HIS RESURRECTION-PROOF OF YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS

You can enjoy boldness and peace every day when you know you are righteous in God’s sight. In this powerful and heart-anchoring Resurrection Sunday message, Joseph Prince shows you why our Lord Jesus’ resurrection is your divine receipt that you have been made righteous through His perfect work at the cross. See how this righteousness you have is freely given to those in Christ and cannot be forfeited by your failures. Live confident that God is always for you because of your righteous standing before Him, and see all your enemies put under your feet! Enjoy!!! (Video; courtesy of Joseph Prince Ministries used with kind permission).

THE REASON FOR THE RESURRECTION

The Bible tells us that Christ was delivered up for our sins and raised from the dead for our justification. You may already know why Jesus died for our sins, but do you know the significance of God raising Him from the dead?

Let me give you an illustration to help you understand the significance of Jesus’ resurrection.

Let’s say that you are living in a foreign country. One day, you happen to break a major rule of the land. You appeal to the king for mercy. He says, “A rule is a rule. I cannot bend the rule for you. What will others say about my integrity? However, if you can find a substitute to take your punishment—three months in jail—I will allow it.”

By God’s grace, you find a willing substitute. He goes to prison on your behalf and you don’t see him for some time. Days, weeks and months pass by.

Now, how or when will you know that your crime has been fully paid for? When will you be able to rest easy regarding your crime? It is when you see your substitute walking free again! When you see him out of prison, you will know that the sentence has been fully served. You will know that you are now justified and no one can bring a charge against you for your old crime. No longer will you be afraid of the king or his guards coming after you because you know that the one who was punished in your place is now walking free.

Beloved, Jesus, your substitute, paid the debt you could not pay. On the cross, He bore the sins of your entire life. God put it all on Jesus and then He punished Jesus for every single one of those sins until He was fully satisfied. And because He was so pleased with what Jesus had done, He raised Him from the dead.

Today, Jesus’ tomb remains empty. He is not there for He has risen! His resurrection and empty tomb will forever be our assurance that we have been fully justified. You no longer have to be afraid of God judging you for your sins. His justice is on your side today!  (Article and Picture; courtesy of Joseph Prince used with kind permission).

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED AT THE CROSS?

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.  2 Corinthians 5:21

Once, the Lord showed me a vision of what happened at the cross. I saw how all the sins of the entire human race (lies, deceit, envy, bitterness, adultery, addiction, bondage, murder) and all the consequences of sin (fear, sicknesses, guilt, disease, and condemnation) swirled around Jesus like evil spirits and demons, laughing heinously, taunting and tormenting Him. Jesus became like a magnet for all sin and of His own volition accepted all this sin into His own body.

You and I will never be able to imagine the excruciating pain that tore through His body at the cross. Every malignant cancer, every tumor, every sickness, and every disease came upon Him at the same time. He who knew no sin took upon Himself the mountainous weight of all men’s darkest and foulest sins. He took it all Himself.

The Word says that “He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses” (Matt. 8:17). “Himself”—a singular, reflexive pronoun that signifies the exclusion of you and me. Since He Himself has taken the full punishment, judgment, and condemnation for all sin, you and I are excluded from every punishment, judgment, and condemnation for all sin when we receive Him as our Savior.

But the story did not end there. Jesus did not die on the cross in the middle of receiving upon Himself all of humanity’s sins. He took it all and accepted it all in His body. Then the fire of God’s judgment was unleashed upon His own precious Son, and only when every last sin had been punished did Jesus cry out, “IT IS FINISHED!” moments before breathing His last breath (see John 19:30). Can you see that? Jesus held on at the cross until every single sin that you have ever committed and will ever commit was punished in His own body. That is why we call what Jesus has accomplished at the cross a “finished work.”

Now, what is your part today? Your part is to believe with your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is the Lord of your life and that all your sins have been paid for at the cross. If you believe that all your sins have been forgiven, sin will have no more power over you. You don’t have to walk around with “a mountain of sin” on your shoulders anymore because this “mountain of sin” was laid squarely on the shoulders of another—Jesus. He Himself has already paid the price for your sins, so stop condemning yourself!  (Article and Picture; courtesy of Joseph Prince used with kind permission).