Troy A. Brewer's Blog, page 91
April 13, 2023
Jumping Through Hoops
Esther 4:14 – “For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
What lie of the enemy is trying to keep you silent and invisible? King Jesus called you to rise and shine in the midst of the darkness around you, because He is with you and His glory is upon you. Don’t miss your time to overcome.
Declaration: I will not be silent. It’s my time to rise and shine. I will testify to His power in my life.
JUMPING THROUGH HOOPSI wonder how many times you’ve had an encounter with God and you didn’t even know it. I wonder how many miracles King Jesus has done for you and you’re still saying, “I ain’t never seen a miracle. God doesn’t love me or he just doesn’t exist.”
Can I be honest with you? That’s a you problem. That is not a God problem. It’s not that God has never done a miracle. It’s that you’ve never seen it. My friend, I want to tell you that you can repent and say, “Jesus, I’m getting with your program.”
Just because God speaks doesn’t mean you know it. And just because you know it, doesn’t mean you understand it. And you may understand it, but you don’t know what to do with it. And just because you know what to do with it, doesn’t mean you know what the outcome will be. It can be offensive, but let me tell you this: it’s worth it to work through the offense.
Don’t assume that if God does something, you’re going to know it. Chances are, you’re not. Not unless you’re looking. When Jesus rose from the dead, he’s in situations and places they don’t know he’s there. And when he’s not there, they don’t know why he’s not. So it is with you and I today.
We’re going through a time when the world is setting itself on fire and it’s like, “I wish God was here.” My friend, he is here! And when we can’t see him, we think he’s abandoned us and we say, “I’m done. Unless God jumps through this hoop and that hoop, I’m done.”
Jesus show up in that place. He’ll also show up in the places you can’t see him and do amazing miracles you don’t know about. What if a reckless car miraculously ran out of gas before it came your way? What if that manager was put in place at that next level company so they could see your value and hire you for that life-changing job?
My friend, believe in miracles. Look for them and know God is doing them all the time as he gets you to your destiny.
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. – Romans 8:28
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April 12, 2023
The Witness of Women
Ephesians 4:13 – till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
To bring the body of Christ to the unity and true knowledge of God, the fullness of the Lord God must be expressed in the five-fold ministries He appointed. Most can agree on the need for evangelist, pastors, teachers, while keeping the office of apostles and prophets in the “just-a-little-too-weird” category. Don’t dismiss the ones that make you uncomfortable. Are you willing to let God touch your life in crazy-kind-of-way?
Declaration: I will say “yes” to the fullness of Christ. I will seek my place in the five-fold ministry today.
THE WITNESS OF WOMENThe first preachers of the Lord Jesus Christ were women. While you may not see the significance of this in our 21st century western world, let me tell you this: nobody else in the ancient Middle East would have done this but Jesus. He breaks all the rules and I love that about him.
In those days and in many cultures, women were considered property. They were literally owned by their husbands or fathers. They could be sold into slavery and that’s one of the things we still deal with today in that part of the world, especially with Arab cultures and now Muslims.
While it wasn’t exactly like that in the Jewish culture, women in the day of Jesus had no standing in society. They were considered so lowly, they were not educated. Because they were not educated, they were not considered capable of studying God’s word or worthy of testifying in a court of law.
Now, if I was robbed in those days and the only witness to back up my story on who did this to me was a woman, I would be toast. That’s how little men thought of women in that time and place.
Not Jesus. No, sir! Jesus broke all the rules. One of the first rules he broke when he and his followers started preaching, teaching and healing was to go through Samaria. I’m sure the disciples were horrified as Samaritans were half Jews. Jews wanted nothing to do with Samaritans.
But Jesus made a beeline to Samaria for one reason: to meet a broken, misfit of a woman and ask her for a drink of water. A conversation, forbidden by gender, social and religious rules of the day, begins:
The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.” – John 4:19-20
She looks at Jesus, the Messiah, and says, “Where is God? I want to know where God is so I can worship him.” He was right there in front of her and he made her the first missionary as she spread his fame all over that region—to Gentiles!
Who found the empty tomb? Who ran through the streets to spread the message that Jesus was alive? Women. Women were the first witnesses in a day when they could not testify in a court of law. And here comes Jesus, and he’s like, “I’m here to abolish the law so listen to my witnesses and they are women. They love me and they are trustworthy.”
The rules go right out the window when Jesus shows up because the scriptures are not God. They tell of God and testify to Jesus, but they are not Him. Jesus is perfect theology. He demonstrated the Father and brought the Holy Spirit to live in our hearts and quicken our spirits. You and I can testify to that!
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The Discovery of Vision
Wednesday, April 12, 2023
Pastor Jerry Sellers, OpenDoor Church, Burleson, TX
Let me start off tonight as I continue to unpack principles that accompany a Kingdom mindset. I’m going to talk about the Kingdom Principle of Vision. I want to start off with a broad subject matter. I’ll call it The Discovery of Vision. I want to make some statements to lay some groundwork to build upon, then narrow this broad subject and end with a narrow focus.
So the first statement I want to share is this…
The greatest tragedy in life is not death. It is trying to live life without a purpose.
It is more tragic to be alive and not know why, than to be dead and not know life. When you are alive, you have to give an account for what you do with your time, your talents, giftings–your treasure. You have to explain, “Why am I here?” and “What have I done with my life?”
Let’s take it a little deeper and explore 5 questions to help steer us to a greater understanding. Before I jump into the questions I want to share a thought I shared in our men’s Bible study a few weeks ago.
If someone asked you, “What do you believe is mankind’s greatest enemy,” you would probably hear something like this: “Satan, Sin, Flesh.” But honestly ponder this: our greatest enemy is our ignorance.
