Join us as we explore the miraculous story of the resurrection—a moment in history that transformed faith, offering hope and salvation. From the empty tomb to the joyous revelation of the risen Christ, our discussion illuminates the foundational beliefs of Christianity. Dive into a dialogue that not only celebrates Easter’s significance but also encourages believers to embrace the power of the resurrection in their daily lives.
SPEAKER 01 :
The Crawford Stand with the president of Crawford Media Group, Don Crawford. With Easter this weekend, Mr. Crawford tells the greatest story in history. And indeed, it is his story.
SPEAKER 02 :
Up the carpenter went to Jerusalem, knowing full well why. It was time, his time, the time, the eternal time as appointed when a world-changing event would happen. It was to be the end of his earthly journey. a time for the transition between the Jesus of history and the Christ of glory. There came that time in the Garden of Gethsemane where he went to pray, and he asked his disciples to participate, to watch with him, to stay awake with him. Not knowing the incredible events about to happen, they slept. But the Master, the Lord of Glory, prayed, communed with the Father, How wonderful the humanity of Jesus the Christ in Gethsemane. As man, he knew the incredible suffering and agony to come, the crucifixion which would happen. And he prayed to the Father, let this cup pass from me. Let there be another way to introduce your love and saving grace rather than crucifixion. But the answer was clear. The plan in place. There would be no change. But isn’t it wonderful? The humanity, the feelings, the emotions, the suffering of Jesus of Nazareth, just like us? Perhaps that was the greatest expression and revelation of the will of God at work. The plan of salvation would begin with him, Jesus, so that all men might know that he was indeed the Son of God. And so, in blessed surrender, the soon-to-be Christ of glory uttered this incredible prayer, Not my will, not my will, but thy will, thy will, Father, thy will be done. Not my will, but thy will be done. There’s no finer prayer from our Lord, and there can be none finer for us. Jesus of Nazareth loved Jerusalem as all Jews do. There stood the temple, the holiest place on earth to the Jews, the earthly abiding place of the Holy of Holies. It was ordained so by the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and it was the place, the center for the longing, the love, and the passion of all Jews. Jerusalem, the one and only Jerusalem. the city of David. Have you ever been there? If not, you must try to go. There’s no place on earth like it, none. Jesus of Nazareth poured out his love on the city and its people, so very special to him. He passionately lamented, passionately lamented how he would love to take the city and its people under his wing, to gather them together, and to show them what he firmly believed was the way, the truth, and the life. All new things, all new things. There would be from God through him a new creation possible. All things and people born again, a fresh and vital spirituality. But before these new gifts from God could become universal, a tragic and horrific event must occur, followed by the most miraculous and wonderful event in the history of mankind. He had dined in Jerusalem with his disciples, our Lord had, a loving last supper to commemorate the event to come, the celebration of his body and his blood. That communion of the disciples and the Lord, that spiritual fellowship celebrated vicariously with bread and wine, was perhaps the end event for them with him. but only the beginning of a lifelong celebration for us. Roman soldiers found him in Gethsemane, and there came the mockery of trial and interrogation before Pilate and Herod. The world knows of the hand-washing, the refusal to make the decision of death for a just and innocent man, and the offering to the people of a choice between Jesus of Nazareth and a convicted criminal. Wow. The crowd, of course, chose the criminal. And then came the walk to the cross, the Via Dolorosa, the way of sorrow still today commemorated in Jerusalem by the twelve stations of the cross. And when our Lord’s cross became too heavy to bear, another carried it for him. Crowds lined the way, watching and listening, some mocking, some wailing. or perhaps sensing this was no ordinary man, nor would there be any ordinary crucifixion. But none, none could know that the world would change in the next three days. And so, the cruelest and the most brutal death possible occurred for an innocent man, a public, horrific crucifixion. Roman soldiers nailed Jesus of Nazareth to that wooden cross. It seems ironic, indeed, does it not, that a man who lived and worked with wood died a brutal death on wood itself. He hung on that cross for hours, a criminal on each side. The sky grew dark, and it was as though the earth and all in it mourned. The Christ of glory hung in utter agony, and the horrific pain he experienced caused him to utter these unforgettable words, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why? so alone in utter agony, feeling even that the Father had forsaken him. Haven’t you been there? It is impossible to know how he felt, how awful that death must have been for him. But he was man. He was human, and we as humans like him can understand the cruelty of man and the suffering and the agony suffered in death by him, as many of us or our families have. He took on the suffering of mankind on that Golgotha Hill. So many who loved him watched, mourned, and prayed, never really knowing that this tragic crucifixion would turn into a glorious resurrection. world-changing resurrection. It seemed indeed that in that darkest moment, God himself had departed, forsaken, hidden his face. Perhaps it was, as some scholars think, that this holy God could not look upon the ultimate and tragic event as there were laid on him, on him, the sins of the world. On that cross, in the blood and tortured flesh of the body of the Son of God, in that death unto sin were, in fact, the sins of the world, all of them and all of ours. That final bloody act of remission and propitiation had to be finished. There had to be that tumultuous and cataclysmic collision of worlds when heaven and earth became one through him. For hours, for hours, he suffered in agony and pain. His precious body was exposed, mutilated, and mocked. He was crowned in the ultimate sarcasm with a crown of thorns to mock the claim of king of the Jews. Roman soldiers taunted him, challenging him to use his miraculous powers to come down from the cross. Come down, they said, laughing all the while. They cast lots for his garments and treated in cavalier style this world-changing event as ordinary. The crucifixion and death of yet another fanatic. Ah, that’s all it was. Yet another would-be Messiah, that’s all he was, because there were so many of them in that day, and perhaps