Breath On Me...the Only New Years Resolution You Will Ever Need... Series

Breath on Me (Many ideas from a Sermon By Leonard Ravenhill)

INTRODUCTION...I know that this will sound like an Easter Sermon but bear with me...it is actually a New Year's sermon of the one and only resolution we will need for 2010.

A lot of this sermon is gathered from a sermon by THE BLESSED REVIVALIST LEONARD RAVENHILL … who passed away a few years ago...I was introduced to him by my Brother in Christ...Ron Wallace.

It lends itself very well to how each of us can with the Spirit of the Eternal God's help...the Spirit of the One who called Himself the “I AM”...better face the New year.

MATTHEW 28:1-7 says... “1 In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulcher. 2 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. 3 His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: 4 And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. 5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. 6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7 And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.”

I think that it was Campbell Morgan who said that THE RESURRECTION IS THE MOST STUPENDOUS, MOST SUPERNATURAL MIRACLE THAT THE WORLD HAS EVER KNOWN.

Think of our FAITH as a great pyramid that the apostle Paul builds through the writing of his fourteen epistles, including Hebrews...and then he turns that great pyramid over and balances it ALL on one thing!

And that one thing is a verse found in the 15TH CHAPTER OF FIRST CORINTHIANS VERSE 19... “...if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.”

And before that verse Paul had said in 1 CORINTHIANS 15:17-18... “17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. 18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.”

And in Verses 20-21 he continued... “20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. 21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.”

We just celebrated our Lord's birth and we saw many signs that said... “The reason for the season...is Jesus” and I would not argue...but I like this one best... “The reason for the season...is Easter!”

Now just what does the 19th verse of 1 Corinthians chapter 15 really mean to us?

That verse says that we should not while living our earthly life have hope just in Christ and His life...no...because it is useless unless we place our hope...our FAITH...in the resurrection of Christ.

Paul insisted if Jesus resurrection was not fact the whole Christian message then was based on a lie.

“Take away the resurrection,” he said, “and you destroy both the very foundation and fabric of the Christian FAITH!”

And that pyramid will balance because He did ARISE...and He lives today...and He sits on His throne in Heaven in His rightful place at the right hand of the Father. And I give PRAISE to HIM for that TODAY!!!

Yes...the resurrection supersedes everything else...because if He is not risen from the dead…everything else collapses... His birth which we just celebrated … would be meaningless...

His teachings to the Jewish leaders and people at the Temple in Jerusalem at 12 … would be meaningless...

The Sermon on the Mount, everything He did in life … would be meaningless...

The changing of water to wine, all the healing, all His miracles … would be meaningless...

The promises He made to His Disciples in the Upper Room … would be meaningless..

Many men...Confucius, Buddha, yes even Mohamed taught great things...lived good lives teaching a pure walk … but only Jesus Christ conquered the grave...ONLY HE AROSE! LET'S PRAY!

There are many philosophies about the resurrection of Jesus Christ, but the Scripture, this Holy Bible is the first, the foremost, and the final word.

Yet there are those who have and still say that Jesus never died. He was just a prophet...just another lunatic.

They say that all He did was faint because He had been up all night, pushed around, and He had lost a lot of blood.

They continue by saying that then He was put Him into a cool tomb...revived...and came out again.