This morning’s text is found in Hosea 6:1+2, "Come, let us return to the Lord. For He has torn us, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bandage us. "He will revive us after two days; He will raise us up on the third day That we may live before Him. 
	On this, the day we traditionally celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, it is very appropriate to consider one of the prophecies made concerning that glorious triumph. The prophet Hosea was addressing the Children of Israel, in speaking the word given to Him by God. He was telling them of the great Love of God to His people, despite their wantonness before Him. 
In everything detailed, the Love of Jehovah was at the core and in the fore-front of what the Heart of The Lord held in dealing with His chosen people. Even in their despicable and vile adultery against God, He loved them and made a way of forgiveness and salvation for them, for us.
	This is what we have received in our Lord Jesus Christ. Even while we were yet lost in our sin and trespasses, Jesus paid the price to bring us into His righteousness - His right-standing before God. Rom 5:8, But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 
Not just that, but in all the Omnipotent power of God, Christ not only died for us, but He raised us up with Him in His resurrection. Eph 2:5+6 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus… 

	Here is the key to this day that we celebrate. Many are those who bemoan the death of Christ on the Cross. It is true. It was the tragedy of immense and epic proportion in that this world put to death the perfect Son of God. Jesus of Nazareth, the pure and true Light of the world, the Word of God made flesh, was deliberately and violently crucified by the power of this realm in an overt effort to eliminate The Light of God from illuminating this world’s darkness. 
Rather than to seek after God because of the true testimony of Christ, the power of this age sought to exterminate the source of the perfect expression of the purity of God. Jesus was nailed to that cross with all the malicious hatred and animosity that could be mustered against Him by this foul realm. He was mocked, dishonored, tormented, abused, spat upon, and ridiculed to His last breath. 
Then, to be certain of His exile from life, a huge stone was planted at the entrance of the sepulcher of His entombment, as the last means against any possibility of the hindrance of this hatred. The minions of this sinister age did everything possible to ensure that Jesus of Nazareth would no longer shine forth in the brilliance of the Love of God.
	It was for this defiled world that the Son of God gave up His position, took upon Himself the flesh of humanity, in His birth to a virgin. He lived that absolutely perfect life in the very midst of all the filth and the sin and the defilement of this fallen and debased world. John 1:14, And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.  
He came into the world for the expressed purpose of loving the world unto the Father. He is the sole means through Whom those, who receive Him into their hearts, will be given free access into the very family of God. 
It matters not what has gone before. It matters not the depth of the depravity and sin in which we once wallowed. It was, after all, our sin that placed the burden on the Love of God to make the way of provision to redeem us from our death in iniquity and trespasses. His so great and awesome Love gave us the only avenue of life. It is that true life in Christ that we are celebrating today.
	Without the cross, vile and despicable as that was, without the death of our Savior, Our Lord Jesus Christ, on that cross, there would be no resurrection life today. He suffered greatly in our stead. Oh the depths of what He had to endure are vastly beyond our so limited human comprehension. But, He willingly bore all of it for us, that in Him, we would receive eternal life. 
The world did its utmost to keep Him in that grave. For two days, all the powers of the netherworld were arrayed in the task of preventing that which was foretold, even in our Hosea passage. 
Why was there such vicious ferocity in that effort? Because, when Christ arose, and praise God He arose in such glory and power, when He arose, He did not just wrench Himself from the steely grasp of death, but He brought forth all those, past, present and future, whose hearts would respond to God! 
His sacrifice was so powerful, so satisfying to the just requirements of the Law that it worked on our behalf, even while we were still dead in our sins and trespasses. God, the Father, so loved us, that He made the provision to redeem us. Christ, the Son, so loved us that He took us into His death and raised us victoriously in His resurrection to the glory of God the Father. God, the Holy Spirit, so loves us that He indwells us, and works on a moment by moment basis to show forth the vitality and truth of that resurrection power of Jesus Christ. The full Omnipotence of the Triune God is on triumphant display in that glorious, miraculous, amazing, awesome resurrection of Jesus Christ!
	It completely shattered every effort of the enemy! It laid to waste every weapon in the arsenal of the vanquished foe! Jesus Christ could not be kept in death! His victory brought forth the words of Hosea in His life ...in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. 
It is in His sight that we now live. It has nothing to do with anything that we tried to earn, or hopes to accomplish. It is nothing based in any value in us. It is fully and solely set upon the Lord Jesus Christ, in the grace and the mercy of God. In that wonderful heart of God, opened unto us, we have eternal life, abundantly and freely. 
	How do we live that life? That is the course of our walk on this earth. We live by Jesus Christ! Our lives are no longer our own to do as we please. We belong to Him to do as He desires. Our life is before Him and before Him alone.
We learn this as we are guided by the Holy Spirit, Who brings to reality and vibrancy the Word of God. The whole of scripture, New and Old Testaments, are the story of God’s dealing through the Son, the Glory of Jesus Christ. It is His story! 
The plight of man is highlighted in separation from God. The Glory of God is victoriously evidenced in the Person of Jesus Christ. Ultimately the majesty of Christ is seen in the Church as we respond to that great love of God.
	We are the called of God. We are the partakers of the great and glorious plan of God to show forth grace and mercy and truth to a realm which is lost in sin and depravity. 
Death reigned in the darkness of the power of this age. Life now reigns in the redeemed Body of Our Lord. Christ, our precious Lord Jesus Christ, came as the Light of God and showed us the way, the only way! He manifests in Himself the Truth that God so loved us that He gave His only begotten Son to recover that which was lost. He paid the full price on our behalf, and brought us, through death, into the life of His resurrection! 
	Let us praise God for the great Love with which He loved us! Let us glorify our Lord for the manifest grace and mercy which He is to us! And, let us glorify the Holy Spirit in the life that we now live in Him. Our lives must show forth the glory of God by Whom we now live obediently on this earth. 
It is Christ Whom we celebrate today and forevermore! It is the Father, to Whom we owe our beings! And, it is the Holy Spirit, by Whom we live each day in our the sojourn through this earthly realm!
Glorify God today and every day! Let our lives manifest the great Love of God to all with whom we have dealings, and let us never take the resurrection power of Jesus Christ for granted! It is the very life that we live now and evermore! So be it. 
	"Come, let us return to the Lord. For He has torn us, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bandage us. "He will revive us after two days; He will raise us up on the third day That we may live before Him. Amen

Women’s Meeting on Wednesday
Prayer Meeting on Zoom Wednesday Night

Other Announcements
Birthdays:	
Tomorrow - 	Sky Johnson
Friday -		Pam Vaccaro
Saturday -		Alexandra Ferrante
Next Sunday -	Caleb Kling

Anniversaries: 	
Thursday -		Phil and Stephanie Brock
Next Monday -	Anthony and Haley Lindsey		
	This morning’s benediction is Jer 1:8. "Do not be afraid of them, For I am with you to deliver you," declares the Lord. Amen.