Dear brothers and sisters, have you ever driven a Datsun sedan? You know those little cars, before the company changed its name to Nissan? Datsuns were very easy on gas, could make a U-turn almost anywhere, and lasted nearly forever. The body might have rusted out but the engine kept on going and going, like the Energizer bunny. They had one major drawback, however. You found that our the first time you tried to drive up to Hualapai Mountain Park. Datsun sedan didn’t have much power. Going up that steep hill just before the ranger’s cabin, you had to downshift to second gear, then to first, the engine was screaming, steam coming out of the radiator, and you knew right there and then you needed something with more hemi! Going downhill or on level ground, no problem! But when you had to climb, it was tough going.
Our journey through life can be something like that. When things are going well and life is good, it’s like driving a four-cylinder on a level road. But you know as well as I do that there is more to life than a smooth level, road. Sooner or later, there are some tough hills to climb. Strained relationships, illness, losing a loved one, financial problems, confusion, lack of direction, guilt of yesterday and the fear of tomorrow. Does your life ever resemble going up Hualapai Mountain Road in a little Datsun? Do you ever wish you had couple more cylinders to get you through life’s situations?
Well, did you know, when we struggle in life, more power is available to you? God says you can live a life of power. If you need more power in your life right now, you came to the right place, because the power you have been looking for is available to you right here. This is Easter Sunday and Easter Sunday is about power. Jesus Christ suffered and died to pay the penalty for our sins. He was buried in a tomb, and on the third day God’s Resurrection power brought Him back to life. He lived two thousand years ago, He lives now, and He will live forever! He has conquered death through the awesome power of God.
We, human beings only try to prolong life with secret formula pills and such. We are good at research. We can design powerful rockets that take people to the Moon, we can perform delicate brain surgeries, and we can resuscitate people in trouble. If your heart stops while you are in here, God forbid, we have a defibrillator over there, to give you a jolt and restart your heart again. That’s all fine and dandy, but I have yet to see a human being bring back to life someone who has been dead for three days. Only God has the power to do that.
Today we are celebrating this power – Christ’s victory over death. And together with His victory, our victory as well. He promised, Because I live, you will live also. This is the good news of Easter, that when we believe in Him as our Savior, when we by faith place all our sins on the cross of Jesus, He brings us into a right relationship with God, and when we die, that won’t be the end of us, our consciousness, the living soul inside of us, will continue by simply transferring to a heavenly dimension. It may sound weird, but it’s true! This is called eternal life. And we receive this gift of eternal life not because we have in any way deserved it or earned it, but because the sacrifice of Jesus has bought it for us with His precious blood and His Resurrection secured it for us. Amen?
Now, just because we make eternal life our goal, doesn’t mean we are preoccupied with death. No! Our faith is preoccupied with life, because we know God has power for our lives. We call it the new life in Christ.
Now, I was not at the tomb when the stone was rolled away. I have not seen Jesus walking out of the tomb. But others have seen Him. And I believe their testimony. I trust the testimony of the Bible because I have seen with my own eyes this resurrection power at work in the lives of other people and I have experienced it in my own life also.
I have seen people raised to life from alcohol and drug addiction, I have seen the sick healed, marriages restored, I have seen people who felt absolutely worthless become productive members of the society. I have seen selfish people change to actually live for others. I have seen this power at work in my own life. For twenty years faith was something I scoffed at, until one day when I was slipping to my grave the hand of God reached out and rescued me. I know what it’s like to drive up a steep hill in a little Datsun, and I know what it’s like to make the same climb in a V-8, 7.5 liter, 455 HP Vista Cruiser. You kids may never see cars like that again because of how much gasoline costs these days, but boy! let me tell you – you will hear legends about putting the pedal to the metal!
The Christian faith is about life and a life of power. Jesus said, I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly. Listen to what the Bible teaches in Ephesians 1: 17-20: I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which Jesus has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparable great power for us who believe. And now, pay attention to this: That power is like the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead.
Did you hear that? The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is available to us also. Would you like some? Then let’s look at how to get it.
First, you must know Jesus. You cannot tap into this power unless Jesus lives in your heart. Learn about Him, believe in Him, and invite Him to be the boss of your life, and you will experience power in your life like never before.
