256 - The Power Brought by the Resurrection of Jesus#
256 - The Power Brought by the Resurrection of Jesus
(JP Text Group - Organized by the Little Prince of Heaven)
The topic we are sharing is: The Power Brought by the Resurrection of Jesus
1 Peter 3:18-22,
18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit; 19 through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison 20 who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water,
21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities, and powers in submission to him.
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father! Thank You and praise You! Thank You for preparing this special day for us to remember the resurrection of Jesus together, believing that the resurrection of Jesus brings us great power, allowing all children of God to live in this world with His power through the resurrection of Jesus. Today, we commemorate once again all that Jesus accomplished for us on the cross, remembering what Jesus has done for us, drawing strength from You, being renewed in strength. Thank You and praise You! In the name of Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen!
Today is Easter, and since we mention resurrection, we must first talk about death; if there is no death, there is no resurrection. Because one must first experience death, I ask a question: Are you dead now? If we use the law, the next question is, have you died thoroughly? In fact, there is no question of dying thoroughly; there is only the difference between being dead or not dead. Our old life has already died, just like Jesus died on the cross. If Jesus did not die, there would be no need to mention resurrection.
I ask everyone a second question: Why did Jesus have to die? He is innocent; He is righteous. When we mention God's righteousness, an innocent person cannot die. Always remember, an innocent person cannot die. Why do we die? Because sin has appeared, and only under the curse of the law can one die. If people do not sin, death cannot hold them. Therefore, the Bible describes Jesus as death could not hold Him because He is innocent. So why did Jesus have to die? Because all people have sinned; we are unrighteous, and according to God's righteousness, we should die. Jesus died in our place, fulfilling God's righteous explanation of our death. He was nailed to the cross and laid in the tomb, but that was not the end.
If a person is laid in a tomb, that is the end. If a person has a physical illness, and the doctor says, "We have done our best," that person does not need to struggle anymore; death is a problem that no one has been able to solve so far. But Jesus overcame death, so on the day of resurrection, we should celebrate resurrection even more.
Many people like to celebrate Good Friday, which is good, but Jesus did not come into this world just to suffer and die; He broke death so that we could witness His resurrection. It is too normal for people in the world to die; there is nothing worth commemorating. The death and resurrection of Jesus is what we should commemorate.
Jesus did not stay in the tomb; He rose from the dead three days later. Do you know where Jesus went during those three days before His resurrection? Did He go to hell? Today I want to clarify this question for everyone: Where did Jesus go during those three days? At this point, we need to distinguish between spirit, soul, and body. From the perspective of the soul, Jesus' body was dead; His body was resurrected three days later, proving that the corpse was there during those three days. However, the spirit does not die; this spirit did not stay with the corpse; it went to a place.
Today, the scripture we read will analyze this point. Jesus' resurrection proves that the spirit did not die; only the body was resurrected. We see that Jesus after His death and resurrection still looks the same, but the body has changed. His resurrection becomes the greatest hope for all of us who believe in Jesus.
Why? When you see the appearance of Jesus' resurrected body, that is your future appearance. For example, cherries are about to ripen; one cherry on the tree has turned red, and the others are not far behind. The resurrection of Jesus is the firstfruits for those who trust in Him; He is the first ripe one, and we will follow Him to ripen as well.
That appearance is our future appearance; this is our greatest hope and joy. You may have pain, illness, and many pressures in this world... Once you become that way, these things will no longer exist.
Share the first point: Christ suffered and died in the flesh, severing your connection with sin.
This is something we must remember; otherwise, we will imitate Jesus' death, and that pain you cannot bear. During Holy Week, some people say, "I need to carry the cross; I need to nail myself to it and experience what Jesus' suffering on the cross is like." Many people went, but they were not really nailed; they just tied themselves to the cross to sunbathe, and within three hours, they fainted from the heat. The daytime temperature in Israel is indeed too high; in summer, it can exceed forty degrees. How would it feel to stand outside for a while? If it were in the desert, the temperature would be even higher. The temperature in Israel is much higher than ours; we think forty degrees is very hot, but for them, it might be quite normal.