Hosea 4:6 – My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
John 8:32 – And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
Let’s ask ourselves 5 quick questions
Who am I?Some of you think you have the answer, but honestly, it’s not an easy answer. Normally, when you ask people who they are, they tell you what they do. “Well, I’m a mechanic,” or a teacher, or a nurse. This question is not asking you what you do. It’s focusing on who you are. How do you identity yourself?
2. Where am I from?
I spoke a few weeks ago on the subject “Your Identity is Found in Your Origin.” Until you know where you are from, you cannot know who you are. What is your source? Where did you come from?
3. Why am I here?
Some never really ask this question because they are afraid of not finding the answer. We know when a man and woman are intimate, that a man releases 600 million seeds that rush toward the egg and only 1 makes it. You where 1 of 600 million. Why did you beat out the other 599,999,999. Was there a reason the divine creator choose you to win that race?
Why you? You didn’t just come here to make a living, pay bills, get a mortgage, buy a few cars, have some kids, retire and finally die. You didn’t come to do all that. You came to make a difference. You have something we need. You came because you have something the world needs. You’re not a mistake, so why are you here?
4. What can I do? What is my true ability?
Many in the church are living below their true potential. They don’t know what they are capable of. We have accepted other people’s opinions of what we can do. We have allowed people, culture and society to tell us what we can and cannot do. Some of us need to be delivered from the opinions of other people. “What can you do” is the question.
5. Where am I going?
This is much more than heaven, hell, or salvation. This has to do with destiny. Where are you going with your life? Where is the journey taking you the next 10, 15, 20 years? Is there a sense of destiny in your life–that there is something the world needs only you have? God wants you to know you are not just here as a passing fantasy. You came to this planet and you are still kicking up dust because there is something you still need to do. You are not finished.
Say with me, “I am loaded. I am loaded.”
You where created to live life with MEANING and PURPOSE
Until you discover the vision of your life and begin to see there is purpose attached to you, you will never be fulfilled. You were born to do something important in this world. You where designed for a destiny.
The Bible says in
Proverbs 29:18 – Where there is no vision, people perish…
I believe you are loaded with stuff that we have not seen yet. You were born to do something the world needs. That’s why, until you discover your purpose, you can never maximize your potential. When you find your purpose and discover your vision, you automatically discover your potential.
I heard a theologian ask a question during a lecture that really challenged me. I want to ask you the same question hoping it challenges you.
What is the wealthiest spot on planet earth?
Some would say New York City: 345,600 millionaires with $3 trillion in wealth.
Gold mines of South America; Diamond mines of South Africa; the oil wells of the Middle East, or oil and gas here in Texas.
Truth is, you can find it in almost every city. It looks like this… (I need a picture of a cemetery)
It’s the Cemetery. Why? Because buried in the cemetery are books that were never written; songs never recorded and no one has ever heard because these people died with the music still in their minds. The graveyard is full of ideas that were never invented, businesses that were never started, paintings that were never painted. Cures that never got developed. The graveyard is full of dreams and visions that never became a reality.
There is wealth, riches and powerful treasure in all of us that should be given to the earth that more than likely will stay inside of us. It will never be released and will be wasted.
This question rocked my world and I have been thinking about this for months. Many in this room will make the cemetery even more richer because trapped in you is untold and undiscovered potential that will never be released.
Inside of you is an idea you still haven’t pursued; poetry you haven’t written; a song that hasn’t been put on paper.
Your goal as a Kingdom believer is to die empty–to rob the grave of any riches. You came to earth to go back to God empty. The only thing the cemetery should get is an empty shell.
On the cross, right before our King died, He said, “It is finished.” He died empty. He reached and gave His full potential. Paul said, “I have finished my course; my race.”
You shouldn’t die because of your age or sickness, but because you have nothing left to do.
Listen
You can’t finish if you don’t know where to start
This wealth in the cemetery is called potential. This word carries great importance in Kingdom understanding and functionality.
What is Potential?
Dormant Ability
Untapped Power
Hidden Strength
Reserved Energy
Unused Success
Unleashed Talent
Potential is all you can do but haven’t done yet. Potential is all you can become but you haven’t become it yet. Potential is who you really are but no one knows it yet.
Now, chew on this…
Whatever you have done is no longer your potential.
Potential is always what you haven’t done yet but you still have the ability to do. Potential is the you that nobody knows yet. We already know the one that you showed us. Potential is the greatness you have yet to achieve. Potential is never what you have done because once you have done something, it ceases to be your potential.
Potential is always what’s left that you haven’t done yet. God is a God of potential. He always goes after what you haven’t done yet. God is motivated by potential because He knows what He put inside you.
For many, potential gets put on pause because of past success. Let me put it this way: the greatest enemy of progress is your last success. Nothing can stop growth and progress like our last success. We become proud of what we have done and stop doing what we could do.
Potential demands that you never settle on what you have accomplished. When you have experienced potential released–when you experience success–celebrate it, then ask God, “What’s next?”
When pursuing your potential
Don’t ever get caught where God used to be
Far too many Sons and Daughters are living off past testimonies instead of going after a new one.
Isaiah 43:18-19 – “Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. 19 Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it?”
Here is a thought: God is too creative to repeat Himself. Look at all the miracles He performed. He never duplicated a miracle. He’s a God of potential.
Potential in never finished. Look at what we have accomplished. There’s more to do: Miracles & healings (2 reports this weekend of folks who are now cancer free), salvations, rescues, deliverances, marriages to save, children and youth to reach, addictions to be broken, freedom to be experienced, forgiveness to be given, buildings to be built, homes to be filled, vehicles to be given away.
Say, “Potential; I’m loaded!”
