He is Risen!

Romans 4:25 " Who (Jesus) was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification."
The Bible tells us that Jesus was delivered up for our sins and raised from the dead for our justification. You may already know why Jesus died for our sins, but do you know the significance of God raising Him from the dead? I'll try to give you an illustration.
Let's say that you are living in a foreign country. One day, you happen to break a major rule or law of the land. You appeal to the king of that country for mercy..but he tells you that a rule is a rule and he can not bend the rules for you. He goes on to tell you that if you can find a substitute to take your punishment (which let's say is 3 months in prison), he will allow it. Amazingly, you find a willing substitute. He goes to prison on your behalf and you don't see him for some time. Days, weeks and eventually months go by.
Now, how or when will you know that your crime has been fully paid for? When will you be able to rest easy regarding your crime? It's when you see your substitute walking free again! When you see him out of prison, you will know that your sentence has been fully served! You will know that you are now justified and no one can bring a charge against you for an old crime. You will no longer have to be afraid that the king or his guards will come after you, because you know that the one who was punished for you, is now walking free.
Beloved, Jesus was your substitute. He paid the debt that you could not pay. On the cross, He bore the sins of your entire life. God allowed our substitute (Jesus) to serve our term..to take our punishment..and when it was finished, and our substitute had actually died, our precious Father raised Him from the dead!
Today, Jesus' tomb is empty! He is not there..because He is risen! When we believe, an exchange takes place. We give Christ our sins, and He gives us His goodness and forgiveness. There is nothing we can do to earn this. His resurrection and empty tomb will always be our assurance that we have been justified. No longer do we have to fear..We are now free to love, honor and serve the One who was our substitute.