Many people cannot endure being up there for long and faint. So we think, what kind of suffering did Jesus endure at that time? He was truly nailed, with blood dripping down, and His mouth becoming increasingly dry. Why did He endure this pain? Because the flesh was suffering, enduring, and dying for us. Everything Jesus did severed your connection with sin.
Jesus Christ once suffered and died for sin at a certain moment in history, which was that one time on the cross; there will not be a second time. Jesus' death completely opened the barrier between us and God. In the Old Testament, people could not directly enter the Most Holy Place to see God; they had sin in their bodies. Once God saw a sinner, He would execute His righteousness and strike him down. A person with sin who approaches God is doomed to die.
At that time, Moses was a very great spiritual leader. He once prayed to God, "Lord! Let me see You!" Did God agree? Is God narrow-minded? God said, "No one can see Me and live." In the New Testament, when Jesus was on the cross, after He offered Himself for our sins, something happened. Let’s take a look,
Matthew 27:50-51,
50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. 51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks split.
In the tabernacle, there was a curtain, and something happened in the tabernacle. Look at us here; if this is the Most Holy Place, and that is the Holy Place, the priest can enter the Holy Place but does not have the qualification to enter the Most Holy Place. There is a very thick curtain separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place; whoever dares to rush in will surely die. But when Jesus shed all His blood on the cross and gave up His spirit, suddenly the curtain was torn apart, which means that from that day on, all who believe in Jesus can directly enter the Most Holy Place.
In the spiritual realm, such a thing actually happened. Why did the curtain tear only after Jesus died? If the curtain had torn first and then Jesus died, it would not be the work completed by Jesus. Jesus died for our sins. The Bible says, the wages of sin is death; Jesus died for your and my sins. At that moment, the barrier between you and God was opened, and you could directly pray to God because there was no longer a curtain. In the past, in the Old Testament, even if you prayed directly to God, it would not work; you had to first find a priest to offer a sacrifice, and then the priest would relay it to you. The priest was the mediator, but now your mediator is Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 10:19-20,
19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body,
Now, what do you bring to meet our God? You are clothed with the robe of Jesus Christ; this way, you can be sure that God is pleased with you because Jesus is pleasing to God; He is innocent, and now you wear His robe of righteousness, coming before God. In God's eyes, you are seen as the same as Jesus. I am speaking spiritually, not in this flesh; God sees you as precious as Jesus.
Knowing this, you can boldly come before God and enter the Most Holy Place without fear. Why do you enter the Most Holy Place? In the Most Holy Place, there is the Ark of the Covenant, which is the central part. Above the Ark of the Covenant is the mercy seat. The high priest enters the Most Holy Place with the blood of bulls and goats sprinkled on the mercy seat, hoping for God's grace.
Now you do not need to do this anymore; the blood of Jesus has already been sprinkled before God. You can come to the Father at any time in the name of Jesus, and He will surely listen because this sacrifice is the best. Through the body of Jesus, He opened a new and living way for us; that is the righteous replacing the unrighteous. The unrighteous refers to those who have violated God's law and strayed from God's standards; righteousness is God's attribute. Today you are righteous because you have the attribute of Jesus Christ. So here, righteousness refers to the innocent Jesus replacing our sins; your sins were given to Jesus, and Jesus' righteousness and holiness were given to you.
2 Corinthians 5:21, God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
This is an exchange; God made the innocent Jesus to be sin for us, proving that we were sinful in the past, but now our sins have been replaced by Jesus, and we have become the righteousness of God in Christ. This must be firmly remembered; if you overlook this, you forget what Jesus did for us on the cross. The purpose of Jesus suffering in the flesh was to remove our sins, thus completely bringing us before God. Under the Old Testament priesthood, people came before God through sacrifices; under the New Testament, we come before God through Jesus. This is why when we pray, we first finish what we want to say, and in the end, we say, "In the name of Lord Jesus, we pray." It is you coming before God in the name of Jesus to pray, and God will surely accomplish it. This is what Jesus has accomplished for us. Now you need to know that we come before God through Jesus; this is a very beautiful picture, the Lord Jesus walking with us.
