He is Risen

Jesus started His ministry preaching, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 4:17). In His birth, life and ministry the reign of God had truly arrived on earth in fulfillment of God’s work and many promises in the Old Testament. Not just the kingdom of Israel restored, but the kingdom of heaven arriving in Israel in the person of Jesus, the Messiah (King). The work of the Messiah, it turned out, was not to conquer Rome and re-establish the glory of Israel. Rather, it was to suffer and die for the sins of all people and to rise again, victorious over sin and death forever. In the resurrection of Jesus we see three world-changing results for all who believe in Him: 1) have become a new creation; 2) have a new confidence and; 3) have a new commission.