Resurrection Power

RESURRECTION POWER

EPHESIANS 1:19-23

Paul writing to the Christians in the church at Ephesus tells them that he has been praying that they would begin to be aware of the exceptional and immeasurable greatness of the power which was at their disposal through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This same resurrection power is at our disposal today. We need to be aware of what God can do in our lives if we would but allow Him to release His awesome resurrection power in us.

I. RESURRECTION POWER IS POWER TO OVERCOME THE GREATEST TRIAL AND ADVERSITY YOU WILL EVER FACE.

A. 1 Corinthians 10:13 "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."

B. In Luke 22:42-44 Christ prayed, "Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from Me: nevertheless not My will, but Thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in an agony, He prayed more earnestly: and His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground."

C. When Satan saw Christ affixed to the cross, he and his angels danced with glee. They felt that they had finally put the Son of God through His greatest trial and had stopped Christ cold - dead cold!

D. The Good Friday service in Dampara Baptist Church, Chittagong, Bangladesh, was packed. Little children sat on the floor in the aisles and across the front of the church. Rows of people stood in the back, craning their necks to see the crucifixion scene as depicted in the "Jesus Film." Weeping and gasps of unbelief could be heard in the shocked hush as Jesus was crucified. As the Bengalis watched, they were feeling the agony of Jesus’ pain and the disappointment of the disciples. In that emotional moment, one young boy in the crowded church suddenly cried out, "Do not be afraid. He gets up again! I saw it before." A small boy’s encouraging cry gave new hope to the viewers of the film. "He is risen!" is the cry that gives new hope to all. (William D. Barrick, Christian Reader, Vol. 35, no. 2.)

E. The devil and his crowd threw everything they had into keeping Christ down and from making a comeback from the agony, the pain, the suffering, the loneliness, and the death on the cross. But their efforts were futile. You cannot keep the God-man down.

F. Last November, Sports Illustrated magazine was covering the baseball World Series in which the Arizona Diamondbacks recovered from a slump to defeat the New York Yankees in the last inning of the final game. It started the editors thinking about the greatest comebacks in history. So, they produced their list of the "TOP TEN COMEBACKS OF ALL TIME." It was an eclectic list. Elvis Presley was on it, as a result of his TV special in 1968 that revived his sagging career. Muhammad Ali made the list when he returned from his forced seven-year exile from boxing, to reclaim the world championship. Harry Truman made the cut, owing to his 1948 victory over Thomas Dewey when all the polls had him losing by a large margin. When Michael Jordan gave up baseball and returned to his first love of basketball, he found a spot on the top ten comebacks in history. Even humanity was on the list--after recovering from the Black Plague of the 14th century when 25 million Europeans died. Number two among the all-time comebacks was Japan and Germany, devastated in the Second World War but becoming world economic powers within a generation. And number one...named by the editors of Sports Illustrated magazine in the November 12, 2001, issue...the greatest comeback of all time... Jesus Christ. AD 33. Stuns Romans and defies critics by his resurrection from the grave.

G. 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

H. 0 death, where is thy sting? 0 grave, where is thy victory? This is so true that even Satan cannot deny it. Christ’s resurrection and victory over sin, death and hell is greater than all heaven and earth. You can never imagine his resurrection and victory so great but that in actuality it is far, far greater.

I. Isaiah 43:2-3 "When you pass through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when you walk through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. [3] For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Savior..."