I trust you had a great Easter weekend. Although PASSION WEEK is technically over, I will continue to teach on The Road to the Resurrection today with a message about the importance of the Resurrection of Jesus.
In our last message, we saw how Jesus gave up the ghost. No one took His life. He willingly died for us. While that’s good news, the greater news is that Jesus did not stay dead. Early that following Sunday morning the Father raised Jesus from the dead with all power in His hands.
Jesus was resurrected from the dead and all those who are in Christ will experience the same thing. This is what Easter Sunday was all about. I am not against children having fun with bunny rabbits and colorful eggs. I let my kids do it. But I am against us failing to teach them the true meaning of Easter. Easter Sunday is about the resurrection of our Lord. The significance of the resurrection cannot be overstated. The Apostle Paul taught on the significance in his first letter to the believers in Corinth. Let’s see how he put it:
(1 Cor 15:12-22 The Passion Translation)
“The message we preach is Christ, who has been raised from the dead. So how could any of you possibly say there is no resurrection of the dead? For if there is no such thing as a resurrection from the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, all of our preaching has been for nothing and your faith is useless. Moreover, if the dead are not raised, that would mean that we are false witnesses who are misrepresenting God. And that would mean that we have preached a lie, stating that God raised him from the dead, if in reality he didn’t.
If the dead aren’t raised up, that would mean that Christ has not been raised up either. And if Christ is not alive, you are still lost in your sins and your faith is a fantasy. It would also mean that those believers in Christ who have passed away have simply perished. If the only benefit of our hope in Christ is limited to this life on earth, we deserve to be pitied more than all others! But the truth is, Christ is risen from the dead, as the first-fruit of a great resurrection harvest of those who have died. For since death came through a man, Adam, it is fitting that the resurrection of the dead has also come through a man, Christ. Even as all who are in Adam die, so also all who are in Christ will be made alive.”
So what does this mean for you today? A few things.
1. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the most important event in history.
a) The Bible teaches us that all men die in Adam. You were born in sin, because you were born with the legacy and inheritance of Adam. But just like all men die in Adam, all men have been made alive in Christ. You may have been born in sin, but you can be Born-Again. Once you are Born-Again you are forgiven of sin and delivered from the power of death.
b) The Apostle Paul said that if the resurrection of Jesus is a lie, then we have all been deceived and we have no hope. But it is NOT a lie. Jesus was raised from the dead and all of us who are in Christ will experience the same. This is the gospel! This is the Good News! This is what we preach to everyone everywhere! The Father raised Jesus from the dead, so death no longer has any power over us. When we receive Jesus we die in Him and that is all the dying we are going to do. Now, when we die physically, we do not die spiritually. Our spirit-man lives on forever with Christ. This means that you don’t just have hope for this world. You also have hope for the world to come! You have this hope because of the resurrection!
c) No other world religion touts a living Savior. You can be a member of other religions without meeting their deity directly. But if you are going to be a Christian you have to meet Christ for yourself. The reason you can meet Him is because He is alive! We serve a living Savior, Jesus is His name!
d) With the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, the Father conquered satan, hell, and the grave. Satan is defeated. Jesus is Lord! This gives you hope, not just for today, but you have a hope that will outlive this world. This type of hope should fuel all that you do!
e) The fact that Jesus is alive means that you can walk with Him and He can walk with You. Without Him, there are many things you cannot do. But with Him, you can do all things. Enter into this day and everyone that follows knowing that there is nothing you can’t do because a living Savior lives in you!
2. The resurrection of Jesus transformed lives back then and it still does today!
No one has ever been able to truly discredit the validity of the physical resurrection of Jesus from the dead. One of my former mentors, Dr. Charlie Parmer, said the following about this:
“The most telling affirmation of the validity of Jesus’ literal Resurrection was and is the dramatic change it produced in the lives of His followers. From the weak, wavering, faltering, denying group of fishermen, tax collectors, etc. – the twelve plus the others became the most zealous, faithful, dynamic group who ever lived. They literally became burning evangels for the cause of Christ; and they totally turned the world upside down for Him over the next 71 plus years. Their doubts and skepticism became the basis for an aggressive boldness that could not be silenced (Acts 5:42). They were condemned, threatened, imprisoned, beaten, and commanded to be silent; but they just got right back out on the streets and just started preaching Jesus again – alive by Promise, dead by Purpose, Resurrected by (God’s) Power, and reigning for our good Measure and Pleasure!”
3. Jesus paid it ALL!
a) Over 500 people saw Jesus after the resurrection and before His ascension up to heaven. These people were so impacted by seeing a living Savior with their own eyes that they were willing to die before they denied it. The passion they lived with for Jesus helped change the world. This should serve as evidence to you of Jesus’ physical resurrection from the dead. May the reality of Jesus’ resurrection cause you to burn with passion and purpose. May you have the boldness to suffer with Him before you ever deny Him!
b) Jesus endured horrendous torture and an excruciatingly painful death and He came out the other side of the ordeal as a resurrected Savior. Remember that the next time you feel the pressure to give up, cave in or quit. The power of the resurrection is made available to you. There is nothing you can’t do by the grace of God.
c) The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is not just good news for us where salvation (eternal life) is concerned. It is good news for every area of our lives. Since Jesus already obtained the victory for us, victory becomes our starting point and not just our destination. We are not striving FOR victory. We get to start FROM a position of victory. We go from victory to victory, from faith to faith, from level to level, and from experience to experience, knowing that Jesus already paid it ALL for us. What was made available to Him is made available to us. There’s nothing we can’t do, no obstacle we cannot overcome, and no fight we can’t win because Jesus already WON for us!
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I am convinced that Your Son Jesus died for me on the cross and that You raised Him from the dead. I have no doubt in my heart concerning it. My faith is rooted in His physical resurrection from the dead. Since Jesus was raised from the dead, I know I shall be as well. And the fact that Jesus conquered satan, hell, and the grave gives me renewed strength today. I enter this day with a living hope. I have hope for this world and for the world to come. Jesus already obtained victory over the kingdom of darkness and I get to walk in the victory He has provided. Victory is not just my destination. Victory is my starting point. I overcome because Jesus already overcame! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
