08_april_2012_sunday_service.pdf | |
File Size: | 293 kb |
File Type: |
08_april_2012_sunday_service.doc | |
File Size: | 356 kb |
File Type: | doc |
“The Resurrection of Jesus” by Rev Samuel Mametsa, Sunday Service, the 08th April 2012.
Rev Samuel Mametsa preaching the message of the day.
Imagine if Jesus Christ had refused to die for us. What would have happened? If He had said: “I am not going to die for you!” So, this day is very special day.
This is the 1ST Sunday of the week and it is a very special Sunday because our Lord Jesus Christ came out of the tomb this day.
Remember that on Thursday night we were remembering his death after he was brutally assaulted, pierced for our sins. There was nothing that forced Him to do what He did. The bible says that Jesus Christ was holy man; He was very holy as a part of the trinity of God. That is why when God wanted somebody to come down and redeem us it was Jesus Christ who raised His hand and said Send me, irrespective of their sins.
I guess when God asked Him “Why do you want to die for this people?” He must have said “I am prepared to suffer for them as long as my suffering will save their lives.” God assured Him “If you can die for them, surely I will save this people.” That is why He died for us because he was assured of the results by God. The only problem is that God did not tell Jesus Christ that He would forsake Him. But we see that during the night at Gethsemane when He went to pray the Holy Spirit indicated to Him that he had to leave the disciples as they would delay him. That He must go and pray as they would delay Him
We must do the same; there are people in this life who will delay you in your life. You need to leave them behind and go ahead so you can do what you need to do.
Whilst in deep prayer there, the bible says he prayed until the sweat became blood. Where there is blood there is pain. I don’t think bleed if have not been cut. The bible says the sweat changed and became blood. You can’t count or quantify the sweat. This means that the whole body was feeling pain. He felt the pain in the mountain of Gethsemane. It was as if the most pain was on Matthew Gethsemane and not the cross. Jesus Christ even said: “If it is permissible to you Father, let this cup pass me by.” At this time the Roman soldiers were not yet there but he was feeling the pain. There are other situations that will make you feel pain, the pain that can bring the blood out but unfortunately we can’t see that blood. This means that you are bleeding inside.
Jesus Christ said to the Father, “Father, I was not aware that it shall be so painful to die for this people but if it is permitted let this cup pass me by.” Imagine if God had allowed this, where would we be? Some of us would still be in the taverns drinking a beer that is older than our grandfathers. What do you suppose this beer would do to a teenager? They are drinking ancient beers. This beer is destroying our youths. Some of the beers were brewed in 18something. Can you see that you are drinking your grand father? You don’t respect that beer. It will destroy you.
Jesus Christ says “My Father, if it is permitted, let this cup pass me by.” What I like is that He said “But let your will be done.” Allow the will of God to be done. That is why Jesus Christ said “Your will be done”. Your will, will fade or mislead you but the will of God will take you somewhere where God wants you.
After praying He went back and found the disciples sleeping and asked them “Why can’t you wait with me in prayer?”
If you don’t wait for the Lord you will be tempted. In the prophetic Jesus Christ was saying “You are going to be tempted tonight.” He had seen this when He was praying on mount Gethsemane. He had even seen the temptations that they would face.
He said to Peter, “Why are you sleeping, don’t you see the trials coming?” He must have woken them up from deep sleep. Have you ever woken up somebody from a deep sleep? They wake like they want to run away.
There is a song which says, “Be awake so that you don’t fall into temptation.”
Jesus Christ wanted them to wake up, the problem is that the spirit wants to but the body is tired. Sometimes when you want to pray your body says “I am tired, pray between the sheets.”
The bible says He prayed until He got confirmation. Pray until something happens. He didn’t want to come back from the mountain until something had happened.
After he had woken them (the disciples) up, He told them “Danger is coming, let us be ready.” Those who were sleepy (the disciples) said “We are ready, we will die with you.” People who have just woken up from dreams are very dangerous, they just talk and don’t know the reality of what is happening.
Immediately the army arrived with the betrayer (Judas Iscariot). The Jews had a problem of how to identify Jesus from amongst His disciples. Jesus Christ was not proud or haughty and was just like the disciples. The betrayer, after he had been given money identified Jesus Christ unto the Jews to be slain.
Money makes people to sell others. Yes, Jesus Christ was sold for money, even if it was the plan of God but the Jews manipulated the situation to make sure that Judas Iscariot took and received the money.