Now let’s look at the word itself.
Omni: It means “All, Entire, Always Full, Complete or Total.” Everybody say Omni
Potent: The word potent means “Power, Might, Energy, Strength, Force.” Everybody say potent.
Put them together you have “omnipotent.” There is only one person who is described as Jehovah Jirah, Raphah Yaweh. God Himself. He is Omnipotent. Omnipotent means “All Potential.” God is not only the God of potential, He literally is potential. He is all power!
He is always full of potential. You can take a lifetime and try to digest all God has created. All the galaxies, stars–even our own solar system. Our planet, all of the different forms of life. Wow that’s so amazing and still come to the conclusion that we ain’t see nothing yet because He is still full of potential.
Omnipotent means He is still loaded. He hasn’t shown us everything that is still on the inside of Him. Before anything was, God is. Everything that is was inside of God. There was a time when there was nothing but God. Everything was made by Him. That means before anything was made, it was already inside of Him.
Potential is always hidden on the inside. That’s why you need to be very careful how you treat people. You don’t know what they are carrying. Tell your neighbor, “Be nice to me. You don’t know what I am carrying.”
That’s why you should never judge a person by looking at them. He is Omnipotent, all powerful, all mighty, all strength. God never panics. If He can’t find something, He will go inside and bring it out.
God has never stopped creating. Whatever He needs, if He doesn’t have it, He will produce it. That’s why you should go to sleep tonight and not worry about tomorrow. He has everything covered. Whatever you need, He will make it if He has to.
Say with me, “He is Omnipotent.” That word means He is able to do more than He has already done.
Ephesians 3:20 – Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us
In Genesis 17, God appeared to Abraham when he was 90 and introduces Himself with a words “I am Almighty.” God knows this dude is 90 and his wife is barren and can’t have children. God already knows what you think you cannot do. God said to Abraham, “Before you say anything, let Me tell you who I Am. I Am God of all potential. Before we go any further, let Me tell you who I Am. I can do anything I say you should do.” Did you catch that? God said, “I can do anything I say you should do.”
Let me tell you who I Am…I Am God Almighty!
Here is the Kingdom truth concerning potential:
God will never tell you to do anything that He hasn’t already done
He is Alpha and Omega. He is the finisher. The beginning and the End. He is looking for someone people who will start things that are already finished. “I am Almighty, Abraham. I am all potential. Now let’s talk.”
Where does potential come from?
God is PotentialGod is the source of PotentialGod is a God of Potential (that means He does nothing without potential)Everything was created with Potential PrincipleEverything possesses PotentialPotential is a product of PurposePurpose is why a thing exists. Potential is the ability to perform it. When God makes a thing for a purpose, He puts in it’s own potential.
7. Potential precedes Purpose
God will never demand from something what He did not put into it. So, when God tells something to do something, it’s because He put the “do” in it.
I am beginning to understand that God does nothing without the Kingdom Principle of Potential. That means whatever God created, He built it with Potential in it. Hang on because the light is fixing to get turned on in your understanding.
Look at Genesis 1. God has already created the earth and now He is starting to put stuff on it.
Genesis 1:12 – And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
In Hebrew, this is what it is saying: “And the Lord God made the trees and the plants and He hid in them their own seed. And God placed the seed of everything in itself.” God placed the seed of everything inside itself. The context is whatever God wants a thing to become; He hides it in the thing.
In other words, God takes everything a thing is supposed to become and puts it inside the thing. He gives you the thing with everything in it. God, therefore, finishes everything first. God finishes everything first, then He takes the finished thing and puts it in at the start.
He calls it seed. He puts everything in the seed. God does not gives trees He gives the seed. God doesn’t give adults He hides them in children.
On November 15, 2022, the United Nations said there were 8 billion people alive on earth. God only made one. God went to the soil and made one. Remember, God don’t start until He is already finished.
He made everybody first, then took everybody and put them in one body. So, Adam was everybody in one body. That’s the seed. In the garden when God was talking to Adam, He was actually talking to everybody in that one body.
God told everybody in one body, “Don’t touch the tree.” Whatever that one body does, everybody does. That’s why the Bible says, “By one man sin entered the whole world” and was passed to all men because everybody was in the one body. Potential Adam was loaded.
When God wanted to create a woman, He didn’t go outside to find a female. He went inside Adam’s body because she was already in there.
This is why Jesus Christ didn’t need a million bodies to die and become the sacrifice for sin. When He came, He came as the last Adam. He had Adam inside of Him. He had everybody inside His body. By one man, sin entered and by one man all can be saved. Potential.
Are you starting to see the big picture? Are you beginning to get a Kingdom Vision?
God says, “I put the seed of everything inside the seed. It’s called Potential. So you have a seed.” (I need a pic of a Pecan seed)
I have here a Pecan seed. What do you see? You say, “I see a Pecan seed.” That’s a fact, but it’s not the truth because what I have in my hand is not a Pecan seed. I have a Pecan tree. But that’s not the truth either because in that tree are pecans that have more pecan seeds that have a bunch of Pecan trees that have Pecans that have Pecan seeds that have Pecan trees, that have seeds that have trees that have fruit. In my hand is a seed, but the truth is in that seed you actually have a whole entire pecan orchard; a forest of Pecan trees. It’s not just a seed.
Potential.
Fact is, you may be broke but the truth is you are loaded. Fact is, Your son may be a prodigal and addicted; the truth is He is a mighty man of God that will reach nations. Only God can look at a murderer and see inside the murderer–the fact he is a murderer–but the truth is, inside him is a deliverer who would lead the Israeli people out of Egyptian bondage, write the first five books of the Bible and give us the law.
