And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulcher. Luke 24:2

     Never let your circumstances, especially problematic ones, get between you and Almighty God. Things are usually not what they seem to be, but God is always way more and greater than He seems to be. When it comes our time to do something we know we ought to do, but can’t (and be sure the time will come), instead of being in such a hurry to worry, why don’t we take time to be holy and trust in the only one that helps when we really need help and gives hope when we have none!

Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.” Psalm 46:10,11

     After Jesus’ death on the cross, His body was placed in a borrowed tomb. His adversaries wanted to make sure no one would steal his body and say that He had risen like He said He would, so they made sure of that by having a large stone rolled over the entrance of the tomb and also placed soldiers there to guard the sacred site. Some of Jesus’s most intimate followers, some of His disciples and some special women who cared deeply for him were impressed to go to the tomb. As hard as that would be to do, they went, really not expecting much relief from the sorrow and defeat the situation seemed to present. Much to their surprise, they found the stone rolled away, the soldiers had run away, and an angel told them the good news of the Lord’s resurrection. To really embrace and experience this good news though, the stone had to be removed so the miracle could be revealed.

     Today, God is still moving big obstacles in order for us to view by faith and sometimes by experience, the reality of His promises and the greatness of His grace.

Jesus Cannot Be Stopped.

     We all should and we all want to tell everybody about somebody that saved our souls! That somebody is Jesus Christ. Spreading the gospel is the mandate of the church and we best not attempt to go “undercover” when it comes to our Lord’s great commission.

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of The Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” Matthew 28:19-20

     But even if we’re timid in taking theology to the world, Jesus Christ will  spread anyway. He is the living Word and God assures us that His word  won’t come back empty, especially when it’s spread by the Spirit.

     Rome and the religious crowd tried to stop Jesus by nailing Him toa cross. This only resulted in the multiplication of His church as His obedient death did exactly like the corn of wheat seed He described His deathby in the Gospel of John.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.” John 12:24

     This death to life principle applies to every believer as well. When we die to self is when we really live, and we really live because it’s Christ living in us. Because He lives we can face tomorrow and because He lives we can deal with any obstacle that seems to be immovable.

     Yes, Jesus died, but He didn’t stay dead. His resurrection sealed  His victory over death, hell, and the grave. Our union with our Savior makes sure that we will be enabled to do whatever the Lord’s will for us to do is. The Bible says that the very gates of hell cannot stop the church try as hard as the devil does. This is because Christ is the head of the church and as long as the head lives so does the body of Christ. The next time you find yourself between a rock and a hard place, remember this verse of scripture:

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”Galatians 2:20

Jesus Cannot Be Started

     The reason Jesus cannot be started is because He never stopped. Jesus Christ, the second person of The Trinity, existed before the creation of the world and universe.

“And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.” John 17:5

     It is one of the mysteries of Godliness, but Jesus has always existed. He along with God and the Holy Spirit co-exist eternally with no beginning and no ending. Although His incarnation marked the prophesied manifestation of the Messiah in the flesh, the Son of the Most High God, the Savior of the world and The Prince of Peace, it was not where Jesus started. The Savior’s birth in the Bethlehem manger did start a new calendar in history though. For example, BC stands for “Before Christ” and was used in the Gregorian calendar to label the years before Christ’s birth. While AD (Anno Domini) is Latin for “in the year of the Lord” and sets the years in order after Christ’s birth.

     The truth is Jesus cannot be started but nothing starts without Him. God is always the initiator and if He doesn’t start the fire there will be no smoke. Jesus Christ is our source of life, holiness and help. Our spiritual life was dead, having no power to even flicker. But God in His mercy connected the jumper cables via the The Holy Spirit to an awesome power source that provided the spiritual boost we desperately needed to start living spiritually. Even though our spiritual batteries may get a little wear at times, the Lord is faithful to recharge us as we pray and read His Word and worship Him.

     The best part of it all though is knowing that Jesus can’t be started because He never stops, is that we have this great and precious power source with us all the time. This is encouraging when times are tough because we have this ever present help to boost our weakness and enables us to finish what Jesus has started, even though we feel like stopping. Once Jesus starts our life in the Spirit, it never stops. Jesus never starts something He doesn’t finish!

“Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:6

     Hixon batteries used to have a sales pitch slogan that said, “If you want to start something, get a Hixon.” There is a spiritual application to that slogan for us regarding Jesus Christ and our relationship to Him. It is this; if we want to start something that glorifies God, revives His church and builds solid families, get Jesus. It’s so important to start right!

Jesus Cannot Be Stayed Away From

     God cannot lie. The Holy Spirit cannot be resisted successfully. The Lord Jesus Christ cannot be stayed away from. These traits of the Godhead build trust in the trustworthy, give strength to the weary, and add wonder to worship. Jesus Christ is not only the main attraction in the universe but is also immensely attractive. Although the Savior is described in the Bible with a comely appearance with no particular physical features to make Him handsome. However, there is something about this man that draws every believer in Him to Him.

     Theologically, Christ Jesus is irresistible because He has given eternal life to the ones the Father chose before the foundation of the Earth. This eternal life assures and lures the chosen to an intimate oneness with Him. Every one of the elect, all believers in Christ, will come to Him. And they won’t be kicking and screaming on the way to Him. They will come because they want to really, because they must. They come because they are hungry and He is the Bread of Life. They come because they are thirsty and He is everlasting water and the only real thirst quencher. They come because they are burdened with sin and shame and Jesus takes their sin away and banishes their blame. They come because they are tired of trying to be good enough, chasing the wrong things and trying to outrun the devil and He gives them rest and something to do.

“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” John 6:37

     Experimentally, Jesus Christ is irresistible! The grace of God is what makes Jesus attractive to sinners. This gripping goodness overwhelms our hearts and can make us cry when we don’t know why. The apostles were not looking for Jesus but were found of Him. Note, when He called them, they quit their jobs and followed Him, not for the money (other than Judas) or the fame, but because they could not stay away from Him. The scripture account of John the Baptist leaping in his mother’s womb when Mary, carrying the unborn Messiah in her womb, entered the room —that leap was a love leap which Christ caused just by His presence.

     The new birth which every child of God goes through changes the poles of the heart so that instead of resisting Jesus, they are attracted to Him.  This spiritua magnetism pushes us away from the world, the flesh, and the devil and causes us to love, worship, read about, and pray to a man we’ve never seen.

     We all as Christians should go to church and encourage others to  go, but the truth is, genuine Christians can’t stay away from church. Not only do we go to church because it’s where Jesus is talked about and sung  about, but also because we are attracted to other people saved by His grace. We love Him because He first loved us and since we love Him, we love others too! The church doesn’t need to be entertaining, have a social lounge, meet in a great coliseum, or hand out hotdogs and pamphlets to draw a crowd. What is needed most emphatically is Jesus Christ.

And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” John 12:32

     Embracing these truths about Jesus — that He cannot be stopped,  that He starts everything that really matters and that He cannot be ignored, ought to provide much peace for us as we await and look forward  to His second appearance on Earth. Furthermore, there is absolutely nothing that can block the beautiful life that awaits us in Glory. For God has rolled back the stone of our hearts and the light shines in and there are no sins there, only some graveclothes that prove when He rose, we rose with Him!

Brother Randy