100 - Jesus Has Risen#
100 - Jesus Has Risen
(JP Text Group - Organized by Yun Dan Feng Qing)
1 Corinthians 15:17-28:
17 If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. 20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
23 But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For he “has put everything under his feet.” Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. 28 When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, we especially thank and praise you for your grace! Today we are here to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Jesus we believe in is not dead, but the living Lord, who is still alive today. While the world is celebrating the festival of the dead, we are celebrating this eternally living Lord.
We believe the Holy Spirit is in everyone's heart, guiding our time, guiding our lives, renewing our strength to receive the supply of Lord Jesus. Lord Jesus, we thank you, may you accept the worship of each one of us, and also accept what we offer before you. Thank you and praise the Lord, in Jesus Christ's name we pray! Amen!
Why do we say Jesus has risen, and you should be happier? Today is a special day; the world is mourning during the Qingming Festival, but today is the day of Jesus' resurrection. You should be happier and smile. While the world is crying, we are laughing. Amen! When we laugh, they cry; they worship the dead, the decayed. But we worship the ever-living Jesus Christ.
We celebrate the resurrected Jesus Christ because He has risen, bringing us great hope. What would happen if Christ had not risen? All religions have a founder, and all founders have died, and none have risen, only Jesus Christ has risen from the dead.
In the past, there was a founder named Siddhartha Gautama, and his followers found a bone of his, and they rejoiced. If one day someone says they found Jesus' bones, do you know what we would do? We would stop believing in Jesus because we worship a living Lord who has risen from the dead.
After the Jews die, they are wrapped in a burial cloth, which is used to wrap the person in circles and place them in the tomb. On the day of Jesus' resurrection, Peter entered the tomb, and when he saw the burial cloth, his disciples believed. Do you know why? Because the burial cloth was intact, just like a cocoon that a silkworm comes out of. The burial cloth still looked like a person, but there was no one inside. This could only prove one thing: Jesus has risen! What does the resurrection of Jesus Christ bring us? What does it have to do with us?
The scripture we just read is very clear. Verse 17: If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile.
What does futile mean? It means believing in vain, that faith is useless. If Jesus has not risen, the Jesus you believe in is merely a spiritual support. It is just a religion that cannot bring you life. But Jesus has risen; He is not just a religion, not just a spiritual support; He can truly bring change to your life. Therefore, He is no longer in vain. Amen!
If Christ has not risen, our faith is futile; you are still in your sins.
Brothers and sisters, this statement is very important. Conversely, we believe that Jesus has risen; you are no longer in sin. This is a noun, not a verb. It means we were all sinners in the past, but because Jesus Christ has risen from the dead, we are no longer sinners; you are righteous!
Today's topic is Jesus has risen. Christ has risen, and all of this has changed. You were once a slave of the devil, but now Jesus Christ has transformed you into a child of God. In the past, we were all sinners, but because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we have all become righteous. Jesus died for our sins; His resurrection is for us to be justified.
If you believe that Jesus has risen, you have already been justified. Do not let others tell you that you are still a sinner. Some may say, "But I am still sinning." Do not forget that sinning is a verb, and being a sinner is a noun. This is a change of identity. The identity of a righteous person is eternal! No one can change your identity as a righteous person. A righteous person may still sin, but they are still a righteous person, just as your son may make mistakes, but he is still your son. Another person's son may not make mistakes, but he is not your son.
Brothers and sisters, in the past, we were sinners. Even if we could do good deeds, we were still sinners. Even if we went to save others, we were still sinners. But now, because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, you have become a righteous person. Even if you sin, you are still a righteous person. No one can take away your identity. Hallelujah!
All of this is because Jesus has risen. Be assured that you are saved. You are a righteous person, which means you have a certainty before God. This certainty is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The empty tomb is the sign of our salvation. When you go to Israel for sightseeing, the Jews will enthusiastically introduce you to the burial cloth of Jesus Christ and the empty tomb. This is the sign of our justification. Jesus Christ rose not with our sins; He bore our sins on the cross and paid the price for our sins. The wages of sin is death. Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead three days later. This is the gospel.
