead.

We are not alone. The Lord not only guides, but he smooths the way. In Isaiah 45 verse 2, we read, I will go before you and will level the mountains. I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. When the Israelites fled from Egypt, we read, by day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light so that they could travel by day or night.

Again, we read that phrase, went ahead of them. That is our God always close and available, guiding and paving the path ahead of us. God is aware of your present circumstances and amid your emotions, whether fear, doubts, disappointment, or discouragement, he offers you strength.

He offers his presence and he offers his guidance. God tells you today, Do not fear for I am with you. Do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you.

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. May God fill you with blessings today and always. The Salvation Army's mission, Doing the Most Good, means helping people with material and spiritual needs. You become a part of this mission every time you give to the Salvation Army. Visit salvationarmyusa.org to offer your support, and we'd love to hear from you. Email us at radio at uss.salvationarmy.org. Call 1-800-229-9965 or write us at P.O.

Box 29972, Atlanta, Georgia 30359. Tell us how we can help. Share prayer requests or share your testimony. We would love to use your story on the air. You can also subscribe to our show on iTunes or your favorite podcast store and be sure to give us a rating. Just search for the Salvation Army's words of life. Follow us on social media for the latest episodes, extended interviews, and more. And if you don't have a church home, we invite you to visit your local Salvation Army worship center. They'll be glad to see you. This is Bernie Dake, inviting you to join us next time for the Salvation Army's Words of Life. you