
Fullness in Life through the Resurrection of Christ

“Are all of us living to the fact and to the truth that Jesus has resurrected from the dead? How does it play, how does it affect your daily living? Does it affect your daily decision? Most importantly, how does it affect every part of your life as far as resurrection of Jesus Christ is concerned?”
The Fullness of Life through the Resurrection of Christ
It is very important for Christians to believe in the resurrection. Jesus conquered death and proved that there is life after death. Nonetheless, are we living a life that believes in the resurrection through Christ Jesus?
The Implication of the Resurrection

“Let us eat and drink,
for tomorrow we die.”[d]
What we are doing now: attending church, helping others, going through persecution because of our faith, and even for those who died because of their faith; if Jesus wasn’t resurrected all these are worthless.
But Jesus didn’t remain dead. He rose from the dead! And with that, we have the beautiful hope in Him that we too shall rise from the dead in glorious bodies and spend eternity with him. With this truth, we have a deeper purpose of living our lives.
The Imperatives of the Resurrection
1 Corinthians 15:33 “Bad company corrupts good character.”
DON’T BE DECEIVED!
1 Corinthians 15:34 “Come back to your senses as you ought…”
WAKE UP!
1 Corinthians 15:34 “…stop sinning”

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The Power of the Gospel – The Too-good-to-be-true News

At the culmination of it all, let us talk about the power of the gospel.
Do you know that the Greek word for gospel is euaggelion which means “too good to be true news”? Is the gospel too good to be true for you? Well, it really is – but IT IS TRUE!
Let’s look at why many of us will think it’s good to be true.
Salvation is a gift – not something you have to work for
Even the old testament used that kind of discipline, where when the people sinned they have to sacrifice livestock to be forgiven. Some religions still do it until now. They consider the way of salvation to be good works.
Let us not confuse this. We need to do good – we are not discounting good deeds. It is the by-product of our salvation. But it is not the way to salvation.
Even the best people we know cannot be saved through good works alone. Why? Because no one is righteous. We all have fallen short of God’s glory and no one is righteous enough to be in the presence of God. (Romans 3:23)
We are all sinners; no one is blameless. Therefore, we could not have done it on our way. That is the very reason why God sent Jesus Christ.
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” (John 14:6)
There is no other way to be saved but through believing that Jesus Christ died for me and you.
That is what we call grace. And as Paul said, this is all so that we cannot boast of our own good works but boast of our salvation in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:9).
Salvation is a gift. All we need to do is accept it and believe it. That’s the salvation through Jesus Christ.
The Concept of Grace and Unconditional Love
We all have been used to judging and being judged. But Jesus Christ came to break these norms. This is the very reason why the Pharisees became furious of Him. Because Jesus was breaking the norms that the Pharisees were gaining from.
Jesus said himself that we should not judge so that we cannot be judged. And that whoever He forgives here will be forgiven in Heaven.
Furthermore, Paul explained that “everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial” (1 Corinthians 10:22).
What Paul meant here is that there is nothing that we will do that can separate us from God’s love. There is nothing that we can do that cannot be forgiven because Jesus Christ already did the act of salvation at the cross.
Therefore, if we are in Christ, we are forgiven, no matter what we will do. But does it mean that everything is beneficial? No! It is still up to us to decide if what we are doing will benefit us or destroy us.
Unconditional love – no matter what we do, God still loves us.
“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude.
It does not demand its own way.
It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.
Love does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.
Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”
(1 Corinthians 13: 1-7)
Above is God’s commandment of how we will know true love. And if God told us to do these, it is surely because He did it first. We love because He first love is.
This is God’s standard of love. That is how He is to you. He never keeps a record of the wrong things you’ve done.
The only sin that can separate us from God after we accepted Jesus Christ is when we “grieve the Holy Spirit” through unbelief.
Unconditional Grace – we are saved, not because we deserve it but because we need it
First of all, we have to understand that NONE OF US IS WORTHY TO BE SAVED. NO ONE.
We all were sentenced to death from the moment that we were born in this world. Why? Because we are spiritually dead. We are born in a corrupt world – in corruptible bodies. For us, there is nowhere else to go but down.
We were never righteous, and we were never sinless. So, why in the world did God send salvation to us?
Two things – One, because loves us that He wants us to be with Him in Heaven forever. And two, because He knew that we are going to suffer and He looked upon us with grace. Therefore, He sent Jesus Christ as a sacrifice so that we can, once and for all, be saved.
No one else deserves the glory
So what do we do then? How should we respond?
The only thing we can do is to REPENT, BELIEVE and RECEIVE – that simple. That’s why it’s called the gospel – it’s too good to be true. BUT IT IS TRUE.
And in everything, no one else deserves all the glory but Jesus Christ alone. He alone deserves all the glory and honor, because of what He’s done for all of us.
It’s not about us anymore – it’s all about what Jesus Christ did on the cross.
Love is the culmination of it all
We do good because we love God and if we love Him, we will do His commandments. (John 14:15)
And what are God’s commandments?
“Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.” All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:36-40)
Let’s make it simple.
If we love God, we wouldn’t want to disappoint, disrespect or grieve Him in any way. And if we love our neighbors as ourselves, we will always think of what is good and beneficial to them.
You would never want to hurt those you love, right? Not in any way.
And if you truly believe that Jesus Christ died for you, you would never want to disappoint Him by wasting your life on things that are not beneficial.
That is why we do good. This is the “too good to be true news”. And it is available for us all.
You will see that at the foot of the cross, you will find nothing else but love. It’s at the root of it all.
Are you ready to accept that LOVE today?
He is waiting for you. Come back to His embrace and accept this “too good to be true news” as your truth. It is the truth that will set you free and give you peace beyond all comprehension.
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The 7 Last Words of Jesus Christ – Complete Surrender

Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last. – Luke 23:46 – Complete surrender.
What does complete surrender look like?
It is when you know you have to let go and give yourself up to God who knows all things.
The Spiritual Battle
Some scholars say that Jesus went there to take the “righteous dead”, the likes of David, Solomon, and the saints of the old testament. Some believe that He went there to suffer as the human soul would have before salvation and experience the Godlessness of Hell in order to save the dead. And other scholars believe that He went there to claim the “keys of death and of Hades” (Revelation 1:18).
No matter what Jesus did after He died, we can guarantee that His battle was not finished yet at that moment. And we know that the spiritual battle is even greater than the physical battles.
Complete Surrender
Are you facing any battles right now? What kinds of battles are you preparing for – physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual? How do you respond to it?
To many of us, the first response is to worry, then fight the battles head-on. But for Jesus, the response is to always commit to God, fall down on His knees in prayer, and follow the will of God.
If we are in Christ, then we should do just as Christ did. But many of us, even Christians, worry for the battles ahead. Why?
To Surrender Completely is to Trust Fully
Do you trust God enough to completely surrender and commit your Spirit to Him? Is your trust and faith enough for you to completely commit your battles, apprehensions, and worries to God?
Many say it is okay to doubt and question. But the truth is, doubt is an enemy of faith. If you have faith, there should not be any shadow of doubt in you.
Doubt is an insult to what Jesus Christ did on the cross for you.
Think about this. If God sent His one and only Son to die for you even though you didn’t know you needed salvation, what else can He not do for you?
Your finances, your physical pain, your emotional struggles, and your mental turmoil – they are nothing compared to what Jesus Christ has already done on the cross.
If we compare all those things to the miracle of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, it is nothing.
The Power of Complete Surrender
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” – Matthew 11: 28-30.
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The 7 Last Words of Jesus Christ – Patience in Waiting for the Fulfillment of Promise

