THE POWER OF RESURRECTION FACTUAL POWER Mt 28:5,6 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus. which was crucified. He is not here: for He is risen. as He said. Come see the place where the Lord lay. It is a generally accepted fact by the so-called “Christian” nations today that Jesus Christ did indeed raise from the dead. Back then, most doubted it, including the church folk. God had the angel here make sure that the church got the news about the risen Saviour. It was paramount that that one church had it clearly understood that He was alive! 1 Cor 15:1-8 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. The beautiful Gospel message is clearly shown in this passage. Key to this message is that Jesus Christ “rose again the third day according to the scriptures”. His resurrection is the central theme to our faith. Without the resurrection, we Christians “are most miserable”. We are no better than followers of Buddha, Muhommed, or Confuscious. Our God is dead. But, according to 1Co 15, we see that He ‘was seen’ of many people, even over 500 at one time. God made sure that there were enough eye witnesses to keep the truth of His resurrection going on…and it still goes on today, Praise the Lord! EXCEEDING POWER Eph 1:19-20 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, To bring a dead person back to life again surely takes ‘exceeding’ power to do. There isn’t anything much more impressive than that. When Jesus Christ commanded that “Lazarus, come forth”, there was great power displayed. In fact, so powerful are the words of Jesus Christ, that if He had not stated “Lazarus”, that probably all the dead on Earth would have ‘came forth’! This is the same power that will occur when the Rapture takes place and the dead come forth out of the graves, and the living mortals are changed into immortality. What a display of exceeding mighty power! SPIRIT POWER Rom 8:10-13 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. We just don’t understand how powerful the Holy Spirit of God is. He was the One responsible for raising up Christ from the dead. And He will be the One who will “quicken your mortal bodies” from the dead. “Quicken” means to ‘make alive’…(not a computer tax program). To change a mortal body into immortal. This must be a rather impressive change indeed. What will actually change? Very complex I’m sure. Without the Spirit, there is no quickening…no resurrection. Do you have the Spirit of God dwelling in you?! JESUS’ POWER Rom 1:3-4 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: The resurrection “declared” Jesus as the Son of God, in a very powerful way. The Roman Centurian cried ‘surely this man was the Son of God!’; He said this even before the resurrection. If folks didn’t believe He was the Son of God yet, the resurrection should no doubt push them over the edge into a profoundly sure belief. Interestingly, the church folk, disciples, basically didn’t believe/understand that Christ would resurrect. They finally believed it when they saw Him. We are the more blessed who believe, yet having not seen Him. John 10:18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. Jesus Christ wasn’t “murdered”; He didn’t die by “accident” (oops); He didn’t ‘lose the battle with the Devil’; no, He had full power over whether He would die, and His raising up again from the dead. He was fully in control all the way through the crucifixion, and even after His body died. He relied on the Holy Spirit of God’s power (just as we should). At any time He could have called 12 legions of angels to ‘save Him’…but He chose to obey His Father. HELL POWER Rev 1:18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. Jesus Christ didn’t ‘suffer in Hell’ after His death. He was victorious over death, Hell, and the Devil! Not in regards to Himself (for He is God), but in regards to the condemnation that is placed upon all of mankind: eternal damnation in Hellfire! He has the key to letting anyone out of the prison of Hell (in type). What else could have the power enough to deliver/save all of mankind from a sure destiny in Hell?! Only Jesus Christ! HEAVENLY HOPE POWER 1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, This resurrection power is based in “mercy”. We don’t deserve it. Because of it we have a “lively hope”: a real hope (not a hope so hope) that we will live forever with Christ. Others have a ‘deadly hope’: really this is ‘no hope’ at all. The religious world has a ‘false hope’. We have a sure hope, Praise the Lord! 2 Cor 4:14 Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you. You need to ‘know’ this fact of the resurrection. The same power will be given to raise us up also. 1 Thess 4:13-18 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. Let’s not be “ignorant” about this powerful heavenly hope. If you believe in the resurrection, then you have this hope. The Rapture will display the resurrection very powerfully: the saved dead’s bodies rising out of the graves, etc, and being reunited with their souls, and then those saints that are alive will have their mortal bodies changed in an instant to immortal! What power! What hope! Oh take “comfort” in this brethren. Don’t be ignorant in this. 2 Cor 1:10 Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us; Oh what power to deliver “us from so great a death” as everlasting torment in Hell! We need to “trust that He will yet deliver us”! We have a sure heavenly hope in the power of the resurrection! Praise the Lord! BAPTISMAL POWER Rom 6:3-14 3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Water baptism pictures the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Don’t you know this? The power in Jesus Christ’s resurrection is the same power that we have to be ‘raised up’ to walk a new life: a godly lifestyle! 5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: The picture is the same: dying to a sinful life, and now living anew to a godly life. 6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. 7 For he that is dead is freed from sin. 8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: 9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. 10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. 11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Death hath no more dominion over you because of His death; likewise you can live for Jesus Christ because He ever liveth. 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. His resurrection has purchased you power for sin not having dominion over you anymore. Are you aware of this power? Do you use it? Specifically, this power is given to us in the form of the Holy Spirit of God dwelling in us. So, “let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof”! 2 Cor 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. Rom 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Eph 5:8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: Rom 13:12-14 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. Eph 4:22-24 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Rom 6:19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. Col 3:1-2 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. CONCLUSION John 11:25-26 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? Do you believe this? Do you believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ? Do believe that He holds the power to resurrect you someday? This power is an exceeding mighty power! This power is given to us by the Holy Spirit! This power gives us power over death, Hell, and the Devil! This power gives us a sure heavenly hope! This power gives us power to not let sin have dominion over us anymore, but to live a new godly life! Pastor David Warner Faithful Baptist Church Omak,Washington
Posted on: Sun, 19 Oct 2014 07:55:08 +0000
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