03/18/2016 The Surpassing Greatness of His Power Part 4

At the Cross, Jesus took on the sins of the entire world, past, present and future; then He died because "The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6: 23). In that moment every human being's death was represented. He didn't just die for us, but as us. Then, after His willing and deliberate submission to death, God the Father, on the third day, looked down into that pit of hell and saw His dead Son, Who did not go there because of His own sins, but Who was made sin with our sins.

And God said, "I am satisfied. Death has been conquered for everyone who believes." And deep in that dark pit, God, the Father, remembered the covenant that He made with Abraham back in Genesis 22 when He asked Abraham to offer up his only son, Isaac. Genesis 22: 15 - 18, "Then the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham a second time from heaven, 16 and said, "By Myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed because you have obeyed My voice." NASU

Hebrews 11: 17 - 19, "By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promise was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18 even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." 19 Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from the death." NIV

Just as Father gave back Isaac to Abraham from the dead, now looking upon His holy Son in the depravity of the pit of sin and death, knew that He was justified to bring forth His only Son from the dead. Justly, and without hesitation, God, the Father, poured His Spirit, His life and His Glory onto His Holy Son. In that moment, Jesus was quickened to life and energized with invigorating power. In a moment He arose from the dead...overcoming the power of death and the prince of death, the devil himself.

Jesus then revealed Himself openly and fully alive from the dead for forty days in the earth with "...many infallible proofs and spoke of things pertaining to the Kingdom of God" (Acts 1: 3). On the fortieth day after His resurrection, He assembled His disciples on the Mount of Ascension, and in view of them and a host of others who had gathered around Him. He ascended up and "...a cloud received Him out of their sight" (Acts 1; 9).

While the crowd was looking steadfastly toward heaven, two men in white apparel spoke saying: "Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven" This same Jesus who is taken up form you into heaven shall so come in like manner as you have seen Him go...(v. 10).

At the moment of His ascension, all evil and its horrid effect was positioned under His feet. The Apostle Paul affirms this in Ephesians 1: 22, "And hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all to the Church, which is HIs body: the fullness of Him that fills all and in all." The world was reconciled to God (put back into a position where there was no hostility on the part of God toward mankind so that any man, woman or child who will heed God's open arms may run into Him and be saved. There is no other religion, no other God and no other way by which man can be saved. And we have just barely touched the surface of the mind-blowing potentials of the Death and the Resurrection of Jesus, the Christ.