“When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” – John 19:30 – Patience in waiting for the fulfillment of Promise.
Have you ever prayed for something and felt like God is not going to answer your prayer? Or have you been claiming God’s promises but feel like God is hesitating in fulfilling those promises?
Look nowhere else but at the cross. Jesus knows exactly how that feels and worse!
First of all, you will have to understand that “God made all things beautiful in His time” and that “there’s a season for everything”.
Jesus had to wait 30 years before His ministry began. He had to wait 3 more years to fulfill the promise and mission of salvation. And then, again, had to wait until everything that was written was fulfilled before He can give up His life, die, and ends the unimaginable suffering He went through.
Do you see the amount of patience it took for Him to walk in righteousness through all those years? And He was finally able to say, “It is finished!” at the very last moment.
Look past the suffering to the reward
Paul answered that in Hebrews 12 saying,
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Did you see that? Paul said “For the joy set before Him (Jesus), He endured the cross.
Jesus knew what was coming. He knew that He was going to suffer a great amount of torture, pain, and unimaginable suffering, yet, He did not hesitate. Why? Because He considers it joy to persevere knowing the reward He was going to receive.
And what reward is that?
It is our salvation. Being able to finally be with the Father in Heaven and sharing the salvation to the rest of God’s children, so that we can be with Him forever.
Patience in Waiting
Now, let’s look back at our situation.
What are you waiting for? Are there promises that you are waiting to be fulfilled? How are you waiting?
God knows what’s best for us
God did not say that He will always give you what you “want” but He definitely will give you the best for yourself.
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The 7 Last Words of Jesus Christ – The Physical and Spiritual Dryness

“Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” – John 19:28 – physical and spiritual dryness.
Are you experiencing drought in your life right now? Whether it be a physical and spiritual dryness, Jesus is the answer.
Let’s take a look into this 5th phrase in the last 7 phrases that Jesus Christ left us before His death on the cross.
I am thirsty
Let’s look at the situation.
He said this after hours of hanging on the cross. With the persecution that He went through the whole day, plus the excessive amount of physical strain He experienced carrying the cross, His body is definitely starting to fail.
We must not forget that at this moment, Jesus Christ is still in a physical, corruptible, and human body. Therefore, whatever exhaustion we are feeling, He felt that too.
Thus, there’s a great possibility that this statement is not just a parable or a fulfillment of the scripture – it can also mean the physical suffering of Jesus Christ.
Fulfillment of the Scripture
This, we can totally agree. One of the reasons why we believe that Jesus Christ is the one and true Messiah that God sent is because of His fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies. So, definitely, this is a fulfillment of the scripture.
Physical Exhaustion
Now, put this in the picture. Jesus had to carry the cross, from morning until noontime, and right after that exhausting feat, He was nailed to the cross and hang there for more than 3 hours…without drinking anything.
As a man, it is impossible for Jesus Christ not to feel anything after all these.
You may ask, why not just give up? Why does He need to ask for water if He’s dying anyway?
Scholars say that this is because it’s not complete yet. Even before this happened, Jesus already knows what is going to happen and how everything will need to be done. So, He is waiting for the right moment. And this time is not yet the time for Him to give up. He still has some more things to fulfill.
Spiritual Dryness
At this moment, God chose to hate Jesus Christ and turn away from Him to fulfill the sacrifice that He had to make for mankind. This is why God chose to leave Jesus and look at Him with wrath.
God placed His wrath and judgment for mankind to Jesus Christ so that He can claim salvation and redemption once and for all.
This is another dryness that Jesus felt. He has lost His connection to the Father and thus, He felt empty, alone, and dry.
Not only was He talking of physical thirst but also of spiritual. And thus, He cried out.
Are you suffering?
If you are suffering from physical or spiritual dryness right now, know that Jesus Christ was exactly in that situation. He suffered and felt physical suffering and spiritual dryness during the lowest point of His life here on earth.
We call on to you to pray and tell God, “I thirst”. He understands and He can help you.
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