Easter – 2020
Subject – Fear the God Who Has Resurrection Power
by Rick Welborne
Luke 24:1-12 (NKJV)
1 Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.
2 But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.
3 Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
4 And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments.
5 Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead?
6 He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee,
7 saying, 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.' "
8 And they remembered His words.
9 Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.
10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles.
11 And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them.
12 But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying by themselves; and he departed, marveling to himself at what had happened.
1 Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.
2 But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.
3 Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
4 And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments.
5 Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead?
6 He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee,
7 saying, 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.' "
8 And they remembered His words.
9 Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.
10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles.
11 And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them.
12 But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying by themselves; and he departed, marveling to himself at what had happened.
Resurrection - Webster’s Collegiate - a rising from the dead...a coming back to life...the state of having risen from the dead.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Resurrection - New Testament Greek - "stand up," and "raise." Old Testament,, "live," Hebrew "rise," Hebrew "awake".
–Putting these two together...resurrection is for those who were or are dead to rise from their lifeless existence. To come back to life. To stand up and come out of their graves. To awake and live again.
–A verse that is forever ingrained in my heart and mind is:
Romans 8:11 (NKJV)
11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
--I guess the question we need to present you with on this resurrection Sunday is this…Does the same Spirit (Holy Spirit) Who raised Jesus from the dead dwell inside of you. He can! He is the key to resurrection!
--Maybe another question we need to ask in light of Covid 19 is what kind of church and what kind of believers do we want to be in the middle of and on the other side of this Pandemic?
--Our world needs a resurrected church sharing the love of Jesus with them and they definitely need a resurrected Savior in their hearts and lives.
--Are we a church that is truly alive or do we just have a reputation of being alive but maybe are dead. I believe the Coronavirus was meant to be a wakeup call for the church.
Revelation 3:1-3 (NLT2)
1 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Sardis. This is the message from the one who has the sevenfold Spirit of God and the seven stars: “I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead.
2 Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead. I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of my God.
3 Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to me again. If you don’t wake up, I will come to you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief.
1 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Sardis. This is the message from the one who has the sevenfold Spirit of God and the seven stars: “I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead.
2 Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead. I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of my God.
3 Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to me again. If you don’t wake up, I will come to you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief.
--Pastor Rick, we are a very much alive church. We have great services and we invite Holy Spirit to come every service. Having resurrection power is more than having exciting services.
--Resurrection power is about seeing lives transformed from death to life, from darkness to life, from addiction to freedom, from sadness to rejoicing, from hopelessness and despair to great hope!
--Countries, doctors, scientist are all scrambling to find the cure for this deadly virus that is ravaging the world and oh what joy it will be when we find the cure. We will still have to get to the sick people in time.
--Hear your pastor, we have the cure for this world’s sin and separation from God but if we do not get it to the people who need it the most, what have we accomplished?
--We who are born of the Spirit (Holy Spirit) need to expedite this process of getting this good news to every tribe and tongue in the world. And yes, we can do that thru Missions! All of us!
--If the same Spirit (Holy Spirit) that raised Jesus from the dead dwells inside of you, He wants you to be resurrected to make a difference in your sphere of influence.
Resurrection is for those who were or are dead to rise from their lifeless existence. To come back to life. To stand up and come out of their graves. To awake and live again.
--On the other side of this virus the world is going to be like the walking dead and they are going to need an alive thriving church that has hope, power, and absolute resurrection.
--We are here on this earth filled with Holy Spirit power to make a difference in the people we contact every day and to send out missionaries as much as possible. What are we spreading to those we touch?
Gen 2:7 (NKJV)
7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
--What a beautiful picture of resurrection power and a beautiful picture of what the church should be doing right now. What are we breathing into them? Life? Death? Maybe nothing? We need some Elijahs.
1 Kings 17:21‑24 (NLT)
21 And he stretched himself out over the child three times and cried out to the LORD, "O LORD my God, please let this child's life return to him."
22 The LORD heard Elijah's prayer, and the life of the child returned, and he came back to life!
23 Then Elijah brought him down from the upper room and gave him to his mother. "Look, your son is alive!" he said.
24 Then the woman told Elijah, "Now I know for sure that you are a man of God, and that the LORD truly speaks through you."
--The resurrection message that maybe we need to hear from Elijah is that we need to be stretched in our faith, step out in Holy Spirit power, and make a difference in someone’s life.
--What came to the child? Life and resurrection! Talk is cheap but when the woman received her child back to life, she knew Elijah was a man of God.
--When the church begins to walk in resurrection power, in Holy Spirit power, and with faith propelled by the Word of God, the world will know that we are the church again!
--We can have such resurrection power in us that even after we pass from this life to the next that we can impact those who are coming behind us. We can leave a legacy. Look at Elisha’s bones.
2 Kings 13:20‑21 (NLT)
20 Then Elisha died and was buried. Groups of Moabite raiders used to invade the land each spring.
21 Once when some Israelites were burying a man, they spied a band of these raiders. So they hastily threw the body they were burying into the tomb of Elisha. But as soon as the body touched Elisha's bones, the dead man revived and jumped to his feet!
--Earlier I said Holy Spirit is the key to walking in resurrection power and coming out of our graves.
Ezekiel 37:1-14 (NKJV)
1 The hand of the LORD came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones.
2 Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry.
3 And He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" So I answered, "O Lord GOD, You know."
4 Again He said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!
5 Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: "Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live.
6 I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the LORD." ' "
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone.
8 Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.
9 Also He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live." ' "
10 So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.
11 Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, 'Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!'
12 Therefore prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.
13 Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves.
14 I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it and performed it," says the LORD.' "
1 The hand of the LORD came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones.
2 Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry.
3 And He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" So I answered, "O Lord GOD, You know."
4 Again He said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!
5 Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: "Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live.
6 I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the LORD." ' "
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone.
8 Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.
9 Also He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live." ' "
10 So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.
11 Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, 'Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!'
12 Therefore prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.
13 Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves.
14 I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it and performed it," says the LORD.' "
--Today we are celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead by Holy Spirit. How hopeless we would be if we do not believe this wonderful message.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4&12-17 (NLT2) 3 I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said.
4 He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.
12 But tell me this—since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead?
13 For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either.
14 And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless.
15 And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead.
16 And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised.
17 And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins.
4 He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.
12 But tell me this—since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead?
13 For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either.
14 And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless.
15 And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead.
16 And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised.
17 And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins.
--Can I please testify to you today that I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Christ is risen and that He changes lives. He changed mine.
--I was not raised in church and my life was spiraling out of control. I was addicted heavily to drugs and drinking hard liquor which at 19, my doctor said was killing me.
--I was a dead man walking. My doctor said if I lived a couple more months it would be a miracle. I could not quit so I told him, I just guess I will die. Something happened! I encountered the resurrected Christ.
--The evangelist who led me in the sinner’s prayer quoted this verse to me. Watch how it speaks of death and resurrection. Rick died that day!
Galatians 2:20 (NKJV)
20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
--Years later the evangelist wife told me that all of the people who were saved during that revival that I was the one she knew for sure I wouldn’t continue living for God. But look what God did in my life.
--Not only did the resurrection power of Jesus set me free from all my addictions but he also called me into the ministry. I pastor a great mission’s church that is touching the world thru almost 200 missionaries.
Romans 8:11 (MSG)
11 It stands to reason, doesn't it, that if the alive‑and‑present God who raised Jesus from the dead moves into your life, he'll do the same thing in you that he did in Jesus, bringing you alive to himself? When God lives and breathes in you (and he does, as surely as he did in Jesus), you are delivered from that dead life. With his Spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ's!
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