Romans 6:5-8
“For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.”
INSIGHT
-Christ having died for our sins on the cross and resurrected so that we may no longer be slaves to sin but victorious in Him. He knew no sin but became sin so that we may live. Christ destroyed the power of death with His own death, He died ones and for all for the sake of our salvation. Apostle Paul writes in Philippians 3:10-11; “I want to know Christyes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.” Like Paul, we Christians are called to desire to know Christ more knowing that we have been crucified with Him and it is no longer us who live but Christ who lives in us. It is prime then to put away our old selves which is corrupted by deceitful desires; but be made new in the attitude of our minds; and to put on our new selves, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:22-24). Despite the challenges that we go through which sometimes occur like death in certain situations, we have hope of life through Christ’s resurrection. Ultimately, we know that we shall live even if we die since we have been united with Christ in a death and resurrection like His. Moreover, some of us will not die until Jesus Christ comes back, we then have His assurance of living with Him forever for we have obtained everlasting life through faith in Him.
PRAYER
Thank You Lord Jesus for You became a curse on a tree so that we may be free. The grave could not hold You captive but You overcame through Your resurrection from the dead so that we may walk in victory. Thank You Jesus; praise You Jesus. Your blood Jesus speaks better things than that of Abel. Your blood speaks of healing, freedom, power, deliverance, victory and salvation, we plead Your blood Jesus over our lives, families, marriages, relationships, businesses, properties, future, government, nation and all the nations of the world. We plead Your blood over the corona virus pandemic because You live and reign forever, deliver us Jesus. Lord You conquered death and You are seated at the right hand of God, thank You for making us more than conquerors. You have given us authority to trample on snakes and scorpions, and to overcome all the power of the enemy, nothing will hurt us because we belong to You. We rejoice because our names are written in the book of life in heaven, thank You for making us Yours Jesus. All the kingdoms of the world belong to You Jesus; for You reign forever. Reign in our hearts, minds, families, communities, nation and all the nations of the world, and make everything new Lord according to Your will. May the grace is our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and forever more. Amen
1 Corinthians 15:20-21
“But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead.”
INSIGHT
-As we know through Adam sin came into the world and through Christ we were liberated from the power of sin causing eternal condemnation. It is written that, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit” (1 Corinthians 15:45). God commanded Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac and he went ahead to mount Moriah in obedience. When he lifted up his knife to kill his son, behold; God provided a substitute; a lamb and Isaac came down alive which is a picture of the resurrection. When we were condemned to death because of our sins, Christ became a perfect substitute for us on the cross and after three days; He resurrected and lives forever. Christ is our good shepherd; He lay down His life for the sheep (John 10:11). Christ was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). Christ took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses so that we may live in liberty as His children.
PRAYER
Our Lord and our God we come before You this morning, thanking You for the gift of life. It is not by our power nor might that we have seen this day but by Your Spirit Lord. Thank You for Your divine presence in our lives and for the sacrifice that You made on the cross for sake of our liberty. You were wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities so that by Your stripes we may be healed, heal us dear Lord. For the many times we have gone against Your holy will Lord, forgive us and cleanse us with Your precious blood. For the many times that we have grieved You Holy Spirit, forgive us and fill us with Your love. Many are sick and suffering among us especially with the COVID 19 pandemic, heal them all Lord for by Your stripes we are healed. We humbly ask You Jesus to heal us physically, emotionally, economically, financially, socially, politically, psychologically and spiritually; for by Your stripes we are healed. You were raised from the dead so that You may become the First fruits of those who are asleep, have mercy on those who have gone before us. Only You are our Lord, only You can save us Jesus, have mercy on us and protect us from all evil. Resurrect us Holy Spirit from the dead like situations that we experience in our lives and fill us Your fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and self control, we humbly implore You. Amen
Revelation 20:6
“Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.”
