The Lord Jesus Assures Us of Power Over Death, Sin and the Devil (Matt 26:45-50)
Learning to appropriate the power of the resurrection is a key to experiencing the conquering power over our fear of death, the lures of sin and the oppression from the devil. Whenever I feel afraid I begin to sing the song, "In the name of Jesus. We have the victory. In the name of Jesus. Satan will have to flee..."
Illustration: Funeral of Brezhnev
As Vice President, George Bush represented the U.S. at the funeral of former Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev. Bush was deeply moved by a silent protest carried out by Brezhnev’s widow. She stood motionless by the coffin until seconds before it was closed. Then, just as the soldiers touched the lid, Brezhnev’s wife performed an act of great courage and hope, a gesture that must surely rank as one of the most profound acts of civil disobedience ever committed: She reached down and made the sign of the cross on her husband’s chest. There in the citadel of secular, atheistic power, the wife of the man who had run it all hoped that her husband was wrong. She hoped that there was another life, and that that life was best represented by Jesus who died on the cross, and that the same Jesus might yet have mercy on her husband.
Gary Thomas, in Christianity Today, October 3, 1994, p. 26
Truth to Proclaim: Resurrection of Christ Is…
1. The seal of a finished work Acts 13:29-3-
2. The sign of a glorious triumph Heb. 2:14; Eph. 4:8
3. The pledge of a coming resurrection 1 Cor. 15:20-22
4. The certainty of a future judgment Acts 17:31
From the Book of 750 Bible and Gospel Studies, 1909, George W Noble, Chicago
Illustration: One day our film evangelists from Jos ECWA/SIM seminary, showed the Jesus film in a Waja village in northeast Nigeria. Even though the Muslims had hired a witch doctor to put a curse on the film and the evangelists the Lord protected everything and everyone doing His will that day. When the film got to the part that showed Jesus Christ hanging on the cross the evangelist said to the crowd of 500 Muslims onlookers, "This is the God who made heaven and earth. He came to earth to die on THAT cross for your sins and mine."
That truth so overwhelmed the Muslims that they spontaneously pick up dirt to throw it on their bodies as a sign of their utter shame for causing the creator to humble Himself for them. No power or love could be greater, they shouted - all prayed to receive Christ as Savior that day. When we recognized and fully place our faith in the miraculous power of Jesus Christ, we too will see God do great things beyond our human imaginations.
1. Do not fail to remember the price Jesus paid for the past, present and future sins of the world. (Matt. 26:45)His power over death, sin and the devil was evidenced in the resurrection. Let us preach, teach and appropriate the resurrection power of Christ in all aspects of our thinking and believing. Too many people fail to live out of the resurrection power of Christ as it is the assurance of the gift of the Holy Spirit that guides, provides and enables us to conqueor sin, death and the devil.
A. Jesus Christ’s sacrifice was a complete offering that can be added to or diminished in anyway.
B. Jesus Christ knew that He would be falsely arrested and shame before His own people.
C. Jesus Christ knew that He would be deserted by His disciples when He needed them most. Still, the resurrection proved that all authority and power had been given Him urging us to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the full power of the Father (His word), the Son (His love) and the Holy Spirit (His liberty)
Illustration: “All who believe in Christ have hope in Him; all who believe in Him as Redeemer hope for redemption and salvation by Him; but if there be no resurrection, their hope in Him must be limited to this life. And if all their hopes in Christ lie within the compass of this life, they are in a much worse condition than the rest of humanity, especially at that time and under those conditions in which the apostles wrote, for then they were hated and persecuted by all people.
“Preachers and believers therefore have a hard lot if in this life only they have hope in Christ. Better to be anything than a Christian under these terms! It is a gross absurdity in a Christian to admit the supposition of no resurrection or future state. It would leave no hope beyond this world, and would frequently make his condition the worst in the world.
“Indeed, the Christian is by his religion crucified to this world, and taught to live upon the hope of another. Carnal pleasures are tasteless to him in a great degree, and spiritual and heavenly pleasures are those which he pants after. How sad is his case indeed, if he must be dead to worldly pleasures and yet never hope for any better!”
- Matthew Henry
2. Do not fail to remember that the religious leaders were Christ’s worst enemies. Expect that we may receive opposition from even those who we most expect to be leaders in appropriating the resurrection power of the Lord Jesus.
A. Jesus was not surprised that the worst hypocrites came from the ranks of the highest religious leaders of His day.
B. Jesus wanted the will of God done more than self-justification. He could have taken the religious leaders to court and probably won, but offered Himself up as a spotless lamb for the sins of the world
C. Jesus used the opportunities He had to give testimony of God’s great love to the worst of sinners
3. Do not become bitter, discouraged, or resentful by your circumstances
A. The Lord has a way of causing all things to work together for good as long as we love God and obey His will. (Rom. 8:28)
B. The Lord did not succumb to the biases, false accusations and angry sentiments of the crowds.
C. The Lord’s innocence was not Christ’s focus, but doing the will of God whatever the cost
D. Christ’s resurrection power helps us triumph over negative attitudes assuring us that we can be masters of our circumstances.
4. Do not count on human courts of justice to vindicate you. We can forgive people but God is our vindicator and He will make all things right through His ultimate justice.
A. Jesus did not hold out much hope for the human courts of justice to vindicate Him because He knew that his heavenly Father had a greater purpose in mind for His life, death and resurrection. Jesus did not place His faith in human beings because He knew what was in man.
B. Jesus spoke boldly to Pilate when He said, "If I wanted to I could have called 10,000 angels to set Me free." The Lord was able to speak humbly, but courageously in the face of His accusers. Even though He was reviled, he reviled not again but kept entrusting Himself to the one who judges righteously.
C. Jesus knew that the rulers had no real power other than what the Lord had allowed them to have for a temporary time
5. Do not forget that even the military men abused Jesus
A. Jesus allowed Himself to be crucified by military men because He wanted the world to know that might is not always right
B. Jesus allowed a crown of thorns to be put on His head to remember that all those who live Godly will suffer persecution by the spiritually ignorant
C. Jesus allowed Himself to be spit upon and to be mocked because He wanted to show others that human shame is only temporary
6. Do not forget that Jesus went all the way to Calvary
A. Jesus persevered all the way to the end of the race to accomplish ALL of the will of God. Christ expects us to count the cost and realize that the way of the cross leads home.
B. Jesus allowed His cross to be carried by Simon of Cyrene because He wanted men to identify with His suffering
C. Jesus found out who his real friends were when He watched who identified with Him even in His death, burial and resurrection
7. Do not forget that in ALL things God’s sovereign will is accomplished
A. Jesus knew that God can do all things well and no purpose of His can be thwarted. (Job 42:1,2)
B. Jesus knew that God’s purposes, plans and processes are supernaturally beyond the understanding of finite human minds
C. Jesus knew that sometimes governmental leaders can seem treacherously triumphant, but actually God can even use their anger for the glory of God.
Conclusion: The Resurrection Gives Proof
1. He is the Son of God (Rom. 1:4)
2. Salvation is completed and His sacrifice accepted (Rom. 4:24-5)
3. Believers can live holy lives (Rom. 6:4)
4. We have an intercessor in glory (Rom. 8:34)
5. He is Lord (Rom. 14:9)
6. He will one day come to judge (Acts 17:31)
7. The dead will one day be raised (John 5:24-9)
From the Book of 750 Bible and Gospel Studies, 1909, George W Noble, Chicago