Judas Iscariot was the treasurer and I see that most of the people become unfaithful after they are made treasurers. The bible says if you love money too much, you will end up becoming a murderer. We see this even with business partners who end up killing each other because of money. The bible says we need not chase money but the money must chase us. God wants money to serve us and not the other way around. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and the rest shall follow. God knows that you need food to eat, clothes to wear and a car to drive but not to go to the taverns. “33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matt 6:33, NKJV.
If you want to see beautiful and expensive cars go to a tavern. The church of the devil is the tavern. When these cars are involved in accidents you will find the beer in those cars. The devil waits for people to come and worship him in the tavern and when they leave and are on their way he kills them. He doesn’t say because there is beer in the car, le them live. Why should you go to somebody who doesn’t care about you?
The day of the Lord is coming and people will shiver. The day when the Lord Jesus Christ will come is upon us.
When the army came, they beat Him and He did not open his mouth at all. The last time He spoke was when He was praying to God on Mount Gethsemane, where God did not respond to Him.
Jesus Christ was crying unto God but at that time, God was nowhere to be found. In this situation you can call and cry unto God and no answer is forthcoming. It doesn’t mean God is running away from you but He wants you to be tested just like Jesus Christ.
When the soldiers came and started to manhandle Jesus one of the dreamers cut one of the soldier’s ear and Jesus Christ just said “Did you not read Ephesians 6 which says we fight not flesh and blood. Put away your weapon.” Jesus Christ then picked up the ear and put it back where it belonged.
Surprising enough even those who saw the healing of the ear still continued to arrest Jesus Christ. This was like a movie: the ear was cut off and fell down onto the ground. I don’t know if the ear was moving or not, maybe like the tail of the Lizard. Jesus Christ first forgot about the ear and faced the disciple “Why? Did we not talk about this, is it because of that dream which you just had?’ Jesus Christ said “Our fight is not carnal; we are fighting spiritual war.” He took the ear and put it back onto the head of the person. The soldier must have been touching himself to check if the ear was still there.
One would have expected them to repent “Really, this is the son of God, why should we arrest Him?” But they continued to arrest Him blaspheming Him because the order was out. If the order is out for you, it must be fulfilled until completion. There is a chance that things could have been stopped there but the order of God was out and it had to come to pass.
It was painful, they kicked him, tormented Him etc. They went to Pilate and said this man is the most dangerous man in the whole of Israel. When they were asked “What about all this other criminals?” They said “These ones are better talking about rapists, murderers etc” No wonder in our country you see many supporting corruption. They chose Barnabas over Jesus Christ.
He asked them “What is it that this man has done that deserves him to be killed?” They could not give any tangible answer. They could not convince him of the wrongdoing of Jesus Christ but because of the number of those who were crying against Jesus Christ, he felt he had to appease them.
There is a situation where people will stand against you even if you have done nothing wrong just like the situation of Jesus Christ who did not deserve to die. These people were blind; they only looked at what was happening then but not what would happen afterwards. I am talking about the man Jesus Christ, the reason why we are all here. The one who died without sin.
Scripture reading: John 20:15-22
“15 Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, "Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away." 16 Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to Him, "Rabboni!" (which is to say, Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them,'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.'" 18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her. The Apostles Commissioned (Luke 24:36-43; 1 Cor 15:5) 19 Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, "Peace be with you." 20 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.” John 20:15-22, NKJV.
Philippians 2: 8-12
“8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Light Bearers 12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;” Phil 2:8-12, NKJV.
In John we see that when Maria Magdalene when to the tomb she saw a disfigured man who looked like a gardener and he asked her “What do you want?” “I am looking for my Lord? I guess they stole him.” He asks her, “Did he not tell you? He would die and be raised.”
Jesus Christ knew if Maria could touch her, He would not be allowed to go up to heaven. “I need to go to heaven where the Spirit that will guide me and empower me is.”
In the book of Matthew it says that when Mary came out to the tomb she found the linen properly aligned a voice said “Why do you seek for the living amongst the dead?” Then Mary was shocked and on her way to Jerusalem somebody was speaking to her. She could not see that person but they talked, “Have you ever heard about this Jesus Christ, I understand that they said He will die and then be raised again.”
At that time, the disciples were still locked up in a room, they were still dreaming, there were afraid that they would also be crucified just like Jesus Christ. When Mary knocked they must have been afraid and I imagine must have hidden under the table. They opened and found it was Mary. The bible says that Jesus Christ gave them the bread and after He gave them the bread their eyes were opened.
