Experience God’s Peace With the

Hidden In My Heart Scripture Music Collection

Why Good Friday Would Be Incomplete Without Resurrection Sunday

Approaching Easter weekend, it’s easy to understand the critical importance of Good Friday. Without Jesus’ sacrificial death on our behalf, we would be without eternal hope, permanently separated from God. Romans 5:8 says, “But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” We can rejoice in the reality of Good Friday and our eternal hope only Christ could make possible.

But what about Resurrection Sunday? Our penalty for sin was paid on Calvary Hill, but that wasn’t the end of the story. When Jesus rose from the dead three days later, eternity shifted. Because Christ rose, our lives are powerfully changed.

Jesus’ Resurrection Reminds Us God is Sovereign and Fulfills His Plans

God doesn’t write partial stories. He doesn’t leave cliffhangers or unfinished narratives — not in our lives or throughout history. Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday bind up and confirm words spoken long before Jesus walked on earth. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 points to this fulfillment of God’s overarching plan, “Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.”

Christ’s death and resurrection are hinted at throughout the Old Testament, including words from the prophet Isaiah over 700 years before Jesus came to earth in Isaiah 53:8-10. Clearly, God never meant for Jesus to remain in the tomb — and He doesn’t desire death for us, either. Because Jesus fulfilled God’s entire plan of dying in our place and rising to new life, we can also trust God’s power and purpose in our lives. If we are in the messy middle ground of a circumstance and cannot see what is ahead, we can trust that God is writing a story for our good and His glory.

Listen to Plans I Have For You from Hidden In My Heart, Volume IV.

Jesus’ Resurrection Completed God’s Salvation Plan

What occurred three days after Jesus died is essential for our faith. Jesus was not only a martyr, accepting death for what He knew to be true, but a Messiah — a Savior. And salvation through Him required both His death and resurrection. The apostle Paul made this clear in 1 Corinthians 15:14, “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.” 

Because Jesus rose, we have access to new and abundant life. Death could not grip the Messiah. And because that Messiah lives inside of us, death has no hold on us, either. Though our bodies are temporary, our souls live forever, and because of Christ’s sacrifice, we can abide in His presence for eternity. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 offers this assurance:

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

We can fix our eyes and hope on what is eternal because Christ did not remain in the tomb but defeated death and made new, everlasting life accessible.

Listen to God So Loved from Hidden In My Heart, Volume III.

Jesus’ Resurrection Served as a Model and Proof of Our Future Hope

Consider if Christ had never risen from death. How difficult might it be to picture and believe in our future life and hope? It would be nonexistent. 1 Corinthians 15:20-22 says, “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.”

As we reflect on and celebrate Jesus’ resurrection, we have full assurance of our new reality in Christ. We are made alive! Jesus spoke these words in John 10:10: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” This promise would be challenging to believe from a man still in the tomb. Instead, we have full assurance, hope, and joy because Christ died in our place and defeated death by rising again to new life.

“…just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His.” Romans 6:4-5

Listen to He Is Risen from Hidden In My Heart, Volume III.

Experience God’s Peace With the

Hidden In My Heart Scripture Music Collection