Fact is, Saul was a murdering terrorist; a serial killer. But the truth inside him was he was one of the greatest missionaries who wrote more books in the New Testament than anyone.
Only God could look at a shepherd boy and see a king–see a leader of a nation on the inside. Only God can look at a prostitute named Rahab and see the lineage of Jesus Christ, the Messiah and Son of God.
I wonder what He is seeing here tonight. He sees what you are carrying.
Let’s make this declaration together:
I am who He says I am.
I can do what He says I can do.
If I see it, it’s already done.
I am going to my destiny.
I am full of potential.
The post The Discovery of Vision appeared first on Troy Brewer Ministries.
April 11, 2023
The Gardener
Hebrews 4:12 – For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
How can you know the difference between your soul and your spirit? By the Word of God! The Word of God comes into your thinking and separates life from death, truth from lies, and light from darkness. Get into the Word today!
Declaration: I have dominion over my soul and my spirit-man is alive and powerful.
THE GARDENERThe death, burial and resurrection of Jesus is so fascinating to me. I love it when Peter and John have a footrace to the tomb. I love it when the Angel who rolled the giant stone away so we could see in, says, “There! I said it” after waiting a millennia to deliver the message. I also love Mary Magdalene and her brokenness in not being able to find the Lord.
We’ve all been there, haven’t we? The diagnosis where the world crashes down or the sentence where the gavel does. The words that cut, the doors that slam, the silence that shouts, “You’re alone! Nobody cares. You’re too broken.” Admit it. You’ve been Mary. On your worst day, you didn’t see the Lord. But just like Mary, he was right there in front of you.
But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. Then they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. 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.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” – John 20:11-16
In her grief, Mary mistook Jesus for the gardener. Did you know there’s a great big prophetic word in that? You see, the first Adam was a gardener. That was literally his identity and purpose. He was created to tend the garden or “guarded place” where he met God in the cool of the day to talk.
Did Adam have a hoe or a shovel? No. He didn’t need one because, just like the Word who spoke the universe into being, Adam’s voice caused vines to spread. It caused trees to blossom and produce to grow up tall and multiply. The job of a gardener is to speak life. To guard that life from enemies breaking in to steal, kill and destroy, and keep the good things within the garden from going outside the boundaries where they were not protected. It was a fruitful place.
Everything changed when Adam fell. See, Eve was tricked, but Adam was not deceived. Knowing Eve’s fallen state, he had to make a choice. Leave the woman alone in sin and death, or commit treason and go through this thing called death and dying together with her. Unconditional love motivated the first Adam. Now only able to manage life and fend off death, Adam was driven from his rightful place as the gardener.
Well, when Jesus redeems something, he redeems it fully. Not only did he take back the keys to sin and death, he made a way for man back into the garden and Mary Magdalene saw it. She saw him as a gardener. And what did Jesus say? “Mary.” He called her by name—breathing life back into her broken heart and redeeming the curse on Eve through Mary’s belief. Unconditional love motivated the second Adam as well.
Are you a gardener? Do you speak life over your kids, your marriage, your money and your mission even on your worst day? Jesus has not left you. He has not forsaken you. He is right there calling your name.
WANT ALL OF TROY’S TEACHINGS, CONFERENCES AND PROPHETIC CONTENT? PARTNER WITH HIM TO RESCUE GIRLS AND BOYS FROM SEX TRAFFICKING WORLDWIDE AT ODX.TV.
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April 10, 2023
Doubting Thomas?
Jonah 4:11 – “And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left—and much livestock?” (God’s final words to Jonah)
Redemption is a big deal to King Jesus! It’s the cornerstone of His character. He is the Righteous Judge, yet He values redemption over punishment. His desire is to restore those things that came into your life because of bad decisions or the choices of others. Run to King Jesus. He is not scared of your past. He has been waiting to reverse, redeem, and bring restitution to your life.
Declaration: Heaven’s original intent for my life is being redeemed and restored by the blood of Jesus.
DOUBTING THOMAS?When I go through the account of resurrection day and the disciples seeing the resurrected Jesus in their midst, it’s just such a human story to me. There’s so much humanity—so much that’s just messy about it.
Think about it: a lot of people call Thomas “doubting Thomas,” but he’s the only one with any sense. Jesus has just walked through a wall and showed all of this remaining disciples his nail scarred hands and feet. He talked with them and they touched him. He was real. I’m sure they couldn’t stop talking about it.
So, when Thomas, the logical thinker amongst them shows up after the fact and they tell him, “Thomas, you missed it! Jesus was just here and we talked to him. We touched him…” Thomas reacts just like I would have.
Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” – John 20:24-25
He’s skeptical. He’s like, “No, no. I’m not doing this. I did all this for three and a half years following him, learning from him, laughing with him and I thought something different was going to happen. I had all these hopes, dreams and expectations for the future, but I did not see this coming.”
Who has never come to this place at some time or another in their life? We’ve all been through some stuff—painful, shameful episodes of loss, defeat, disappointment and even despair where we say, “I never thought I would be living life in this place.” Can I tell you something? Jesus will show up for you there. He will.
He’ll show up for you in that place and say, “Look. I know you’ve drawn some lines in the sand and said, ‘Unless this’ or ‘unless that’ you’re not going to have anything to do with me anymore. That really doesn’t make me mad. It doesn’t! Here I am. Let’s do the things you said I had to do—jump through those hoops you need me to jump through—in order for you to believe in me.”
If you think he won’t do that, I can tell you he did it for Thomas.
And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” – John 20:26-28
It’s OK to doubt when all hope seems lost and your heart is broken. Jesus loves to show up in that place and he’s not mad about it. Invite him there and touch those scars. Thomas did as so can you.
