Scripture Reading (NIV):
Mark 16:1 - 8
1 ¶  And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and
Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.
2  And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the
rising of the sun.
3  And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the
sepulchre?
4  And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.
5  And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a
long white garment; and they were affrighted.
6  And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified:
he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.
7  But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there
shall ye see him, as he said unto you.
8  And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed:
neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid.

Ephesians 1:18 - 23
18  The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of
his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
19  And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to
the working of his mighty power, {his mighty power: Gr. the might of his power}
20  Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own
right hand in the heavenly places,
21  Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is
named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
22  And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the
church,
23  Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
1 ¶  And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

Ephesians 2:4 - 7
4 ¶  But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
5  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are
saved;) {by…: or, by whose grace}
6  And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ
Jesus:
7  That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness
toward us through Christ Jesus.

John 11:38 - 44
38  Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone
lay upon it.
39  Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto
him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.
40  Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest
see the glory of God?

Message

Claire White and Lynn Daniels came to visit me this last week from the U S. They have work
in among drug addicts.. rehabilitating  them in a Christian community..
www.raysofsonshine.org

Lynn told the story of how she was healed of an “incurable disease”. God took her out of her
body and showed her the tomb of Lazarus.  After calling Lazarus forth He said: “Lynn came
forth.” and He spoke these words: “ The children of the resurrection live beyond the grave.”

When we became ONE with Him through baptism and rebirth we are united to Him in His
resurrection power, we start LIVING BEYOND THE GRAVE.. WOW!!!!!

Colossians 2:12
copy scriptures

However If  this is TRUE and we are raised with Him and have the POWER of the
RESURRECTION in our bodies... WHY are we so tied up with sin bondage, depression,
sickness and STRESS?

Like Lazarus we need to remove our grave clothes.  It is the one thing Jesus did not do. He
expected His family and friends to do this.

Jesus raised us from the dead but unless the church (His friends) take of the grave clothes
the church will remain bound by its grave clothes. If you have them on to long, they  WILL
STINK ..

Picture the church. Alive, walking around but in grave clothes, still bound by anger,
resentment, unforgivness, gossip, triviality, pettiness and self pity.

If you were to die and go to heaven and come back, how would this impact your life?
Will it not  change our conversations and  actions ?

You are already in heaven, seated WITH Christ BUT how can you get rid of your grave
clothes?


Here are some of my reflections on this topic.
1.        By My Spirit says the Lord.
Its a  work of GOD not of self effort.
2.        By faith.
Although it is All GOD we need to give Him our FAITH..

3.        Faith without works is dead.
Faith that is REAL WILL be EXPRESSED in our lives, our attitudes, our WORDS..

4.        Not by might nor by power (own effort) but by My Spirit says the Lord.
You are entering into the FINISHED  work of Christ . Like being given the keys of a
COMPLETED house and saying: “Here, now go POSSESS it.” The only effort involved is
accepting it and entering into it.

5.        To enter into the finished work of Christ requires faith.

Faith is believing in the finished work of God. The easiest way to exercise faith is to Speak
Faith .

•        I believe in the finished work of Christ.
•        I am already seated with Christ in heaven.
•        I am crucified buried and raised with Christ.
•        I am a new creation in Christ Jesus.
•        I can do all things  through Christ Jesus.

6.        But James says Faith without works is dead.

Here are some actions that our faith will lead us to.

•        Change our confession from complaining to reigning in stead of speaking defeat and
the problem we speak the vision and the answer.
•        Worship. When we join with the heavenly crowd in awesome worship we are beyond the
grave in resurrection power.
•        Praying in tongues. A mystical language that brings the Spiritual to the natural.
•        Entering into stillness. The power of stillness is the essence of Jahweh  SABAOTH the
Lord of Stillness and Rest. We are in His image so that’s were we must live in a permanent
state of STILLNESS.
Mark Boshoff said: ”Stillness is the NATURAL  state of  EVERYTHING.”
•        Set others free in fellowship. Protect his/her back. Help untying each other through
prayer, loving and caring.
•        Laughter. Readers Digest has a section called laughter is the best medicine. Why so
little in church is it because we have accepted the idea that church is SERIOUS and therefor
GOD is ALWAYS SEVERE wanting to punish us for our sins or is it just that we’ve stopped
CELEBRATING the GOODNESS of GOD and of life.. As the song goes.. ISN’T IT TIME TO
CELEBRATE AND SING THOSE SONGS OF ZION?
Church on the Way.
Walking in Resurrection Power! 27/03/05    Sermon - week
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St. Georges Presbyterian Church  Bluff, Durban, South Africa.