If you are a child of God you are walking with Christ. Mary was walking with Christ. There is a situation where you need to talk to the Holy Spirit even though He is invisible but He will talk to you.
Just like Jesus Christ walked with Mary He can also walk with you. Jesus Christ is alive. If people think you are dead and consider you buried alive, they are lying, the Jesus we serve has risen. When He comes up in you there is a lot that will rise, as long as you are His follower. I don’t care how many people cursed you, said it is finished with you but what I know is that the resurrection of Jesus Christ has resurrected a lot of things in you.
Acts 1:8
“8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."” Acts 1:8, NKJV.
Jesus Christ gave the order “Wait in Jerusalem and wait for the power so that you can be my witness all over the world.” If you don’t have the spirit of God you can’t be a witness of Christ. You need the Holy Spirit. “Wait in Jerusalem and wait for the spirit of the Lord to come upon you to direct you, empower you, guide you.”
Acts 2:1
“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” Acts 2:1-4, NKJV.
The bible says on the day of Pentecost, the power came down. On The day of Pentecost God released the power. The bible says they started to speak in tongues and other languages. They were equipped; they came out and spread to preach the good news without fear. Without fear because there was something supernatural that changed fear to make them bold. So if you have fear then you don’t have the spirit of God. Fear is not of God. The bible says the kingdom of God suffers violence and the violent taketh it by force. “12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.” ? Matt 11:12, NKJV.
Jesus Christ has already died and released the power. That is why He said to Mary “Don’t touch me, I must still go to my Father, and when He releases the power unto Me I will release it.” They started to come out, to be visible, preaching the good news of Jesus Christ. They did it with boldness. The bible says “When the power comes you will be my witness, therefore go and make my people disciples, teaching, baptizing the people in the name of the Father, the son and the Holy Spirit.”
That is why in Philippians the bible says His name was exalted above all other names because He qualified. This means that His CV was good. The bible says Phil 2:9-11 “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Phil 2:9-11, NKJV.
He qualifies. If you want to be exalted by God do something that pleases God and what pleases God is when you bring souls to God. This is what pleases God.
That is why in the book Ezekiel 18:23 I am not pleased by the death of a sinner. I want the sinner to repent and leave his wicked ways. Ezek 18:23 “23 Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?" says the Lord God, "and not that he should turn from his ways and live?” Ezek 18:23, NKJV.
That is why when we lead people to Christ God is pleased. God doesn’t like greedy people, who do not care about those who are not repenting to come to God. They will even stay with somebody who doesn’t know God. Even when you prepare for church you don’t even invite that person to come with them to church.
Some people won’t even come to church because they have visitors at home. You know what; the devil will bring a lot of visitors to you on Sundays because he knows that you don’t go to church when you have visitors. When you do this you are supporting these people not to go to church. You must tell people that if you come to my home on a Sunday then we will first go to church and then come back home.
You must know that when you call the name of Jesus you will see miracle. When faced with problems call upon that name and you will see a change.
I received a testimony on Friday , “When the car started to overturn, what came to my mind was “In the name of Jesus I refuse this accident.’ I was facing at an oncoming car and the car ended up on the other side and did not roll.” The devil will test you, if problems come and you forget this name of Jesus Christ, the devil will use you as a playground.
Jesus Christ was able to lift the car and make it to avoid the oncoming car and to prevent the accident. Not when you have called the name of Jesus Christ.
Some people pray after accident. When you face something and you realise that you cannot handle it, don’t be shy; call upon the name of Jesus Christ with power and oomph. This name is above all the other names, even the witches and wizards. They do not want to hear this name.
When Jesus was resurrected He gave us power and said we will walk on top of scorpions and snakes. We are not saying you must go and walk on top of snakes and scorpions.
I heard the testimony of one who wanted to be like Paul. He went to pick up a snake and said that snake will not do me any harm. He went to touch a python. He said if the snake did not kill Paul, it can’t kill me. It took the python only 2 seconds to kill him. The bible does not say that Paul went to look for the snake. He was fetching wood, if he had known about the snake he would have stopped. The snake attacked him. Paul was not testing God. There are a lot of people who are testing God.
God will protect you whilst you are not aware of the danger and you do something innocently, not when you just go and say “I have the Holy Spirit in me” and you test God. Remember that Jesus Christ refused this in Matthew 4 when Jesus was taken by the Holy Spirit and the devil said to Him “Change the stones to food.” He had previously turned a few loaves into a lot of food but because He did not want to test God he refused to do it this time around.