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April 9, 2023
The Master is Coming Back
Exodus 4:10 – Then Moses said to the Lord, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”
If you are honest, you have come to the conclusion you don’t know how to speak right words automatically. Know this: you can be taught by the Lord if you are willing to be teachable. The Lord is looking for people who are FAT – Faithful, Available, and Teachable – to bring glory to Himself. Are you FAT?
Declaration: Here I am Lord. Use me for your purposes. I am FAT in 2023.
THE MASTER IS COMING BACKWhen it comes to the account of the empty tomb, I love the book of John. John loved Jesus so much and felt so securely loved in return, that he has this need to talk about it all the time. He even calls himself “the disciple that Jesus loved.”
So when John recounts the details of the third day—resurrection Sunday—you can see this dynamic in the telling. I can see him smiling as he writes of him and Peter getting the news from the women that Jesus’ tomb was empty, and he and Peter sprinting off like madmen. With John being younger, of course, he wants everyone to know he got there first. But what happens next is curious to me. I wonder if it is to you:
And he (John), stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed. For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.– John 20:5-9
John may have arrived first, but he stopped at the door and looked in. Peter, always more bold and likely to “step into it” and possibly cause chaos, barged right in. Oh, I love that! Why? Because that’s a lot like me—and maybe most of us. Don’t we tend to blunder into the middle of things and hope we don’t mess things up too bad?
Well, on this day, Peter’s boldness paid off. He not only saw the empty grave clothes, he found the napkin that had wrapped Jesus’ head. Did you notice it was folded and sitting apart from the rest of the grave clothes like Jesus was leaving some kind of clue or code?
He was. In three and a half years of living life together and doing ministry, the disciples had eaten hundreds of meals with the Messiah. In fact, the last thing they did with Jesus was eat what we call today “the Last Supper.” Now, I don’t know, but I’ll bet you dollars to donuts that Jesus had some cool way of folding his napkin that only he did. A funny quirk or something that was uniquely Jesus. I’ll bet that napkin was folded just like that saying, “Hey, boys! It’s me!”
There is also this thing in Jewish culture that when the master of the house left the table, to signify that he had eaten his fill and was finished, he would wipe his hands, face and beard, then wad up the napkin and leave it on his plate. He was telling the servants, “I’m finished.”
But if the master got up from the table, folded the napkin and laid it beside the plate, the servants did not touch the table. Nope. They knew the Master was not finished. He was coming back!
My friends, the word says they saw that folded napkin “and believed.” Believed what? That he was not finished—and he wasn’t. Jesus spent the next 40 days appearing to his disciples and even to multitudes before the supernovaed into heaven to sit down at the right hand of his Father. And make no mistake: he is coming back! The Master of the house is coming back soon, so stay at his table. The real feast has yet to begin.
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EASTER 2023: THIRD DAY REVELATION
Sunday, April 8, 2023
Pastor Troy Brewer, OpenDoor Church, Burleson, TX
Three is God’s number for things perfectly complete
(Father, Son & Holy Spirit) as well as resurrection life.
Third Day of creation is DOUBLE BLESSED! It’s the only day God said, “It is good” twice.
Jewish weddings are on Tuesdays because it is the third day of their week.
GOD PUTS THE EARTH IN ORDER & SPEAKS LIFE INTO IT ON THE THIRD DAY (Genesis 1:9-13)
SO WHAT IS THE BIG DEAL ABOUT THE THIRD DAY?
THE THIRD DAY: God like to mark his most important events with the third day.
ABRAHAM SEES A BETTER SACRIFICE
Genesis 22:4 – Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off.
LABAN DISCOVERS JACOB IS GONE
Genesis 31:22 – And Laban was told on the third day that Jacob had fled.
JOSEPH GIVES HIS BROTHERS A CHANCE TO REDEEM THEMSELVES
Genesis 42:18 – Then Joseph said to them the third day, “Do this and live, for I fear God:”
THE JEWISH NATION SAYS “YES” TO GOD IN THE WILDERNESS WEDDING AT THE FOOT OF SINAI ON THE THIRD DAY – THE WILDERNESS WEDDING!
Exodus 19:11 – And let them be ready for the third day. For on the third day the Lord will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.
Exodus 19:16 – Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled.
HEZEKIAH HEALED OF IMPENDING DEATH
2 Kings 20:8 – And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “What is the sign that the Lord will heal me, and that I shall go up to the house of the Lord the third day?”
REBUILDING OF TEMPLE AFTER BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY
Ezra 6:15 – Now the temple was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.
ESTHER LAYS DOWN HER LIFE TO SAVE HER PEOPLE
Esther 5:1 – Now it happened on the third day that Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king’s palace, across from the king’s house, while the king sat on his royal throne in the royal house, facing the entrance of the house.
JONAH WAS SPIT OUT OF THE BELLY OF THE FISH (Jonah 1:17)
Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
JESUS TURNS WATER TO WINE
John 2:1 – On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.
So when God marks a very important event that changes everything, He likes to do this on the third day.
“Most important events in Human History”
The Ten Commandments
The sealing of the Magna Carta
The Reformation and Martin Luther
The Gutenberg press
The circumnavigation of the globe and mapping out the world
The constitution of the United States
The defeat of the Nazis and the Japanese empire
All have to do with freedom and the ability to live free.
The Alamo and the Battle of San Jacinto.
This nearly stumped my whole study this week because I couldn’t get off of the subject of the importance of knowing what the most important events in History are and why.
I see a book in the future.
More than the discovery of fire or the invention of the wheel. More important than the building of the first plow or the development of the first alphabet:
Point No. 1 – THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST IS THE MOST IMPORTANT EVENT IN ALL HUMAN HISTORY
If you didn’t know anything about Jesus, the Bible or our Christian worldview–if all I knew was the discovery that out of all the humans who have ever lived, are live and will ever live, there was one human being who rose Himself up from the dead and offered that power to the rest of humanity. That would be the absolute biggest deal.
