The Mightiness Of Easter Series

THE MIGHTINESS OF EASTER.-5/4/2015.

Php 3:10.. " That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;.."

This is Easter festival. It is the oldest and most important festival in the Christian calendar. It finishes in the celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This is the day when families get together to share a meal, and eat lots of chocolates. Easter is linked with Jesus coming back to life, and visiting his friends and followers once more in a new way. Jesus had told his disciples in advance that he would rise again on the third day after his death. He had been buried in the tomb for 3 days and three nights, and everything seemed to be over. The good story of Jesus seemed to be over with a tragic death on the cross. but Sunday changed the whole scene. As Jesus rose from the dead, he met all his friends. Paul says about 500 people saw him. O who were these lucky 500? I surely think they were people who loved him/waited for him/lived for him. Easter is, therefore, a time of great celebration for Christians. Churches are sometimes decorated with white lilies, traditional Easter flowers, and the mood is joyful and uplifting. When we were small daddy used to buy “Hot cross buns.’ from the bakery, and we used to eat it with great relish. It was slightly sweeter, with a cross on the bun. It has its roots right from the beginning, it spoke of spring. for Christians the cross symbolized the cross.

If we understand the real meaning of Easter it will empower you to live a successful and overcoming life. The key to knowing this truth is that in almost every sermon of the apostles they mentioned about resurrection. When they spoke of his death they spoke of his resurrection. Look at Peter on the day of Pentecost what he says. He says. in Acts.2:22.He said Jesus of Nazareth was approved of God, did miracles, and you put him to death, but God raised him from the dead. and then he says David spoke of him. Yes David speaks of his own resurrection, when he said. I have set the lord always before me, because he is at my right hand I shall not be moved…so my heart is glad. I am joyful; my body also will rest in hope. You will not leave me in the grave. You will not let your holy one see corruption. David is seeing the resurrection of Jesus. He says I will not be left in the grave, I will be resurrected. How? By the resurrection of Jesus. Every sermon they preached was related to resurrection. It should not be a once a year Easter Message, our message/our life/our thinking should all be focused on his resurrection .then you will have life. Resurrection power should come upon our spirit, soul and body, and cause us to preserve us. No sickness no disease can remain upon you. But the question is how I can tap the resurrection power. How can I get hold of that power? We know this resurrection power should not be received just once, but it should be a continuous process. Paul after being in the ministry for so many yrs says.” That I may know him and the power of his resurrection.’ That means he was seeking daily to get to know the lord, and seek for the power of resurrection.that was the secret of his success in life, and ministry. I would like to speak on three areas regarding the resurrection of Jesus. and how it affect us.

1).HOW TO TAP THE RESURRECTION POWER?

People say I want the resurrection power upon me. I want Gds power upon me. There is only one way where you can tap the resurrection power upon your life. That is you need to tap the dying power of Jesus. You know how Paul became so powerful. It was because he was dying daily. He said I die daily. He said. Reckon yourself to be dead in Christ. Once you die to self/once you take up the cross and follow Jesus, then there is a release of the resurrection power of Jesus automatically upon your life. You know God cannot mix the power of the resurrection in your life when the self is ruling, when the flesh is ruling. Flesh and spirit cannot mix. It is like water and oil. they don’t mix. The flesh has to die in order for the resurrection power to come upon our lives. There is no such thing as the resurrection power w/t the cross. they come together in a package. You cannot pray for the resurrection power to come upon your lives. I lived in the days when people spoke only of power, wherever I went I saw people speak of power. all my contemporaries spoke of power. They would tell me, if you are a preacher/you wont go thru suffering. You should not speak of suffering. there is no cross/no sacrifice. But then my wife and I suffered a lot. They didn’t understand. When my mother died, my mentor came for the funeral he started laughing and laughing, and those with him didn’t understand him, but they regarded him/respected him and so they too joined in the laughter. My relatives who come from orthodox catholic background didn’t like it at all. My brother and me too didn’t like it much, but we thought we should not cry, and so we only smiled. Because they had not seen suffering. They would say walk in total control. You should walk in faith and power. Nobody spoke of suffering. Here I was preaching on sacrifice/cross/tribulation. I am not saying that I didn’t believe in power or did not have power working in my life, but I always believed power comes when we pay the price. I used to realize that you can learn from God only after you have suffered a while. The problem with today’s generation is that they want a crown w/t the cross, they want beauty w/t ashes, they want the garment of praise w/t the spirit of heaviness. But then did not Jesus also say.” if you suffer with me you shall also reign with me?(2Tim.2:12).I remember when I married my wife Jayshree we didn’t have much. when we became believers, we struggled in life. Not that I didn’t have a good job, but yet there wasn’t much. People may look at us driving our car, and some may be saying. Can he handle it can they handle finance. Will it not go into their head? No it won’t, because I had seen lack, and God won’t mind me having things of the world today. When my wife married me, it was not for money surely. I didn’t have much in the first place. We didn’t have a car, we had a house but then not everything. we still struggled. we lacked finance, when we bought this church land. it cost us in lacs. yet I couldn’t afford to buy my wife a dress of 1000 rps.for the function day, when Paul Dhinkaran had come. She was in the choir, and one choir member had bought a dress worth 1500/- and I could afford for her only 700/-dress.it looked so pale before her friends dress. Though both were white, but my wife’s dress was pale white. I remember I saw it, and then just smiled. Love for Christ was strong in us. Today people start with a 100 member, and they think big. think of buying a house and a car.etc.I had more than 2000 members, I still lacked. and suffered. but see, she didn’t say anything. I didn’t have much to wear for that function. and today God has given everything. today I don’t mind her having anything she wants. I never told her you cannot have this or that. it is too expensive. If I can afford it I will let her have what she wants.because if you walk with me thru sufferings, then when we get to the good place, or part. you shall be my partaker. Now I don’t need to get to the motives of my wife.That is the secret. ““For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.”(2Cor.1:5).Yes the resurrection power comes. the blessings come. Jesus said. “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.”(Jn.15:7).People say how easy it is. I am abiding in you lord. Let the power come. and then Jesus says.” for w/t me you can do nothing.”(v.5).That means we have to be nothing for the power of resurrection to work in our lives. We have to die to self. Jesus said in Jn.12. “ Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.”(Jn.12:24,25).Unless there is death taking place in our lives everyday, there wont come the resurrection power on us every day. We need the resurrection power on our lives every day,but for that we need to die daily. die to our flesh/die to our desires/our appetites/die to our pride/die to everything related to the flesh. and when the seed dies, it bears much fruit. “ He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.”(v.25). “ If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.”(v.26).