The devil left him a little while and came back “Jesus you are the son of God, truly?” He was taunting Jesus Christ. Then he said, “If you are the servant of God then jump from this mountain, because every child of God has his own angels, so throw yourself down and the angels will pick you.”
There is a situation when we want to adhere to satan’s demands, ways and standards. Jesus said “It is written”. Don’t test your God. The devil ran away but he did come back. “Do you see all these riches, if you can bow down before me, it is yours.”
A lot of people are bowing down to the devil for the sake of riches but after bowing to the devil there is nothing left. The bible says don’t bow to the devil but to God only. At this the devil left him forever.
Maybe in your life, you are still being tempted, say it is the second time; the third time the devil will leave you. Hold on. Your time is near. The devil is about to leave you. Be persistent. The devil is about to leave you now. He is crying as he must leave a beautiful person like you. Just one temptation left for you. Just hold on a little longer. He is leaving you. He can’t take it any longer. “She is untouchable.” He is crying, “I don’t know how to get this one,” but he is saying, “I will get you.” It is over for the devil. He has played with his time, it is over. The devil is a liar. It is over!
Jesus Christ did not resurrect for nothing. He rose up to fulfill “It’s over!” Just by waking up he has resuscitated everything. Everything has been resurrected. He has resurrected so you can have life in abundance. Something must change. Enough is enough.
If the devil is saying you are worshipping a God who is not present then he is a liar. You are worshipping a God who is above everything. You will be a testimony! A living testimony. By next week Tuesday you must see miracles because this Jesus rose up for you.
People can bury you alive but Jesus will prove to them “You are lying” Not this one, not my child, called by my name. “And He is referring to you. He is not stupid. If you are called by His name He will fight for you and when He fights for you, you can’t see it with the naked eye; you will just see people fighting you. He doesn’t call people to say “Come and see!” He does it silently. You will just see the way that people will behave around you. Then you must know that He is fighting for you.
I feel sorry for those who are fighting you as they don’t know that they are fighting Him and they are fighting a rock and no one fights a rock and wins.
The bible says He is the rock of salvation. When you hide behind the rock of salvation and the devil hits, he will hit the rock of salvation. You can hide next to the Lion of the Judah, who can come next to you when you are seated next to the Lion of Judah? A lion will fight to the bitter end. Jesus fought for us, on the cross. Do you really think if He fought to save us He can leave / forsake us now?
This day is a very special day in our lives. Go out there and refuse all the curses, “Everything of mine is resurrected; my life, health, success, etc must be resurrected.” Why should they continue to sleep? We must refuse.
PRAYER TIME:
Today is the day of resurrection in your life, in every area and every aspect of your life. Everything must be resurrected. Jesus makes everything to be resurrected so that your enemies must see your God. Your enemies must see your God. By next week you must start seeing the fruits of your God.
Whatever problem is tormenting you, is rendered harmless in Jesus’ name. It is aborted in Jesus’ name. You must come out of it now, as a clean person, resurrected person, cleansed by the blood.
[SAY IN YOUR HEART ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. CONFESS THIS IN YOUR HEART AND SAY JESUS NEVER DIED FOR NOTHING. HE DID NOT RESURRECT FOR NOTHING. I REFUSE THIS SITUATION IN MY HEART. GOD IF YOU ARE HONEST BY NEXT WEEK I WANT TO SEE THESE SITUATION CHANGED. IF THE BIBLE IS RIGHT, MY SITUATION MUST CHANGE. THE BIBLE SAYS WE DO NOT WALK BY SIGHT BUT BY FAITH SO I BELIEVE THAT MY SITUATION IS NO MORE. IF YOU REALLY ARE GOD, MY SITUATION IS OVER. I CAN’T KEEP PRAYING AND PRAYING WITH NO RESULTS. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. THIS SUNDAY IS THE START OF A NEW LIFE. THIS SUNDAY IS A SPECIAL SUNDAY, I DON’T WANT TO GO BACK, JESUS DID NOT GO BACK, I ALSO DON’T WANT TO GO BACK. THIS SITUATION IS HURTING ME AND I CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE. I AM SERVING A POWRFUL GOD WHO CAN SWEEP THIS AWAY. THE BIBLE SAYS HE IS POWERFUL AND HE HAS BEEN GIVEN A NAME THAT IS ABOVE ALL NAMES. THIS IS MY AFTERNOON, MY DAY, MY SITUATION, I SAY TO YOU CHANGE. LISTEN TO THE POWER OF GOD, LISTEN TO MY HEART‘S DESIRES, AND WHAT MY HEART DESIRES IS WHAT I WANT AND WHAT MY GOD PROMISED ME AND WILL GRANT ME.]
This is the 1ST Sunday of the week and it is a very special Sunday because our Lord Jesus Christ came out of the tomb this day.
Remember that on Thursday night we were remembering his death after he was brutally assaulted, pierced for our sins. There was nothing that forced Him to do what He did. The bible says that Jesus Christ was holy man; He was very holy as a part of the trinity of God. That is why when God wanted somebody to come down and redeem us it was Jesus Christ who raised His hand and said Send me, irrespective of their sins.
I guess when God asked Him “Why do you want to die for this people?” He must have said “I am prepared to suffer for them as long as my suffering will save their lives.” God assured Him “If you can die for them, surely I will save this people.” That is why He died for us because he was assured of the results by God. The only problem is that God did not tell Jesus Christ that He would forsake Him. But we see that during the night at Gethsemane when He went to pray the Holy Spirit indicated to Him that he had to leave the disciples as they would delay him. That He must go and pray as they would delay Him
We must do the same; there are people in this life who will delay you in your life. You need to leave them behind and go ahead so you can do what you need to do.
Whilst in deep prayer there, the bible says he prayed until the sweat became blood. Where there is blood there is pain. I don’t think bleed if have not been cut. The bible says the sweat changed and became blood. You can’t count or quantify the sweat. This means that the whole body was feeling pain. He felt the pain in the mountain of Gethsemane. It was as if the most pain was on Matthew Gethsemane and not the cross. Jesus Christ even said: “If it is permissible to you Father, let this cup pass me by.” At this time the Roman soldiers were not yet there but he was feeling the pain. There are other situations that will make you feel pain, the pain that can bring the blood out but unfortunately we can’t see that blood. This means that you are bleeding inside.
Jesus Christ said to the Father, “Father, I was not aware that it shall be so painful to die for this people but if it is permitted let this cup pass me by.” Imagine if God had allowed this, where would we be? Some of us would still be in the taverns drinking a beer that is older than our grandfathers. What do you suppose this beer would do to a teenager? They are drinking ancient beers. This beer is destroying our youths. Some of the beers were brewed in 18something. Can you see that you are drinking your grand father? You don’t respect that beer. It will destroy you.
Jesus Christ says “My Father, if it is permitted, let this cup pass me by.” What I like is that He said “But let your will be done.” Allow the will of God to be done. That is why Jesus Christ said “Your will be done”. Your will, will fade or mislead you but the will of God will take you somewhere where God wants you.
After praying He went back and found the disciples sleeping and asked them “Why can’t you wait with me in prayer?”
If you don’t wait for the Lord you will be tempted. In the prophetic Jesus Christ was saying “You are going to be tempted tonight.” He had seen this when He was praying on mount Gethsemane. He had even seen the temptations that they would face.
He said to Peter, “Why are you sleeping, don’t you see the trials coming?” He must have woken them up from deep sleep. Have you ever woken up somebody from a deep sleep? They wake like they want to run away.
There is a song which says, “Be awake so that you don’t fall into temptation.”
Jesus Christ wanted them to wake up, the problem is that the spirit wants to but the body is tired. Sometimes when you want to pray your body says “I am tired, pray between the sheets.”
The bible says He prayed until He got confirmation. Pray until something happens. He didn’t want to come back from the mountain until something had happened.
After he had woken them (the disciples) up, He told them “Danger is coming, let us be ready.” Those who were sleepy (the disciples) said “We are ready, we will die with you.” People who have just woken up from dreams are very dangerous, they just talk and don’t know the reality of what is happening.
Immediately the army arrived with the betrayer (Judas Iscariot). The Jews had a problem of how to identify Jesus from amongst His disciples. Jesus Christ was not proud or haughty and was just like the disciples. The betrayer, after he had been given money identified Jesus Christ unto the Jews to be slain.
Money makes people to sell others. Yes, Jesus Christ was sold for money, even if it was the plan of God but the Jews manipulated the situation to make sure that Judas Iscariot took and received the money.
Judas Iscariot was the treasurer and I see that most of the people become unfaithful after they are made treasurers. The bible says if you love money too much, you will end up becoming a murderer. We see this even with business partners who end up killing each other because of money. The bible says we need not chase money but the money must chase us. God wants money to serve us and not the other way around. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and the rest shall follow. God knows that you need food to eat, clothes to wear and a car to drive but not to go to the taverns. “33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matt 6:33, NKJV.
