Resurrection Day was the day that changed everything.
Let me say it again. . .
Resurrection Day was the day that changed everything.
On that day. . .where we spend eternity. . .changed.
On that day. . .how we live our lives now. . .changed.
On that day. . .how we face adversity, tough times and attacks of the enemy. . .changed.
On that day. . .we gained the victory over sickness, disease, addiction, affliction and poverty.
But truthfully, our celebration should be daily and not just one Sunday a year.
Easter should be a time of shouting for Christians. We have the same Resurrection Power that brought Jesus out of the tomb. . . loosed in our lives.
Romans 8:11 NLT says:
“The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.”
Not only is that promise real for us today … but the One Who promised has the power and authority to do so.
Matthew 28:18 says:
“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.”
The Lord Jesus has all power in heaven and in earth … That means the only power the devil has at all … is what we give him … and that is mostly through the words we speak. Are you getting this?
The devil is a great deceiver … but the Word of God can put him in his place.
There are many verses about the power of our words but here are two to chew on.
Proverbs 13:3 in the New International Version says:
“Those who guard their lips preserve their lives,but those who speak rashly will come to ruin.”
And Matthew 12:36-37 in the King James Version says:
“I say to you that every idle word men may speak, they will give account for it on the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified and by your words you will be condemned.”
We, as Christians, have the power to defeat everything he throws our way.
Luke 10:19 says:
“Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”
The first word power used in Luke 10:19 is the Greek word exousia and it means power but the power that is found in authority. The second time power is used in this scripture is another Greek word for power but is dunamis, a power that describes an individua’s abilities.
So Luke 10:19 can also read like this:
“Behold, I give unto you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the ability of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”
Does that help you understand what hallelujahs we should be shouting on this Resurrection Day?
When Jesus was on earth, He gave the disciples a taste of what they were going to experience in the Book of Acts after His crucifixion in the words found in Matthew 10:11 which says:
“And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.”
Remember Romans 8:11 says the same resurrection power that raised Jesus from the dead will manifest flows through you.
That means in Matthew 9 when Jesus spoke to the lame man and said take up your mat and be on your way… we should be doing this too. Verse 8 says:
“But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto man.”
The word power occurs fifty-seven times in the New Testament. It is used to describe the day that everything changed.
It describes the most powerful event in history. . .one that separated AD from BC. It’s used to describe the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
In Philippians 3:10 in the King James Version of the Bible, Paul said:
“I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection.”
Now get ready for what we’re going to share next.
Paul prays a prayer in Ephesians 3:19-20 in the Classic Amplified Bible that is as real to us as it was to the people of his time. It says:
“[That you may really come] to know [practically ,through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!
“Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]”
Paul uses the Greek word for power we saw in Luke 10:19, the word dunamis, which is the root of our word dynamite.
So Paul is saying God wants to give you dynamite power that can change your life and everyone’s around you.
Yes, the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead two thousand years ago is available to us right now to transform the weaknesses in our lives into strengths.
Not only on Resurrection Sunday. . .but every day of the year.
Let’s go a little further.
This morning during my prayer time in the 2 Chairs. . .I prayed that every person who attends a church anywhere in the world today. . .will accept Jesus as the Lord of their lives.
People who get saved today. . .will spend eternity with Jesus and that’s not an April Fool’s joke.
I prayed for those already saved to catch a fresh fire of the Holy Ghost.
I prayed that those battling sickness and disease be instantly healed as they walked into church.
Now … try to fully grasp the words found in John 15:16 in the King James Version:
“Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.”
This is an amazing verse that contains seven powerful-packed thoughts.
First, God chose you!
As a child, did you ever play any sports or games where teams were chosen? Two captains took turns picking members for their teams. Were you the first one chosen or perhaps the last?
In the real world. . .we never have to wonder if we’ll be chosen before the team fills up leaving us to watch from the sidelines. No, GOD CHOSE YOU! If He had to do it all over again … Guess what? He’d choose you again!
He only asked us to do one thing … have faith in Him.