This is the complete gospel. Brothers and sisters, we tell others that if you believe Jesus Christ died for your sins and rose from the dead three days later, you will be saved. So do not make the gospel overly complicated, making it hard for others to understand. It is that simple. If she believes this, she will also be justified by God. When Jesus offered Himself for us and rose for us, what can we do? The only thing we can do is believe in what He has done! Amen! Do you believe that Jesus completed that perfect work for you on the cross? This is how you obtain the identity of a righteous person, which Jesus has earned for you.
If we think about sin, committing sins, still having to bear the consequences of sin, still having to bear the wages of sin, still having to die, still having to go to hell... then we are denying everything Jesus Christ has done for you on the cross. It is like going to the supermarket to buy something, and someone has already paid for you. The cashier says someone has already paid for you, and you say, "I don't believe it," which is to deny the person who did this for you. If you are still uncertain that you are a righteous person, you are denying the price Jesus Christ paid for your sins on the cross and denying His death and resurrection. When you see our Lord die and rise again, you should believe that you have already been justified. Amen!
Brothers and sisters, has Jesus' work been completed? Has He completely saved you? He has already saved you! Amen! The only thing we can do now is accept this salvation, which has nothing to do with your actions. Just believe in what Jesus has done for you, because Jesus has already paid the price. God has not lowered His standards; His righteousness still stands. It is just that when Jesus died on the cross for the world, He bore all our sins. God poured all His wrath and all His fire upon Jesus. Jesus bore the part we should bear. When God poured all His wrath upon Jesus, He said, "I have poured out my wrath," and then Jesus absorbed all of God's righteousness and punishment! Amen! He had no sin, He did not know sin, and He had never sinned, but He suffered these punishments for our sake.
Brothers and sisters, in the past, we were all under death, under the law, under bondage. It was the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who saved us. Let us think about this: in the past, we were slaves of the devil. Did Jesus pay the price to the devil to save us? No. What is the reason? To whom did Jesus pay the price for His death? When you go to the supermarket to buy something, you have to pay the cashier. You are paying someone else the price. To whom did Jesus' death pay the price?
To the devil or to God? Some say we were all captured by the devil, and Jesus died to pay the devil's price, right? No. Remember: our Lord Jesus owes the devil nothing. Amen! Our Lord Jesus paid the price to the Heavenly Father. Because the Heavenly Father has a standard of righteousness that none of us can meet, we must die. In order for us not to die, the Lord Jesus paid this standard of righteousness to our Heavenly Father. We have sinned, and according to God's standard, we should die, not according to the devil's standard. Amen!
Jesus paid the righteous price to our Heavenly Father. He died for us. Brothers and sisters, this is the reason. When you see Jesus rise again, when you see the cross, you should believe that you have been justified. You owe the devil nothing, and you do not need to fear him. Amen!
Verse 17 says: If Jesus has not risen, your faith is futile; you are still living in sin.
Verse 20: But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
What does the firstfruits mean? Brothers and sisters, cherries are about to ripen. When you see the first cherry ripening on the tree, you will think that the others will ripen soon too. This is called the firstfruits. What is the significance of the firstfruits? Jesus Christ died, but death was not His end. Three days later, He rose from the dead, becoming our firstfruits. Later, we will also be resurrected like this. So, brothers and sisters, do not fear death.
Today, while the world is crying at the graves, that is their end. We are not like that. Although our bodies will die, we will be resurrected. Resurrection means that one must die first to be resurrected; otherwise, it is just living... Our flesh must die, and then God will resurrect it. This is the hope of every Christian. Brothers and sisters, when will this happen? When Jesus Christ comes again! We will all see it. Amen!
Jesus Christ has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. If you read the Bible carefully, you will know that after Jesus Christ rose, He was no longer limited by time and space. When you feel weak in your heart, think of the resurrected Jesus Christ. What kind of power does He have? He can go directly to the third floor without starting from the first floor. He can go to Beijing directly without taking a plane; He arrives instantly. This is the power of Jesus Christ. Moreover, what is another benefit? He can eat if He wants, and He won't starve if He doesn't eat. He is now in the Kingdom of Heaven, where there are no hospitals because there is no sickness. That is the body after death and resurrection, and it is also the body we will have after death and resurrection.
