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). 

YOUR ANSWER IS FOUND IN A PERSON

O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! Romans 7:24–25

The flesh in us can produce a whole gamut of emotions and thoughts, from defeat, jealousy, greed, and lust to anger, inferiority, condemnation, and arrogance. As long as we are in this physical body, the flesh is active in us.

But we can rejoice because when Jesus died on the cross, the Word of God tells us that He “condemned sin in the flesh” (Rom. 8:3). All the negative thoughts and toxic emotions from the flesh have already been judged and punished at the cross. Today we can experience victory over the flesh through the power of the cross.

You can read all about the apostle Paul’s struggle with the flesh in Romans 7:18–19: “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice” (emphasis mine).

Did you notice how many times the words “I,” “me,” and “my” are mentioned in just the two verses above? I’m sure you can identify with the apostle Paul here in his struggle with the flesh. It’s the struggle we all face when we are occupied with ourselves and warring with the flesh within us. It’s a life of vexation, angst, defeat, and despair.

This is not where God wants you to live, my friend. A believer doesn’t live in Romans chapter 7. Through Christ Jesus, we should be living in Romans chapter 8. Let’s read on and discover how Paul broke free from this bondage of self.

Just a few verses later, Paul cries out, “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Rom. 7:24). The answer, my friend, is found in a person, and Paul tells us this person is Jesus: “I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Rom. 7:25).

Only our beautiful Savior, Jesus Christ, can deliver us from the flesh. And in Christ, we can step into the first and second verse of Romans chapter 8, which proclaims, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death” (NASB). This is where we as new creation believers ought to live. Not in the domain of constant struggle and despair, but in the domain of no condemnation and victory.   (Article and Picture; courtesy of Joseph Prince used with kind permission).

TIME TO USE YOUR AUTHORITY

The problem with the body of Christ today is not that we are not praying. We are praying. But many of us are praying desperate prayers. We are praying, “God, help…God, please…God, do something about my problem!”

If you are smiling a little by now, most likely, you know about such prayers and might have prayed a couple yourself. My friend, God does not want you to pray pleading prayers all the time. He wants you to use the authority He has given you to pray powerful prayers, to boldly command and to “stretch out your hand” and see miracles happen.

When Moses stood before the Red Sea with Pharaoh’s army in hot pursuit, the Bible tells us that he cried out to God. But God told him, “Why do you cry to Me?”

There is a time for you to cry out to God and there is a time for you to use your authority. God told Moses, “Tell the children of Israel to go forward. But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it.”

The “rod” you have today is the name of Jesus. As you command in Jesus’ name, your “sea” will open and you will go on dry ground through the midst of your problem.

Do you realize that Jesus did not say, “Go and pray for the sick”? He said, “Go and heal the sick” (Matthew 10:8). So stop pleading and asking all the time, and start using the authority you have in Christ.

Jesus told the church, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore…” (Matthew 28:18–19). My friend, God wants you to go and use the authority that He has given you. And as you go, miracles will flow!   (Article and Picture; courtesy of Joseph Prince used with kind permission).

GOD IS A PRACTICAL GOD

Therefore do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  Matthew 6:31–32

Our God is a practical God, who is interested in providing for your practical daily needs. Take a look at Jesus throughout the four Gospel accounts.

To those who were hungry, He provided food by multiplying the loaves and fish. To the fishermen who toiled all night and caught nothing, He gave them more than a boatload of fish. Jesus didn’t stop there—whoever encountered Him received from Him what they lacked. He healed the broken hearted and gave sight to the blind. The sick who came to Him were all healed. Even the dead received His resurrection life!

My friend, Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and forever! He is still providing. So whatever you need today, whether it is wisdom, favour, healing or divine strength, go to Him. He is a practical God.   (Article and Picture; courtesy of Joseph Prince used with kind permission).

ONLY BELIEVE

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:14–15

Do you know why Jesus chose the cross? He went to the cross so that whoever believes in Him can receive the gift of eternal life.

Whoever believes. That is all you need to do to step into the inheritance that was purchased for you with the blood of the Son of God. Believe in HIM. Believe in Jesus. Believe in what He has done for you at the cross. Believe that all your sins have been imputed to Him and all His righteousness has been imputed to you (see 2 Cor. 5:21). Believe in the divine exchange. Believe in His love. Believe that all your sins have been punished at the cross and that through Jesus you have received the gifts of righteousness and eternal life.

Look at John 3:15 again. Tell me, who qualifies for salvation? The Word of God doesn’t say, “Whoever obeys Him perfectly and keeps all His commandments.” It doesn’t say, “Whoever never fails again.” It simply says, “Whoever believes in Him.” Whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. The only action needed on your part is to believe!

Pastor Prince, how can simply believing in Jesus make me righteous? There must be something more that I must do to earn and deserve God’s love for me.

Don’t write it off just because it sounds simple, and don’t underestimate the power of right believing. When you believe right—when you believe that you are made righteous through Jesus—you will end up producing the fruits of righteousness. The apostle Paul refers to “the fruits of righteousness” in Philippians 1:11, and he specifies that they are “by Jesus Christ.” When you set your eyes on Jesus and Jesus alone as the source of your righteousness and forgiveness, you will end up producing the fruits of righteousness, holiness, and moral character.

Indeed, the Bible tells us it is when we don’t see or have forgotten that we have been cleansed from our old sins that we end up lacking in self-control, godliness, and brotherly love (see 2 Pet. 1:5–9). Can you see how when you believe right, you will end up living right? So make Jesus, His forgiveness, and His love the centre of every part of your life!   (Article and Picture; courtesy of Joseph Prince used with kind permission).