even today. Never could these men know what would happen on the third day. And so he died, and as he was removed from the cross, there came, mercifully and lovingly, Joseph of Arimathea to claim the body, the body of our Lord. something which rarely happened in early Roman times, so that Jesus of Nazareth could be buried in his, in Joseph’s, very own tomb. And there Jesus lay, as all who knew him and loved him and followed and believed in him mourned and mourned. There was perhaps that day a sense of no hope, no hope. So tragic were the events that he could never, ever be replaced. Never. Like doubting Thomas, none really believed what would happen that third day. But on that third day, they hurried, they ran to the tomb, the women did. They were so anxious lovingly to attend to his body. Instead, they found in the tomb the angel of the Lord. The stone which had covered the tomb had been rolled back. The event was so terrifying, it overwhelmed the Roman guards. The women announced that they had come looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who had been crucified, buried, and laid in this tomb. And they demanded to know who took his body. Who took it? But the angel of the Lord said to them words which would change the world. He is not here. He is risen. He is not here. He’s not dead he is risen he is alive death as we know it had no power over him for millions that is impossible to believe but for us who do and especially those of us never having seen who do believe and even though we have never heard or been in his physical presence We still believe, and we who do believe the truth and reality of that resurrection are entitled to the power and the eternal victory over death, even as it was with Him. And as He returned to the Father, so shall we at our appointed time be with Him and the Father as well. The resurrection of Jesus Christ, it’s not a myth. It’s not symbolic. It is the most real event in all of history. The Apostle Paul states that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most fundamental event, the crux of Christianity. If, says Paul, there was no resurrection, then Christianity is a farce, and more importantly, our faith is in vain. If the resurrection was mere myth or symbolic and not real or actual or factual, not a real bodily resurrection, then our faith is in vain. In vain. In vain. but thank the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, as Paul did, that the resurrection was real. It endures with everlasting power, even now and for all eternity. Our faith is not in vain. The tomb was empty, and the empty lives of all mankind could now be filled with the power of this incredible resurrection. The words again which changed the world He is risen. He is risen. And then there came the resurrection witness. The resurrected and risen Christ was seen, heard, touched, and otherwise fully experienced as living once again. There were those who doubted, demanding proof. And they touched. They touched the nail-pierced hands and the side pierced with that Roman spear. And they said with the words of doubting Thomas, My Lord. and my God, my Lord and my God. Their eyes were opened and they recognized him. They fellowshiped with him and they ate with him. And he said to them, why are you disturbed and troubled? Why? Why do such doubts and questionings arise in your hearts? He told them to see his hands and feet and know that it is I myself. It’s me. I’m the one. No mere spirit, he said. No mere spirit has flesh and bones as I have. And his disciples were filled with sheer joy and marvel. Their minds were opened to understand him and the scriptures. And now, said the resurrected Christ, you are witnesses of these things. You’re witnesses. So go and preach and tell this wonderful event and our message of hope to all nations. And he blessed them And he sent them. Go ye, he said, go ye, as he says to us, go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every man, to the Jew first, but then to the Gentiles, to all mankind. The saving power of the resurrection was for everyone. So many of us doubt in some ways even today. We see through a glass darkly, said Paul, and perhaps that is our human predicament. Our understanding of these things is limited, human, here and now. But someday, hereafter, we will know. We will really know when we see him face to face. Then… We will really know. And so Paul goes on to say that blessed are those who have never seen, as the disciples did, and yet believe. That would be us, would it not? There is nothing in this world like this belief, the outpouring of the saving grace of the resurrection. The power of life and life eternal through him is the most powerful force on earth. It comes by acceptance and an open heart. The outpouring of this transforming love in Christ. It has been my blessing. I have received it, and I hope and pray that you have had such an encounter with the living Christ, that you have experienced the forgiveness of the cross, and that you have accepted and believed in the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. That’s what Easter means. That’s what Easter’s all about. It is life anew, born again, a decision to encounter this Lord is the most important decision any person can make. It changes life here, and it creates life hereafter. It allows the unfolding of the kingdom of God now and fellowship in that kingdom for eternity. We become one with Him, one with Him, now and then forevermore. And so, we who believe sing on Easter Sunday and, in fact, all year long, Christ the Lord is risen today. Can’t you hear it? Christ the Lord is risen today. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Let the heavens and the earth sing with joy and praise and fill the mind and heart with the power and love of the resurrection. May the meaning of Easter be with you always, and firmly fasten in your mind the words of the angel, the messenger of God, who stated to those women so many years ago, and consequently to all mankind, He is not here. He is risen. Christ the Lord is in fact risen, and our faith is not only not in vain, but the greatest thing in life. And as he was with them in those days following his resurrection, so he will be with us. His words to that effect are unforgettable. Hear me, he said, hear me. I am with you always, even unto the ends of the earth. I am with you always.
SPEAKER 01 :
Christ is risen. Hallelujah. Have you sent your Easter greeting to Mr. Crawford? You still have time, and it’s easy. His email address is stand at Crawford Media Group dot net. When you send your greeting to Mr. Crawford, be sure to tell him on what station you hear the stand. The email address again is stand at Crawford Media Group dot net. When you want to review what you hear, go to our website, Crawford Media Group dot net. The Crawford Stand is a public affairs presentation of Crawford Media Group and this station, serving God and country. I’m Bill McCormick.