Brothers and sisters, sharing this message on Easter is to give you the greatest hope, which is the hope that our bodies will die and be resurrected. Amen! Therefore, Christians do not fear death. In God's eyes, we are merely asleep. When Lazarus died, the disciples all said he was dead, and his relatives and friends said he was dead. But Jesus said, "My friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; I am going to wake him up." Some Christians have died, but God says they are asleep. Brothers and sisters, when you parents see your children sleeping at night, do you cry out loud? Why not? Because they will wake up the next day! It is that simple. No parent cries out loud when they see their child sleeping.
In the face of a Christian's death, God says they are merely asleep. When the end comes, the angels will blow the trumpet, and everyone will be resurrected. This is our hope! Hallelujah!
Verse 21: For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.
Our death came because Adam sinned, so the descendants of Adam must face death. We are all descendants of Adam, but among the descendants of Adam, there appeared a man named Jesus! Jesus Christ is unique among the descendants of Adam. He died, but He rose from the dead! After Jesus Christ, those who believe in Jesus Christ will also die like Him, but they will also be resurrected like Jesus Christ! This is the outcome for those who belong to Jesus Christ. But if you say you do not want to believe in Jesus Christ, you are still in Adam and will still die. After death, it will still be the same. Amen! We are different; we belong to Jesus Christ. Christ died, and He will rise again. When we die, we will also be resurrected like Jesus. This is our hope! Brothers and sisters,
1 Thessalonians 4:13-17:
13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
This passage records the future event of our being caught up. I want to analyze it from another perspective. Whether alive or dead, everyone is blessed. I am speaking hypothetically. If Jesus were to come today, those Christians who died before today would rise first because they have died. Then we who are still alive will be resurrected. When we see Jesus Christ coming, our bodies will instantly change and be caught up into the air. That will happen in an instant.
But some may say, "How unfortunate it is that I died first; I wanted to live a little longer." I tell you a good thing: if our generation does not see Jesus come again, that is even more blessed. Why is it blessed? Think about it: we will rise first, and those who are still alive when Jesus Christ comes will be behind us. Each of you will witness the miraculous transformation. You will see people soaring up; this is much more real than a science fiction movie. We will all see it. Amen!
This is a wonderful thing; it is our greatest hope. Currently, the greatest hope for Christians is the hope of bodily resurrection. When Jesus Christ came the first time, He completely solved our spiritual problems and sin problems. Our bodies will undergo complete transformation when Jesus comes again, becoming like the spiritual body of Jesus Christ. Our current bodies are perishable and cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven. God will change this body into an imperishable one, transforming this flesh into a spiritual one. Amen!
Each person's resurrection will come in order; it is not without order. Those who die first will rise first, and those who have not died will rise later. The time will be very short. We may see this day. Thank you, Jesus! This is the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the scene of our future resurrection. Amen! During this time, you can meditate on the resurrection of Jesus Christ and also reflect on your future resurrection scene; the Bible has all the basis for it!
Verse 24: Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.
People often ask me, "God is so powerful; why doesn't He destroy the devil now?" Have you ever thought about this question? If the devil were destroyed now, we would not have so much suffering, we would not be tempted, we would not fall, and we would not sin. It is all the devil's fault. In the past, I also asked this question. Later, during a prayer, God told me that the devil is still useful now.
Let us return to the Garden of Eden to explain this matter. Adam was a free man who had the choice of good and evil. God did not force him to accept anything. God knew the consequences of eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and told Adam that he would surely die on the day he ate from it. "I wish you would eat from the tree of life." As a result, they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The Bible says, "God said, 'Lest they reach out their hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever,' so He drove them out of the Garden of Eden." Why is God so stingy? Why doesn't He let them eat from the tree of life? Eating from it would allow them to live forever; how good is that?
Why doesn't God let them eat? Let me ask you a question: do you want to live long? The longest lifespan recorded in the Bible is only 969 years; no one has lived for a thousand years. Do you want to live to be 900 years old? Answer honestly according to your true thoughts. Do you want to live long? Please raise your hand... so many people want to.
