Easter happened way back in early April and the real Easter happened 2000 years ago. Christ was raised from the dead by the Holy Spirit.
That promise of resurrection was given to every believer in Jesus Christ. After Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, He declared
“I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die” (John 11:25).
The only Person who has ever lived and been raised from the dead is Jesus Christ. When anyone believes in Christ’s death, burial and resurrection,
they are forgiven by faith in the Finished Work of Christ. Confession of sin and faith in Christ’s payment for sin clears the way for the Holy Spirit to
come into the life of the believer and take up residence. Sin must be removed for God to come into the human heart.
Romans 8:1-2 says “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.”
An illustration: compare the Law of Gravity with the Law of Lift. Both laws are real scientific facts. Jump out of a building and gravity will take you down. But, if one enters an airplane and takes off, the law of Lift overpowers the Law of Gravity. Both laws remain true but one can overpower the other. Think of the human condition in sin. Without Christ we are unable to rise above the power of sin, we are weighed down by shame, guilt and fear.
But, through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, all sin is removed if we believe and we are in Christ spiritually like getting on a plane and trusting Him as our Pilot. The decision is ours. We have the power not in ourselves but in Christ. It is so important that we understand what Christ has already done and what we are responsible to do, to have the peace of God toward our inevitable death. Death is simply a door to our next life in eternity. Death is a transition.
Who could possibly believe that they could raise themselves from the dead? Who of us can trust that we are good enough somehow to cheat death?
But, later in Romans, verse 11, we read:
“And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life
to your mortal bodies through the Spirit who lives in you.”
Two balloons are held in the hand. One has helium, the other does not. Both balloons are dropped. One rises, the other falls. Upon our death, we will go in only one direction, up or down.
Romans 8 describes two spirits, please read the chapter and note that one pleases God and the other cannot please God.
Hebrews 11:6 says that, “without faith it is impossible to please God.” Faith in Christ enables the entrance of the Holy Spirit and here is truly the very Good News.
The Holy Spirit, after He enters our life, will never leave us or forsake us. He will seal us until the day of our death and then raise us up with Christ.
“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.” Ephesians 1:13-14
For more on living in the Resurrection now and living with the Spirit of God, please watch the video below titled “What Spirit Lives in You?” by Pastor Jack Hibbs (message begins at 25:00)
