The Resurrection part 2
The resurrection is not in your future. Its in your past. Jesus didn't say, "I will be the resurrection in the last day." "Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live" (John 11:25). And that's the truth that I want to hit today--though he were dead, yet shall he live. I think its so important that we understand the difference that the cross made. My mom says it like this, "Either the cross changed everything or it didn't change anything." So let ME say it as strongly as I can: Before the cross we were dead. Because of the cross we are alive. Look at Ephesians 2:1, "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience." That right there is the trick. As long as you think you're dead--remember I said the other day how much it breaks my heart when people talk about how "I'm going to hell anyway, so what does it matter?"--as long as you think you're dead you're going to act like a dead man. You're going to walk according to the course of this WORLD. But when you know that you have been quickened--resurrected--then you can walk in newness of life. You can experience the days of heaven on earth. I said it yesterday: Heaven is not just where you go when you die. Heaven is where you went when Jesus died. When He rose again both in us and as you. Its not in your future. Its in your past. And you HATH (past tense) He quickened. I wrote a book called Six Steps to the Throne, detailing what happened on the cross. Jesus (and us in Him) was crucified, died, buried, quickened, raised, and seated. Now He (and us in Him) sits at the right hand of the Father. A memory verse I quote a lot is 1 John 4:17, "Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world." But in order to BE as He is, we need to KNOW HIM as He is. That's why He came in the same flesh that we have. Jesus. God in the flesh. Love in a body. God in our flesh. Love in our body. He didn't come to show us some faraway, angry, vengeful God, sitting on a cloud somewhere waiting to strike us down when we messed up. He came as a human. With love in His heart. That's how He showed us who God is. That's how He showed us who we are. Men and women... with love in our hearts. And when we know and believe that it (HE) is in there... it (HE) comes out. Naturally. We stop walking according to the world... and start walking by faith. We stop trying to fit in, and we let what's inside come out! We stop waiting for a resurrection, and we rise up and walk. Like the lame man who looked at Peter hoping for a handout... and Peter told him to rise up and walk. He was convinced that he was lame. But he just needed to hear the good news in order to be who he really was. To do what he was truly capable of doing. We are capable of so much more than we think we are. But we're waiting for God to move. He moved on the cross! Now WE can move. Now we can love. Now we can live!