Today I want to share from Andrew Womack's devotional!
CHRIST IS ALIVE IN US
John 19:30 "When Jesus
therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his
head, and gave up the ghost."
When Jesus cried, "It is
finished," He was not referring to the whole plan of salvation as being
completed. He still had to descend into the lower parts of the earth and lead
the captives out (Ephesians 4:8-9), as well as come back from the dead and ascend to
the Father to make intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25).
Paul made it very clear in 1
Corinthians 15:14 and 17, that if Jesus did not rise from the dead, then our
faith is vain and we are yet in our sins.
Why is the resurrection so
important? The resurrection of Jesus makes Christianity different from religion
because we are dealing with a real, live person, not just principles.
Christianity is fellowship with a real person who is alive.
Also, forgiveness of sins is not
obtained by a doctrine, but by Christ Himself. If Jesus did not rise from the
dead, He cannot give salvation to us. However, He did rise from the dead and now
He lives forever to make intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25).
It is Christ living in us that
gives us power to live a victorious life. If there was no resurrection, there
would be no power.
The resurrected life of Jesus is
the guarantee of our physical regeneration.
Because Jesus conquered death,
the fear and sting of death have been removed for us. This produces great
comfort for those who believe.
So, faith in the present ministry
of Jesus is essential to true Christianity, and would be impossible if Jesus was
not alive. Without Jesus being alive, Christianity would be just another dead
religion.
The very essence of what we celebrate during CHRISTmas! GOD the FATHER had the plan get His people back from the clutches and control of the enemy! JESUS came to enact the PLAN! HE DID IT ALL! He became sin. He died our (MY) death so that I don't have to! He defeated satan and his cohorts in hell and then He rose from the dead as the KING of all kings and the LORD of all lords! THEN He ascended back to Heaven to be with the Father and they sent Holy Spirit to live IN us and to teach us all things! NOW our 'job' is to live out our lives as HIS representatives, showing off Who HE is and Who HE desires to be in us, through us and for us! There IS no greater LOVE than this! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "No Reason Top Hide":
Shalom in Him!
