He Is Risen
He- My topic this morning is about Jesus.
What do we know about this one man?
“He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman.
He grew up in a village, where he worked in a carpenter’s shop until he was thirty. Then for three years he was an itinerant preacher.
He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family or owned a house.
He did not go to college.
He did none of the things associated with greatness. He had no credentials but himself.
He was only thirty-three years of age when the tide of public opinion turned against him. His friends ran away. He was turned over to his enemies and went through the mockery of a trial.
He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. While he was dying, his executioners gambled for his clothing, the only property he had on earth. When he was dead, he was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.
Today he remains the central figure of the human race, and the leader of mankind’s progress.
Why is it important that he really did rise from the dead.
Story: A Muslim in Africa became a Christian and some of his friends asked him why.
He answered: Well, it is like this: suppose you were going down a road and suddenly the road forked in two directions. And you didn’t know which way to go.
If you met two men at the fork – one dead and one alive – which one would you ask to show you the way?”
Because Jesus is risen, He is able to communicate with us – to speak to us and to touch our lives.
Risen
Risen – move from a lower position to a higher one; come or go up.
Ecclesiastes 7:1
A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of death better than the day of birth.
1 Corinthians 2:8
Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
Colossians 3:1-3
3 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
John 3 1-21
3 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?
11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.
12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?
13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, (1 Peter 1:3)
I. The Resurrection is Fact
a. Jesus was seen by hundreds after He rose from the dead
b. Jesus ate and fellowshipped with His disciples after He rose from the dead
II. The Resurrection is Necessary
a. By raising from the dead, Jesus conquered death
b. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, there is no hope for us for eternal life
III. The Resurrection is for You
a. God offers you salvation because of Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection
b. that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. (Romans 10:9-10)
The meaning of His resurrection
The greatest mistake in Hell.
Risen above sin
Sin in the flesh is something that we have all inherited and are born with, as Adam and Eve’s descendants. It is not guilt, but the tendency or inclination to follow our own self-will rather than God’s will.
Jesus overcame sin when He died and was resurrected and, when we are in Him, we can too.
Romans 6:1-7
Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ
6 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with,[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.
The power of the Holy Spirit from God gives you the energy you need to stand firm in the fight against sin and never give up, no matter how long the temptation continues
1. You Have the Right to Be Free
“Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” –John 8:36 (NKJV)
When God created man, He gave him the gifts of life, dominion and free will. Why did He give us freedom and not just force us to be righteous? Because God didn’t want robots or servants. He wanted a family. That’s why the right, the privilege and the power to DECIDE has been left by God in the hands of men.
You have the right, for example, to decide where you’re going to spend eternity. You have the right to choose life or death, blessing or cursing. You have the right to choose heaven or hell, and God will back your decision. Most of all, you have the right to be free.
At calvary, three people decided
Satan will try to convince you that you can’t choose to be free. But, let’s not forget for a moment that he is the father of lies. So, which are you going to choose?
SATAN’S LIE: You have no choice but to be condemned, sick, addicted, depressed and living in lack. You should feel guilty about your past and everything you’ve done wrong. You’ll never overcome it. You aren’t righteous.
TRUTH: If the Son makes you free, you have the right to be free. Free from sin, shame, guilt and condemnation. Free from your past, free from addiction, free from depression. Jesus took it all from you. You are free indeed!
If you choose to believe the lie, and you don’t contend for your right to be free, you’ll be locked in a cell. Only, this cell has the key available in the lock because you don’t belong there—you’ve already been set free. All you have to do is turn the key and walk out—straight to freedom. Straight to victory.
1 John 3:8 ESV
Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
2. You Have the Right to Be Healed
“By His stripes we are healed.” –Isaiah 53:5 (NKJV)
Romans 8:11 – But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
When it comes to the rights provided by the government, we may have to fight for those rights at times. But with God, you don’t have to fight for the right to be healed. No. Jesus has already dealt with that.
You are a son or daughter of Abraham and you should be healed today! Jesus broke the power of the curse that came on Adam, and if you’ll exercise your authority in Christ Jesus by His Name, His blood, His Word and His resurrection, as a joint heir with Him—then that curse does not have any right or authority over you.
God wants His people well, and the way you can be well and stay well is to find out what God says in His Word concerning your healing and concerning your right to be well.
To walk in your right to be healed, you’ve got to totally sell out and dedicate your life to what God says. Make the Word first place and final authority. God’s Word works. Receive your healing and stay healed!
3. You Have the Right to Prosper
“And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.” –2 Corinthians 9:8
People have the idea that spiritual things are separate from material things. That isn’t true. Spiritual laws govern material things. A Spirit (God) created all matter.
So, the laws of prosperity will work for anyone who will meet the biblical requirements to walk in them. God has always promised, “If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land” (Isaiah 1:19, NKJV). While there are qualifications for increase in prosperity, it already belongs to you, and you have a right to call for it!
Why does God want us to prosper? Not only so that we might enjoy life abundantly, but so we will do something about the poverty in the rest of the world. The gospel not only gives people hope in the Kingdom to come, but it gives them hope in the here and now!
