"Lord, I lift Your name on high.
Lord, I love to sing Your praises.
I'm so glad You're in my life.
I'm so glad You came to save us.
You came from Heaven to Earth to show the way,
From the earth to the cross my debt to pay.
From the cross to the grave, from the grave to the sky.
Lord, I lift Your name on high."
Very beautiful indeed. And yet, not at all accurate. We as followers of Christ miss out on a simple but radically life-changing truth when we adopt the belief that He went "from the grave to the sky", or from "the grave to Heaven" as the translation would be in some languages. The truth is, Jesus did NOT go from the grave to Heaven or to the sky.
WE serve a Savior, who after having conquered Death itself, returned to the SAME earth, in the SAME city, to walk among the SAME people who just crucified Him.........in absolute, 100%, complete victory for 40 days. And THEN He went to Heaven.
I would love to have seen their faces when they actually saw Him walking around Jerusalem. I would love to have heard those conversations when they realized that the one they nailed to that cross 3 days earlier was now alive and well - as they pass Him on the streets of downtown Jerusalem, or in Tiberias, or wherever He chose to show up.
It is the purpose and will of Father God that His people never be defeated. We go through stuff in this life. We experience difficulties and challenges. But in ALL things, God is working everything for our ultimate good and so that He will receive the ultimate glory.
It is His purpose that each of us as Believers reach the place in THIS life, and on THIS earth, where we can walk as Jesus Christ did in those last 40 days before returning to a celebration in Heaven. It is God's purpose that WE experience that victory HERE and NOW, where things that once defeated us no longer can touch us. Where people who once "crucified" us now see us walking around whole and glorious - and the inability to explain "how" it happened is exactly the thing that will draw them right to Him!
But in order to get to that place.......you must experience a crucifixion......you must spend time in the grave......and you must experience a resurrection. And it all begins with a betrayal by one whom you trusted the most, immediately after you have completely surrendered yourself to the will of your Father.
What do you do when you spend your most intimate time with the Father, only to get up off your knees and learn that those who have earned your trust completely betray the very trust they have earned? What do you do when those who SAY they are on the same page flush their integrity for the sake of convenience or circumstance? What do you do when those who thrive on giving others the impression that they are the ones closest to you show clearly that they are not close at all?
Simple and yet difficult - you let Judas kiss you on the cheek, then you walk out the process of the crucifixion and the pain that comes with it, knowing that what your Savior went through was indescribably more horrific and your troubles pale in comparison to what He suffered for YOU (and for those who caused you pain). You spend your time in the grave and then you wait. And at the Father's signal, the stone will roll away.....and you will return to life, a life that can never be defeated again.
At that point, walk out of that grave, head held high and smile at those who thought they defeated you. You are now entering the best "40 days" of your life on this earth!!! NOTHING can defeat you again, you LIVE in complete victory!!!
It's not a one-time thing.....in whatever area of your life God desires to bring you to victory, this is the process. Embrace it, and let Him work out His perfection in you. Because in whatever area of your life that betrayal takes place - that is specifically the area in which God is planning your greatest victory!! And once you experience the resurrection in THAT area.......you will have complete, untouchable, glorious victory from now until the day you reach Heaven. You will never again go through a defeat in that thing!
To the employee that was unjustly dismissed by a boss who would not support you. To the one who was cast aside for taking a stand for your faith even though you performed your task at a world-class level. To the leader who was just blindsided by a freight train of unfaithfulness. To the spouse who is walking through the pain of betrayal by the one who vowed their faithfulness to you. To any and all who are somewhere in that process, and the road is painful......walk through it and keep your eyes upward, your resurrection is coming!! Your victory is closing in. Your God is faithful.
"I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death.....and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead."
Philippians 3:10-11