This is a picture; you can meditate on it when you go back. When you pray, Jesus is with you. No matter where you go, Jesus is with you; this is a picture of Him walking with you. He died for your sins so that He would never leave you again and is always willing to bring you before the Father.
1 Peter 4:1-2,
1 Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. 2 As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires but rather for the will of God.
Some people used to understand it this way: Do Christians need to suffer in this world? Under the law, they say if you do not suffer, you will fall; you can only sever your connection with sin by suffering. Have you heard this? Everyone has heard it; it seems to leave a deep impression. Let me ask you a question: If you suffer, can it sever your connection with sin? If your suffering could sever your connection with sin, then Jesus would not need to come.
In the past, there were some ascetics; did they sever their connection with sin? They did not sin physically, but did they not continue to sin in their thoughts? Is hating someone not a sin? How can one sever their connection with sin? People quote this scripture, "You should arm yourselves with the same attitude of suffering," so they say, "The purpose of believing in Jesus is not to think about enjoying blessings; you believe in Jesus to suffer." We were taught this in the past. Does this scripture really mean that?
They also quote the following scripture, "For whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin." Who is this talking about? Read the context; it is clear that it says Christ suffered in the flesh, and you should take Jesus' suffering as your weapon because He suffered to sever your connection with sin. This weapon should always be in your hand. When others say today, "You are hated by God; God will discard you."
You say, "Sorry! I believe Jesus suffered for me; God will not discard me." This is your weapon; do not let the enemy take your weapon away. Take Jesus' suffering in the flesh as your weapon and think about it often. Because Jesus has suffered in the flesh, He has already severed your connection with sin. Does this scripture explain it clearly?
Jesus suffered, and I severed my connection with sin because He died for my sins; is that completely correct? Looking further, you should have this attitude; what kind of attitude? Remember: Jesus has already suffered for your sins; hold on to this attitude. As long as you hold on to this, from now on, you will not live according to human desires but rather according to God's will. Because you always remember that Jesus has already paid the price for your sins and died for your sins, you will not sin.
In the future, if I have the opportunity, I will create a game for you that you will never forget. You will remember what this scripture means. I will definitely make a deep impression on you. As long as you understand that Jesus has suffered for your sins, you will not want to sin again. And it is precisely when people do not know what Jesus has done for them that they think of Jesus as a lawgiver, demanding that they gather and give... They say, "I still have to rely on myself to overcome my sins!" They do not realize that Jesus has already accomplished it; this is the real problem.
This statement is: Christ died because of our fall, but the Holy Spirit within Him did not die; He resurrected in this body. His resurrection proves that He has already paid the price for our sins. We should take this as our weapon. Today the Holy Spirit dwells in you; He can help you overcome evil.
We believe that Jesus has already completed this matter; He once suffered, reconciling us with God and bringing us before the Father. We have severed our connection with sin, so we are no longer called sinners but are called righteous by God. When we understand these things, we must remember that Jesus has already suffered for your sins; you do not have to live as you did in the past. You can now obey God's will and receive God's power to live your latter half of life.
In the first half of life, rely on yourself; in the latter half, start living by the grace of Jesus. According to the flesh, He was put to death; according to the Spirit, He was resurrected. This flesh refers to the weakness of human flesh, which is opposed to God. But Jesus died for us, allowing this old life to die. Always remember: it died thoroughly and can no longer live; your old self cannot survive.
According to the Spirit, it refers to the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, manifesting a new life. The spirit here refers to the form that exists after Jesus' resurrection, which is called the spiritual body. To briefly review, when Jesus existed in the flesh on earth to preach, He had the Holy Spirit within Him, but His flesh looked the same as ours, right? At that time, if you pinched Him, He would feel pain; if He was hungry, He would need to eat because the flesh is like ours. Therefore, people said, "Aren't you just Jesus of Nazareth? What good can come from Nazareth?" From a fleshly perspective, that is how it looked, but the Holy Spirit within Him is different from ours.
