From the Rising of the Sun

"From the rising of the sun to its going down the LORD'S name is to be praised" (Psalm 113:3). That command is what brings people together for worship early in the morning, at sunrise, every Easter. God would have it no other way.

But it is not just on Easter Sunday that we should be up early in the morning, getting the day started by reading the Word, praying, and worshiping the Lord. In fact, every day, all day, "from the rising of the sun to its going down," we are to praise the Lord!

What better time is there to praise the Lord than now? What better day is there to sing His praises "from the rising of the sun" than today? Every day we should come into His presence to give Him praise because of His great love for us—a love He proved by sending His Son to die in our place—a death which gave way to resurrection and victory.

First John 4 talks a great deal about love and how the love of God is manifested in us. Everything centers around the truth that "God is love" (v. 8b). His very nature and character is love. In Evidence for the Resurrection, Josh and Sean McDowell said, "God acts lovingly not because we are lovable or deserving of love, but simply because He is love. And the love of God consists not merely of warm feelings of affection or benevolent acts of kindness. His love is a real, active, tough love that wills the very best for us in all circumstances." (Josh and Sean McDowell, Evidence for the Resurrection, Regal, from Gospel Light, Ventura, California, 37)

Because of His great love for you, God sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross in your place and to rise again to give you life in His name. Jesus died and rose again that you might live through Him! John said, "In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him" (v. 9).

Jesus Christ is the perfect manifestation of God’s love. He is God’s "only begotten Son" (His unique Son) who came to earth from the glories of heaven, born in the flesh so that He might die and rise again, in order to manifest Himself "toward us," or literally, "in us" (NASB), by our faith. The whole purpose was to bring us back into fellowship with God, "so that we might live through Him," or by His power.

Living by His power means letting Jesus take the reigns and live in and through us. "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love" (1 John 4:7-8). Verse 15 adds, "Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God." When God abides in you, you in turn, by the power of Christ within you, show God’s love to others, especially to those of the faith.

Jesus died and rose again to pay the penalty for your sin. "In this is love" (v. 10a) refers to Christ’s death on the cross. There is no greater love. It was "not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (v. 10b). "Propitiation" is just a fancy word for atonement. The shed blood of Christ on the cross propitiated, appeased, or satisfied God's wrath toward our sins. Christ on the cross atoned for our sins.

Romans 3:23-26 explains: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." He "passed over" our sins.

Hebrews 2:17-18 clarifies: "Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted."

The bottom line, is that Christ died as a covering for sin—our sin. He died in our place as our substitute. He took our sin upon Himself, so that by faith in Him we would be forgiven and have new life in Him, a life that will be eternal. He knows everything we face. He will come to our aid whenever we need Him and He will see us through whatever we face.

Jesus died and rose again to perfect His love in us. Our response to God’s saving love is obvious: "Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another" (1 John 4:11). The point is, that since God in His mercy and grace, displayed His love in sending Christ, we should surely follow His example and love others with Christlike sacrificial love.

This is really just a restatement of John’s admonition: "By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren" (1 John 3:16). That is how Christ shows His love—through His people. His love is perfected in us and it works through us in the lives of others.

First John 4:12 tells us that "no one has seen God at any time" and Jesus is no longer physically present with us to manifest Him, therefore, no one will see God’s love unless "we love one another." That love proves that "God abides in us," and through those acts of love, "His love has been perfected in us." God reveals Himself through our love for one another.

Jesus died and rose again to be our Savior. "By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit" (v. 13). Jesus sent His Spirit to indwell all who believe in Him. The Holy Spirit who indwells us, in turn, assures us of our salvation. This is the reason Christ died in our place and rose again—to be our Savior. We are saved by faith in Christ and the Holy Spirit is our assurance.

John says plainly: "We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world" (v. 14). That is why Christ came—to save us. We could die because of our sin and spend eternity separated from God forever in eternal hell-fire, but we could not save ourselves. Only One who was perfect and without sin could do that. Enter Jesus. Perfect God and perfect Man. He died to save us from our sin as only He could. He came and died and rose again to be our Savior.

Trust Jesus. He died on the cross for you and He rose up from the grave for you. Saved by God’s grace alone, through your faith alone, put your trust in Him alone. Amen.