By Hannah Childs
April 1st, 2018
Resurrection Sunday (aka Easter) is a historical fact that disrupted the world. It changed everything for humanity to know God came to save us. It changed and re-set the calendar to the year of our Lord (AD, Anno Domini) and even changed the Sabbath for those following “The Way” from Saturday to Sunday to honor the day of Jesus Christ’s triumph over death.
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Considered the most important celebration in Christianity, Resurrection Sunday is not only a time to recognize the power of God’s love, forgiveness and the gift of eternal life,(!) but also the power of His Holy Spirit to live in us and strengthen us daily.
Romans 8:2 in NLT says, “And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.”
We need to know we have and can access that power. I once heard a story of a man on a plane seated next to a mom taking care of her very young child, and yet the mom had no arms. She was incredibly adept at doing things with her legs and feet. The man commented on how impressed he was that she was able to care so well for her child. The Mom replied, “Yes, but my child hasn’t started using his own perfectly good arms, they just hang down by his side.”
If we don’t access the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, it’s like we have perfectly good arms hanging down by our sides that we aren’t using.
Believe
We have to believe that God has granted us everything we need for life and godliness. Like little children believe, we ought to–and want to– believe God.
By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. 2 Peter 1:3-4 NLT
There are hundreds of promises from God to us—Which have you underlined or circled in your Bible or written down in your journal?
Ephesians 1:14 NLT says that “The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be His own people. He did this so we will praise and glorify Him.” As we praise and glorify it helps us to focus on Him and increases our ability to see and believe in Him. We serve a big God, who is worthy of not only of us believing in Him, but also worshiping and exalting.
Persist
Once you have your promise from God – it’s for good! You can stand on it, you can circle it like the walls of Jericho, and you may not receive it the first time you circle it, but keep on circling! Eventually the walls will fall and you will receive your promise and start living in it. Endurance is a key in the kingdom. If you have trouble, trials, temptations or a test, our God is strong enough to help see you through, cling to Him. Jesus conquered sin and death and can give us victory in every area! He says to love him with our whole hearts, even when it’s hard. Keep on believing in Him.
Gratitude
The Bible tells us to Give thanks to the Lord our God and King, His love endures forever! And to give Thanks in all circumstances. Gratitude is a key in the kingdom to unlock perspectives that can blind us and hold us back.
Gratitude is also a practical tool, a feet on the ground kind of application. What have you thanked God for today? If you’re married, how did you express gratitude to your spouse today? The grateful mindset puts our focus on what God has already done and that helps take us to the next level of seeing His promises fulfilled. He has given us His Spirit and a new heart like he says in Ezekiel 11:19, 36:26.
Gratitude helps us to remember what God has done. Memorials and celebrations were set up to not just because God likes a good party, but to help us remember what He has done for us.
There’s a song called, In Christ Alone, that says “that on that cross as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied.” And Isaiah 54:9 says I’ll be angry no more, and “With an everlasting love I will have compassion on you” and that it’s His kindness that leads us to repentance. There’s something to be grateful for right there. Everyday, we never tire of giving thanks to the Lord for His great gift to us of His love and eternal life in Christ Jesus by the power if the Spirit. Oswald Chambers said “Salvation is easy for us because it cost God so much.” And yet, it was Jesus’ joy to endure the cross so we could be with Him. Wow.
As we celebrate the joy of the Resurrection and all that Jesus’ victory over death means, the hope is that it increases our belief in God and His power to work in our lives, helps us to seek out and persist in trusting His promises for our lives, and reminds us to give thanks for what he has done and for what He is going to do. That’s right, if we have the promise, we can even thank Him for what he is going to do as if it’s already done. Just as we count on the universe He’s made that works like clockwork (better than the best clock), one of the promises He made is for the sun to rise everyday, so we can count on and plan for things like, well, celebrating The Resurrection of Jesus which means new life for us all.
Looking forward to celebrating the resurrection of our God and King. Hope to see you at Stonewater Saturday @ 6 p.m. for a great time of worshipping in His Presence together.
Blessings,
HC
Resurrection Sunday Eve Service
Worship @ 6 p.m. Saturday
Stonewater Christian Fellowship
9120 SW Pioneer Court Suite E
Wilsonville, OR 97070