If you want to see beautiful and expensive cars go to a tavern. The church of the devil is the tavern. When these cars are involved in accidents you will find the beer in those cars. The devil waits for people to come and worship him in the tavern and when they leave and are on their way he kills them. He doesn’t say because there is beer in the car, le them live. Why should you go to somebody who doesn’t care about you?
The day of the Lord is coming and people will shiver. The day when the Lord Jesus Christ will come is upon us.
When the army came, they beat Him and He did not open his mouth at all. The last time He spoke was when He was praying to God on Mount Gethsemane, where God did not respond to Him.
Jesus Christ was crying unto God but at that time, God was nowhere to be found. In this situation you can call and cry unto God and no answer is forthcoming. It doesn’t mean God is running away from you but He wants you to be tested just like Jesus Christ.
When the soldiers came and started to manhandle Jesus one of the dreamers cut one of the soldier’s ear and Jesus Christ just said “Did you not read Ephesians 6 which says we fight not flesh and blood. Put away your weapon.” Jesus Christ then picked up the ear and put it back where it belonged.
Surprising enough even those who saw the healing of the ear still continued to arrest Jesus Christ. This was like a movie: the ear was cut off and fell down onto the ground. I don’t know if the ear was moving or not, maybe like the tail of the Lizard. Jesus Christ first forgot about the ear and faced the disciple “Why? Did we not talk about this, is it because of that dream which you just had?’ Jesus Christ said “Our fight is not carnal; we are fighting spiritual war.” He took the ear and put it back onto the head of the person. The soldier must have been touching himself to check if the ear was still there.
One would have expected them to repent “Really, this is the son of God, why should we arrest Him?” But they continued to arrest Him blaspheming Him because the order was out. If the order is out for you, it must be fulfilled until completion. There is a chance that things could have been stopped there but the order of God was out and it had to come to pass.
It was painful, they kicked him, tormented Him etc. They went to Pilate and said this man is the most dangerous man in the whole of Israel. When they were asked “What about all this other criminals?” They said “These ones are better talking about rapists, murderers etc” No wonder in our country you see many supporting corruption. They chose Barnabas over Jesus Christ.
He asked them “What is it that this man has done that deserves him to be killed?” They could not give any tangible answer. They could not convince him of the wrongdoing of Jesus Christ but because of the number of those who were crying against Jesus Christ, he felt he had to appease them.
There is a situation where people will stand against you even if you have done nothing wrong just like the situation of Jesus Christ who did not deserve to die. These people were blind; they only looked at what was happening then but not what would happen afterwards. I am talking about the man Jesus Christ, the reason why we are all here. The one who died without sin.
Scripture reading: John 20:15-22
“15 Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, "Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away." 16 Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to Him, "Rabboni!" (which is to say, Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them,'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.'" 18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her. The Apostles Commissioned (Luke 24:36-43; 1 Cor 15:5) 19 Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, "Peace be with you." 20 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.” John 20:15-22, NKJV.
Philippians 2: 8-12
“8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Light Bearers 12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;” Phil 2:8-12, NKJV.
In John we see that when Maria Magdalene when to the tomb she saw a disfigured man who looked like a gardener and he asked her “What do you want?” “I am looking for my Lord? I guess they stole him.” He asks her, “Did he not tell you? He would die and be raised.”
Jesus Christ knew if Maria could touch her, He would not be allowed to go up to heaven. “I need to go to heaven where the Spirit that will guide me and empower me is.”
In the book of Matthew it says that when Mary came out to the tomb she found the linen properly aligned a voice said “Why do you seek for the living amongst the dead?” Then Mary was shocked and on her way to Jerusalem somebody was speaking to her. She could not see that person but they talked, “Have you ever heard about this Jesus Christ, I understand that they said He will die and then be raised again.”
At that time, the disciples were still locked up in a room, they were still dreaming, there were afraid that they would also be crucified just like Jesus Christ. When Mary knocked they must have been afraid and I imagine must have hidden under the table. They opened and found it was Mary. The bible says that Jesus Christ gave them the bread and after He gave them the bread their eyes were opened.
If you are a child of God you are walking with Christ. Mary was walking with Christ. There is a situation where you need to talk to the Holy Spirit even though He is invisible but He will talk to you.
