Witnessing of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ

The record of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most important one. Because if there is no resurrection of Christ, the gospel is not the gospel, because there is no good news to be reported.

And so many are talking about the resurrection. But how many of us are a personal witness of the resurrection?

“And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.” ~ Acts 4:33

The soldiers witnessed the resurrection first hand, but when they told the scribes and Pharisees, it was not with great power. And they did everything to undermine the power of that testimony.

And then later when the apostles and disciples witnessed seeing Jesus after the resurrection, they did not immediately witness with great power. They were fearful still, and were mostly sheltered away for fear of the Jews. But after Pentecost and being filled with the Holy Spirit, they gave great witness of the resurrection.

How can this witness be with us when:

we were not there to witness his resurrection
we have not physically died yet

Is this something we cannot do because we were not there to see Jesus for those 40 days from the time of his resurrection until the time he ascended in the clouds into heaven?

How can we “with great power” give witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and have great grace upon us? We must first have a part in the “first” resurrection.

“Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” ~ Revelations 20:6

When we have taken part in the first resurrection, we are to have new hopes and desires. We are to be testifying of a better hope than what we can have and enjoy down here. Is that the witness that people see in us?

In the final resurrection, for those that are saved, in heaven there is:

no sin
no division
all are worshiping God together

But is that what we are witnessing today in those on Earth claiming to be Christian? If we can’t behave this way down here, how would we behave that way in heaven? The reason why people are not behaving this way down here on Earth, is most often because they have never taken part in the first resurrection.

“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience” ~ Colossians 3:1-6

In order to be resurrected, we must die first. And in the scripture above it states: “For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.” But this epistle to the Colossians, was written to people who were still living on Earth. So this death and resurrection it speaks of, must be a spiritual one. The old sinful person we used to be, must die. So we can be resurrected to a new life in Christ Jesus where we live holy.

When our old man of sin dies and we have a new transformed life of holiness: then the witness of Jesus as King on the throne of our hearts, gives witness of the resurrection of Jesus Christ!

“And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead” ~ Romans 1:4

So it takes “The Spirit of Holiness” to powerfully witness of Christ’s resurrection. Because there must be a death, before there is a resurrection. And so the old sinful man has to be dead, in order for the new man to be resurrected to a new life in Christ Jesus.

“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin.” ~ Romans 6:1-7

We not only need to be forgiven of our sins. Our old sinful man needs to die. Trying to make this happen by a strong will and determination in the human, will not be enough to continue in a holy life. Their needs to be a resurrection of a new life. A new life with new hopes and inspiration, that comes from the Comforter, the Holy Ghost.

If we are not completely satisfied with our spiritual life, then eventually the fleshly life will come back to life. And when it does, it will kill the spiritual life by sin. This is why God told Adam and Eve that in the day that they sin, they would die. Their spiritual life (their close relationship with God) ended, when their sinful life began.

We are either going to live to satisfy the flesh. Or we are going to live to satisfy the Spirit of God. And the one we satisfy, will be based on which one that is alive in us.

Prophecy in the Old Testament of the need for this new resurrected life, spoke of the resurrection of God’s people. This is a spiritual prophecy. Those who are waiting for a literal resurrection to a physical life on Earth, will be forever disappointed. Because this is speaking about a new spiritual life from Christ Jesus!

“Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God ; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, saith the Lord.” ~ Ezekiel 37:12-14

This is not speaking of the physical land of Israel, because God’s Kingdom is not of this world. The “land of Israel” spoken of in this prophecy from Ezekiel, is the spiritual New Jerusalem, the church, that came down from heaven through Jesus Christ. It is a heavenly kingdom here on Earth. It exists within the hearts of those who have been resurrected out of a life of sin, to a new life. A life that is filled with the Spirit of God.

“For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.” ~ 1 Peter 4:6

This is how we truly know if we are children of God, in a right relationship with God. It is by the witness of his Spirit within. The witness of the new resurrected life that we now have.

“And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” ~ Romans 8:10-14

So the question is: who are we witnessing for? Does our life say: “my hope and my desire is wrapped up in money or things I can own.” Is our behavior tainted with the death of sin? Or does our life testify of: the witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ within us.

“And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.” ~ Acts 4:33