What does it mean to prosper? It means you have the right to live a long life on the earth. You have the right to have joy and peace. You have the right to live in a safe and beautiful home, drive a reliable car, be steadily employed at a job where you are promoted and paid well. You have the right to enjoy healthy relationships and to bear children.
You have these rights because you are redeemed, saved and joint heirs, with Jesus, of the promise of prosperity given to Abraham. Abraham was lacking nothing. He was blessed with abundance in every area. That’s also your inheritance. That’s your right as a child of God.
2 Corinthians 8:9 – For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.
4. You Have the Right to Never Fear Again
“For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’” –Romans 8:15 (NKJV)
Do you have any fear in your life? Right off, you may think you don’t. But, do you worry about anything? Are you afraid of getting sick, getting fired or losing a loved one? Are you afraid people are talking about you behind your back? Are you afraid of what your future looks like?
Let’s start here: You have the right to never fear again. Ever. God didn’t give you a spirit of fear—He gave you a spirit of power. When you’re empowered, you don’t fear. Fear isn’t natural, and it isn’t responsible. It’s nothing but torment (1 John 4:18). And Jesus didn’t come so you would be tormented—He came to give you dominion, authority, peace and perfect love. What does perfect love do? It casts out fear—permanently.
Jesus came to break the power of that bondage! How? By stopping the force of fear. Praise God! There is not one thing in Satan’s bag of tricks that the Word cannot overcome. So, don’t pay him any attention!
Smith Wigglesworth once told a story about waking in the night and feeling the presence of evil in the room. As he looked to the foot of his bed, he saw the devil standing there trying to instill fear in him. But instead of responding in fear, he said, “Oh, it’s only you,” then turned over and went back to sleep.[1]
That’s how we need to treat the things of the devil. He’s powerless as long as we refuse to open the door to him through fear. You don’t have to act on fear. You don’t have to practice fear. You don’t have to talk fear. Give it no place. If you sense it rising up within you, stop right then and take authority over it in Jesus’ Name and cast it out.
And you have been given a right by God to step over into that supernatural place. You have authority over demons, and you have a right to take your stand in the unseen world of the supernatural—the realm of the Spirit of God. You have a right to never fear again.
5. You Have the Right to Have Peace
“The Lord will bless His people with peace.” –Psalm 29:11 (NASB)
We were just talking about being free from fear—so how is having peace any different?
True peace doesn’t come from the absence of trouble; it comes from the presence of God. The Hebrew word for peace, shalom, means “completeness, wholeness, peace, health, welfare, safety, soundness, tranquility, prosperity, perfectness, fullness, rest, harmony, absence of agitation or discord; to be complete, perfect and full.
There is a story of an art gallery that asked for paintings illustrating the idea of peace. The one that stood out most was that of a scene with a small tree branch bending over a rushing waterfall. On the branch sat a small nest with a bird sleeping inside. That is a great picture of the God kind of peace.
You have a right to have peace like that, even when serious trouble comes (Isaiah 26:3). How? Enter into peace by spending time praising God and resting in the truth of His Word. As you put your complete trust in Him, you will experience peace in the midst of even the most challenging circumstances.
6. You Have the Right to Use the Name of Jesus
John 1:12
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God–
“And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ.” –1 John 3:23 (NIV)
We have a commandment to believe on the Name of the Son of God. To believe on His Name is to put demand upon His ability. The mighty, powerful Name of Jesus is available to you. But, you must become aware of your right and privilege to use it.
The Name of Jesus is the key to heaven’s storehouse. It can do anything that Jesus can do. According to Philippians 2:9-11, everything in existence—heaven, earth, under the earth—will bow its knee and confess with its mouth that Jesus is Lord. The Name of Jesus is the Name that is above every other name.
You are in the family of God, and you have the right to the use of the Name of Jesus. When you pray in the Name of Jesus, you have the right to expect your heavenly Father to answer because you have not prayed in your own name—you have prayed in Jesus’ Name. His righteousness (right-standing with God) is yours!
7. You Have the Right to Always Triumph
“Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ.” –2 Corinthians 2:14 (KJV)
Always triumph. Did you know to expect that? That doesn’t mean you live a life without trials, though. A triumph, or victory, comes after a battle. We’ll face battles, but we are always supposed to win. Always. There is no defeat for those who are in Christ Jesus. So, when Satan tries to hurl things at us, Jesus has already provided the victory. But we have to contend for it.
How can you exercise this right?
You have the right to ask God anything according to His will and expect it to be done for you. You have a right to your healing, redemption and victory. You have a right to pray. You have a right to your Father’s fellowship.
You have the right to resist Satan and to expect him to flee. In all things.
Jesus came to earth and gave Himself as a sacrifice for sin to buy back your rights. Once you receive Him as Lord of your life, all the rights and privileges God originally intended for you are restored.
But you are the one who has to exercise those rights!
Risen above sickness
Father because you are risen I claim my healing
Risen above lack
Jesus became poor that we might be rich
Everything I need to serve you make available to me
Risen above sorrow
Maritally
I command all my wombs to be fruitful, obey God. None shall be barren in my land
No more fruitless efforts
Signs and wonders
Both me and my children, let us be for signs and wonders.
Through me perform special miracles