At that time, we did not have the Holy Spirit. When Jesus died and resurrected, when the disciples saw Him again, that body had changed; it had the appearance of the original body, but the essence of the material was different. Our flesh is mainly composed of earthly elements; whatever is in the earth is in our bodies. However, after Jesus died and resurrected, He was completely spirit, that is, a spiritual body. Is a spiritual body better or a fleshly body? The flesh is weak. So when Jesus bore the flesh, did He have moments of weakness? Before going to the cross, Jesus, due to the weakness of the flesh, earnestly prayed to the Lord three times. But after Jesus died and resurrected, did He have any weakness while bearing the spiritual body?
Our hope lies here; it is normal for you to be weak now, but one day after you die and resurrect, your appearance will be like Jesus' spiritual body, but we will still be recognizable. At that time, there will be no possibility of sinning because we will be completely spiritualized. This is the spiritual body. Jesus' flesh died, but the spirit did not die; the spirit is immortal. Where did the spirit go? Let’s take a look.
1 Peter 3:19, through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison,
It seems like the spirit is preaching to spirits; is that the meaning? What does this really mean?
He, through this spirit, is clearly the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit went to prison; where is this prison? Many people think it is hell. Does Jesus need to go to hell to preach the gospel?
Let me ask you a common-sense question: Do people who do not believe in Jesus go to hell? When they get to hell, is it painful or comfortable? The Bible describes that the fire is unquenchable, and the worm does not die; they are forever burning in fire, which is uncomfortable, right?
If at that moment Jesus went and said, "Do you want to believe in Me?" Do you think anyone would not believe? This proves that this scripture should not be interpreted this way. If interpreted this way, Jesus runs to hell to preach the gospel, then what are we doing preaching the gospel now? Just wait for them to go to hell, and then Jesus calls them, and they will definitely believe; whatever Jesus says, they will believe.
So this scripture does not refer to preaching the gospel to those spirits in hell; the original text has a preposition before the word spirit, indicating that this spirit did something in something, meaning that Jesus did things through this spirit. His flesh died and could no longer do things in the flesh, but the spirit continued to do things.
According to the context, Jesus' flesh was dead for three days, but His spirit was still alive; the spirit went to another place. In Acts 2:27, because you will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. Here it refers to that spirit; the spiritual body cannot decay, proving that His spirit and body cannot decay. The resurrected Christ's spirit went to a place called prison, which in the original text refers to a refuge.
He made a declaration to the spirits there; in Chinese, it is called preaching, but in the original text, it refers to proclaiming. Based on the context and the Old Testament, this spirit indeed went to Hades, but Hades is not the same as hell. In the Old Testament, before Jesus came, those who believed were only symbols; their sins had not been resolved, so they could not directly enter the kingdom of heaven. Both believers and non-believers went to one place, Hades.
After Jesus went to Hades, He proved one thing: He has already paid the price for your sins and made a proclamation: The Messiah you believed in the past, I have now completed. This resulted in two outcomes: first, the believers were taken away by Jesus. After Jesus' resurrection, there was a great earthquake, and the bodies of the saints who had died came out. It refers to a refuge, not hell. Jesus went there to proclaim this. Second, the non-believers have already failed. Why do we say this? Because the following has already been made very clear.
1 Peter 3:20, to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water.
The spirit of Jesus went to declare to these people; the Chinese translation refers to disobedient people, but the original Bible does not have the word "people"; it refers to the disobedient. At this point, they cannot be called people anymore; they have already died and exist in the form of spirits. So Jesus went to make a proclamation to these disobedient ones. What spirit is in the non-believers? We now believe in Jesus and know that we have the Holy Spirit within us. But what about the non-believers? Let’s look at a scripture.
Ephesians 2:2, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
Now you know why your wicked husband and disobedient friends can do such things, right? So do not blame that person; you should blame the spirit behind them. You just need to say: In the name of Lord Jesus, command that spirit controlling them to leave. Once that spirit leaves, won’t that person be normal?
Once Jesus went to the region of the Gerasenes, there was a man who lived among the tombs; would a normal person live there? But he lived there. Others brought him back and locked him with chains, but he could break the iron chains and run back to that place, often doing strange things and hitting himself with stones; he could not control himself.