Just like Jesus Christ walked with Mary He can also walk with you. Jesus Christ is alive. If people think you are dead and consider you buried alive, they are lying, the Jesus we serve has risen. When He comes up in you there is a lot that will rise, as long as you are His follower. I don’t care how many people cursed you, said it is finished with you but what I know is that the resurrection of Jesus Christ has resurrected a lot of things in you.
Acts 1:8
“8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."” Acts 1:8, NKJV.
Jesus Christ gave the order “Wait in Jerusalem and wait for the power so that you can be my witness all over the world.” If you don’t have the spirit of God you can’t be a witness of Christ. You need the Holy Spirit. “Wait in Jerusalem and wait for the spirit of the Lord to come upon you to direct you, empower you, guide you.”
Acts 2:1
“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” Acts 2:1-4, NKJV.
The bible says on the day of Pentecost, the power came down. On The day of Pentecost God released the power. The bible says they started to speak in tongues and other languages. They were equipped; they came out and spread to preach the good news without fear. Without fear because there was something supernatural that changed fear to make them bold. So if you have fear then you don’t have the spirit of God. Fear is not of God. The bible says the kingdom of God suffers violence and the violent taketh it by force. “12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.” ? Matt 11:12, NKJV.
Jesus Christ has already died and released the power. That is why He said to Mary “Don’t touch me, I must still go to my Father, and when He releases the power unto Me I will release it.” They started to come out, to be visible, preaching the good news of Jesus Christ. They did it with boldness. The bible says “When the power comes you will be my witness, therefore go and make my people disciples, teaching, baptizing the people in the name of the Father, the son and the Holy Spirit.”
That is why in Philippians the bible says His name was exalted above all other names because He qualified. This means that His CV was good. The bible says Phil 2:9-11 “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Phil 2:9-11, NKJV.
He qualifies. If you want to be exalted by God do something that pleases God and what pleases God is when you bring souls to God. This is what pleases God.
That is why in the book Ezekiel 18:23 I am not pleased by the death of a sinner. I want the sinner to repent and leave his wicked ways. Ezek 18:23 “23 Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?" says the Lord God, "and not that he should turn from his ways and live?” Ezek 18:23, NKJV.
That is why when we lead people to Christ God is pleased. God doesn’t like greedy people, who do not care about those who are not repenting to come to God. They will even stay with somebody who doesn’t know God. Even when you prepare for church you don’t even invite that person to come with them to church.
Some people won’t even come to church because they have visitors at home. You know what; the devil will bring a lot of visitors to you on Sundays because he knows that you don’t go to church when you have visitors. When you do this you are supporting these people not to go to church. You must tell people that if you come to my home on a Sunday then we will first go to church and then come back home.
You must know that when you call the name of Jesus you will see miracle. When faced with problems call upon that name and you will see a change.
I received a testimony on Friday , “When the car started to overturn, what came to my mind was “In the name of Jesus I refuse this accident.’ I was facing at an oncoming car and the car ended up on the other side and did not roll.” The devil will test you, if problems come and you forget this name of Jesus Christ, the devil will use you as a playground.
Jesus Christ was able to lift the car and make it to avoid the oncoming car and to prevent the accident. Not when you have called the name of Jesus Christ.
Some people pray after accident. When you face something and you realise that you cannot handle it, don’t be shy; call upon the name of Jesus Christ with power and oomph. This name is above all the other names, even the witches and wizards. They do not want to hear this name.
When Jesus was resurrected He gave us power and said we will walk on top of scorpions and snakes. We are not saying you must go and walk on top of snakes and scorpions.
I heard the testimony of one who wanted to be like Paul. He went to pick up a snake and said that snake will not do me any harm. He went to touch a python. He said if the snake did not kill Paul, it can’t kill me. It took the python only 2 seconds to kill him. The bible does not say that Paul went to look for the snake. He was fetching wood, if he had known about the snake he would have stopped. The snake attacked him. Paul was not testing God. There are a lot of people who are testing God.
God will protect you whilst you are not aware of the danger and you do something innocently, not when you just go and say “I have the Holy Spirit in me” and you test God. Remember that Jesus Christ refused this in Matthew 4 when Jesus was taken by the Holy Spirit and the devil said to Him “Change the stones to food.” He had previously turned a few loaves into a lot of food but because He did not want to test God he refused to do it this time around.
The devil left him a little while and came back “Jesus you are the son of God, truly?” He was taunting Jesus Christ. Then he said, “If you are the servant of God then jump from this mountain, because every child of God has his own angels, so throw yourself down and the angels will pick you.”
