Risen! Ransomed!

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Scripture:

Psa. 49:1     Hear this, all you peoples;
        give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
Psa. 49:2     both low and high,
        rich and poor together.

Psa. 49:7     Truly, no ransom avails for one’s life,
        there is no price one can give to God for it.
Psa. 49:8     For the ransom of life is costly,
        and can never suffice
Psa. 49:9     that one should live on forever
        and never see the grave.

Psa. 49:15     But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol,
        for he will receive me.

Psa. 49:20     Mortals cannot abide in their pomp;
        they are like the animals that perish.

Observation:

This is the day in which we celebrate the resurrection of our dear Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!  He is Risen!  He is Risen, indeed! 

And yet, for whom does this day of celebration have meaning?  There are many in the world who simply don't get it.  Why?  Because they don't understand that they stand in need of being ransomed and that today is the day in which eternal life became available to each and every single one of us. 

The Psalmist understood the plight of the people.  There was no ransom available for them.  No matter how rich or now how famous, there is nothing that we can do to buy our way into heaven.  Why?  Because the cost of that ransom is far too high.  No human has the resources to pay for what is necessary for us to have eternal life.  Therefore there is no way that we can trust in ourselves to be saved.  And there is the struggle for so many who may even go to church today and shout, "He is Risen!"  For while they may say this with their lips, they may not be trusting in him with their hearts.

The Psalmist goes on to tell us where that ransom will come from;  "But God will ransom my soul."  Only God has the power to save us from our sins.  There is no one else!  Humans who think that they are something will realize that they are nothing in comparison with the risen Savior.

Application:

Therefore today and we celebrate the risen Savior.  Jesus is risen from the grave. 

He is Risen!  He is Risen, indeed! 

And from that very moment all of history is changed because resurrection power was revealed to the world.  Every single human being could be ransomed from the curse of sin and death. 

For those mortals hoping to "abide in their pomp" there will be a rude awakening.  We will never be  too good, too educated, or too sophisticated for Jesus.  Our human accomplishments are nothing in light of resurrection power.  Paul said, "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection." 

This is the goal of all of humanity -- to know Christ, and in knowing him to experience resurrection power.  We have been ransomed!  He has paid the ultimate price.  Today we celebrate.  He is Risen -- and I have been set free. 

Prayer:

Hallelujah.  Amen.

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