THE MIRACLE OF RESURRECTION.

SUNDAY SERVICE

 SERMON:

             THE MIRACLE OF RESURRECTION.

 INTRO : The death of Jesus did not mark the end of the life of Christ. His death marked the beginning of greater life. It marked the beginning of greater relationship. It marked the beginning of salvation.

However the proof that Jesus was the true son of God would not have been known if Christ didn't rise from the dead. There are special events that marked the miraculous event. There are special things that we received because of such event.  

 PROB : Many of us have remained less knowledgeable about the miracle of resurrection and haven't tapped into the things that we have been privelaged to.

 PURP:  To enlighten us about the great event in Jesus' life and what it meant for us as believers. 

   >>> The story of Elijah and Elisha is interesting. Elisha was suddened by the news that his master Elijah would be take up to heaven and would leave him alone. Elisha being wise, he asked that Elijah may grant him a double potion of his power as he leaves him. Though this was a hard request, Elijah didn't hesitate. He told Elisha that as soon as he sees him be taken up to heaven, his request will be granted. Time came and Elijah was carried up. At that time, Elisha was filled with enormous power . He performed more greater wonders than those of Elijah. He split the ocean. He called upon bear over evil kids. He rose the dead. This happened just after Elijah was taken to heaven.

There are special things that happened to believers and still do exist that have made those who believe more empowered. Christ's RESURRECTION meant a greater beginning of a great generation; - a clan of believers that is more empowered than before.

 ✔️ Luke 24 :1-12 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 8 Then they remembered his words.

9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.

🍇 THE RESURRECTION WAS FORE TOLD

Many times Jesus told His disciples and followers that He would die and that on the third day He would resurrect. Even in the old testament, David in his psamls wrote about the resurrection .

 ✔️ Psalms 16:10... because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. 

This shows that the great event was well prepared by heaven to happen. It was not an ordinary event. It was not an ordinary resurrection. It had something special behind it. There was a special power behind the resurrection. This power has driven the miracles of resurrection to this current day. The good news is that we as believers have been given the privilege to tap into this power. We have been given the right keys to open into these things.

Many people including Jesus' own disciples never believed in His message about His death and resurrection. Yet regardless of their unbelief, He did resurrect. One lesson I have seen is that there are certain supernatural prophesies that God makes and brings them to pass regardless of the level of faith that one has. It is my prayer this morning that such supernatural prophesies come to your way. Prophesies that don't rely on your level faith. Prophesies that simply come as God commands. Let a blessing happen like the art of miracles of resurrection...one that will come regardless of your faith . Am sure that many people that Jesus told about His resurrection never believed Him. It was the greatest miracle in the life of the Messiah. He is risen today. He is walking among us today. Elijah was not the only person to be taken to heaven with his body. Jesus rose with the body that He had while being crucified and still has the same body today though transformed. He still rules with the same body. We shall see Him and the marks of the cross.

🍇 JESUS APPEAEREDTO MANY.

      The Angels were the first eye witnesses and the first to spread the true gospel about the resurrection of Christ when they came to the women who had gone to visit the tomb . The soldiers didn't spread the good news as good. They simply took rumors which were supposed to be mingled as deception. 

The other marvelous thing that happened is that Jesus appeared to many of His people. He appeared for a long time on earth and am sure even those that used to intimidate Him saw Him , though they couldn't believe the miracle. It was the greatest in His life. It was the greatest because just even the priests of then gave urgent command to soldiers; telling them that they should guard the tomb tightly Because this would be the greatest deception. They said it would be the greatest deception because all of the miracles that Christ performed were seen as deceptions according to them. Even when it happened, they called it greatest deception. Even upto now among the Jews, many don't believe.

Jesus stayed on earth after the resurrection for 40 days and forty nights. Even to that extent of evidence, some Jews stubbornly refuse to believe that. Even upto now , many of the Jews still wait for Jesus to come back....not for the second time, but for His first time. 

🍇 WE SHALL ALSO RISE AFTER DEATH.

✔️ 1 Corinthians 15:20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

It has been cleared by Christ himself, that those that died even long time ago are still in dust . Jesus while still with disciples clearly said that no one has ever gone to the father nor has come down from heaven ; except He that has descended from heaven. That statement clearly teaches me that those that died long time ago are still asleep in dust. The Adams and the rest are still asleep and will rise from the dust when Christ appears. Elijah being take to heaven could be form of going to sleep without seeing death. But he also may be waiting for Christ to come back for him to have a resurrection. Because according to the scripture that Christ spoke, people are still asleep.

The above scripture too brings out the element of sleep. That Christ is the first fruit of those who have fallen asleep. This means that He is the only one who has truely risen and gone to the father. We who believe will be a secondary fruit of resurrection. This evidence of life after death should remove the fears that we have about death. When we lose loved ones, the grief shouldn't be that they have been destroyed to nothing. You should be joyous that they have rested and will soon come back again and we shall live Happy again. The power that raised Jesus from the dead will still raise us from the dead.

🍇 BELIEVERS HAVE BEEN EMPOWERED.

    The raising from the dead marked a new beginning of strong faith for the Believers. Jesus promised that He would send the holy spirit to those who believe. This couldn't have happened if Jesus died for good. The apostles received the Holy Spirit after Jesus had resurrected. It is a miracle because the power of the holy spirit wouldn't be felt to this day if the Lord never rose from the dead. The power that rose Him from the dead is a work today. You know the spirit of God was on earth like Genesis has it. But it was not empowered to work in men . The spirit that Christ said that He would send as the helper was the power of the Spirit. The Spirit was empowered because of the resurrection. He now works with humans.

We have become BECOME SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF GOD.....WE HAVE BEEN MADE ROYALTY. The priesthood that we are into wouldn't be possible if He didn't raise from the dead. Jesus was able to ascend to heaven and sits on the right hand of God. We who have been called and have been given the right to be sons of God are brothers and sisters of the risen Lord. Being a relative of a great king like Christ means that we too are a priesthood. There is power that we hold because we are a royalty. We have the power of command. We have the power to heal. We have control of our lives. We are not slaves of the law rather , we are above the law. Now being above the law doesn't mean that we are free sinners. Being above means that we have control in righteousness and that we are nolonger supposed to be told what is right and what is wrong. The law is in our hearts. Righteousness is in our hearts. We having received the holy Spirit means that we are not driven by the law since the holy Spirit tells us what God all desires. It means that we are not slaves to sin because He that lives in us has conquered sin. However, when you stubbornly sin, you get enslaved and are under the law. The power that lives in us is a power of righteousness.

You have been given the keys to heaven and can command powers at will. You have the power over the devil. You can control your life at full speed by the power of resurrection

The miracles of resurrection are here. Tap into the potentiality that has been made available by the risen Lord. 

CONCLUSION

⚫ The risen Lord is alive and lives in you. He wants to be built a strong relationship with you if you only open your heart.

⚫The power of resurrection is with us today and is able to change what seems unchangeable. He is able to forgive sin that has become a stake in your life.

⚫ Like the Angels who were first eye witnesses of the resurrection, and were the first to spread the true good news about the risen Lord to the women who came to the tomb; spread the news that Christ is risen.

 GOD BLESS YOU.

By Simon Kutosi.

Sunday 9, April 2023.

                            93th msg