Resurrection Power

Resurrection Power
By Don Vess

Matthew 28:1-20 NLT -Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb. 2 Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. 3 His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. 4 The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint.    

5 Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. 7 And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you.” 8 The women ran quickly from the tomb. They were very frightened but also filled with great joy, and they rushed to give the disciples the angel’s message.

9 And as they went, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they ran to him, grasped his feet, and worshiped him.10 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid! Go tell my brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see me there. 11 As the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and told the leading priests what had happened.

12 A meeting with the elders was called, and they decided to give the soldiers a large bribe. 13 They told the soldiers, “You must say, ‘Jesus’ disciples came during the night while we were sleeping, and they stole his body.’ 14 If the governor hears about it, we’ll stand up for you, so you won’t get in trouble.” 15 So the guards accepted the bribe and said what they were told to say. Their story spread widely among the Jews, and they still tell it today.  16 Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him—but some of them doubted!

18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

On Resurrection Morning, Jesus didn’t just raise up from where they had laid Him and casually walk outside! There was an earthquake, and the stone was rolled away from the tomb. There was something POWERFUL that happened there! A power that was never before felt or experienced on earth had raised the Son of God from the dead.

When Jesus had spoken to Martha when she had confronted Him about why he hadn’t healed Lazarus. Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha replied, “Yes, he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.”

Jesus told her, “I AM the resurrection (anstasis: a standing up again, a literal resurrection from death) and the life (zoe: blessed life, eternal, blissful life, the God-kind of life); he who believes in Me shall live (zao: forever life, eternal) even if he dies, 26 And everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:23-26 NASB                                                                                        

Jesus told His disciples in John 14:1-6 NASB- “Let not your heart be troubled, believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”

He was letting them know that He was going to the cross to prepare the way to heaven through His sacrifice on the cross. He was preparing to die, descend into hell and take back the dominion that Adam had handed over to Satan. He was saying that He was preparing to die in order to make a way for anyone who believes in Him to take their rightful place in His kingdom where there was room for all who would believe in Him!

When Jesus rose from the dead, His resurrection was so powerful that Matthew wrote, Matt 27:50-54 TPT- Jesus passionately cried out, took His last breath, and gave up His spirit. 51 At that moment the veil in the Holy of Holies was torn in two from the top to the bottom. The earth shook violently, rocks were split apart, and graves were opened. Them many of the holy ones who had died were brought back to life and came out of their graves. 53 And after Jesus’ resurrection, they were plainly seen walking around Jerusalem. 54 Now, when the Roman military officer and his soldiers witnessed what was happening and felt the powerful earthquake, they were extremely terrified. They said, “There is no doubt, this man was the Son of God!”

Now why is His resurrection power so important for us? Because, when He gave up, or released his Spirit in death, His body actually died, and His spirit was released from it. Where did His spirit go? He told Mary at the tomb, John 20:17 NLT- “Don’t cling to me, For I have not yet ascended to My Father.” Jesus had completed His mission! He had descended into the very depths of Satan’s domain and taken the keys of death, hell, and the grave from Him, stripped him of the authority he had stolen from the first Adam (man), and let a host of captives out of purgatory into heaven, and then gave gifts to the church!

Eph 4:9-13 NLT Notice that it says, “He ascended.” This clearly means that Christ also descended to lowly world. 10 And the same One who descended is the One who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that He might fill the entire universe with Himself. 11 Now these are the gifts Christ also gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do His work and to build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.

What? We are to “measure up the full and complete standard of Christ?” HOW?

Paul showed us how! Romans 8:11 NLT- 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.

We have the same Spirit within us that raised Jesus from the dead! Let that sink in for a moment. This is the same Spirit that was in Elisha that enabled him to do twice the miracles that his predecessor Elijah did. And when he was buried, there was still enough power in his bones to raise a man from the dead!

2 Kings 13:20-21 Then Elisha died and was buried. Groups of Moabite raiders used to invade the land each spring. 21 Once when some Israelites were burying a man, they spied a band of raiders. So they hastily threw the corpse into the tomb of Elisha and fled. But as soon as the body touched Elisha’s bones, the dead man revived and jumped to his feet. Man, that is powerful!

This same resurrection power is inside of all who believe in Jesus and have been made alive, born-again by His Spirit. They may bury our bodies or burn our bodies or bury us at sea. But when that trumpet sounds, this same Spirit that raised Jesus from the grave is going to cause graves all around the world to produce the bodies that are buried there, and we are going to rise to meet Jesus in the air with all the saints who are still alive and remain- 1 Thess 4:13-18.

In the meantime, we have work to do! And this same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is dwelling in us to equip us to do the work He has called us to do! This Spirit is LIFE ITSELF! Not BIOS, but ZOE! Not biological, made up of corruptible cells, water, and other dissolvable substances, but an INCORRUPTIBLE, INDESTRUCTIBLE, UNDEFEATABLE, POWERFUL CHILD OF THE LIVING GOD!

THIS IS RESURRECTION POWER! The kind of power that produces earth-shaking, life-giving, soul-saving energy that the world cannot produce. It’s supernatural! But it’s available to everyone who believes and receives it from God through Christ!

Paul prayed for the church at Ephesus: Eph 1:15-23 NLT I pray this same prayer for myself and all of you!  15 Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere 16 I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, 17 asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom[b]and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.

18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.  19 I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.

21 Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. 22 God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. 23 And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.