He rose from the dead by His own power and slapped death in the face for the rest of us.
The resurrection of Jesus, after his death on Passover, is the greatest game-changer for every person for all time.
The 2nd thing that matters most is that you simply believe the Resurrection is true.
Point No. 2 – Be 100% convinced of His Resurrection
* I’m all in.
* If I didn’t believe it, I wouldn’t do what I do and be who I am.
* Preachers feel the pressure to preach it.
Don’t take my word for it. Take theirs.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ, attested to by hundreds of eyewitnesses (1 Corinthians 15:3–8), provides irrefutable proof that He is the Savior of the world.
1 Corinthians 15:3-8 NKJV – For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.
PAUL IS SAYING, “YEAH, MY TIMING WAS A LITTLE OFF AND I WAS A LITTLE BIT LATE TO THE PARTY, BUT I HAVE SEEN HIM.”
Paul was beheaded in Rome over 30 years after he saw the resurrected Jesus
The circumstances and what was believed about his death are well documented, but we have no idea what his last words were.
We don’t know if his friends were there for the execution or they just took him out back and killed him without a formal ceremony. We don’t have any idea what was done with Paul’s body.
Here’s what we do know: over 30 years after seeing Jesus alive on the road to Damascus–after 30 years of trying to tell everybody what the resurrection was all about and going through horrible things–
He is kidnapped (Acts 21:27), beaten (Acts 21:30-31; 23:3), threatened (Acts 22:22; 27:42), arrested many times (Acts 21:33; 22:24, 31; 23:35; 28:16), accused in lawsuits (Acts 21:34; 22:30; 24:1-2; 25:2, 7; 28:4), interrogated (Acts 25:24-27), ridiculed (Acts 26:24), ignored (Acts 27:11), shipwrecked (Acts 27:41) and bitten by a viper (Acts 28:3).
After 30 years of this from human beings who think he is nuts, Paul goes to have his head cut off saying,
“He’s alive. I’ve seen Him!”
Think about how committed Paul was to the reality that Jesus had died and actually did resurrect from the dead. At no point did he drop the ball or change the story.
Simon Peter: (crucified upside down)—died 33-34 years after the death of Christ
James the Great: (beheaded)—died in the year 44, or about 11 years after the death of Christ
He was the son of Zebedee, the brother of the Apostle John. He was captured and condemned to die by Herod Agrippa the First. James was put to death shortly before the day of the Passover (Acts 12:1-2).
John: (thrown into boiling oil, but survived)—He died a very old man, the only Apostle to do so
For most of his labors, John was with Peter in Jerusalem up until the persecution of Herod Agrippa I. During this period, scholars agree that John escaped and preached for some time in the area around Turkey. Years later, scholars traced that he went to Rome, where it is believed he was persecuted with other Christians and was thrown into a cauldron of boiling oil—he miraculously survived. The Roman emperor at the time, Domitian, decided after the incident to banish John to the island of Patmos in Greece. When Domitian died, John went back to Ephesus (in Turkey) where he spent the rest of his days.
Andrew: (crucified upside down on an X-shaped cross) about 32 years after the resurrection
Philip: (crucified then quartered by horses) 44 years after the resurrection
—Preached in Greece, Syria and in Turkey in the cities of Galatia, Phrygia and Hierapolis. Philip partnered with Bartholomew in his missions. According to sources, “Through his miraculous healing and preaching, Philip converted the wife of the Pre-consul of the city” of Hierapolis. This event angered the Pre-consul, who ordered that both Philip and Bartholomew be tortured and crucified upside down. While on the cross, Philip continued to preach and he was able to convince the crowd and the Pre-consul to release Bartholomew, while insisting that he (Philip) remained crucified. Bartholomew was released but Philip was taken off the cross tied to horses and dragged through the streets in pieces. Philip means “lover of horses.”
Thomas: (impaled by a spear)—died in India 37 years after the resurrection
Called by most Christians as the “Doubting Thomas,” became a fearless preacher of the Gospel and builder of churches. He was one of the first Apostles who preached outside the boundaries of the vast Roman Empire (Europe). He preached in Babylon (present day Iraq) and established its first Christian church. Then he went to Persia (Iran) and travelled as far as China and India. He was martyred in Chanai, India by a local king who thought Christianity disrespected India’s Caste System. Thomas was brought to a nearby mountain and was stabbed-to-death with a spear.
James Alpheus “the Lesser”: (stoned and clubbed-to-death) in Jerusalem 31 years after the resurrection
—We know he lived at least five years after the death of Christ because of mentions in the Bible. Believed to have preached in Damascus (Syria) and acknowledged as the first bishop of the Christians in Jerusalem (Israel). Historians say he was sentenced to be stoned-to-death by the Jews for challenging Jewish Laws and for convincing some of members of the Jewish community to convert to Christianity. James died when during the stoning, one person from the crowd approached him and bashed his head with a fuller’s club (a piece of wood used for washing clothes). He was buried on the spot where he died, somewhere in Jerusalem.
Simon the Zealot and Thaddeus: (clubbed to death together and their bodies sawed in half) 30 years after the resurrection
I’ll give you more and of course there are others but
Bartholomew: (skinned alive) 33 years after the resurrection of Jesus
The Armenian King Tiridates III had him arrested for preaching heresy and sentenced him to death. The king wanted to keep Christianity from spreading through his kingdom, so he ordered that Bartholomew be flayed alive.
