I am the Resurrection and the Life!
Those who believe in Me will live,
Even though they die!
Whoever lives and believes in Me will never die,
Do you believe this?
John 11:25-26
Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you!
Ephesians 5:14
Early in the morning the women took spices and went to the tomb where they found the stone rolled away. When they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. Suddenly, two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them and said, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?”
“Jesus is not here! He has risen!”
Remember when He told you, “The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.” Then they remembered His words (Luke 24:1).
These women who had the good fortune to walk with Jesus and personally witness how God’s Word impacted so many lives, could not remember His words until their lives were also impacted by the Truth. God’s Word, Christ Jesus, is Truth! We are told God sanctifies His people by the Truth! His Word is Truth! (John 17:17).
These are just a few words that are synonymous with sanctify: purge, cleanse, purify, restore, heal, vindicate, uplift, bless, hallow, deliver….
All of this and so much more God can accomplish for the followers of His Word of Truth.
Here are a few words that are antonyms of the word sanctify: warp, degrade, poison, defile, pervert, profane, desecrate….all of which evolves from deception. And deception includes much more than lying because it can be carried out without the explicit telling of lies.
Broadly defined, deception is the manipulation of appearances, so they convey a false reality. Without knowledge of Truth, deception is given great power in our lives, for it causes us to accept as true and valid what is false and invalid. In fact, the very nature of deception is this: When we are deceived, we don’t realize it. A major deception that has infiltrated the body of Christ: It is enough to be a hearer of God’s Word.
Everything Christ suffered treated somewhat indifferently – as simply granted to us. Of course, we can’t do anything to accomplish for ourselves what only Christ’s death and resurrection has accomplished. However, faith does not mean we can take advantage of the Lord and His accomplishment. Here are a few similar words for taken advantage of: Exploit, misuse, ill-treat, bleed, treat unfairly, capitalize on…All of this helps us to justify, to rationalize what seems right in our own eyes.
When we are not consistent doers of God’s Word, we live as doers of our own words: judgments, beliefs, opinions, fears…When we are doing what seems right in our own eyes, the lack of trust in God to do as His Word instructs causes faith to be made void. We nullify God’s promises for ourselves (Romans 4:14).
No matter how many promises God has made, they are “YES” in Christ! Therefore, the “AMEN” “SO BE IT” is spoken by us to the glory of God
(2 Corinthians 1:20). Being doers of God’s Word is how by our faith and trust in the Word of Truth we glorify God, not ourselves.
If the father of lies and the rulers at that era understood God’s secret wisdom, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory (1 Corinthians 2:7-8). When we become absolutely astounded, thoroughly amazed by what God had to do, when He chose us to be in Christ before the creation of the world, so that in Christ He could see us holy and blameless, then maybe we would worship and serve Jesus as Lord with our acts of obedience.
In accordance with His great love, with His pleasure and will, God predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Christ. How loudly and joyously in every circumstance of our life, we should praise God and His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves (Ephesians 1:4-6).
By being doers of God’s Word not only are lives greatly impacted, but the miraculous will be experienced as our soul – intellect, emotions, will – is transformed. When we do the work God asks of us: Believe in the One He has sent, we may be saved. However, when we make the free-will choice to be doers of God’s Word, holding tightly to the Lord’s teaching, we are really His disciples. Then, we will know the Truth, and the Truth will set us free (John 8:31-32).
It is written: No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him! (1 Corinthians 2:9). Well, I can tell you from personal experience, when we are allowing God’s Word to sculpt our thoughts and choices, then the power of Truth will be working to free us from the harmful effects of deception: Codependency, addictions, compulsions, emotional traumas, people pleasing, denial, delusion, unsoundness…
Even though Jesus accomplished what only God could – the miraculous – the power of deception causes the miraculous to be seemingly mundane. Why? Self-interest, doubt, disbelief, fear.. are engaged in and conformed to, instead of God’s Word.
A personal relationship is what God desires to share with us. His love story was manifested in Jesus, and God continues to stretch out His hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of His holy Servant, Christ Jesus (Acts 4:30), and all of this He desires to make manifest in our lives, in our homes, in our communities.
God sends His Word of Truth to deliver us from the power of deception, but we must be willing to be engaged, to become committed, to become the bride to the Son God has chosen for us to love, to honor and obey.
Sadly, there is a story that has been widely circulated to this very day. When the soldiers who were guarding the tomb of Jesus went to report everything that had occurred on that very first Resurrection Day, and an evil plan was devised.
So, the soldiers took the money they were offered, and the power of deception continued to be exerted because they agreed to report Christ’s disciples came during the night and stole Him away while they slept (Matthew 28:11).
If you make the decision to invest in this precious commodity God has given us – TIME – in God’s Word, then surely interest will grow! Luke 24:13 tells us of two men who left Jerusalem to go to Emmaus. The meaning of Jerusalem is: To flow as water, to point out, to teach; and the meaning of Emmaus is: A warm spring and mule.
There’s an old saying you may be familiar with “You can bring a mule to water, but you can’t make it drink.” A mule is stubborn. To be stubborn is to be: Willful, opinionated, defiant, severe, narrow-minded, disobedient, contrary, hell-bent…
On my website “For God Fore His Glory” there are many resources available free of charge that will do for you what Jesus did for those two men on their journey to Emmaus, open your eyes to Truth.
They didn’t recognize Jesus when He came up and walked with them asking what they had been discussing. They said, “Do you not know the things that have happened these days in Jerusalem? Jesus was crucified and His tomb was empty. Some have said He is alive.”
Jesus said to them, “Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter His glory?” Then, beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, Jesus explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself.
During this time of fellowship, when thanks was given God and bread was broken, they remembered. Their eyes were opened and they recognized Jesus, God’s Word of Truth and were soon to experience newness of Life.
Trust me there is much to learn about God and His Word and our human condition when the power of Truth and newness of life are experienced.
“Did I not tell you if you believed, you would see the glory of God!” Jesus (John 11:40)