RESURRECTION DAY

RESURRECTION DAY

                Of all the things we celebrate in life, there is none more profoundly important to us than the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Millions of people have died as martyrs. Thousands have been prophets. Millions have been preachers, judges, priests and kings; but none of them could have qualified to be our Redeemer.

                People throughout history that have blamed the Jews for killing Yeshua have clearly misunderstood the purposes and the power of God. In fact, Yeshua said to them: “For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I might take it up again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.” John 10:17, 18

                One cannot read the Gospels, especially the book of John, without seeing clearly that Yeshua claimed deity. He said, “I and My Father are one.” John 10:30.

                He also said: “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I AM.”

                He also said to them: “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world; I am not of this world. I said therefore that you shall die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you shall die in your sins. “John 8:23, 24.

                Those religions that claim that Jesus is not God in human flesh clearly do not have a leg to stand on, for they have ignored everything that Jesus said about Himself.

                But then this is where the resurrection comes in; for if Jesus had not risen from the dead all of His claims about Himself would have been in vain. So those of us who are Christians, who believe in the Messiah, the anointed One, must believe that Yeshua is indeed who He claimed to be and that in Him dwelt all the fullness of the godhead in bodily form (Col. 2:9) and that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. (2Cor. 5:19)

                No one can say the things Jesus said unless He was God in human flesh. Speaking to His disciples He said: “I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him and have seen Him.” So Philip, not fully comprehending what Jesus had said asked; “Lord, show us the Father and it is enough for us.” To which Jesus replied: “Have I been so long with you and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” John 14:6-9a.

                For those who have been born again, who have received His Holy Spirit at Pentecost, there is no such thing as a secular life. The separation between sacred and secular is a pagan concept, but it is also seen in Christianity. Many Christians live as though God doesn’t exist, but on Saturday or Sunday, they will give Him 2 hours, you know, for the sake of the wife and kids… and as long as the preacher gets done preaching in time for the game, everything is cool. And as long as the preacher says nice things and doesn’t get too personal, or confrontational, he can come and go unscathed… after all; his personal life is none of his preacher’s business anyway.

                Such a person has not had an encounter with the living Christ, nor truly invited Him in, nor begun to live by His Spirit, nor made Jesus Lord of his life. He may call himself a Christian but he is not anointed and that is what Christian means, nor is he saved.

                Salvation is by entering into Yeshua’s death and then being born again by the power of His resurrection, so that His very Spirit fills us and animates our lives and guides and directs and inspires us. We are justified by His death, for we had been judged guilty and a death sentence had been handed to us; but Jesus stepped in and died in our place. So by faith we entered into His death and by faith His Spirit raised us up so that it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. And the life that I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave His life for me.” Gal. 2:20

                There can be no secular life for one who is filled with the Spirit of God in whom Christ now lives. All of life has now become holy. Our goals and purposes are all wrapped up in Him. Even when we go to our “secular” job, we do all to the glory of God and we do it as a representative of heaven. If we slouch on the job we bring dishonor to Him. If we have a bad attitude, or we treat others unkindly, we smear His name. If we are not producing the fruit of the Spirit in our lives then we are not living by His Spirit.

                The resurrection of Jesus brings us into a direct encounter with the greatest reality in this universe. God died in my place and now He has come to live in my heart and I can either accept Him as Savior and Lord, or I can reject Him, but there is really no in between. It is one way or the other.

                We are no longer answerable to the Law, or to the works of the flesh… that is to say, anything we might have been able to do before the Spirit of Christ entered into us. We are now accountable to the living Christ. We are now accountable as to whether we are learning to live by His Spirit or if we are still living in the flesh… for those who are in the flesh cannot please God. (Rom 8:8)

                How many Christians are actually living by His Spirit? How many are fulfilling the Law by the Spirit?

                “For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. However you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.” Rom. 8:5-9

                This resurrection day as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, it brings us the greatest joy known to mankind. He is our only hope of a future beyond the grave. He is our only way to the Father. He is the only light in an otherwise dark and descending universe. He is the only Way, the only Truth and the only Life.

                But because He is alive, we are also faced with a choice. What will we do about Him? We can either accept Him as Savior and Lord, or reject Him. And if there was ever an illusion of neutral ground, it is disappearing fast, for we are entering the final days of history… days when our final decisions are being made. It will either be Christ or the antichrist… the Mark of the Beast or the Seal of God… the spirit of this world, or the Spirit of Christ.

                Some people try to avoid choosing Jesus Christ simply because the way seems too hard. But such a person should go to a communist country or an atheistic country or a country where they worship other gods. There you wail find out the kinds of laws, rules, regulations and oppression men can place on each other. “When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when a wicked man rules the people groan.” Proverbs 29:2. Jesus leads by invitation, while Satan rules by force.

                I invite you to join the celebration today. ”For as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to be called the children of God, even to those who believed on His name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:12, 13.

                If Yeshua is your Savior and Lord, then today is the best day of your life! Happy Resurrection Day!