Resurrection Power at Work in You

The greatest revelation you could ever have is the revelation of the resurrection power at work in your life. Paul’s prayer for the saints in Ephesus was that they should know this power. Living for God is just as challenging now as it was then, and that’s why we need exactly the same revelation today.
 
Paul says that God is working in us, “according to his mighty power which he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places?” In other words, the same power that God exerted in order to raise Christ from the dead and set him on the throne of the universe – that same power – is at work in us! Let’s examine this power more closely.
First, we see this resurrection power is NEW CREATION POWER. We can only imagine the power needed to create the universe in the first place. The power needed to re-create it will be infinitely greater than anything we could ever imagine.
When we understand the power at work in the sun, the star at the centre of our solar system, we can begin to imagine the full power at work in the universe.
In 1 second our Sun produces enough energy to meet the current needs of the entire earth for 500,000 years.
That is the same amount of power needed to boil one kettle of water for every man, woman and child on earth continuously for 160 million years! But the power at work in the universe is far greater than produced by a single star.
We are told that there are at least 100 billion stars in our galaxy, the Milky Way. Scientists also estimate that there are 100 billion other galaxies in the observable universe. The power contained in the cosmos as we know it is above and beyond human comprehension.
But the power revealed in the resurrection of Jesus is far greater than all the observable power in the universe. The resurrection is the first step in recreating the cosmos. It was not just a resuscitation of a dead corpse; it was a manifestation of the power of the New Creation, a resurrection to a totally different physical order. That is why Jesus’ resurrected body did not appear to be subject to the normal laws of physics. He could appear and reappear at will. He could pass through closed doors. And yet, his body was both real and physical. This tells us that the new creation began 2,000 years ago when God raised Jesus from the dead.
The physical laws that govern the old creation support decay, disease and death. They drive the universe inexorably deeper into disorder and chaos. Scientists tell us that this disorder (entropy) is increasing all the time and the entire cosmos as we know it will eventually die. According to a recent BBC Science programme, this “is an inescapable fact of the universe, written into the fundamental laws of physics.”
This old creation is subject to the bondage of decay and the frustration of the fallen cosmos.
It stands to reason, then, that it would take a far greater power to re-create the universe than that which is currently operating in it. It would have to be a power great enough to overcome the increasing entropy in our collapsing cosmos and to reverse the inevitable winding down of our broken universe.
Just such a power was revealed in the resurrection of Jesus. This was the first act God in bringing about his new creation. The working of disorder and death was reversed and instead of death and decay, order and new creation life burst into the molecular fabric of the universe, beginning in the dead body of Jesus.
This reveals the second fact about the resurrection power of God.
It is THE ONLY HOPE OF THE COSMOS. Jesus’ resurrection was the first of many to come. Because he lives, we shall live also.
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. Romans 8:11
The resurrection of Jesus was also the foretaste of the new creation power that will ultimately bring in the new heavens and the new earth. The fact that God raised Christ from the dead is proof that the cosmos has a future and there is hope for us all.
The resurrection of Christ is the promise of the life coming to all who are indwelt by the Spirit of God. This will be the redemption of our bodies. Finally, the cosmos itself will be delivered from the bondage of corruption – including all disease, suffering and death.
For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. Romans 8:20-21
One day, the same power seen in the resurrection of Christ will transform the fabric of the entire physical universe in which we live. The new heavens and new earth will be home to righteousness. The enemies of Christ and his kingdom will have become the footstool of his feet. Death, Hell and the Grave will be no more. The glory of God will fill all things and every rebellion against his authority will have been put down. The shame, defeat and failure of our sin will have been completely eradicated even from our physical bodies.
This leads to the third fact about resurrection power – its PURPOSE. The Father not only raised Jesus Christ from the dead, but he also exalted him to the throne of heaven. Right now, Jesus is exercising the governing authority of the universe. He is head over all things and is using his executive power to bring all things back into subjection to the Father. As Psalm 110:1 says, “he must reign until his enemies become his footstool. The last enemy to be expelled from the universe is Death itself.
King Jesus is extending the rule of God in the hearts of men and women on the earth who surrender to his kingdom. His life becomes our life, and we serve him by lining up with his authority and extending his kingdom through our life and testimony to the world. This leads us to the most astounding revelation of all – this same resurrection power HAS ALREADY BEGUN TO WORK IN US.
Spiritually-speaking, we have already been raised to sit with Christ in heavenly places. We reign with him in spiritual matters. Most believers live in defeat because they do not know the authority they have in Christ.
THE NAME OF JESUS is the mandate we have to act with his authority to extend and to establish his kingdom. His name unlocks the secrets of the kingdom of God and releases the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. His name opens up the supply of God’s grace and abundant provision for every area of our lives.
The resurrection of Christ points to a time when there will be no more pain, sorrow, sickness or death. He will wipe every tear from our eyes. There will be no more defeat, disappointment or failure. God’s kingdom of love, grace and glory will be fully manifested in a totally re-created universe.
 
“That you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,? and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power? which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.” Ephesians? 18-21