When Jesus went, those demons said, "Son of God, what do you want with me? My time has not yet come." They knew what Jesus came to do; Jesus said, "Get out!" There was no negotiation. When you see some people behaving strangely, you should know they are bound by evil spirits. You should not negotiate; just command the evil spirit to leave them. Jesus did not negotiate with them; He proclaimed Jesus' victory and declared their defeat.
How do you obtain evidence? Everything Jesus did on the cross, He died for my sins and also for his sins, so I command you to leave him in the name of Lord Jesus. The devil will not listen to you, but the devil will definitely listen to Jesus; he fears the name of Jesus.
Today, the evil spirit that works in the hearts of the disobedient is still influencing the non-believers, but the spirit of Christ has already declared their defeat. Therefore, these people can be freed from the control of these evil spirits; they just need to believe in Jesus. This is something Jesus has already accomplished and is effective for everyone. God waited patiently.
Earlier we said, in the days of Noah when God waited patiently while the ark was being built, why did He mention Noah's ark here? This is a Jewish tradition; if we do not understand this background, this scripture cannot be unraveled.
Jews believe that the period from the angels' sin to the flood of Noah is God's period of patience. Looking at the Bible, it can also be seen that after that day, God made a covenant with Noah, the rainbow covenant. God said, "I will never again destroy this world with a flood; I will not carry out such large-scale killings or judgments until the end of the world."
In other words, from the moment Noah came out of the ark and established the rainbow covenant with God, until the end of the world, this is a period. There was also a period before that; were those people not judged? This is a Jewish tradition; they believe that from the fall of the angels, which refers to spiritual matters, until the time of Noah's ark, that was all God's period of patience.
In Genesis 5 and 6, God indeed was very patient with them, allowing Noah to build the ark. The Bible says the earth was full of violence and evil, so God executed judgment. At that time, the evil spirits were controlling people's hearts, and God was patient until Noah finished building the ark. At that moment, the eight people from Noah's family entered the ark, and all the others were judged. Jesus also gave us an example for this last era: As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Jesus also quoted this background, proving that the judgment of Noah's time and the final judgment are very similar. Is there no large-scale global judgment in between?
No, so looking at today's scripture makes it easier to unravel. Peter wants to tell us: The current era is very similar to the era of Noah; we are all building and preparing for the future. At that time, God told Noah that there were still one hundred and twenty years before the end. And we do not know that day now, but we are all preparing.
At that time, Noah's family was preparing the ark, which was the only way to be saved; now the way to be saved is to believe in Jesus. You say, "No, I just believe in something other than Jesus." That's fine, "Building a boat back then was so much trouble; it would just float, and I could make a raft." You are too clever, thinking God's method is too complicated.
In fact, God not only wants to save you but also many of the animals He cherishes. Why does God delay time today? Not only hoping that you will be saved but also hoping that your family, your relatives and friends, and the people around you can hear the gospel and be saved. That is why God waited for one hundred and twenty years; does God need so long to destroy the world?
Could He not directly take those eight people into the air like He did with Enoch and then destroy them all? Wouldn't that method be simpler? But God did not use that method; God's patience in waiting is actually giving them the opportunity and time to repent.
In Noah's time, only eight souls entered the ark; what is mentioned here are all spirits. When Peter talks about the past, it is because those people have already died, but the spirits always exist. Now it says that only eight souls entered the ark, and they were saved through water.
1 Peter 3:20, how does it say? Only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water.
Why does it say through water? Some say that Noah's ark floated on the water, so they were saved through water; this is one layer of meaning. There is another layer of meaning; the Bible does not explicitly state this. When Moses wrote these things, how could he know? This happened long ago, so Moses recorded it. Later, the rabbis copied it down; perhaps when it was orally transmitted, it might be somewhat different from us. Some materials say that Noah's family entered the ark after the flood had reached their knees, not that Noah's family went in first and then the animals. The animals went in first, and then his family went in, and later God closed the door; this is the order. According to some records, when Noah's family entered the ark, the water had already reached their knees. So the Bible says, they were saved through water, which means they passed through the water.