ONE OF THE MOST IMPACTFUL BOOKS I HAVE EVER READ WAS A BOOK CALLED “ THE BODY” BY CHUCK COLSEN. This book was a catalyst that helped me have the courage start this church.
After that book, I began to read other books by Chuck Colson and I studied up on the Nixon Watergate scandal because you might remember he was one of the 12 guys arrested and thrown into prison over that mess.
He suffered such great public humiliation after such great public success and in prison, He read the book by CS Lewis “Mere Christianity” and he became one of the greatest Christian leaders of our day.
“I know the resurrection is a fact, and Watergate proved it to me. How? Because 12 men testified they had seen Jesus raised from the dead, then they proclaimed that truth for 40 years, never once denying it. Every one was beaten, tortured, stoned and put in prison. They would not have endured that if it weren’t true…
Watergate embroiled 12 of the most powerful men in the world-and they couldn’t keep a lie for three weeks. You’re telling me 12 apostles could keep a lie for 40 years? Absolutely impossible.” – Chuck Colson
He’s is so right!!!!
These 12 guys were not trained to hold a lie together, to change nations or endure what they went through.
We have had 2000 years of testimonies since the apostles.
Miracles, signs and wonders; encounters with Jesus, fulfillments of scriptural prophesies, most notably to be is Israel becoming a nation again after 1900 years–now there’s resurrection power!!!
Point No. 1 – THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST IS THE MOST IMPORTANT EVENT IN ALL HUMAN HISTORY
Point No. 2 – Be 100% convinced of His Resurrection
The followers of Jesus were back then and still are today 100% convinced that Jesus Christ is resurrected from the dead.
Not only is this the “Hinge of History,” this is the hinge of your eternity.
What else can Jesus do for you to be saved? What else can do for you to believe?
Acts 16:31 – “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.”
Peter put it this way in Acts 10
Acts 10:39-43 – “And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, 40 but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, 41 not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. 43 To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
Just some notes for your own personal study ….
Another reason the resurrection of Jesus Christ is important is that it proves His sinless character and divine nature. The Scriptures said God’s “Holy One” would never see corruption (Psalm 16:10), and Jesus never saw corruption, even after He died (see Acts 13:32–37). It was on the basis of the resurrection of Christ that Paul preached, “Through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin” (Acts 13:38–39).
The resurrection of Jesus Christ not only validates His deity, it also validates the Old Testament prophecies that foretold of Jesus’ suffering and resurrection (see Acts 17:2–3). Christ’s resurrection also authenticated His own claims that He would be raised on the third day (Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:34). If Jesus Christ is not resurrected, then we have no hope that we will be, either. In fact, apart from Christ’s resurrection, we have no Savior, no salvation, and no hope of eternal life. As Paul said, our faith would be “useless,” the gospel would be altogether powerless, and our sins would remain unforgiven (1 Corinthians 15:14–19).
Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25), and in that statement claimed to be the source of both. There is no resurrection apart from Christ, no eternal life. Jesus does more than give life; He is life, and that’s why death has no power over Him. Jesus confers His life on those who trust in Him, so that we can share His triumph over death (1 John 5:11–12). We who believe in Jesus Christ will personally experience resurrection because, having the life Jesus gives, we have overcome death. It is impossible for death to win (1 Corinthians 15:53–57).
Jesus is “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20). In other words, Jesus led the way in life after death. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is important as a testimony to the resurrection of human beings, which is a basic tenet of the Christian faith. Unlike other religions, Christianity has a Founder who transcends death and promises His followers will do the same. Every other religion was founded by men or prophets whose end was the grave. As Christians, we know God became man, died for our sins, and was resurrected the third day. The grave could not hold Him. He lives, and He sits today at the right hand of the Father in heaven (Hebrews 10:12).
The Word of God guarantees the believer’s resurrection at the coming of Jesus Christ for His church at the rapture. Such assurance results in a great song of triumph as Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:55, “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” (Hosea 13:14).
The importance of the resurrection of Christ has an impact on our service to the Lord now. Paul ends his discourse on resurrection with these words: “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58). Because we know we will be resurrected to new life, we can endure persecution and danger for Christ’s sake (verses 30–32), just as our Lord did. Because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, thousands of Christian martyrs through history have willingly traded their earthly lives for everlasting life and the promise of resurrection.
The resurrection is the triumphant and glorious victory for every believer. Jesus Christ died, was buried, and rose the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3–4). And He is coming again! The dead in Christ will be raised up, and those who are alive at His coming will be changed and receive new, glorified bodies (1 Thessalonians 4:13–18). Why is the resurrection of Jesus Christ important? It proves who Jesus is. It demonstrates that God accepted Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf. It shows that God has the power to raise us from the dead. It guarantees the bodies of those who believe in Christ will not remain dead but will be resurrected unto eternal life.
The post EASTER 2023: THIRD DAY REVELATION appeared first on Troy Brewer Ministries.
April 8, 2023
The Smell of Smoke
Ecclesiastes 4:9 – Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor.
None of us are an island. Your life impacts those around you. Own your impact. Ask yourself, “What impact am I making?” If you want good reward for your labor, learn to be humble and work in unity with those around you.
Declaration: I will not abandon my post. I am a team player and walk in unity with God’s people.
THE SMELL OF SMOKEI have a deep respect for firemen. While they pull people out of all kinds of dangerous situations, it’s their willingness to run into a burning building for the sake of a stranger that blows my mind. It takes a special person to do that. It was true in Jesus’ day as well.
Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. – Romans 5:7
The Bible tells us it takes a rare person to lay down their life for the righteous or good. Who would lay down their lives for the down and out, dirty, desperate and despicable? Liars, cheats, adulterers, murderers and thieves?
