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This Sunday is Easter Sunday. Two thousand years ago, some women got up before dawn to go to the tomb to put spices on the body of Jesus. But little did they know that the world had changed. Jesus was alive. The resurrection changes everything.

The resurrection changes you, me, and the basis for our faith. It gives us a renewed desire to go and serve and live for God, and it gives us eternal hope now and forever. The resurrection changes everything.

The beginning of 1 Corinthians 15 says, “For what I received I passed on to you, as of first importance, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James. Then to all the apostles, and last of all, he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.” Paul speaks of the change in his life from that violent Pharisee wanting to destroy the church to a man who lives because Jesus lives, who has a hope because Jesus is alive.

The resurrection changes everything. It changes how we go about our daily life. No longer do we conform to the patterns of this world; instead, we keep our eyes on Jesus, and we choose to worship the risen Lord Jesus in what we say, think, and do.

The resurrection changes everything.

1 Peter chapter 1. Here we read Peter saying, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Why? “In his great mercy he has given us…” – given us what? – “new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power, until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.”

We offer praise and thanks to God, because he has given us new life, because Jesus is alive, and therefore we have a guarantee and inheritance that we will one day spend eternity with God. This changes how we go about our lives today. We as people of hope, sharing hope with others. We can face trials and difficulties, knowing that they do not win, they do not have the last word, because Jesus is alive.

The resurrection changes everything. In 2 Corinthians 5, we read that we are new creations in Christ. “So from now on,” Paul says, “we regard no one from a worldly point of view, though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come.” Now, we are living examples of the resurrection hope that Jesus wants to give to the world. We are recipients of this, and we are now agents of this as we declare to the world that Jesus is alive, that this creation will be renewed.

The resurrection changes everything.

That first Easter morning, those women went to the tomb. They expected to put spices on the body. They expected to find Jesus dead. Their world was turned upside down, inside out, because the tomb was empty. Jesus is alive. The resurrection changes everything.

視頻大意翻譯 (video Chinese translation):

這星期日是復活節主日。兩千年前，幾位婦女黎明前去到墓穴要在耶穌的身上放放香料，但他們幾乎不知道這世界已經發生了變化。耶穌還活著。復活改變了一切。

復活改變了你、我和我們信仰的基礎。它給了我們一個新的願望，去服事上帝，為上帝而活，它給了我們現在和永遠永恆的希望。復活改變了一切。

哥林多前書 15 章的開頭說：

“我當日所領受又傳給你們的、第一、就是基督照聖經所說、為我們的罪死了．而且埋葬了．又照聖經所說、第三天復活了．並且顯給磯法看．然後顯給十二使徒看．後來一時顯給五百多弟兄看、其中一大半到如今還在、卻也有已經睡了的．以後顯給雅各看．再顯給眾使徒看．末了也顯給我看．我如同未到產期而生的人一般。”

保羅談到他生命中的變化，從那個想要摧毀教會暴力的法利賽人，到一個因為耶穌活著而活著的人，一個因為耶穌活著有盼望的人。

復活改變了一切。它改變了我們的日常生活方式。我們不再遵守這個世界的模式; 相反地，我們把目光放在耶穌身上，我們選擇用我們的言行來敬拜復活的主耶穌。

復活改變了一切。

彼得前書第1章。在這裡，我們讀到彼得說：

”願頌讚歸與我們主耶穌基督的父　神。他曾照自己的大憐憫、藉耶穌基督從死裏復活、重生了我們、叫我們有活潑的盼望….”為什麼？“他給了我們什麼？– “可以得着不能朽壞、不能玷污、不能衰殘、為你們存留在天上的基業。你們這因信蒙　神能力保守的人、必能得着所預備、到末世要顯現的救恩。”

我們讚美和感謝神，因為他給了我們新的生命，因為耶穌活著，因此我們有保證和遺產，有一天我們會與神共度永恆。這改變了我們今天的生活方式。我們是充滿盼望的人，與他人分享盼望。我們可以面對考驗和困難，知道它們不會勝利，它們沒有最後的決定權，因為耶穌活著。

復活改變了一切。在哥林多後書5章中，我們讀到我們在基督里是新造的人。 “所以從現在開始，”保羅說，“雖然憑着外貌認過基督、如今卻不再這樣認他了。若有人在基督裏、他就是新造的人．舊事已過、都變成新的了。”現在，我們是耶穌想要給世人復活盼望活生生的例子。我們是這個希望的接受者，是這個希望的代理人，因為我們向世界宣告耶穌還活著，這個創造將得到更新。

復活改變了一切。

第一個復活節的早晨，那些婦女去了墳墓。他們希望在耶穌身上塗上香料。他們以為耶穌死了。他們的世界被顛倒了，從上到下、從裡到外，因為墳墓是空的。耶穌還活著。復活改變了一切。 

讓我們禱告。

主神啊，我們感謝你。我們感謝你，因耶穌還活著。我們感謝你，因我們有一個永恆的盼望。我們感謝你，主啊，這個世界雖然敗壞了，但會因你而更新，因為，復活改變了一切。我們感謝祢，我們能夠參與你們在這個破碎的世界裡所做的事，作為你新的創造，因為你改變了我們，因為復活改變了一切。主啊，我們求祢賜給我們聖靈、力量、勇氣和信心，讓我們堅持不懈，繼續前進，向這個世界宣告貫穿整個歷史和永恆的偉大真理：耶穌為我們的罪而死。他被埋葬了，第三天他從死裡復活了。哈利路亞主啊，我們讚美你。主啊，我們奉我們復活的主耶穌基督的榮耀之名祈求這一切。阿門。

要受鼓勵，得祝福。耶穌還活著，他可以透過你和在你裡面的工作，為他帶來榮耀。主祝福你。謝謝。