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Living in Resurrection Power
Posted on: Apr 06, 2007
Pastor Carl H. Stevens Jr. |
Many Christians do not understand the proper application of positional truth. I must insist that I am historically dead, historically buried, and experientially alive unto God through the resurrection of Christ.
In counseling, I am careful to be patient, loving, kind, and gracious. I give everyone an opportunity to communicate thoroughly. Ultimately, though, it all comes down to this: Has resurrection life quickened you for this very hour?
When a Christian is filled with resurrection power, not a single thing from the old life affects him. His priorities are in Christ. Jesus is exalted: He is everything to the believer and He adds all things unto the one who seeks first God's Kingdom (Matthew 6:33).
When I put sugar in my coffee this morning, I noticed that the sugar couldn't be seen after it dissolved into the coffee. It blended in so completely that it wasn't visible. The sugar entered into a union with the coffee. They were no longer separate, but one.
In the same way, we are in union with Christ's death and burial. Everything about my life was crucified and buried with Him. Everything my father or my grandfather may have done to me, as well as everything that was passed on to me through genetics, was transferred to Christ at Calvary. All of those things entered into union with His death and burial, out of God's sight forever.
Only the carnal believer ever tries to resuscitate the old life. Only a carnal believer, refusing to accept his co-death and co-burial, will reject greater grace. But when a believer accepts the greater grace that's given to him, resurrection power and love are imparted to the soul. This power and love can now emanate from the Christian's life, reflecting the presence of God's divine character in this wicked world.
An elderly lady was burned in a fire. In an attempt to graft skin from other parts of her body onto the burns, the doctors discovered that the procedure wouldn't work because the woman's skin was too old. However, when they grafted skin from the woman's younger sister, the process worked beautifully.
Branches from weak trees are grafted onto strong trees. A little slip is made for the added branch and it begins to derive life from the healthy tree. In time, the engrafted branch is producing fruit.
Historically, we have been condemned and crucified, in a sense, grafted into his death, burial, and resurrection. Just as Jesus brought us into His death, He also raised us up into the newness of life, where we can now walk as brand-new creations.
God is offering total freedom from Adam. He offers freedom from the negative words you speak about yourself and from the bad things that have been said about you. God can change your personality, alter your moods, and expand your capacity for Him, because all that you were was placed upon Christ. All God asks is that you accept your historical death with Him so you can begin to live in resurrection life.
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