Blog In Audio:
Greetings,
During our corporate time of prayer on Monday night, the Lord brought me the thought of the stone at the entrance of the tomb where Jesus had been laid after His crucifixion. The stone was a large stone, and it was rolled to secure the entrance of the tomb so that no one would steal the body of Jesus. The resurrection of Jesus was at hand and the religious leaders and world leaders feared that report. For fear of a loss of power and change, they chose a report of death over the promise of new life. The religious leaders demanded the ruler of the day to order that a stone be placed in front of the tomb where they laid the body of Jesus and a seal was placed upon that stone to prevent anyone from opening the entrance to the tomb.
Matthew 27:62 On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, 63 saying, “Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise.’ 64 Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead.’ So the last deception will be worse than the first.” 65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard.
The sealing of the stone was a placing of the mark of the authority of the world upon the stone so that no one would move it for fear of the penalty of death. Jesus is our victory in all things. There are many things in our lives that appear to be sealed in death, but God promises that all things work out for good in the lives of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Our focus in all things must be upon the life of God and His purpose in all things. When the enemy puts his seal of decision upon our lives we can trust that the greater seal of God’s presence and authority will change everything. When the Rock of Christ is in the space of the large stones of death in this world, the large stones of death have to roll away. Life is more powerful than death. The true seal of authority in all things comes from God and His true seal is one of life! Authority from God produces life! No aspect of our story is though until it ends in life. Even in the final transition of our lives, the transition is not to the defeat of death but to the testimony of resurrection life in Christ. No death has any power over us, not even the second death. We were dead, but we have been made alive in Christ by the resurrection power of Christ and no power of death can destroy this great hope.
There is great testimony of this in the story of Daniel when he was thrown in the lion’s den. He was thrown into a den where all flesh would be devoured by the hungry mouths of the beasts therein. It was the presence of God with Daniel that delivered him from the devouring mouths of lions.
Daniel 6:16 So the king gave the command, and they brought Daniel and cast him into the den of lions. But the king spoke, saying to Daniel, “Your God, whom you serve continually, He will deliver you.” 17 Then a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signets of his lords, that the purpose concerning Daniel might not be changed.
The authority of God in the den with Daniel proved to be greater than the stone of death that had been sealed at the door. The Holy Spirit is the signet ring of life in our lives. What God says, is the final say in all things. When things appear to end in death, we have this hope. The testimony of our lives is the salvation of the Lord in all things. This is the will of God for us all. Jesus Christ is salvation in every situation of our lives. As leaders we must keep our focus on the testimony of life in all things. We must keep our focus on the salvation of the Lord in every situation and we must lead others to have this focus in all things. As we make disciples, we must make disciples that keep Christ as their hope and Christ as their salvation in all things. There is power in the name of Jesus and in the name of Jesus the last word in our lives is always one of life!
Food For Thought,
Ted J. Hanson
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