J.R. Miller - Rejoice In The Lord

“Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.” John 20:20

Christ’s death had caused them great sorrow; to have Him back again from death gave them unspeakable joy. Indeed there never would have been any Christian joy if Jesus had not risen from the dead. It was necessary that He should die for our sins; but if He had died and remained in the grave, no benefit could come to us from His dying.

A dead mother cannot do anything for her children; nor could a dead Saviour have helped those who trusted in Him. We need a living Saviour, to whose feet we can creep with our penitence when we have sinned, and in whose hands we can be kept safe until we reach glory.
We need a living Friend, who will bless us by His rich love; whose strong arm will hold us up in weakness, and defend us in temptation; whose presence will restrain us from sin, and inspire in us all good thoughts and holy desires and aspirations. We want a living Comforter, who will stand for us in heaven and plead our cause there, and stand by us on earth in all our imperilled life.
We want a living personal Caretaker, who will look after all our interests, plan for our lives, order our steps, and provide for all our wants. We want a Prince who has won for us the battle over death and the grave, and is able therefore to bring us also from under the power of death.

No wonder, then, that the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord, when they had Him back again from the dead. We should be glad, too, and rejoice in the glorious truth of Christ’s resurection. We have a living Saviour. We have one in heaven who loves us. Our Redeemer holds the keys of death. No dark grave can hold us or any of ours who sleep in Jesus. We can enjoy as real communion with Jesus as did His disciples, because He lives and is one with us.

Source : Come Ye Apart - J.R. Miller, D.D. (Vol 4)

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