Secondly, come to church. Do not miss the opportunity to worship. The church is a filling station for our souls. Here is where we recharge our spiritual batteries and get a little tune-up. Here is where we get spiritually fed and uplifted. If you are new to Christian faith or if you haven’t been to church for a while, then I invite you to come next Sunday. At 1 o’clock I will teach a class explaining what this relationship with God means, explain God’s plan of salvation, and what the new life in Christ is. If you are here because you have been thinking about getting right with God, then come next Sunday. Don’t put it off until next Christmas or next Easter. You need Jesus in your life today. Life is very unpredictable. You never know when you cash in on your faith.
Thirdly, study the Bible. If you don’t have one, or if your old Bible is hard to understand, pick a new one in a book store. Get one written in today’s English so you get more out of it. Studying the Bible will deepen your faith and enrich your walk with God. The Bible and its wisdom is our roadmap for a rewarding and meaningful life.
Fourth – pray! God wants to hear from you. He is our heavenly Father. He cares about us and promises to help us in our times of need. Share with him your joys and your sorrows. Share with Him your struggles, your fears, your deepest feelings. Don’t worry, He will keep it confidential. Be sincere and frequent in your prayer, and you will soon discover that prayer is our lifeline to God. I could not imagine my own life without it.
And fifth – find some Christian friends who will pray for you and with you, who will encourage you. Where do you find them? The church is a good place to meet new Christian friends. We need our brothers and sisters in Christ who encourage us and cheer us on. Their help often means the difference between failure or success.
Neil Cole shared in his book Organic Church what the power of God did in the life of a young man named Sean. Neil met Sean in a coffee shop in Long Beach, California when he was starting a new church. One of his friends recognized Sean because they were both involved with a band at a local college. Sean was an outstanding musician before drugs took everything from him. The day Neil met him, Sean later admitted he was waiting for his drug dealer. He was hurting, his clothes were dirty and he looked disheveled. Sean sold all of his musical instruments to feed his habit. He lost every job he had because sooner or later he stole something to buy more drugs. He was circling around the drain ready to go down for the last time.
They invited him to church, which at that time was held in Neil’s home. Neil admitted he was surprised when Sean actually came. Not only that but he came again and again. Eventually he even began to smile and interacted with the others. When someone was getting baptized, Sean took pictures and everyone knew he was getting closer to entering the family of God. When Neil asked him about it he said, “No, I haven’t accepted Jesus as my Savior yet, but I will real soon.” Couple of weeks later Neil baptized Sean in the ocean.
After Sean was baptized, he celebrated by getting high on speed – not the usual was of starting the new life in Christ. They met every week and prayed, but Sean waffled between a life of faith and the life of old habits. Week after week he confessed surrendering to his addiction. Neil thought it would help Sean if he invited him to live with his family. It did, for a while. But as soon as he moved back home, he fell again to the bondage.
Neil didn’t know what to do anymore. He suggested a rehab center. Sean didn’t like the idea and begged for another option. Neil said, “Well, there is one other radical option we can try. You and I will get in the car right now and drive over to your drug dealer and tell’m about Jesus. Maybe if your dealer gets saved, it will cut off your source.” Sean just smiled because he didn’t take it seriously. But Neil told him, “Listen, there is darkness in your life. How can we get rid of darkness? Vacuum it up? Sweep it up? No. There is only one way to overcome darkness: light! I am very serious.”
“Well, alright,” replied Sean, “but it won’t go well if you are with me. Let me do it alone.” I guess the pastor looked more like a DEA agent than an addict. Neil agreed but added that if Sean had not done it by the next day, they would go together.
Sean found the drug dealer – not hard for an addict to do, and shared the Gospel. You are probably imagining some sinister looking man as his dealer. It was a woman, a mother in fact. Drugs are an equal opportunity employer. She lived next door to him and supplied drugs to local kids.
We don’t know what happened to the dealer, but from that day on Sean never took drugs again. He was free. The power of the Gospel, received and shared with others, transformed his heart.
Do you see the difference between driving a little Datsun and a Vista Cruiser? Would you like the Resurrection power to enter your life right now? Then let’s all bow our heads and close our eyes and pray. And if you need to reach out Jesus right now, raise your hand as you pray. No one will see you, only He will.
Let’s pray, Lord Jesus, I need you in my life. I feel like I have been driving up these hills in a little Datsun. I need your power. I believe you suffered and died for me to set me free from my sins. I believe you rose from the dead so that I may live a new life in you. But I can’t do it on my own. I too need to be raised from my troubles, worries, failures. Come into my heart, take charge of my life, help me to endure and to change. I want to live a life of power. Lead me to a victory in you, Amen.
