And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me (John 12:32, KJV)

In this holy week of remembering the Lord’s death and resurrection, I began sharing on the blood of Jesus two days ago. Christ’s death on the cross was a decisive defeat of Satan and judgment of sin. It is the symbol for all eternity of the unfathomable love of God for us. However, the cross was only the beginning. The most crucial event of Christ’s work was not His death. It is His resurrection. Paul said 

And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins (1 Corinthians 15:17, KJV)

These are powerful words. It tells us plainly that if Jesus had died and did not resurrect, no human being would have obtained the forgiveness of sins. That means you stand forgiven today not just because Christ died, but because He died and then resurrected! There are so many things that could be said about the resurrection, including the power and the new life we have in Christ. However, let me share with you a hidden mystery that is not usually so obvious for many of us. It is found in Jesus’ words in John 12:32 above. 

Jesus said if He be lifted up, meaning crucified, He will dry all men to Himself. Jesus was sinless as a Man. He did not need His sins to be forgiven. He displayed complete and absolute authority over demons even before the cross. He did not need power over demons. We needed our sins to be forgiven. We needed to be delivered from Satan and hell. When Jesus died, all the payment for sin and His defeat of Satan were all hidden in Him. No man had access to it. When He descended to hell and defeated Satan and death, it was His victory alone. No man other than Himself could benefit from it. However, He was not doing all of these things for Himself. He wanted to draw all men to Himself. When He resurrected, something happened. Suddenly, all the benefits of His death and defeat of sin and satan became available for every human being. The resurrection made it possible for Jesus to replicate Himself in other human beings, making them enjoy all the benefits of His horrible suffering, death, and defeat of Satan as if they were the ones who suffered and died!

The resurrection was the key that unlocked the mysteries of the grace room and flooded all humanity with God’s extravagance. It made it possible for men to partake of Christ as He drew them to Himself. When God sees you, He sees His resurrected Son! That is not all. When Satan sees you he sees the Son! When you command demons, the voice they hear is not yours but Christ’s! These things are spiritual things, and demons know them better than we do. Since many of us do not know what Christ has done, Satan avails Himself of our ignorance. The Lord says My people perish for lack of knowledge!

May this mystery of the reality of the resurrection fill your mind and life this Easter. When He got out of that tomb, everything that He  suffered  for and received from the Father became yours in Him!

MEDITATE

Why did Paul say in 1 cor. 15:17 above that without the resurrection, our faith is vain?

APPLY THE WORD

Do you want to make Jesus happy this Easter? Receive and enjoy what He suffered and died for! He did not do it for Himself. He did it for you! He died so that you can be freed from sin, Satan, and any bondage and enjoy the life of the Spirit in love, joy, peace, wisdom, power, holiness, health, abundance,  etc. Make His resurrection count!

PRAY

Pray that Jesus’ resurrection will not be in vain in your life!

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