INSIGHT
-The resurrection of Christ is significant to our lives since it gives us hope of eternal life. That; those who are of faith in Christ have a place in His death and resurrection. The resurrection should no longer be an incident but an eternal event that brings conversion of souls. The first resurrection will be for those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, those who had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands, and they will live and reign with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead will not live again until the thousand years were finished (Revelation 20:4-5). After the a thousand years Satan would be released to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea (Revelation 20:8). This is the war that has been described in the book of Ezekiel 38 to 39. And after this war, Satan would be throne into the lake of fire to join the false prophets and beast; where they would be tormented forever. These events will occur before for the second coming of Christ where we will be caught up with Him in the sky and live with Him forever. It is important to note that those who have only been born once will die twice, the first death and the second death. But those who have been born twice that is; the natural birth and born of the Spirit or born again, the second death has no power over them; because Christ is our resurrection. During the second death, the soul of those whose names will not be written on the Lambs book of life will be separated from God forever and they will be condemned. But those who have been given the gift of salvation will reign with Christ forever. It is therefore necessary to get closer to God and do His will, though sometimes we do not really understand. To also remember to give to the poor like we see Cornelius in Acts chapter 10 who later obtained the gift of salvation with his entire household, otherwise end up like the story of Lazarus and the rich man (Luke 16:19-31). In Psalm 112:6 we read that, “they have freely scattered their gifts to the poor, their righteousness endures forever; their horn will be lifted high in honor”.
PRAYER
Abba Father, thank You for loving us. You are worthy our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they were created and have their being. We praise You and worship You Jesus. You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God and we shall reign on the earth. We praise You and worship You Jesus. Help us reign here on earth as kings and priests according to Your will until You come again to save us. We praise You and worship You Jesus. Have mercy on all those who are yet to receive Your gift Your salvation that You may lead them in Your truth. We praise You and worship You Jesus. We humbly ask You Lord to grant us mercy and compassion so that we may remember to share what we have with the poor. We praise You and worship You Jesus. Our Father who at in heaven; hallowed be Your name; Your Kingdom come; Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread & forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptations but deliver us from evil; for thine is the Kingdom the power & the glory; forever & ever. Amen
John 11:25-26
“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
INSIGHT
-We can trace back resurrection of the dead from the Old Testament to the New Testament. Elijah raised the dead son of the widow of Zarephath (1 King 17:17-24), Elisha raised the dead son of the Shunamite woman (2 Kings 4:18-37), Peter raised Dorcas (Acts 9:36-42), Paul raised Eutychus (Acts 20:7–12), Jesus raised the son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:11–17), Jesus raised Jairus’ daughter (Luke 8:49–56) and the epitome of it all; Jesus died and resurrected on the third day (Mat 28:1-20). All these was and is still possible; through the power of the Holy Spirit. In the above text, we find Lazarus who was taken ill and Jesus was requested to come and perform a healing miracle. Mary and Martha were anxiously waited for Him but He took longer that they expected and Lazarus their brother died. Despite this unfortunate event, Martha was still expectant having witnessed the power of Christ, and she said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” Jesus demonstrates that He is the resurrection and the life and He who believes in Him,though he may die, he shall live and whoever lives and believes in Him shall never die. He called Lazarus forth from the dead and many believed in Him. As Christians, the resurrection of Christ is the foundation of our faith, knowing that Christ is all we need in our lives now and in the uncertain future. He is able to resurrect every dead situation in our lives, families, nation and the world, when we trust in Him. Christ is our resurrection and life, and because He lives, we will live forever with Him.
PRAYER
With the merciful show Yourself merciful Father. With the blameless show Yourself blameless Jesus. With the pure show Yourself pure Holy Spirit. Only You are holy Lord, only You are righteous, only You are worthy of all praise. Your light is a lamb to our feet and a light to our path, enlighten our steps dear Lord. We humbly ask You to resurrect any dead situation in our lives, families, nation and all the nations of the world, be it our health, businesses, relationships, marriages, education system, spirituality and economies; for all our hope is in You Father. Save us from the corona virus and any other schemes of the evil one and resurrect our hope of salvation. We rely on You for sustenance Lord, we depend on You for protection, we believe in You; our Hope and Salvation, help us. Our hearts cry out to You, thank You Father for You have always heard our prayers and answered our hearts desires according to Your unfailing love. We trust in You Father; renew our strength. We shall soar on wings like eagles, run and not grow weary, walk and not be faint; for all our hope is in You Lord. You are the resurrection and the life Jesus; satisfy our souls with Your everlasting life. Thank You Father for Your unfailing love upon us; all glory and praise belongs to You. Amen
1 Peter 1:3-5
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.”
