The Resurrection Power of God - Rev. Virginia Davis

"He rose...He rose...He rose ... from the dead.  He rose...He rose...He rose from the dead... He rose...He rose...He rose from the dead...and the Lord shall bear my spirit home. "

Can't you hear the choir exuberantly singing this rendition every Easter/Resurrection Sunday when you were younger? Last Sunday we commemorated the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in very unique ways - quarantined, online, telephone conferences, television broadcasts and/or in the parking lots of churches.  Yes, we celebrated! Grateful, eternally grateful we were for another day in the midst of this pandemic. Resurrection Sunday 2020 was especially meaningful in that we were reminded that the same God, who by His mighty power raised Jesus over 2000 years ago is still omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent TODAY. 

Acts 3:14a-15: But ye denied the Holy one and the Just, ...And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses. 

The resurrection of Christ is the foundation on which all of Christianity stands.

I Corinthians 15:13: But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And If Christ be not risen, then [is] our preaching vain, and your faith [is] also vain. 

Resurrection means "a raising up" or a "rising up" from the Greek word anastasis.  The fact that God resurrected Jesus gives us hope, joy, peace, assurance confidence and EXPECTATION. 

I Peter 1:3: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. 

God's incredible resurrection power has been manifested in a myriad of circumstances throughout the Old Testament, New Testament, and presently in us.  Yes! The same God who raised Jesus has the same power to resurrect situations, desires, and ideas in each of us TODAY. 

Let's visit a miraculous incident in which God's resurrection power broke forth and prevailed.

Do you remember the widow of Zarephath? (I Kings 17:8-24) Even though she made the man of God, Elijah, a cake first; after expressing to him that she only had a handful of meal and a little bit of oil in a cruse  (vs. 8-16).  It came to pass that her son got sick and died.  (vs. 17-24)

What?  Her son died?

Can I tell you that there will be times that you will do what is required of you.  No one is perfect of course; but you sacrifice, you give, you try to make yourself reachable, teachable and available for God's service and His people and then life happens!  Like the widow, you may be left in shock, numb, confused, and bewildered.  I'm sure the widow had questions.  I'm sure she wondered "what sins did I commit to cause me to lose my son?" (vs. 18)

When you have these sorts of questions, please don't give up.  Even when life hits you excruciatingly hard, don't quit! It's not over until GOD says it's over. 

In this story, Elijah prayed, stretched himself onto the widow's son three times, and cried unto the Lord.  God raised the child. The lad was resurrected by the power of God and was brought back to his mother (vs. 23) by Elijah. 

And, just like that lad was resurrected by the power of God, you can be too! God wants to resurrect that dream, vision, gift, talent, relationship with Him and others.

"No not me, I am too far gone," one might exclaim.  "My situation is too dismal, I am a lost cause," another may profess.

No! Absolutely incorrect, my friend.  Your circumstances are not so dire that God can't intervene.  Your troubles are not insurmountable for God and He has the power to do anything but fail. So, never let anyone or anything make you doubt the magnanimous resurrection power of God.  Whatever is barren, dormant, or dead in our lives, let's acknowledge it, surrender it to God and watch His resurrection power transform it. 

Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that worketh in us, unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end, Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21) 

Envision...Embrace...Experience the Resurrection power of God!!

God bless you!