The Perfect Plan - He is Risen!

Today we remember and celebrate the greatest miracle ever, The Resurrection! Jesus was crucified, died, buried and then rose again from the dead! He conquered death and hell, paid the price for our sins, and restored our relationship with God the Father! Wow, it’s Resurrection Sunday and God’s Perfect Plan has been completed. Now we all know what happened on resurrection Sunday but why was this the perfect plan? Why did it go down this way? Why did Jesus have to come and be crucified in order for the plan to be completed? Let’s start by looking at the book of Hebrews

Hebrews 9:19–28 NIV

19 When Moses had proclaimed every command of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people. 20 He said, “This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep.” 21 In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. 22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. 23 It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. 25 Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. 26 Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

Jesus Died to Pay for All of Our Sins!

He gave up His life so that His blood would wash away all of our sins. The ones we have committed and even the ones we will do in the future. All of them! Then He rose from the dead and is coming again for us! What a plan! This plan was so “unreal” as we would say today that the enemy couldn’t comprehend it and played right into it.

1 Corinthians 2:1–9 AMP

1 AS FOR myself, brethren, when I came to you, I did not come proclaiming to you the testimony and evidence or mystery and secret of God [concerning what He has done through Christ for the salvation of men] in lofty words of eloquence or human philosophy and wisdom; 2 For I resolved to know nothing (to be acquainted with nothing, to make a display of the knowledge of nothing, and to be conscious of nothing) among you except Jesus Christ (the Messiah) and Him crucified. 3 And I was in (passed into a state of) weakness and fear (dread) and great trembling [after I had come] among you. 4 And my language and my message were not set forth in persuasive (enticing and plausible) words of wisdom, but they were in demonstration of the [Holy] Spirit and power [a proof by the Spirit and power of God, operating on me and stirring in the minds of my hearers the most holy emotions and thus persuading them], 5 So that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men (human philosophy), but in the power of God. 6 Yet when we are among the full-grown (spiritually mature Christians who are ripe in understanding), we do impart a [higher] wisdom (the knowledge of the divine plan previously hidden); but it is indeed not a wisdom of this present age or of this world nor of the leaders and rulers of this age, who are being brought to nothing and are doomed to pass away. 7 But rather what we are setting forth is a wisdom of God once hidden [from the human understanding] and now revealed to us by God—[that wisdom] which God devised and decreed before the ages for our glorification [to lift us into the glory of His presence]. 8 None of the rulers of this age or world perceived and recognized and understood this, for if they had, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But, on the contrary, as the Scripture says, What eye has not seen and ear has not heard and has not entered into the heart of man, [all that] God has prepared (made and keeps ready) for those who love Him [who hold Him in affectionate reverence, promptly obeying Him and gratefully recognizing the benefits He has bestowed].

The Perfect Plan is Not Something Human Wisdom Understands!

If we put ourselves back in the day when all of this went down, none of us would have been able to comprehend it. So the plan is that the Messiah would be killed? That’s the plan? Yes!

In order for all of our sins to be forgiven, there had to be a perfect sacrifice. Remember the Law of Moses? Hebrews 9:22 “22 In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.” So blood had to be shed and Jesus’ perfect blood paid for our forgiveness once and for all! He not only paid for the New Covenant with His blood, He rose from the dead to be the mediator of it!

Luke 24:1–12 ESV

1 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. 5 And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” 8 And they remembered his words, 9 and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, 11 but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.

Jesus is Alive!

We used to sing a song that went like this, “God’s not dead, He is alive, God’s not dead, He is alive God’s not dead, He is alive I can feel Him all over me I can feel Him in my hands I can feel Him in my mind I can feel Him in my Heart I can feel Him all over me.”

Once we know God’s Perfect Plan, we will no longer seek God’s living things amongst the dead things. He’s alive!

Romans 10:13–15 NLT

13 For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? 15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”

In Order for the Perfect Plan to Continue, We Gotta Go!

Like I said in the beginning, today we celebrate the resurrection. Today God’s Perfect Plan has been completed! Or has it? God’s plan is that none perish. He sent Jesus because He doesn’t just love a few, He loves the whole world. It’s not enough to know about the Perfect Plan! It’s not enough to be saved by this Perfect Plan. No, no, no! We need to tell others about this plan. This plan that God carried out through Jesus! The plan that sin has been conquered and eternal live has been paid for. The plan that gives us the strength and courage to press forward with the power of the Holy Spirit. The plan to tell the whole world, Jesus is Alive! He is Risen! Let’s do this!!