INSIGHT
-God demonstrated great love for us that He gave His only begotten Son so that we may be believe in Him and obtain eternal life. This is the living hope that we have as Christians when we have faith in God, the Holy Spirit comes and dwells in us. Jesus was also filled with the Holy Spirit after baptism and manifested great power, and we who are in Christ should be aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. At the resurrection, the Holy Spirit was present and He raised Jesus from the dead. In Romans 8:11 we read that, “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you”. If the Holy Spirit dwells in us, then we walk in His power and live in hope of eternal life stored up for us through Christ’s death and resurrection. The Holy Spirit gives us wisdom, knowledge, understanding, healing power, resurrection power and all other things according to His purpose. He is our Helper, Comforter and Friend, and assures us of eternal inheritance through the gift of salvation.
SUMMARY
The death and resurrection of Christ is the foundation of our faith as Christians. If by any chance we deny the death and resurrection of Christ, then our preaching of the gospel is empty and our faith is empty (1 Corinthians 15:14). The resurrection is therefore significant for it forms the basis of our lives. We are then united with Christ in His death and will certainly be united with Him in His resurrection. We are therefore no longer slaves to sin because Christ has set us free from the power of sin causing death and we are called to do His will. It is during such a season that we experience death-like situations like the COVID-19 pandemic that we appreciate the power of Christ’s resurrection. Life has become uncertain and many live in fear. Numerous lives have been lost, business have shut down, economies are crumbling down and many sleep hungry. It is a time that we should get closer to God like no other time and remember to sacrifice what we have for the sake of the poor and give thanks to God in all things; for this is His will through Christ Jesus. Job faced a similar experience when he lost his children, property and became sick but never cursed God despite the advice from his wife but praised God. When we praise God in such death-like situations, we partake in His resurrection and build up our faith in Him who gives us strength. In our belief we hope in the promises of God who can only resurrect our situations into victory. The resurrection also gives us hope in our present lives, in times of adversity and prosperity, and belief that we will live with Christ at the last day. Resurrection is also gives us new life in Christ and is a manifestation of healing, grace and the presence of the Holy Spirit who is our Helper, Comforter and Friend. Through the resurrection, our relationship with God was strengthened and the Holy Spirit came into our lives and He will resurrect us at the last day. We can thus call God; Abba Father confidently with the sure hope that He hears us and will answer us when we call to Him. This is a relation built on love and He gives us the gift of salvation together with our loved ones so that we may share in His resurrection so that the second death will not have power over us for we will inherit the heavenly kingdom with Him. Christ is our resurrection and the life and we dwell in safety under His pinions despite the challenges that we go through now and hold fast hope of eternal life.
PRAYER
Thank You Abba Father for this far that You have brought us, we declare Your goodness in all the earth. You are the Creator of heavens and earth and all that is in them, all glory and salvation belongs to You. You are the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last, all glory and praise belongs to You. Thank you for healing us, protecting us, providing for us, sustaining us, giving us good health and wealth, all glory and honor belongs to You. Thank you for Your love and mercy upon us, our families, children, friends, neighbors, communities, institutions, governments, nation and all nations of the world, grant us the gift of salvation merciful Father. Though our sins are as red as crimson, make them as white as snow and remember them no more, dear Jesus. Cover us all with Your precious blood which You shed for our healing and redemption, all glory and salvation belongs to You Jesus. We declare that no weapon fashioned against us shall prevail in Your name Jesus for You died and resurrected for our sake so that we may be free from all evil and dwell in victory. Thank You Jesus for the gift of salvation and the eternal inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade, for us and for all our descendants, we praise You Jesus and glorify Your holy name. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit; be with us now and forevermore. Amen