This is indeed very miraculous; in the Bible, these saved people seem to have all passed through water. Did the Israelites' exodus from Egypt not serve as a type? Egypt symbolizes this world; when they left Egypt, they passed through water; this was the first generation of people. The second generation also passed through the Jordan River; after we believe in the Lord, we also need to be baptized, which is also passing through water. This is another layer of meaning contained in this scripture: they were saved from the water, also saved through water. Peter uses the story of Noah's flood to express the baptism of Christians, meaning we are all saved in the water. When we are immersed in water, it represents that we have died, and when we come up from the water, a new life begins. In God's view, it is a resurrected life; the past life has already died. Baptism is to let you experience the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Share the second point: Through the resurrection of Christ, we receive His power to live.
The resurrection of Jesus not only removes our sins; life must also rely on ourselves. It is not like that; the resurrection of Jesus means you should live with His power.
1 Peter 3:21, this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Let me ask you a question: Can water baptism remove your sin problem? No, for example, in the past, I had a very bad temper; after baptism, did my temper become better? Are there such people? The previous scripture makes it very clear; this baptism is not about removing the dirt from the body but seeking a clear conscience before God. Why is there a clear conscience? Because you died with Christ, representing that the past sinful life died with Jesus. Once you come up from the water, now Jesus lives in you; you now represent Christ, and the sinful life within you has been removed, so you no longer feel guilty. If you still feel guilty, it proves you do not understand what Jesus has done. Why do we gather?
Hebrews 10:1-2,
1 The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. It can never make perfect those who draw near to worship. 2 Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins.
This is one of the important purposes of our gathering. During the six days, we are in the world, and we may be judged by others, bullied by others, feel wronged, and also self-judge and judge others, hearing a lot of negative things. How do we remove these things? Through worship, because the worshipers' consciences are cleansed.
In other words, even if you have suffered a lot of grievances and judgments in the world for six days, when you come here, through the message from the pulpit, all the things that have judged you inside will be washed away by God. At least remember: you are pleasing to God. The blood of Jesus has already cleansed your sins; God is willing to be with you today, and He is with you at this moment. When you know this fact, you will find that the heavy burden disappears. This is when your conscience no longer engages in self-condemnation and no longer accepts others' condemnation; this is the effect that every worshiper should achieve.
If you hear condemnation, that would be troublesome. Because the book of Hebrews also tells us that sacrifices are meant to remind people of their sins every year. Originally, you would feel that you are pleasing to God, that you are God's beloved child, happily going to church, but then the pastor says, "Do you deserve it? Jesus died, and you still sing such joyful songs; do you live up to Jesus?" When you hear that, it seems to make sense.
Recently, someone sent me an article, and we discussed it together and found it very interesting. Now everyone has discernment, so let me tell you a joke:
It says that when you sin, the devil laughs, and Jesus cries; when you are weak, the devil laughs, and Jesus cries. I thought, can we decide for God? When we sin, the devil is happy, and Jesus cries. Do we have such great power? Others even wrote a long string of words, and the title was The Devil Laughed. Where is the focus? It is on the devil; if you keep talking about the devil, how can your heart not be afraid? If you keep talking about these condemnation messages, how can your heart not feel condemned? But when you come before Jesus, I let you hear what Jesus has done for you on the cross, and your heart will be released.
Yesterday someone sent me a testimony. In the past, their family was always sick; he was sick, and his child was also sick, always on IV drips. He said, "Since I heard the grace message and understood what Jesus did for me on the cross, I started to declare that Jesus' health is my health."
His family has not been sick for several years now, and this testimony comes from hearing about Jesus. His conscience was cleansed, and he no longer believed the devil's lies. Amen! We no longer feel guilty; let me clarify for everyone, not feeling guilty does not mean we will not sin. When we sin, we must know another fact: God no longer condemns you.
There are always people who make assumptions: "If you say this, then I can sin freely." This proves that this person's heart is in sin. If you think about sinning, even without Jesus, you will still sin; even with the law, you will still sin because your heart wants to sin. If you believe in Jesus, it is not to sin; Jesus will definitely help you not to sin. Here it must be emphasized that Jesus has already overcome sin and has died for your sins, resurrecting from the dead; this is His resurrection power.
