The Resurrection And The Life

“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26)

Resurrection simply means revival. It means that which is dead bouncing back to life. Resurrection also means a quickening.  In the parable of the prodigal son, Jesus said, “It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead, and is alive again …” (Luke 15:32). The Apostle Paul in Ephesians 2:1, referring to born again believers in Christ, said, “And you He made alive who were dead in trespasses and sins.” God instructed Prophet Ezekiel to prophesy to very dry bones of dead men in a valley, and as he prophesied there was a response and a quickening, and the dry bones were revived and transformed  to a great army (Ezekiel 37:1-10). When Jesus breathed his last on the cross, spectacular events happened, one of which was the opening of graves and the rising back to life of dead saints who were seen by several people (Matthew 27: 51-53). Our opening text was Jesus’ pronouncement at Lazarus tomb before he raised him up after been dead for four days.

We serve a God who can make the dead live again (Romans 4:17b). Dead situations, dead bodies, dead brains, the spiritually dead, dead marriages, dead dreams, etc at the touch and breath of God can live again. And this is one of the central messages of Easter. To receive resurrection and life the following are imperative:

Receive Jesus Christ:  The first Adam is a living soul, but the last Adam (Christ) is a life giving Spirit (1 Corinthians 15:45). Accepting Jesus is accepting life as opposed to death.  He is not only the hope of our resurrection, but also the resurrection and life (John 11:25).  Believers in Christ will never see death.  Jesus, the resurrection and the life, is the first born from the dead. He rose to prove that resurrection is possible by the power of God, and that our faith in Him isn’t in vain (1 Corinthians 15:12-17). Receiving Christ is receiving eternal life, which is the ultimate, glorious kind of life Jesus gives.

Receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit: The Spirit that raised Christ from the dead is also the same Spirit that indwells believers in Him (Romans 8:11). This life-giving Spirit affects our mortal bodies, injecting life into us. Death is an eventual, natural order of sequence. Everything grows old and suffers decadence, but this life by the Holy Spirit can slow down the natural sequence of decadence and death. This life can also reverse death, as in the case of Lazarus in John 11. Cultivate a dynamic relationship with the Holy Spirit in order to see His renewing and reviving power.

Request for the power of His resurrection:  Often times, our priorities in prayer are skewed and misplaced. Apostle Paul’s prayer for the New Testament church is largely different from the prayers we mostly pray these days. He prayed that he (and by extension the church) will know the power of His resurrection and be conformed to Christ’s death (Philippians 3:10). Paul further prayed that the Lord will enlighten the eyes of the New Testament believer to know the power of resurrection that raised Christ from the dead (Ephesians 1:19-20). This resurrection life can activate every area of the believer’s life.  Prophet Elisha’s body was so full of resurrection life that even in death, his body jerked back to life another dead man’s body which was thrown into his tomb and made contact with his body (2 Kings 13).

CONCLUSION: In this Easter season, pray that the resurrection and the life will make fresh contact with you. May His resurrection power activate every good thing dying in our lives in Jesus’ name.

Ade(Gboyega) ESAN
www.rccgpittsburgh.net
http://gboyegae.blogspot.com

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