The Redeeming Power of the Resurrected Jesus
He is Risen! And He redeems. He is able to take the broken and bring wholeness. He takes the prisoner and brings freedom. He takes the bound and brings deliverance. It is who He is. It is what He does.
Hear Him:
“The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,
because He has anointed Me to proclaim
good news to the poor.
He has sent Me
to heal the brokenhearted,
to proclaim deliverance to the captive
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to set a liberty those who are oppressed
Hear Him:
“The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,
because He has anointed Me to proclaim
good news to the poor.
He has sent Me
to heal the brokenhearted,
to proclaim deliverance to the captive
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to set a liberty those who are oppressed
and downtrodden,
to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD”
Consider:
The Cross - Once reserved for the guilty, the shamed and the condemned, the cross has been transformed into a symbol of hope, love, and redemption. It was an instrument of torture and execution, mentioned in fear, loathing, or disgust. Now hymns of praise are written extolling what was accomplished there by the awesome love of God and the willing sacrifice of His Son!
The Curtain - An inseparable, woven barrier a handbreadths thick separated the Most Holy Place from the Holy Place. Among even those separated for God’s service only one man, the High Priest, could pass it, and that only once a year with elaborate ritual and purification. Once an object that represented the impenetrable barrier between God and man, the tearing of the curtain from top to bottom marked the possibility of an open and intimate friendship between man and Yahweh the Creator.
The Crypt - Once a reminder of pain, grief, and despair, the crypt now serves to declare the truth that death’s grip has lost it’s power, and that the grave’s efforts are futile. The Tomb is empty! What was once a reminder of death’s inevitability now serves as a trumpet blast that death no longer holds ultimate power! He is Risen! And because He lives, we shall live also.
Since God can alter history and radically redeem the meaning and legacy of the above-mentioned inanimate objects, just imagine what He can do through yielded vessels like you and me! God ahead! Give Him the worst of your life, that which you fear, that of which you are ashamed. Watch Him redeem! Watch Him restore to God’s original intent.
He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!
Ever Hopeful because He Lives,
Pastor Tom
to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD”
Consider:
The Cross - Once reserved for the guilty, the shamed and the condemned, the cross has been transformed into a symbol of hope, love, and redemption. It was an instrument of torture and execution, mentioned in fear, loathing, or disgust. Now hymns of praise are written extolling what was accomplished there by the awesome love of God and the willing sacrifice of His Son!
The Curtain - An inseparable, woven barrier a handbreadths thick separated the Most Holy Place from the Holy Place. Among even those separated for God’s service only one man, the High Priest, could pass it, and that only once a year with elaborate ritual and purification. Once an object that represented the impenetrable barrier between God and man, the tearing of the curtain from top to bottom marked the possibility of an open and intimate friendship between man and Yahweh the Creator.
The Crypt - Once a reminder of pain, grief, and despair, the crypt now serves to declare the truth that death’s grip has lost it’s power, and that the grave’s efforts are futile. The Tomb is empty! What was once a reminder of death’s inevitability now serves as a trumpet blast that death no longer holds ultimate power! He is Risen! And because He lives, we shall live also.
Since God can alter history and radically redeem the meaning and legacy of the above-mentioned inanimate objects, just imagine what He can do through yielded vessels like you and me! God ahead! Give Him the worst of your life, that which you fear, that of which you are ashamed. Watch Him redeem! Watch Him restore to God’s original intent.
He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!
Ever Hopeful because He Lives,
Pastor Tom