There is a situation when we want to adhere to satan’s demands, ways and standards. Jesus said “It is written”. Don’t test your God. The devil ran away but he did come back. “Do you see all these riches, if you can bow down before me, it is yours.”
A lot of people are bowing down to the devil for the sake of riches but after bowing to the devil there is nothing left. The bible says don’t bow to the devil but to God only. At this the devil left him forever.
Maybe in your life, you are still being tempted, say it is the second time; the third time the devil will leave you. Hold on. Your time is near. The devil is about to leave you. Be persistent. The devil is about to leave you now. He is crying as he must leave a beautiful person like you. Just one temptation left for you. Just hold on a little longer. He is leaving you. He can’t take it any longer. “She is untouchable.” He is crying, “I don’t know how to get this one,” but he is saying, “I will get you.” It is over for the devil. He has played with his time, it is over. The devil is a liar. It is over!
Jesus Christ did not resurrect for nothing. He rose up to fulfill “It’s over!” Just by waking up he has resuscitated everything. Everything has been resurrected. He has resurrected so you can have life in abundance. Something must change. Enough is enough.
If the devil is saying you are worshipping a God who is not present then he is a liar. You are worshipping a God who is above everything. You will be a testimony! A living testimony. By next week Tuesday you must see miracles because this Jesus rose up for you.
People can bury you alive but Jesus will prove to them “You are lying” Not this one, not my child, called by my name. “And He is referring to you. He is not stupid. If you are called by His name He will fight for you and when He fights for you, you can’t see it with the naked eye; you will just see people fighting you. He doesn’t call people to say “Come and see!” He does it silently. You will just see the way that people will behave around you. Then you must know that He is fighting for you.
I feel sorry for those who are fighting you as they don’t know that they are fighting Him and they are fighting a rock and no one fights a rock and wins.
The bible says He is the rock of salvation. When you hide behind the rock of salvation and the devil hits, he will hit the rock of salvation. You can hide next to the Lion of the Judah, who can come next to you when you are seated next to the Lion of Judah? A lion will fight to the bitter end. Jesus fought for us, on the cross. Do you really think if He fought to save us He can leave / forsake us now?
This day is a very special day in our lives. Go out there and refuse all the curses, “Everything of mine is resurrected; my life, health, success, etc must be resurrected.” Why should they continue to sleep? We must refuse.
PRAYER TIME:
Today is the day of resurrection in your life, in every area and every aspect of your life. Everything must be resurrected. Jesus makes everything to be resurrected so that your enemies must see your God. Your enemies must see your God. By next week you must start seeing the fruits of your God.
Whatever problem is tormenting you, is rendered harmless in Jesus’ name. It is aborted in Jesus’ name. You must come out of it now, as a clean person, resurrected person, cleansed by the blood.
[SAY IN YOUR HEART ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. CONFESS THIS IN YOUR HEART AND SAY JESUS NEVER DIED FOR NOTHING. HE DID NOT RESURRECT FOR NOTHING. I REFUSE THIS SITUATION IN MY HEART. GOD IF YOU ARE HONEST BY NEXT WEEK I WANT TO SEE THESE SITUATION CHANGED. IF THE BIBLE IS RIGHT, MY SITUATION MUST CHANGE. THE BIBLE SAYS WE DO NOT WALK BY SIGHT BUT BY FAITH SO I BELIEVE THAT MY SITUATION IS NO MORE. IF YOU REALLY ARE GOD, MY SITUATION IS OVER. I CAN’T KEEP PRAYING AND PRAYING WITH NO RESULTS. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. THIS SUNDAY IS THE START OF A NEW LIFE. THIS SUNDAY IS A SPECIAL SUNDAY, I DON’T WANT TO GO BACK, JESUS DID NOT GO BACK, I ALSO DON’T WANT TO GO BACK. THIS SITUATION IS HURTING ME AND I CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE. I AM SERVING A POWRFUL GOD WHO CAN SWEEP THIS AWAY. THE BIBLE SAYS HE IS POWERFUL AND HE HAS BEEN GIVEN A NAME THAT IS ABOVE ALL NAMES. THIS IS MY AFTERNOON, MY DAY, MY SITUATION, I SAY TO YOU CHANGE. LISTEN TO THE POWER OF GOD, LISTEN TO MY HEART‘S DESIRES, AND WHAT MY HEART DESIRES IS WHAT I WANT AND WHAT MY GOD PROMISED ME AND WILL GRANT ME.]