It All Leads To This: A Resurrection Sunday Meditation

Nick Minerva • Apr 17, 2022

Throughout this week we have been looking at the events that lead up to the Resurrection of Jesus. We have seen Jesus celebrated as king. We have seen him weep over the unbelief of his city. He cleansed the temple and evaded the verbal traps of the religious leaders. We also saw how he was betrayed, arrested, and crucified. After the burial of Jesus on Friday afternoon, the disciples have largely gone into hiding out of fear. But in the early morning on the first day of the week, a few brave ladies approach the tomb, which is where we are going to pick up the story. To conclude the narrative of the week I would encourage you to click here and read John 20. 


Every element of the narrative we have been considering this week has led up to this moment. On Friday we looked at the death of Jesus and the events that lead up to his crucifixion. Saturday was silent as Jesus lay in the tomb. But early Sunday morning, before the sun was even up, these ladies approach the tomb. Other biblical accounts of this moment tell us that as they approach they wonder among themselves how they will move the giant stone blocking the entrance of the tomb so they can place the customary spices on his body. (Mark 16:1-3) As they are wondering there was a violent earthquake as an angel from heaven comes to earth and rolls the stone away. When they arrive they find the angel sitting on the stone and the tomb empty. (Matthew 28:1-7) They then depart to tell the other disciples and as we just read, Peter and John race to find the empty tomb. Mary then encounters the risen Jesus. The gospel of Luke tells us that after Mary encounters Jesus, Jesus then goes and spends the afternoon with two men who are walking to a village called Emmaus. He uses the Old Testament of the Bible to help them truly understand what his purpose as the Messiah really was. Then that evening he appears again to his disciples and they believe. Then as John concludes chapter 20, he tells us why he is writing - so that we too can believe Jesus is the messiah. And that in believing, we can have life. 


Now as we have been considering this narrative throughout this week we have seen Psalm 118 come into play a few times. On Palm Sunday, the triumphant crowd quoted this Psalm, recognizing Jesus was the fulfillment of it. (Psalm 118:26, John 12:13) On Good Friday we saw how Jesus was the stone who had been rejected by the religious leaders (Psalm 118:22, 1 Peter 2:7-8) and how Jesus became the sacrifice given to God towards the end of the Psalm (Psalm 118:27). The Psalm concludes by saying…


Psalm 118:29

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his faithful love endures forever.


And that is exactly what we are doing today. Thanking God for his faithful love. Throughout his ministry, Jesus proved his love for people time and time again, but he definitively demonstrated it this weekend over two thousand years ago. 


John 15:13

No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends.


In that short little verse, Jesus declares us his friends and then goes on to demonstrate in the greatest way possible that he loves us. Let this reality sink in for a moment. If you are here this morning and you have professed Jesus to be Lord and have believed in your heart that God raised him from the, like we just read about, Jesus calls you his friend. So the question I want to purpose this Easter is a simple one. 


Do you believe that Jesus loves you?


To help us ponder that question, allow me to rewind from the story we are considering this morning all the way to the very beginning. The Bible tells us that God made everything through Jesus. (Hebrews 1:1-2) And everything that was made was good. (Genesis 1:1-2:3) There was no sin. There was no pain. Everything was perfect. But not long after something went wrong. Mankind wanted to be like God. And as a result, sin entered the world. 


Romans 5:12

Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all people, because all sinned.


The Bible is full of stories that illustrate how sin has ruined people’s lives and even whole nations. It also shows us what it looks like and its consequences of it. 


Galatians 5:19-21

Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar. I am warning you about these things—as I warned you before—that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.


Romans 3:23

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God;


Sin is something that has a 100% infection rate. None of us can honestly say we are without sin and because of that sin, we can’t have a relationship with God on our own. Not only does our sin separate us from God, but it also needs to be punished. The ultimate end of sin is death. 


Romans 6:23a

For the wages of sin is death…


John 3:36

The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who rejects the Son will not see life; instead, the wrath of God remains on him.


That tells us that God must punish sin. Every human rightly deserves the just punishment for their sin. For God to allow evil to go unpunished would be cruel and unloving. As humans, we intrinsically understand how love and justice are interconnected. Unfortunately, that leaves all of us on the wrong side of the equation. Fortunately, in his love, God made a promise to humanity. 


Titus 1:2

in the hope of eternal life that God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.


God had a plan. 


Romans 3:26

God presented him (JESUS) to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so that he would be just and justify the one who has faith in Jesus.


Jesus is God. And he came to earth in the form of a man. He did many amazing miracles and fulfilled hundreds of prophecies while he was on earth to validate his claim to be God. And he lived a life that was free from sin. He demonstrated his righteousness. He was proven to be just. 


2 Corinthians 5:21

He made the one who did not know sin…


Jesus did not know sin. Never one time did he do anything wrong. He lived a perfect life. Can you imagine growing up with a literally perfect older brother? We oldest siblings tend to think we are perfect, even though we aren’t. Jesus actually was!


Jesus did not know sin. But he didn’t do this to achieve some level of self-righteousness or look down his nose at his creation. In fact, Jesus would often call out hypocritical self-righteousness. While he was on earth, he spent time with very sinful people and the religious leaders of the day hated him for it. He hung out with a lot of people who looked more like the list we read a few minutes ago. But he was himself without sin. His entire life was characterized by perfect love, obedience, and righteousness. Now you may be wondering why this matters. Why is it important that Jesus lived a perfect life? It’s important because we cannot save ourselves. One sinner can’t save another sinner. The blind can’t lead the blind. We need someone who is without sin to save us from our sin. 


2 Corinthians 5:21

He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.


When Jesus died on the cross he willingly took the punishment for our sin on himself. That is what Paul means in 2 Corinthians when he says He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us. But as we are celebrating today, Jesus did not stay dead. He came back to life! He rose from the dead. This means that he is more powerful than death. This means that he is more powerful than sin. We saw earlier that sin brings death. While Jesus was on the cross, God placed our sin on Jesus and Jesus died. But he did not stay dead! He conquered death. The death and resurrection of Jesus are more than just him taking our punishment. He takes the punishment for our sin and gives us the credit for the perfect life he lived…so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. And what this means is: we who believe, now have a glorious hope that is beyond death. 


Romans 3:22

The righteousness of God is…


This is the perfect standard that none of us can achieve. We meet that standard…


…through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe, since there is no distinction.


I love that last little phrase at the end of this verse. There is no distinction. Regardless of who you are, where you come from, or what you have done, the righteousness of God is available to you. Jesus loves you so much that he willingly took the penalty of your sin, died in your place, and gives you his righteousness. Jesus meets God’s standard for you. 


Romans 10:9-13

If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on him will not be put to shame, since there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, because the same Lord of all richly blesses all who call on him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.


When you place your faith in Jesus, God justifies you. He makes it “just as if you never sinned and just as if you have always been righteous.”


Ephesians 1:7

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace


Imagine that. Feel that. Full forgiveness. 


Whether you are here this morning and you are seeking but haven’t yet put your faith in Jesus, or you are new to the faith, or you have been a believer longer than some of us have been alive; let your affections get wrapped up in the forgiveness Jesus won for you. This was the promise God made to humanity before time began. This is how we know God loves us! This is why we celebrate the reality that his faithful love endures forever. And John tells us that when we believe, we get life. This is life after death. Heaven. But it’s also amazing while we are still here. Early in the book of John, he calls it abundant life. This means you can experience real satisfaction. It means you can experience real peace. It means when you sin, there is forgiveness. It means you have access to grace, which allows you to live as if Jesus was living in your shoes. 


2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!


Romans 6:6

For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be rendered powerless so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin,


Sin no longer has power over us. That list we read earlier in Galatians 5 no longer describes us. We are now God’s children. 


Galatians 3:26

for through faith you are all sons of God in Christ Jesus.


Regardless of whether or not we make a mistake or fail to live out our Christian life perfectly, God will never leave us nor forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5)


John 10:28-29

I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.


Believing means that you are forever secure. So back to our initial question. 


Do you believe that Jesus loves you?


Believer, has the cares of this world caused you to doubt, or forget that Jesus loves you? Perhaps you’re reading this and it’s been a long time since you walked with God. Friend, don’t let the lies of the enemy or the cares of this world cause you to forget that Jesus loves you. Remind yourself of his love for you and walk in the life that he has for you. 


Perhaps you’re reading this and you would be considered a faithful Christian. The love of Jesus is no less relevant for you. Continue to allow his love to be the driving force in your life. Allow your heart and your affections and everything you do to be driven by his love. (2 Corinthians 5:14)


Maybe you’re reading this and you would not consider yourself a Christian. Maybe you are seeking answers in life. Allow me to ask you to consider the love of Jesus for you. 


Do you believe that Jesus loves you?


If you are reading this and you would like more information on what it really means to be a Christian, I would love to chat with you. Fill out the form on this page and I will be in touch. 

A Creed To Remind The Gathered Church Of Its New Life In Christ

By Nick Minerva • 14 Jul, 2023
When I was pastoring I wanted to read a blessing over the church that would remind all of us of our new life in Christ. So I wrote this new life creed and every week I would read it and remind us of what Christ had done for us. We gather together as believers professing our great need We acknowledge that we have fallen short We confess that we are rebels who have gone our own way Apart from Christ, we stand condemned, guilty, and unable to save ourselves But what we are incapable of doing, God did In his infinite love, God made a way of salvation for all who would believe Jesus willingly laid down his life and received the just punishment we deserve So that could walk in new life So yes, we confess our great need We humbly recognize that apart from Christ we are incapable of any good thing But we also proclaim that because of the finished work of the cross we will never be apart from Christ We are forever secure in the love of the Father We have been sealed by the Holy Spirit All because of the sacrifice of the Son, Jesus Christ. We are no longer in bondage to sin We are no longer facing righteous wrath We have been declared holy by our King And nothing on heaven or earth will change that reality This gathering is a testimony to our redeemed state We pursue holy living to be an authentic demonstration of the love we have for Christ We believe that we have been empowered by grace to meet our every need And we gladly anticipate the complete fulfillment of our adaption and the remaking of this world at the coming of our Lord To Christ be glory forever and ever Amen

A Praying Church: A Book Review

By Nick Minerva • 23 May, 2023
Prayer is one of those topics that always seems to convict me. I have never heard a sermon or read a book on prayer and not been challenged. Even as I am writing this review there is a bit of imposter syndrome because I know I should pray more. In A Praying Church , Paul Miller writes about how to become a people of hope in a discouraging world through prayer. And he does so in a way that was very authentic and accessible. While I was consistently challenged, I was also consistently encouraged. Throughout the book, he takes you on his journey of developing a personal prayer life plus countless stories of ministries that developed communal prayer as a vital component of their life together. One thing that struck home with me throughout these stories was the reality that prayer always grows out of desperation for God. There were several things that I found very helpful in this book. One of them was the connection between a life yielded to the Holy Spirit and a vibrant prayer life. The power to do anything of eternal importance comes from the Holy Spirit and the Spirit moves in response to prayer. Paul shows us a biblical pattern we see throughout the New Testament. Prayer-Spirit-Jesus-power. However, this is not a simple formula to get God to do what you want. Another thing I appreciated about this book is Paul tells us time and again that the Spirit often moves in ways we don’t expect and that almost always includes difficulties. The Spirit enables us to look more like Jesus and that means joining him in the fellowship of his suffering. So this is not a “how to turn God into your personal genie” scheme, like many books on prayer. God often answers in ways we don’t expect and in places we don’t anticipate. This book is also full of practical help. I’ve already mentioned the stories he tells, but Paul also offers several helpful charts, strategies, and ideas to help put into place what he writes about (and lives by.) At the end of each chapter, he has a section called “A Word To Pastors” with a few paragraphs of wisdom to help them become a person of prayer and then lead their congregation to become a church of prayer. This book also made me thankful that I am a part of a church that has sought to grow in corporate prayer over the last few years. This would be a great book for any ministry leader who is burdened with the prayer life of his or her church. But it’s also a great read for any believer seeking to develop their own prayer life. Crossway was kind to send me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. You can get a copy of it at the affiliate link below.

Non-Toxic Masculinity: A Book Review

By Nick Minerva • 28 Apr, 2023
Let me start this review by saying everyone should read this book. If you've grown up in Evangelicalism, you‘ve no doubt heard of purity culture. For the last several years we have seen the harm that has come as a result of this sub-group of Christianity. In Non-Toxic Masculinity, Zachary Wagner does an excellent job unpacking its teaching and the damage that has come as a result. He explains so well the angst I've been feeling with the movement and how often the Church falls short and winds up doing more damage. But unlike many critiques, this one also points a way forward. We know what toxic male sexuality looks like. We see it in the news and unfortunately, in the Church. But what does healthy male sexuality look like? What does it look like for me? What will it look like for my boys? In my heart, I know what I want it to look like, but so often I struggle to find the right words to express it. Non-Toxic Masculinity paints a healthy picture that is (re)humanizing and ultimately looks like Jesus, who, like all of us, had a sexual body. Zach is also very transparent in this book and God used his transparency to encourage, challenge, and convict me. As you read his story you will no doubt find yourself resonating with him on some level. Every man should read this book for themselves first and foremost. But if you have sons, nephews, grandsons, or young boys in your life, reading it is a must. Non-Toxic Masculinity is a breath of fresh air that will prove to be a tremendous resource for generations. Thank you Zach for writing it and sharing your story to serve us.
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