LET HOLY WEEK BE AN ENTRANCE INTO A NEW EXPERIENCE IN GOD FOR YOU.
Twelve days ago I wrote a blog entitled “Making the most of Lent”. I am so glad the Church Fathers recognised we needed to be reminded in the busyness of life to slow down come aside and consider ALL THAT JESUS HAS DONE FOR US.
The Church Fathers declared from tomorrow Palm Sunday until Resurrection Sunday as HOLY WEEK. This week leads up to the pinnacle of all that Lent stands for. Of course we major on the glorious fact that Jesus took the Fathers wrath upon Himself, and all the sins and sicknesses of the world (including yours and mine) and carried them totally away Praise God. But the Word of God says IT WAS MUCH MORE THAN THAT, For example Paul says in Romans 6:6, KNOWING this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. NKJV The Passion Translation expresses it this way, Could it be any clearer that our former identity is now and forever deprived of its power? For we were co-crucified with him to dismantle the stronghold of sin within us, so that we would not continue to live one moment longer submitted to sin’s power.
I want you to meditate on this glorious thought Paul says KNOWING THIS, this is REVELATION KNOWLEDGE that when Jesus was crucified my old nature (and yours) was co-crucified with Him, and our old nature has been RENDERED POWERLESS, again we can know this as a personal EXPERIENTIAL FACT as we learn to DAILY live the SURRENDERED LIFE.
Again Paul tells that when we obeyed the Lord and followed Him through the waters of Baptism Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. This was not just a religious exercise, something very significant happened as Paul expresses here in Romans 6:4 NKJV Again look at the Passion translation it may assist you to understand. Sharing in his death by our baptism means that we were co-buried and entombed with him, so that when the Father’s glory raised Christ from the dead, we were also raised with him. We have been co-resurrected with him so that we could be empowered to walk in the freshness of new life.
Our Baptism was not just a religious exercise, but so much more,We also didn’t remain submerged under the water but rose up just as Jesus rose from the dead.
Paul goes on and says Likewise you also, RECKON yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:11 NKJV Look at the MESSAGE paraphrase From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to God. That’s what Jesus did.
Reckon is a mathematics term, we sit down and COUNT IT IS AS A COMPLETED FACT (God said it, I believe it that settles it).
Then in Romans 6:13 Paul tells us And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but PRESENT yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God NKJV The Passion translation says Sin is a dethroned monarch; so you must no longer give it an opportunity to rule over your life, controlling how you live and compelling you to obey its desires and cravings. So then, refuse to answer its call to surrender your body as a tool for wickedness. Instead, passionately answer God’s call to keep YEILDING your body to him as one who has now experienced resurrection life! You live now for his pleasure, ready to be used for his noble purpose. I have included verse 12,please note SIN IS A DETHRONED MONARCH. During Holy Week, as a Believer, this is a perfect opportunity, to contemplate not only the death and resurrection of Jesus dealing with our sin, to procure our Salvation, but that we were intimately involved in His death and resurrection. I share these THREE KEYS WORDS FOR YOU TO MEDITATE UPON.
Verse 6. Knowing this
Verse 11 Reckon yourselves
Verse 13 Present and yield (afresh and learn to do it constantly)
I guarantee on the authority of the Word of God, if you meditate on this awesome truth during Holy Week, and let the Holy Spirit make it personal and real to you, YOU WILL NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN.
There is one other thing I am going to do during Holy Week, in the light of my last blog, I trust it is not considered selfish. I need a fresh touch of God in my body so I am going to personally claim Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. NKJV The MESSAGE paraphrase says It stands to reason, doesn’t it, that if the alive-and-present God who raised Jesus from the dead moves into your life, he’ll do the same thing in you that he did in Jesus, bringing you alive to himself?
The word life in verse 11 in the King James version is QUICKEN (we talked about that recently).
I am believing the Lord is going to quicken my physical body, and give me more strength, not for my own selfish pleasure, but that I may continue to serve the Lord here and wisely overseas.
So let me say again, Holy Week 2018 could be the entrance into an unforgettable LIFE CHANGING YEAR for us all. Let us lay hold of the truths of the Word of God like never before, let God do the NEW THING He promised in Isaiah 43:19 Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. NKJV and the MESSAGE paraphrase again Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new. It’s bursting forth! Don’t you see it?
BY THE GRACE OF GOD I WILL NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN
