Post by Rob W. Case on Apr 16, 2017 19:47:32 GMT -6
I am both amazed and impressed by a number of true stories and recent movies based on true stories where the world was changed, along with minds, hearts, and lives due to God’s reaching out to people in very deep and personal ways. Take for example, more recently where we saw the film renditions of the testimonies of Desmond Doss in the movie “Hacksaw Ridge”, as well as the testimony of Lee Strobel in the film “The Case for Christ.” And it doesn’t end there. Think for a moment, in your personal life, how someone close to you might have “brushed up” against death, or a miracle occurred sparing you or someone you love from death, pain, or some permanent life altering disaster. I can’t tell you how many times God saved me from some type of potential harm, a snare set by someone else, and/or death by intervening in some of the most unexpected ways in order to set a new course, and in that prevent a disaster from occurring.
When you think about these things in a very deep and personal way, and you hold them up in light of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, some deep and profound insights will begin to surface. For one thing, by rising from the dead, Jesus Christ showed that through faith and trust in Him, everything that seems “set” by this world’s standards, isn’t always final until God allows it to be that way. When Christ foretold his own death (see Matthew 16:21, 17:22-23, 20:17-19, Mark 8:31-37, and Luke 9:22-25) his disciples reacted in a very natural (to this world’s standards) way. In some passages, the gospel accounts reveal that they were grieved when he said it. In another instance, Peter rebuked (to outwardly scold someone with the underling ambition to correct them) Jesus, and then Jesus turned around and rebuked Him, speaking to the source behind his line of thinking. And yet, when Christ did in fact die, Jesus’ disciples acted again in a worldly way, as if death actually did have the final verdict on Him. After all, rising from death would be a radical disruption of the natural process of things. And so, they did what was natural to them. They hid in fear of repercussions due to the powerful, iron fisted Pharisees, who would have had them killed for being in the company of, and following someone who they predetermined as both an enemy and a threat to their power, prestige, and affluent way of living. And yet, when the disciples actually saw Jesus, they were totally taken by surprise. From there, Jesus, even though he died, could not be “held down” by death. Even though the world through its means tried to set him up to a state where he would no longer “disrupt the status quo”, God would not allow the ends of those efforts to be final, and in that, He raised Jesus from the dead (Acts 2:24). Appearing to many people, performing miracles, intervening in people’s lives, thwarting the schemes of evil people, are only a few of the many things that have given us hope, peace, someone to depend on in times of need, and spiritual rejuvenation. This is the crux of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Despite Man’s Efforts, God Has the Final Say:
After the resurrection and ascension of Christ, God sent the Holy Spirit to his disciples, to make disciples in all of the nations of the earth. The Spirit enabled them to be bold and to live without fear, only fearing God and Christ, not those who rule with violence and coercion. In fact I find it uniquely impressive that Jesus confronted and challenged even the hard hearted, like Saul, a Pharisaic scholar who, after encountering Christ, and having his heart humbled, became the Apostle Paul. In that God softened his heart and instilled within him the Holy Spirit. The radical and deep change in his heart and life makes passages like these very powerful and profound.
Romans 8:11 (NIV)
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.
So much hinges on the resurrection of Jesus Christ, not just as a historical event, but also as a viable and reliable affirmation that allows us to rely on prayer as a serious option, and a heavy duty means of requesting God’s power and sovereignty over matters, and intervening where our fallen world is about to finalize another detrimental outcome. Circumstances, dangers, situations, mentalities, and attitudes can all weigh heavy on us and influence us to reason matters in ways that make hope for any alternative seem dire. And yet, as evidenced by the resurrection, God can change circumstances, situations, dangers, mentalities, and attitudes by changing people’s hearts, minds, priorities, and setups to connect you to the same power that rose Christ from the dead, and allowed us a way of salvation through Him to save us from ourselves (in our hard hearted state), the world around us, and the enemy that seeks to destroy us.
When you think about these things in a very deep and personal way, and you hold them up in light of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, some deep and profound insights will begin to surface. For one thing, by rising from the dead, Jesus Christ showed that through faith and trust in Him, everything that seems “set” by this world’s standards, isn’t always final until God allows it to be that way. When Christ foretold his own death (see Matthew 16:21, 17:22-23, 20:17-19, Mark 8:31-37, and Luke 9:22-25) his disciples reacted in a very natural (to this world’s standards) way. In some passages, the gospel accounts reveal that they were grieved when he said it. In another instance, Peter rebuked (to outwardly scold someone with the underling ambition to correct them) Jesus, and then Jesus turned around and rebuked Him, speaking to the source behind his line of thinking. And yet, when Christ did in fact die, Jesus’ disciples acted again in a worldly way, as if death actually did have the final verdict on Him. After all, rising from death would be a radical disruption of the natural process of things. And so, they did what was natural to them. They hid in fear of repercussions due to the powerful, iron fisted Pharisees, who would have had them killed for being in the company of, and following someone who they predetermined as both an enemy and a threat to their power, prestige, and affluent way of living. And yet, when the disciples actually saw Jesus, they were totally taken by surprise. From there, Jesus, even though he died, could not be “held down” by death. Even though the world through its means tried to set him up to a state where he would no longer “disrupt the status quo”, God would not allow the ends of those efforts to be final, and in that, He raised Jesus from the dead (Acts 2:24). Appearing to many people, performing miracles, intervening in people’s lives, thwarting the schemes of evil people, are only a few of the many things that have given us hope, peace, someone to depend on in times of need, and spiritual rejuvenation. This is the crux of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Despite Man’s Efforts, God Has the Final Say:
After the resurrection and ascension of Christ, God sent the Holy Spirit to his disciples, to make disciples in all of the nations of the earth. The Spirit enabled them to be bold and to live without fear, only fearing God and Christ, not those who rule with violence and coercion. In fact I find it uniquely impressive that Jesus confronted and challenged even the hard hearted, like Saul, a Pharisaic scholar who, after encountering Christ, and having his heart humbled, became the Apostle Paul. In that God softened his heart and instilled within him the Holy Spirit. The radical and deep change in his heart and life makes passages like these very powerful and profound.
Romans 8:11 (NIV)
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.
So much hinges on the resurrection of Jesus Christ, not just as a historical event, but also as a viable and reliable affirmation that allows us to rely on prayer as a serious option, and a heavy duty means of requesting God’s power and sovereignty over matters, and intervening where our fallen world is about to finalize another detrimental outcome. Circumstances, dangers, situations, mentalities, and attitudes can all weigh heavy on us and influence us to reason matters in ways that make hope for any alternative seem dire. And yet, as evidenced by the resurrection, God can change circumstances, situations, dangers, mentalities, and attitudes by changing people’s hearts, minds, priorities, and setups to connect you to the same power that rose Christ from the dead, and allowed us a way of salvation through Him to save us from ourselves (in our hard hearted state), the world around us, and the enemy that seeks to destroy us.