The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ must be looked upon as a singular event. The Death of Jesus Christ on Calvary would have no meaning if it was not followed by the resurrection three days later.

      But the resurrection would lose all meaning if it were not for the crucifixion. The story of the resurrection is not simply about Jesus Christ rising from the dead. The crucifixion of Jesus Christ is what made the resurrection so important. The crucifixion is the story of the sacrifice and the atoning blood that was offered on the altar of Calvary. For four thousand years from Adam to the very hour in which Christ offered himself up, the only way to approach God was through the temple, the priests and the rituals of the religious law. But then Christ came, in fulfillment of the promise to Israel. Christ entered the temple ONCE and bought redemption with his blood forever.

      “But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God.” Heb. 10:12.

      The crucifixion is the story of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ to fulfill the promise made to our fathers. Heb 15:8. The crucifixion proved that God keeps his covenants to Israel.

      “But when the fullness of the times was come. God sent forth his Son, made of a women, made under the law. To redeem them that were under the law, (Israel) that we might receive the adoption of sons.” Gal 4:4-5.

      The resurrection was not just about a man who rose from the dead, but it was THE MAN, the God Man, whose earthly genealogy is traced through Israel and therefore establishing legal right to pay the price of redemption as the kinsmen redeemer of Israel.

      The Resurrection of Jesus Christ brought three great blessings to Israel.

      #1 The resurrection bought salvation for our soul.

      #2 The resurrection brings peace and comfort to the believer.

      #3 The resurrection brought national liberty.

      Of course it would be impossible to fully examine each of these in the few short minutes we have. In fact thousands of books have been written and thousands of words have been spoken and the mystery still stands before us.

      We are left with the perplexing question WHY? Why did God have mercy upon us?

      The mystery and power of the resurrection is that Jesus bodily rose from the grave!

      He told Thomas to feel the scars in his hands.

      It was his body - not a spirit, not a replacement not a duplicate or a clone. It was His own body which rose from the dead!

      Let us now examine the first blessing which came about as a result of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

      From the beginning of time, our forefathers knew that a messiah would come and redeem them.

      In the book of Daniel, 500 years before Christ, we can read the story of how Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were thrown into the fiery furnace. They were faithful to the Lord and would not worship the golden image that the king had set up. The interesting part of this story is that 500 years before the birth of Jesus Christ, when old king Nebuchadnezzar looked into the fire he said, “Did we not cast three men into the fire, Lo I see four men walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”

      In fact, seventeen hundred years before the birth of Jesus Christ, the Bible records Job saying, “I know my redeemer liveth and he shall stand in the latter day upon the earth.”

      Isaiah wrote in chapter 7vs14 “Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Immanuel.”

      Every sacrifice laid upon the altar from Adam until the cross was done so in anticipation of the blood of Jesus Christ.

      Did these sacrifices take away their sin?

      No! They only pointed the way to the Cross. They could never find forgiveness of their sins by keeping a ritual.

      “For it is not possible for that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sin.” Heb 10:4. Also Heb 9:8-12.

      In other words, the Bible states that the sacrifices were useless. It was only by grace through which they could obtain forgiveness. “For I desired mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.” Hos 6:6.

      The crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ bought our salvation. We could not earn it by living a good life, keeping religious rituals or sacrificing even a herd of sheep.

      Salvation comes through the unmerited grace of Jesus Christ.

      “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” I John 1:9.

      “For by grace are ye saved through faith, and not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Eph 2:8-9 His death and resurrection was a fulfillment of the covenant God made with our Israel forefathers.

      Heb 15:8 Says that Christ came “to fulfill the promises made unto the fathers.” See also Isaiah 9:6, Matt 1:23.

      Luke 1:68 says “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for he has visited and redeemed His people.”

      The resurrection secured our salvation!

      #2 The resurrection brings peace and comfort to the believer.

      The Christian has hope in this life that passes all the understanding of mortal man. Nothing can reveal the inner contentment of an individual than to look at the songs he sings. For generations upon generations Christian have written songs of joy and comfort. There is not another religion that can make such a claim. Over the years there has been so many songs of faith written that it would take the rest of our lives to name them and sing them all. We sing songs of his birth, songs of his life, songs of his death, songs of his resurrection, songs of His blessing, songs of his love, and songs of his peace. There is hardly a spot in our white Christian Israel nations where a person can not find a Christian radio station. Christians can not sing enough to satisfy their desire to praise God.

      Christian men, women and children gather together in worship, not in fear of punishment for making God angry, but for no other reason than to recite scripture, hear words of faith from the pastor and to praise Jesus Christ.

      Songs of praise fill the lips of God’s people like no other. How Great Thou Art, What a Friend we Have in Jesus, Amazing Grace, In the Garden, The Lighthouse, There is Power in the Blood, The Old Rugged Cross, When I Survey the Wondrous Cross, Higher Ground, He Touched Me, Just As I Am, Blessed Assurance, Ivory Palaces, Throw Out the Lifeline, and Faith of our Fathers are but a tiny example of the multitude of songs of our faith.

      The resurrection gave peace to our soul!

      #3 The resurrection brings freedom to our lives.

      Our national freedom the very concept of SELF GOVERNMENT is a result of the resurrection.

      The very existence of our civil liberties are directly related to the fact that our founding fathers recognized our rights of free speech, freedom to assemble, freedom of the press, freedom for self protection, freedom of religion and free enterprise are given from God.

      Not only were they God Given, but they were secured through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is the very reason why these concepts of self-government sprang forth from the people of Europe. They are the children of the Covenant.

      Through the resurrection and the preaching of the Gospel God’s people (Israel) understood that no authority stand between God and man.

      We do not bow before any man, whether he be a government leader or an ecclesiastical leader. There is no king but King Jesus!

      In the Old Testament our forefathers were under the law of religious ritual. Man had to approach God through the ritual of sacrifice, temple worship, priests, feast days, and high holy days. Man was surrounded by the ritual of the ecclesiastical law. These religious laws and rituals were THE DOOR Israel went through to approach God.

      But with the coming of Jesus Christ - HE became THE DOOR. We could approach God directly through Jesus Christ. That is the great symbolism of the renting of the temple curtain at his crucifixion.

      No King or priest stood between us an God. The understanding of this concept became the basis for our Constitutionally protected rights of free speech, free press, freedom to worship God and free enterprises. They gave us a government ruled by the people who had but one higher authority - Jesus Christ!

      The resurrection of Jesus Christ gave salvation to our souls, peace to our lives and liberty for our nation.

      What other people have a God that can be likened to our God!

     “Lord God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants,” I Kings 8:23