Every time we need to repent and turn to Jesus, looking to Jesus for all He has done, we can easily overcome evil. Now Jesus is at the right hand of the Father in heaven, which means He has already resurrected and has victory. It must be emphasized that Jesus' victory. I expect brothers and sisters to often speak of Jesus' victory in your mouths. Today a sister asked me a question,
She said, "Why doesn't God love me? Why doesn't God bless me? Why does He bless my enemies?" Is this correct? Her faith is in trouble.
She said, "I have been praying for almost a year; my business is getting worse and worse, and my enemy curses me every day, and her business is getting better than mine. Why doesn't God take care of me anymore? I hate her and wish I could curse her every day."
I said, "Did you curse her?"
She said, "No, I am a believer in Jesus. It is too painful."
Then she said, "What should I do?"
I said, "Do you really want to hear my advice?"
She said, "Yes!"
I said, "Then, when they curse you, bless them!"
She said, "No way!"
Does she want to receive God's blessing? Yes, but she is unwilling to first declare God's blessing. This is our method; is it simple?
Someone says, "My enemy has taken everything from me; how can you ask me to bless her?" What she believes is still herself. She forgets that when she blesses, she is the first to receive the blessing.
I have already told her: "No one can take away your blessing; the fear is that your heart is filled with hatred, and you lose this blessing." Can someone who is filled with bitterness and complaints be healthy? It is not that God does not give her health; she has thrown it away herself. God hopes we are healthy. That is why He hopes you maintain a joyful heart and often bless others. This is the method; He has already overcome everything, overcome death, overcome angels; this is our greatest hope. Therefore, you should look at everyone from the perspective of Jesus' victory; God wants to bless you, and no one can take it away.
Revelation 1:17-18,
17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid! I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
This refers to our Lord Jesus Christ. When John saw our Lord Jesus in a vision, he was so scared that he fell to the ground. His action was the same as that of the Old Testament prophets. When the Old Testament prophets saw the Lord, they said, "Woe to me! I am dead; I live among a people of unclean lips, and my mouth is unclean; I will die..."
They always talk about death, but Jesus said, "Do not say dead anymore; I have died for you; you should say alive." Jesus said, "I was dead, and now I am alive." He did not say, "I was dead, and now I am dead again." But we are different; Jesus indeed died once but resurrected and lives forever. This time He lives not just to be alive; it is not like Lazarus resurrecting from the dead, still carrying this flesh and will die again. It is not that kind of living; it is living with authority and power. Hallelujah!
Now you are like this; if you do not realize the power that the resurrection brings you, you will live like in the past, just like Lazarus. Lazarus indeed died, but after his resurrection, his life was still similar to before; he did not know the power and authority. You have already believed in Jesus, who is the resurrected Jesus; the authority is within you. When you are alive, you should live with the authority of Jesus; you should live differently, not live like in the past. Now tell the person next to you: "You are living differently than before; you hold the authority of Jesus." Amen!
Your life before believing in Jesus indeed had no such power, but after you died and resurrected, the power of Jesus is upon you. Do you remember what Jesus said to Peter? "Peter, you realize that I am the Son of the living God; that is remarkable. I will give you the keys of Hades and the keys of heaven."
This refers to authority, not that there is a big door in heaven; it refers to authority. Each of you holds this key: authority; it depends on whether you have used this authority. Many people's keys have been in their pockets for many years and have never been taken out. Now it is time to take them out. When encountering illness: in the name of Lord Jesus, command the illness to leave. That is using authority.
Someone says, "My family has been cursed for generations; what should I do?"
You should tell him: "Are you willing to accept Jesus? As long as you accept Jesus, your entire family, starting from you, will break all curses."
He asks, "What should I do?"
You say, "Come! Say with me,..." A decision prayer can start.
Tell him that he was a sinner in the past, but now Jesus has died for his sins on the cross, resurrected from the dead three days later, and now he is justified; the Holy Spirit dwells in him, and he is also a person with authority. This is passing on the authority; first, use it yourself, then let others use it. In the church, I do not want to tell you how much biblical knowledge to learn but to let you know that you have this key in your hand. Starting this week, go use it to unlock the keys of the kingdom of heaven, the keys of illness, the keys of curses; they are all in your hands! Just use it; this is the great power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
This is what Jesus said after His resurrection: I was dead, and now I am alive, and I will live forever. Because He will live forever, He will dwell in you, and you will have His eternal authority.