There is no way we can qualify by being good enough. Ephesians 2:8 in the Classic Amplified Bible says:
“For it is by free grace (God’s unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God;
“Not because of works [not the fulfillment of the Law’s demands], lest any man should boast. [It is not the result of what anyone can possibly do, so no one can pride himself in it or take glory to himself.]”
There is no way to be good enough, work hard enough or study to be wise enough. It is only with His power working through us that we can do anything for the Kingdom.
1 Peter 2:9 in The Living Bible says:
“But you are not like that, for you have been chosen by God himself—you are priests of the King, you are holy and pure, you are God’s very own—all this so that you may show to others how God called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.”
Second, God ordained you.
Not only were we chosen and made priests of the King… but in 2 Corinthians 5:20 in the English Standard Versions it says:
“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us….”
We are His chosen light in the world.
Acts 13:47 in the Classic Amplified Bible says:
“For so the Lord has charged us, saying, I have set you to be a light for the Gentiles (the heathen), that you may bring [eternal] salvation to the uttermost parts of the earth.”
Jesus turns no one away … He wants all to come to Him.
Mark 10:16 in the Classic Amplified Bible says:
“And He took them [the children up one by one] in His arms and [fervently invoked a] blessing, placing His hands upon them.”
Third, that we should go and bring forth fruit.
It is time to do the business of the Kingdom so we can bear fruit worthy of the call upon our lives. It is our responsibility to find our call and do it.
Colossians 1:10 in the Classic Amplified Bible says:
“That you may walk (live and conduct yourselves) in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him and desiring to please Him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work and steadily growing and increasing in and by the knowledge of God [with fuller, deeper, and clearer insight, acquaintance, and recognition].”
The Bible doesn’t just call us to bring forth fruit. It gives us direction on how to do it.
John 15:1-7 in the Classic Amplified Bible says:
“I am the True Vine, and My Father is the Vinedresser.
2 Any branch in Me that does not bear fruit [that stops bearing] He cuts away (trims off, takes away); and He cleanses and repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it bear more and richer and more excellent fruit.
3 You are cleansed and pruned already, because of the word which I have given you [the teachings I have discussed with you].
4 Dwell in Me, and I will dwell in you. [Live in Me, and I will live in you.] Just as no branch can bear fruit of itself without abiding in (being vitally united to) the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me.
5 I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing.
6 If a person does not dwell in Me, he is thrown out like a [broken-off] branch, and withers; such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire, and they are burned.
7 If you live in Me [abide vitally united to Me] and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.”
The Lord gives us His direction which leads to the fourth point.
Fourth, that our fruit should remain.
We’ve been chosen so that our fruit remains here on planet earth.
Our calling is like these first disciples. . .we are to produce fruit that remains.
What kind of fruit do you know that lasts?
Try putting a juicy orange or a fresh banana into a lunch box and forgetting about it for a month or two. I don’t think you’d find it too appetizing when you came to take a bite!
“Lasting” is not generally a characteristic of ordinary fruit! Fruit doesn’t naturally last – if left, it rots! So, if the fruit God has commissioned us to bear is lasting fruit then it is not natural fruit at all, it is supernatural.
The “fruit that will last” is fruit the Holy Spirit bears through us. It’s not our fruit at all..
God’s purpose and desire for each of us during our relatively short time here on earth
is that we bear fruit that will last!
Fruit that has no “use by” date! Fruit that never wears out, never rots, never dies and never disappears. Fruit, in other words, that is ETERNAL!
God is intensely keen to see us bear this kind of fruit. You can see just how keen, in the passage of Scripture we just read.
A few minutes ago we read John 151-7 … then verse 8 becomes a reality in our lives:
“When you bear (produce) much fruit, My Father is honored and glorified, and you show and prove yourselves to be true followers of Mine.”
Matthew 7:16 says Christians are recognized by the fruit they bear.
“You will fully recognize them by their fruits. Do people pick grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles?”
Fifth, whatever we ask
The last part of John 15:16 in the King James Version says:
“. . . that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.”
So if your Heavenly Father. . .is willing to give you whatever you ask Him for. . .does that sound like He wants you to accept your lot in life as some reason to not do have anything or do well? . . .not really.
