I. To live by the doctrine of Easter is to make that foresight of another world the standard by which we measure this world. Think of all pleasures, of all solicitations, of all pursuits as you will think of them then. A few years more, and how utterly indifferent you will be to the chief enjoyments of this world! You will be standing in the presence of Christ: how little you will care how successful you may have been, how rich you may have been, how admired, how delighted with abundance of applause! How absolutely nothing will seem the most important concerns of this life! But will all that has happened here seem nothing? No, indeed; Christ will remind us of the work which He gave us to do. A new mode of measuring all things shall then be taught us. A new balance shall be put into our hands. Nay, it is put into our hands now if we will but use it; but then we shall have no other. To live by the memory of the Resurrection is to begin at once to use this new estimate; to begin at once to declare ourselves soldiers of Christ, of Christ our conquering Captain, who shall lead us at last into the kingdom of light, and enable us to overcome whatever bars our passage.
II. Once more, to live by the doctrine of Easter is to have done with cowardice and half-heartedness. We make our victory a great deal more difficult than it ought to be by our want of courage. We shall meet with many failures between this and the grave, but we shall meet with fewer failures in proportion to our courage, for this kind of courage is but another form of faith, and faith can work any miracle whatever.
III. Lastly, to live by the doctrine of Easter is to fill your service with happiness. We often make our duties harder by thinking them hard. Cheerfulness in the service of Christ is one of the first requisites to make that service Christian.
Bishop Temple, Rugby Sermons,p. 14.
References: Romans 8:38; Romans 8:39. Preacher's Monthly,vol. iv., p. 9; A. Maclaren, The Secret of Power,p. 145; M. Rainsford, No Condemnation,pp. 256-63.Romans 9:3. Homilist,3rd series, vol. iii., p. 331; Church of England Pulpit,vol. xxi., p. 109.