The meaning is very simple: there is a resurrected power dwelling in you, and it also brings you back from the dead. And this resurrection is given to everyone who believes in Jesus. Jesus promises us that we can have abundant life, not just enough life, not mediocre, not often failing or feeling frustrated, but victorious, always victorious.
If you have ever traveled to Israel, you know that Jesus' empty tomb is actually a testimony, a testimony that He has already won. The Bible specifically mentions that anyone who believes that Jesus rose from the dead, believes that the Son of God has died on the cross for our sins and shed blood to cleanse our sins, believes in this salvation, also possesses the resurrection power of Jesus, and that power will flow in every believer in Jesus. Amen!
Ephesians 1:17-19,
17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe.
You need to know how great the power of the resurrected Jesus is! Many people know how great the power of Jesus was when He walked on earth; this power is indeed great. When Jesus was on earth, He calmed the wind and waves, cleansed lepers, healed many sick people...
But the resurrected Jesus is even more powerful; He has no weakness. Previously, when He was on earth, He would still be weak, but now He has taken all authority; He has overcome death, overcome all powers in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. Therefore, the Jesus who is resurrected is stronger than the Jesus who was on earth. Could the previous Jesus walk through walls? If He was hungry, He had to eat, but how great is the power of the resurrected Jesus? You should meditate on this; the resurrected Jesus bears the spiritual body, which now dwells in you.
The previous Jesus was with the Israelites, but the resurrected Jesus' spirit is with you today. You do not need to envy the Israelites; you need to know that He now dwells in you. You should meditate on the resurrected Jesus; He is related to you, and wherever you go, He goes with you.
No one can whip Jesus again; He has already risen from the dead. This power dwells within me, and this spirit perceives everything, knows all about me. Now what are you worried about? You know that after this, you must first rest, and no matter what you encounter, you know He knows; that is enough. Even if the whole world misunderstands you, you say, "Lord, You know." That is enough! Bless your enemies; He knows how to vindicate you. You bless him and let the Lord vindicate you. You need to learn to use this power.
Galatians 2:19-20,
19 For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Now you live for Jesus; this is what we have always said: live for Jesus. And now I want to tell you: Live out Jesus. Under the law, it says I should live for the Lord... Now just let the Jesus inside you live out. Everyone is living out Jesus; it is just a matter of how much. Some live it out more, some less; what you need to do is let the Jesus inside you live out.
Last time we shared, one hundred percent Jesus, zero percent you. When there is no you, Jesus lives out completely. When you pray for others, it is the same; you may be jumping and shouting... but it has no effect, but you say: In the name of Lord Jesus, you are healed! As a result, the effect comes out.
When there is no you, the power of Jesus is fully manifested. This is: You should consider yourself dead to sin. Now see yourself as dead; your old life has already been crucified with Jesus and has died. Now the one who lives is Jesus in you.
Your name is Christian, a disciple of Christ; the appearance of Christ is your appearance. Disciples are similar to their masters; you will find that sometimes a father and son walk alike, and their speaking style is also the same, one tone. Why? Because they learn from each other. Does Jesus dwell inside you? Just let that Jesus live out, and you must believe that today He is living in you. Then keep this sentence in your heart: Jesus is living in you. What you need to do is let the Jesus inside you live out, and what is manifested is good behavior that can benefit others and yourself. Amen!
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father! We thank and praise You! Thank You for letting me understand the power that the resurrection of Jesus brings me through His resurrection. He once suffered for my sins, replacing my sins; according to the flesh, He was put to death; according to the Spirit, He has been resurrected. Today I believe that this resurrected spirit dwells in me; I also live by this spirit. I am willing to live out the Jesus inside me in my life, using the authority given to me by the resurrected Jesus, not only to save myself but also to save those who hear me.
I believe Jesus has given me all authority; I can become a channel of this blessing, a channel of grace. Hallelujah! All glory be to You! In the name of Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen!