Bible Study: He is Risen, Indeed! Alleluia!

on January 11, 2013

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Introduction

Easter. It is the holiday which focuses on life and renewal. It is a story with which we are familiar. We hear it every year around springtime. We usually associate it with candy, eggs and pastel colors. We celebrate it in church and with our families. It usually means a couple of days off school, too! We even know the traditional greeting and response.

Pastor: “He is risen!”
Congregation: “He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!”

Yet, Easter is the celebration of so much more than a day off for Christians. It is the story of Gods fulfilled promise and His almighty power that accomplished His plan for our salvation! This is why we proclaim, “Alleluia!” meaning, “Praise the Lord!” We celebrate Easter to praise God for our salvation in Christ. Taking a fresh look at the Resurrection account this Easter may give us a renewed appreciation of what God did that Sunday morning.

With Prayer

Lord, we come to You in prayer to thank You for the gift of Your Sons death and resurrection. We thank you that You have given us faith to believe in Him as our Lord and Savior, and we thank you for the promise of eternal life we have through Him. We ask You to forgive our sins and for when we take Your gift of Easter for granted. Help us to grasp what You accomplished for us that Easter morning. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen.

Into Scripture

Read Luke 24:1-8.
What was the reaction of the women when they did not find Jesus?
What was their reaction at the appearance of the men?
What did the men say to the women?

Read Luke 24:9-12.
What did the women do after they left the tomb?
Why did the disciples not believe the women?
What was Peters reaction when he saw the tomb?

For Consideration

The reaction of the women and Peter upon finding the tomb empty was wonderment. The disciples considered the womens account to be nonsense. They truly could not grasp that Christ would be raised from the dead. They could not understand with their reason what had happened to their teacher and friend.

Do you struggle to trust that God conquered death and raised His Son from the tomb?

Logically, it does not make sense that a man dead for three days could be raised to life again. The disciples clearly thought it was not possible despite the fact that He had told them it would happen. We also cannot logically comprehend it. Sin keeps us from understanding, and it plants seeds of doubt in our hearts.

How do we as Christians come to believe that Jesus was resurrected to give us eternal life?

It is by Gods gift of faith that we can trust the truth of the Easter story. God, in His perfect love for us, used His almighty power to accomplish His plan for our salvation. He conquered sin by having His Son become human and live a perfect life on earth. He conquered Satan and death by Jesus being crucified and raised again to life. Through our faith in Jesus, we have forgiveness of our sins and the promise of eternal life with Him.

How does this change the meaning of the Easter story for you?

How does it change your daily living?

We have every reason to celebrate with joy and confidence on Easter. God has won salvation for us, and so we boldly confess and praise His name. He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!

With Prayer

Jesus, we thank You for Your death and resurrection. We humbly ask that You continue to strengthen our faith in You and to help us grasp Your incredible power and love. Give us the passion to boldly proclaim the Gospel, telling others about salvation through You. May we always praise Your name, our Lord and Savior. Amen.

Published January 11, 2013

Easter

About the author

Candice Hill

Born and raised in Walburg, Texas, Candice has always loved living in central Texas. She was blessed to attend Lutheran schools most of her life, culminating in her graduation from Concordia University Texas in 2008 as a DCE/Behavioral Sciences major. She then served as a DCE intern at Good Shepherd Lutheran in Tulsa, OK. Then, after marrying her best friend, Nate Hill, in 2009, she joined him in St. Louis where he was studying at the Seminary. They now live in Winchester, Texas, serving in their first call at St. Michael's Lutheran. She currently serves as the Assistant Director of Freshman Admissions at Concordia University Texas.

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