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. – Romans 5:8
The Bible tells us Jesus healed all who came to Him. That means all. He healed hands that he knew would be used to steal and to destroy, eyes that would lust and feet that would run away from Him. Jesus healed with no string attached because the book says “He had compassion on them.”
It’s the same with the brutal beating and death on the cross. He died for all sinners – gossips and mass murderers alike. All means all because He has compassion on us all.
However, there is a string attached, but it’s not attached to deny us something. It’s attached to give us something we don’t deserve – eternal life in heaven as a member of God’s family – joint heirs with our brother Jesus.
When it comes to saving you and me, Jesus is not afraid of the fire. Remember, in Daniel chapter 3 one “like a son of God” joined Meshach, Shadrach and Abednego in Nebuchadnezzar’s fiery furnace.
While the strong men who tied their hands behind their backs and threw them in were incinerated, Jesus walked in the fire with these three Hebrew slaves. They not only emerged with the ropes of bondage burned off, they didn’t even smell like smoke!
It’s my hope that we demonstrate the heart of Jesus and become Holy Ghost firefighters. Run into the flames of people’s burning lives and drag them to Jesus! He will burn away the things that bind. Just so they won’t feel shamed, He even makes sure they don’t smell like smoke!
“This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. – John 15:12-13
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April 7, 2023
How to Celebrate Easter When You’re Living Good Friday
Philippians 4:8 – Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.
We are tempted like no other generation to give up on goodness and truth, and think as the world does. Hold onto and think on things above – not on the things of earth. You are made in the image of God and you have the mind of Christ. Put on the helmet of Salvation to protect against the lies of the enemy. You are called victorious!
Declaration: I’m not conformed to this world. I’m transformed by the renewing of my mind today and every day.
HOW TO CELEBRATE EASTER WHEN YOU’RE LIVING GOOD FRIDAYEvery Christian has those days when it’s hard to wait for the cavalry to show up. When you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing, but you’re worn out on waiting. This is something God has personally dealt with me about. I’ve been there and lived to tell the story.
You need to learn how to live like you’re risen when you feel dead yourself. You can have victory when everybody else has written you off. Whether you are godly or ungodly, you will go through times of darkness, but is followed by a breakthrough of light…
…a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance… – Ecclesiastes 3:4
You will have days where you want to weep and mourn, and days where you want to laugh and dance. The same Bible that tells you this, also says, “in all things were are more than conquerors,” and that we will have trouble “sure as sparks fly upward.”
No, it’s not a contradiction. It is simply a fact of life on planet Earth that God has made us to have incredible victory in spite of our miserable failures.
Our Christian experience is full of good and bad days. Some days, God’s power is obvious. Others, it is not. That is the difference between Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday, but hear me on this: the power of God is just as real on both days!
For you and me, Good Friday will always be a day of betrayal, false accusations, beating, torture, pain, standing alone when you should have been surrounded by friends, and having to keep your mouth shut when you’re more than able to defend yourself. It is a day when the sky grows dark – a day of despair, shame, anguish and laying down your life.
Likewise, Resurrection Sunday will always be about new beginnings, great hope, joy and unexpected surprises. It is when your enemies have fallen out, you get a clear word from the Lord, and doors you thought would never be open, have been blown off the hinges. The power of God shows up and so does victory.
Again, the power of God is real on both days! If you can’t tap into his power on Good Friday, you’ll never see the Easter mornings God has planned for you. Yes, it is the will of God that you should know how to think and what to think when all hell is breaking loose!
God’s power has never been a “get out of jail free” card for life’s desperate situations.
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April 6, 2023
Defiant Hope, Defiant Joy
Genesis 4:7 – “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”
There is a devil at the door for every one of us. The enemy knows your weak spots and he doesn’t play fair. Right now is the perfect time to stop and ask God to help you to master the devil knocking at your heart and mind.
Declaration: I’m resisting the devil and he is fleeing from me.
DEFIANT HOPE, DEFIANT JOYOh, I love the account of the empty tomb. While the men are still sleeping, if they can sleep at all after such a horrific series of events, the women pack up pounds of perfume, myrrh, and frankincense—materials for the painful task of preparing the body of their promised Messiah to literally rot away to dust.
Just the fact that these women went to the tomb at all—surrounded by soldiers—showed such defiant hope. What were the chances the Romans would roll away the stone for them to enter? Slim to none. Pilate was told of a plot to steal the body of Jesus. The Pharisees were in fear that he would, indeed, rise on the third day as he prophesied, and Rome was taking no chances.
Pilate said to them, “You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how.” So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard. – Matthew 27:65-66
Still, they went. What if they didn’t? What if the disappointment and despair were just too much to deal with? What if they feared the guards or the pharisees whom I’m sure were not far away? They knew the prophecy. The religious leaders had pulled together a kangaroo court for Jesus and manipulated the magistrate into murder. Surely, Jesus’ followers knew they would be easy pickings.
To say that these women had courage and commitment is an understatement. And because they went, the impossible happened: the stone was rolled away.
Despite the efforts of the world’s most powerful army, the door was wide open. My friends, not only did King Jesus jump up and slap death in the face, he rolled away the stone—not so he could get out of the tomb. Jesus is supernatural. He walks through walls. The stone was rolled out of the way so you and I could go in. Like the faithful women two thousand years ago, we could look and see that he is not there.
But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.” – Matthew 28:5-6
Do you have the same defiant hope for yourself? If not, you can have the blessed assurance that your tomb will also, someday, be empty. That’s the whole point of Jesus rising from the grave. He did it to conquer death for you and me. Like those who ran to the tomb, he tells you, “Come and see!” You will not be disappointed. Defiant joy awaits!
WATCH NOW: TELL THEM THE LORD HAS NEED OF IT
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