Here’s the really great news. . .when we’re productive for the Kingdom. . .God will give us whatever we ask of Him.
What an offer. . .you’d have to be a hamburger short of a happy meal to not take advantage of this life-changing offer.
Leviticus 20:22-24 in the Contemporary English Version says:
“Obey my laws and teachings. Or else the land I am giving you will become sick of you and throw you out. The nations I am chasing out did these disgusting things, and I hated them for it, so don't follow their example. I am the LORD your God, and I have promised you their land that is rich with milk and honey. I have chosen you to be different from other people.”
God has chosen you to be different from other people.
Sixth, in our Father’s name. . .
You have been chosen to be productive for the kingdom. . .so God will make you prosperous in all your hands find to do.
Deuteronomy 30:9 says:
“And the Lord your God will make you abundantly prosperous in every work of your hand, in the fruit of your body, of your cattle, of your land, for good; for the Lord will again delight in prospering you, as He took delight in your fathers.”
I just have to tell you. . .it makes me want to shout “Hallelujah! Thank You Jesus” when I read how the Lord delights in prospering me. Not just anybody, but He wants to prosper me. He wants me to be “abundantly prosperous.”
We must be productive. . .what we do. . .must be making a difference. . .not only in our lives. . .but in the lives of those we come in contact with.
John 15:16 says:
“Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.”
Seventh, He shall give it to us.
Psalm 37:4 in the Amplified Bible says:
“Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart.”
The way to receive your heart’s desire is to delight in Him. That means the Lord Himself is the first desire of your heart.
But I think it’s significant that the word “and” is present in this scripture. When you delight yourself in the Lord, the ‘and’ means then He will give you the desires of your heart.
That’s right, YOU. Not just your pastor, an international missionary, the most dedicated saint in your local congregation. . .no, He will give YOU the desires of your heart.
According to Strong’s Concordance the Hebrew word for desires is mish'alah (H4862) and it means: “petition, desire.”
However, it comes from the root word sha'al (H7592) which means:
“to ask for; to be given on request; to grant, make over to, let (one) ask (successfully).”
The root word appears 173 times in 157 verses in the King James Version of the Bible. It’s interesting to note that in 132 of those scriptures. . .the Hebrew word is translated as: “ask (94), enquire (22), desire (9) and require (7).”
The Living Bible translation of Psalm 37:4 says:
“Be delighted with the Lord. Then he will give you all your heart’s desires.”
The scripture doesn’t say He might give you the desires of your heart.
The scripture doesn’t say He could give you the desires of your heart.
The scripture doesn’t say He should give you the desires of your heart.
The scripture doesn’t say He will give you some of the desires of your heart.
The scripture doesn’t say He will give you most of the desires of your heart.
The scripture doesn’t say He will give you the most pressing desires of your heart.
No, the scripture. . .the Lord of God says “. . .He will give you ALL of your heart’s desires.”
Why. . .because He chose you and you obeyed Him.
God has chosen you for something special.
1 Thessalonians 4:4 in the Amplified Bible, Classic Edition says:
“[O] brethren beloved by God, we recognize and know that He has selected (chosen) you,”
Are you hearing this? Of all the people who are currently drawing a breath on planet earth. . .God, the Master of the Universe. . .has chosen you.
The next two verses were going to read to you. . .will and should make you SHOUT. . .glory Hallelujah!!
1 Thessalonians 4:4-5 in the Message Bible says:
“. . . God not only loves you very much but also has put his hand on you for something special. When the Message we preached came to you, it wasn't just words. Something happened in you. The Holy Spirit put steel in your convictions.”
Personalize this scripture for yourself:
“. . . God not only loves <<Your Name>> very much but also has put his hand on <<him/her>> for something special. When the Message we preached came to <<Your Name>>, it wasn't just words. Something happened in <<Your Name>>. The Holy Spirit put steel in <<his/her>> convictions.”
It doesn’t matter whether you can play sports, an instrument in the band or sing in the Glee Club. . .you have something special to achieve in your life because God made sure you were born.
God has not only made sure you were born. . .He chose you for an amazing assignment. This is a great day to begin your journey.
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Harold Herring