I will tell you why, up to now, there is still an enemy that has not been taken down. This is good for us. I will share this, and you will understand. Everyone wants to live long; everyone wants to live forever without dying. But do not forget that when Adam ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, sin entered him. He was already corrupted. If a corrupted person could not die, what would be the consequence?
Let me give you a simple example. God says, "If you want to live forever, I can fulfill your request. You can live like this." Imagine living to be 5,000 years old, with sickness from head to toe, but not dying. Every day you live in pain. At this point, a person would most want to die. What is the point of living in such pain?
God wants us to live forever in health, not to live with this corrupt body in pain. God will change the shape of your body so that you can live healthily in holiness. This is God's intention. Today, there is still one enemy that has not been taken down, and that enemy is called death.
Look at verse 25: For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. Verse 26: The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
In fact, the devil is already a loser. Two thousand years ago, there was a showdown on the cross. What was the showdown? Jesus willingly died for us on the cross. When He was on the cross, He bore the sins of all humanity. God's punishment struck Jesus hard, hitting Him again and again. Jesus silently endured it. He absorbed all the wrath that came from the Father. He died, and the devil's power was completely defeated because Jesus has paid our price. Amen! From that moment on, the devil has already lost. To this day, the devil is a loser. Amen!
Brothers and sisters, it is not by our own efforts that we fight the devil. Sometimes we win, and sometimes the devil wins. That is a lie. The Lord Jesus has already won! We are the victors. Hallelujah! Today, there is still an enemy called death. Death is an enemy. Amen! The devil has already lost, and there is still one enemy that has not been taken down. Its name is death. When Jesus Christ comes again, He will also destroy death! From that moment on, our bodies will change. You will not die because you cannot get sick. You will live in health forever. Amen!
Brothers and sisters, think about it. Is death a good thing? When a person reaches 120 years old, what will they look like when they look in the mirror? Will they look good? Our church has many young people. When they have nothing to do, they take out a mirror from their pocket and say, "Hmm, so beautiful, even more beautiful than yesterday..." After ten years, they take out the mirror and say, "Hmm, still relatively young..." After thirty years, they take out the mirror and say, "Still beautiful like when I was young." If they reach 150 years old, 300 years old, or 900 years old, would you still dare to look in the mirror? So, death at this time is a good thing. God wants our bodies to die first and then give us an eternal, imperishable body. Brothers and sisters, do not mourn for the death of Christians. Their flesh has ended, waiting for resurrection. Amen! Thank you, Jesus!
Verse 21 says, When the end comes, Christ will come to destroy all dominion, authority, and power.
When Jesus Christ comes again, He will cast all these powers of death and hell into the lake of fire. At that time, they will no longer have dominion over us. Amen! But now, while Jesus Christ has not yet come again, we must have this hope of resurrection. Amen!
Verse 25: For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. It is not that we strive to put the devil under our feet; it is that we wait for Christ, who will put the enemies under His feet.
Let me break this down a little from a spiritual perspective. Is our entire church Jesus? The church in the world is the body of Jesus Christ. This church has Jesus as the head. Our church is the body of Jesus Christ. Does the body have feet? Yes, the head does not do everything by itself. When executing a task, it is done by the body, not the brain.
For example, today is Sunday. The brain suddenly sends out a command: "Today is Easter, it is Sunday." Then you give the command to your feet: "Feet, walk to the church now." The brain immediately visualizes a 3D model, more accurately than a GPS, knowing which road is far and which road is near. It can accurately determine how long it will take to arrive. When your brain sends the command to your feet to start walking, the feet say, "You go ahead..." Can you get there?
So, brothers and sisters, our entire church has Jesus Christ as the head, and each of us is a part of the body. In battle, when the leader is killed, his head is taken off and trampled underfoot. The feet represent us. You can say the devil is under your feet. Amen! Because he has already lost, he is not defeated by you; he is defeated by Jesus Christ. Two thousand years ago, there was a public showdown, and the devil lost. As long as we act according to the words of Jesus, you will overcome the devil!
It is not that you strive to fight the devil; you simply use God's words to receive victory. Jesus said, "In this world, you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world." This means He has already conquered the world! What you need to do is use this body to reclaim the spoils. Amen!
It requires action from each of us. When there is illness in the body, think of Christ's words. Remember that He has already won. Because of the stripes He bore, I am healthy! You are using Christ's words to manifest in you; it is your body doing this. Many people always say, "Lord, help me do this, help me do that," which is like saying, "Brain, hurry up and go to church," but the feet do not walk. It is the same principle. Brothers and sisters, no matter how much you shout, you will not go unless the body acts.
Some time ago, I told the brothers and sisters that if we all pray for this city, will there be a change? They said yes. I said no, unless someone goes and preaches the gospel, saying, "Believe in Jesus," then that person believes, and change happens. Each of us is a part of the body. Amen! Christ has already become king. Today, we are waiting for God to put all enemies under the feet of His church! Every church should be a victor in Christ. Every part of the body should not fear the devil because he has already lost. Amen! When the devil tries to provoke you against God, he says, "Look, you are still a Christian, and you sinned again." How do you respond to the devil?
"You say yes, I am a Christian. Although I have sinned, Jesus has already borne my sin on the cross. I can overcome this sin through Jesus. Although I have sinned, I am still a righteous person. No one can change my identity."
When you understand this truth, you will overcome many sins in life. This is the method!
The devil's work is to make you hate your brothers and sisters and to distance you from God. This is the same trick he used to tempt Adam and Eve. When the church is not united and is suspicious of each other, the devil is happiest. When you do not worship God, the devil is happiest because you cannot trample him underfoot. He has deceived you, but God has given us authority because Christ has already become king. God has placed the devil under the church, which is under your feet. Thank you, Jesus!
It is not death that controls you; it is you who control death. The return of Jesus could happen at any moment. We do not say what day it will be; it may come very soon. What we need to do is look forward to that day and joyfully welcome Jesus. When that day comes, we will no longer be subject to various limitations. We can travel to any planet we want, and the key is that it will be free. Thank you, Jesus! As we said, Christ has already become king and has placed the devil under our feet.
There is only one last enemy left, and its name is death. When our Christ comes again, this death will be abolished. Amen! Brothers and sisters, do not always look at yourself. Looking at yourself is like looking in the mirror every day; you will become more and more disappointed and hopeless because you will become uglier. You should look up to Jesus Christ.
Look at Jesus Christ. The Bible says we reflect His glory like from a mirror. You are filled with the glory of Christ. The more you look at Jesus, the more glorious you become. The reason is that Jesus Christ has died and risen again. The closer you get to Jesus, the greater your glory will be. When this body completely ages, you will be completely unrestricted. This perishable body will die, and the imperishable one will be given to you immediately. This is our hope!
Do not place your hope in yourself, nor in the person beside you, who is just like you. Place your hope in Jesus Christ. Hallelujah! He is the Lamb of God. We only need one answer: Jesus Christ is our everything!
Matthew 22:44: The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet."
This matter has been accomplished. When God sent His only beloved Son into the world, He did not say, "Son, go and work hard to save the world; I will rest." Is that so? No, the Bible says very clearly that Jesus said, "My Father is working until now, and I am working." Do you know why Jesus was able to handle everything calmly while He was on earth? Because there was rest in Jesus' heart. Amen! While He was on earth, He knew it was the Father who was doing the work, and it was the Father who put the enemies under His feet. Jesus was not afraid of anything because He knew the Father had already put the enemies under His feet.
Jesus faced difficulties while on earth. He never said, "What a big difficulty!" When faced with 5,000 men, a little boy gave Jesus five loaves and two fish. The disciples said, "Lord, even if we had twenty silver coins, it would not be enough to buy bread for so many people." The disciples saw lack and insufficient supply, but Jesus did not say, "Yes, how much can five loaves and two fish feed five thousand men?"
Jesus did not look at these things. He knew the Father had already supplied Him. He took the five loaves and two fish, looked up to heaven, and gave thanks. His heart was always in a posture of rest. What we lack most is having such a posture of rest. Many times, we are troubled because we feel we do not have the ability to handle the situation and do not know what to do, so we become anxious. Jesus never said, "Oh, I am so troubled; I am so busy."
Jesus had a lot of work to do on earth. The Bible says that Jesus' ministry was very extensive. Sometimes He did not even have time to eat. Jesus never said, "Oh, disciples, hurry up and deal with the devil; I need to take a break. I am too busy." He never said that even once. Amen! There is a lot of work, but that does not mean you are busy. Just because there is a lot of work does not mean you will be anxious. When your heart is at rest, you will not be anxious about handling anything. This is the mindset of sitting down. This is the mindset of rest. Because He knows the Father has put His enemies under His feet. Hallelujah!
In the face of great storms, Jesus said, "Be still! Be quiet!" He knew the Father had given Him such power. Hallelujah! Brothers and sisters, we need to have this posture of rest in our lives! In prayer, we should also be like this. For example, if your son is sick, how would you pray? Many would say, "Lord, please heal him quickly; I believe you can heal him."
"In the name of Jesus, heal him, for by the stripes of Jesus, you can heal him." Is that right? This is a posture of prayer that exchanges for victory. There is an even better way, which is to pray from the posture of a victor. The child's head is indeed very hot, but he believes that the Father has already provided healing. He is not worried about this matter. He prays from the identity of a victor, not to fight or plead, but to say, "Lord, you have given me authority; I just command this heat to go down." He is praying from the identity of a victor. Amen! Even when the result has not yet been seen, he is praying from the standpoint of the result. This is called faith!
Hebrews 11:1 means this. Now the eyes do not see, but you stand on the result you have already seen to look at the current situation. Amen! This is the prayer of faith. This is also a kind of rest because you believe that the Father has done such things for you. The Father said to the Son, "Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet." This is the meaning. Everything is done by the Father. Hallelujah!
Today, the devil has become our footstool. Our Father God says, "I have completed everything." What do you need? Remember, it is Jesus who has risen from the dead. What is Jesus doing now? Where is Jesus now? The Bible says very clearly that our Jesus Christ is now at the right hand of the Father. He has already won.
He has sat down. He is in a posture of rest at the right hand of the Father. The Bible says very clearly, "As He is, so are we in this world!" Now He is at the right hand of the Father, already victorious, so you are also victorious! He is righteous, and you are also righteous! He is now enjoying rest at the right hand of God. God hopes that every day of your life is spent enjoying His rest!
When you encounter problems, you say, "Heavenly Father, I need your rest. I am really troubled inside." God says, "Sit down, and I will put your enemies under your feet." Perhaps the devil has stolen your rest. God says, "Sit down, and let me do it for you." Rest is not doing nothing; it is believing that God has already done it for you. You are just gathering the spoils. When two generals are fighting, one dies, and your general says, "Go, bring back the enemy's spoils." You say, "Oh, they are not all dead yet." You simply do not believe your general. Our Lord Jesus has already won! Hallelujah!
We need to pray and live in rest. Hallelujah! We must have a posture of rest, which is to sit down. The devil often tells you to go do this, go do that, to work hard. "If you do not work hard, you will fall back. If you do not work hard, your family will be ruined. If you do not work hard, you will not have food to eat..."
When you hear this, you think, "Oh, there are so many things." But Jesus says you should rest! Jesus says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Does He say, "I will make you work harder"? "I will make you busy beyond measure"? No, Jesus says, "Come to me, and I will give you rest." Hallelujah! When you have such a heart of rest, no matter what difficulties you encounter, you believe that the Father has put the enemies under your feet.
So give up your efforts and receive the power of Jesus Christ. Thank you, Jesus! What exactly did Jesus do for us on the cross? Especially today is Easter, and I want to take this time to share with the brothers and sisters. During the prayer process, let you see with your own eyes what Jesus has done for us. When He was nailed to the cross, we were also crucified with Him. When He rose from the dead, we also rose with Him. He has sat down today, and we are also seated with Him. We are in Him, and He is in us. Amen!
Two thousand years ago, Jesus took our place on the cross and died for our sins. He had no sin and did not know sin. He bore God's wrath entirely. In the Old Testament, the Israelites offered sacrifices, and then the sacrifice was burned to ashes, and the sins of the people were forgiven. In the New Testament, our Lord Jesus Christ is the sacrifice of the Old Testament. He was offered before God for our sins.
The only difference is that the Old Testament sacrifice was burned to ashes, while the New Testament sacrifice bore all our sins. God struck Him again and again, pouring our condemnation, wrath, curses, diseases, and death upon Jesus. Jesus silently bore all of this. Although it was painful, He still endured it all. In the end, He said, "It is finished." Because He completed all redemption.
After God poured out all His wrath, Jesus absorbed all the sins of the world. After He completed it, this sacrifice did not disappear; He rose from the dead because the wages of sin is death. He died for this reason. Brothers and sisters, this is the true situation on the cross. Jesus completed our sins, leaving not a single one behind. If you do not understand this, I want to explain it with an example from the world. Suppose a son commits a crime and deserves to die according to the law. His father says, "I am willing to die for my son." If he has committed ten sins, and I bear nine of them, is that okay? No, he is still guilty. He must bear all ten sins to be released without guilt.
Brothers and sisters, Jesus on the cross did not leave even one sin on you. He bore all of them, leaving not a single one behind. That is why He endured God's strikes again and again. In the end, He said, "Father, I commit my spirit into your hands." Then He breathed His last. The Bible says: He sent His spirit back to the Father. In fact, this is a conclusion. What conclusion?
When God created us, He created Adam. Adam did not yet have the spirit, and God breathed into Adam's nostrils. He said, "Hei," and at that moment, Adam became a living being. Amen! When Jesus bore all our sins on the cross, He also gave up His spirit, "Hei," returning it to the Father.
Brothers and sisters, Jesus has completed all of God's wrath for us. All of God's fierce anger was poured out on Jesus. Then He bowed His head and breathed out the spirit from His body, sending it out. After all the fierce anger had been poured out, this sacrifice still remained. Under grace, this sacrifice is our Jesus Christ. He bore God's judgment. Today, He is still alive, which is what we celebrate on the resurrection of Jesus!
God loves you very much. His love for you is manifested on the cross. Let us watch a video together. This video truly expresses what kind of punishment Jesus Christ bore on the cross for us and how we are accepted by God (watch the video), and we can pray for what we have received...
Hallelujah! This is the true situation on the cross. Jesus bore all curses, all punishments, and all condemnations. He bore it all alone. Do not let anyone say that you still have sin left on you, that Jesus has not cleared it all. Everything has been cleared. When our Lord Jesus cleared it all, He rose from the dead, and the Father accepted Him. This sacrifice is still alive today. So on this day, we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ! Because He loves you and willingly died on the cross for you, all that He has done is not in vain.
I wish that those who have not yet accepted Jesus can accept Jesus Christ as their Savior. God does not force us to accept Him. He forgave our sins two thousand years ago. You only need to receive this gift of forgiveness. He will not impose His love upon you. God wants you to receive such love for yourself because He loves you, died for you, and for our sake, He rose from the dead, so that we who have no hope in this world will not lose hope. There is still the greatest hope, which is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We will also be resurrected for this. We thank our Heavenly Father for this!
Brothers and sisters, please stand and pray together for the words we have received today, for your understanding of what Jesus has done for you on the cross. Let us respond to God together in prayer, expressing what you understand about the salvation of the cross to the Heavenly Father. Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, we thank you. You will listen to every brother and sister's prayer. We are justified because of all that Jesus Christ has done for us on the cross. You have not sinned, nor do you know sin. There is no sin in you, yet you bore our sins. You bore our curses, bore our death, and died for us. We thank you! You love me so much. You want us to live in your resurrection. Let us understand what you have done for us on the cross.
When we understand, we can overcome sin. In life, you are my support. You will listen to the prayers of the brothers and sisters now. Everyone knows why you went to the cross: it is for our sake. Lord, we thank you. For our sake, you bore the pain. By your stripes, we are healed. By the punishment you bore, you granted us peace. When you rose from the dead, it was so that we could be justified. We are willing to accept the abundant gift you give us. May all glory be to you! In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray! Amen!