Progress isn’t pretty and can be painful. You do not have to wait until Easter to experience Resurrection in your life!
Breaking News! You don’t have to wait until Sunday to worship, shout, dance, rejoice, or raise your hands! You can do it in the meeting room, dining room, bathroom, or in some cases the steam room!

The Resurrection Changed everything:  Are you Ready for the/your Resurrection?

Luke 24:  On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 8 Then they remembered his words. 9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others.  10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles.11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened. (what do you think happened? Exactly what he said would happen!)

Interesting note: While Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of Jesus and 2 others saw the tomb empty, they were running proclaiming her testimony. Peter and John were running for a title to see who would get there first!
 John 20:3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb.4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.
 I can be critical about the competition between Peter and John  but OH If we would run after Jesus with the same intensity.

  Can we get real today? Like Jesus was raised from the dead and came out of a tomb, there are those in church who as well need to be raised from the dead and come out of the closet!
  Remember old things pass away, all things become new? Did Jesus not forfeit the old earthly suit and appear in his new glorified body? Looked the same but it functioned differently.
  I have to actively set my expectations in a heavenly direction! That is how Jesus made it through this agonizing ordeal. He kept his eyes on the prize.  Spiritually speaking , I can no longer live my life hidden in a cave isolating myself more because I’m afraid to come out.
Reach:  Everything you need in this season to experience revival, renewal and refreshing is within your reach. If it is out of your reach, it’s not yours. “Religion is underestimating the reach of the glory of God” S. Furtick
  Jesus does not want to just be your friend. He doesn’t want to be your sidekick but central; woven into fabric of your being, intertwined in your intellect.
  The Gospel of Grace is often underestimated and must be itself resurrected from the grave. Religion is always focused on your ability to reach Jesus; Grace is focused on God’s ability to reach you!
  We quite often say in the church world, “God’s presence is here”.  Have you ever given any thought to God saying, “I’m thankful for my creation’s presence”.  In other words, “I’m glad you’re here. I’m happy you came to hear what I have to say”
  Don’t you dare ever underestimate the reach of the grace of God! He will yank your sorry self out of the grave you ran to if he has to. Quit running to the very place he gave his life to take you out of.
  God is reaching below the surface and beyond the obvious because he sees more in you than you see in yourself.  Is his hand too short to pull you out of the quicksand of life that by nature wants to suck you in and drown you and suffocate you?
Matthew 28:6-7 “He isn’t there! (He doesn’t make his home in places of death and decay) He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead,…”
Hockey Legend Wayne Gretsky was asked what did he attribute his success to? He said, “I skated where the puck was going not where it was”

That tells me,  always go where Jesus is, not where he was! The Resurrection reset the expectations of the disciples that Jesus was a man of his word. “He isn’t here” was not just a physical demonstration;  it was a spiritual one as well.  The old man isn’t here. Why are you looking for the old man to be resurrected?????”
Something supernatural was taking place in that incubator called a tomb. He was still working on your behalf, making a public spectacle of Satan on his own turf, taking the keys to death, hell and the grave, coming out a victorious champion and freeing those, according to Peter, in hellish captivity
Why do we expect to be the same? We need to expect to expect the unexpected!
When we fail to expect, we start to inspect!  We start to find fault and call God a deceiver because he didn’t jump when we commanded or appear in the way we wanted.
Resurrection power was on the inside of the tomb!! God has implanted every believer with the Holy Spirit,  giving you the ability to be an overcomer.

Matthew 27:62-63  “The next day, on the Sabbath, the leading priests and Pharisees went to see Pilate. They told him, “Sir, we remember what that deceiver  …once said while he was still alive: ‘After three days I will rise from the dead.’  … command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, … steal Him away”

I am moving beyond being a preacher and a teacher but a reacher. From what I can see there are a lot of instructors but very few who put into practice what the professor is professing!!
Radical Christianity in normal Christianity.   Anything less than that is a subnormal,  pharisaical religion.
If Jesus can reach you he can resurrect you!!!

1 Corinthians 15:17-19 (NLT) “And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless 

Note: faith is not faith #1 Until there is a demand placed upon it # 2 Your belief is useless unless it is in something. Faith has no value unless it is in something. Your faith is only good for what you’re exercising faith in. Faith without works is dead. Means its fit for the garbage can. How many of you know people who have reached out,  but because of life they feel that God has not reached back? You are never too far gone!!! (Police: You can never out run a radio)…..and you are still guilty of your sins. In that case, …all who have died believing in Christ are lost! And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world.”
Note: the Pharisees and soldiers on guard all knew he was raised from the dead. They saw it. BUT they didn’t believe what it stood for!!
Your belief is only as good as the revelation you get from it and what you put your faith in.
“Abraham was made righteous by the promise of a coming savior, we were made righteous by the performance of our risen Christ.” Pastor Karl Thomas
It’s from the revelation of the resurrection that righteousness is revealed.
Don’t ever fall into the trap of progressive sanctification where you  slowly become righteous. You are righteous by faith alone! Period! 

Romans 4:25 (Youngs Literal Translation) “…who was delivered up because of our offences, and was raised up because of our being declared righteous.” Not I’m going to be or will achieve it
Rom. 4:25 TPT “Jesus was handed over to be crucified for the forgiveness of our sins and was raised back to life to prove that he had made us right with God!
Note: Why was Jesus raised from dead? Because your sins were now paid for. There was a heavenly/earthly exchangeWas he handed over?  Was he crucified? Are you forgiven? Was he raised back to life? Why was he? To prove he made you righteous.
You are a “new creation” Not a new improved-not a better version of the old self. You are a brand new, never seen prototype, never existed before. Or should be!
“People have an easier time believing they are sinners by what Adam did than believing they are righteous by what Jesus did.” Karl Thomas
Because of the resurrection we are righteous,  ready to rule and reign.
I have a question that has been bugging me all week. “We ask God when he’s going to show up,  but why do we get offended when he asks  us to show up?”  I’m not just talking about church, but being ready, willing and able 24 hours a day.
Just because Jesus said it was finished didn’t mean he was done! Just because he was raised from the dead, didn’t mean he was done. His assignment was only complete when he ascended back to heaven!!!
Jesus would not be raised unless we are declared righteous.  Raised By the Spirit … Raised by the Glory of God
Righteous :– (dikaiōsis) the act of God declaring men free from guilt and acceptable to him.
  The resurrection is the receipt that this righteousness is real FOREVER! If there is no resurrection, we are still in our sin with no hope. The soldiers and Jewish leaders knew in their heart that Jesus was raised from the dead but tried to cover it up. Their  hope was not found in the hype of the hour
  Hype is what you have when you’re at church and people are watching. Hope is what you need when you’re at home or work when no one from church is watching. Scripture doesn’t say build you yourself up in your most holy hype. Some people build their testimony on what people say about them. Some people start believing their own publicity. Some people have an overabundance of hype but when push comes to shove their hope is in a hole. When the hype is gone, they feel helpless and hopeless.

On the Road to Emmaus
Luke 24 13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him. 17 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?” They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19 “What things?” he asked. “About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 

Luke 24:21 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place.

“Someone has crucified your hope on the cross of an unwanted circumstance.”  Steven Furtick
REASON: We don’t understand the reasons why even though we have the resources to get to the source. Just because you can’t see the answer doesn’t mean he didn’t speak the answer. Just because you can’t feel it doesn’t mean He won’t finish it.
Luke 24:28 28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther.
The journey starts where you are but the ending depends on you. Quite often Jesus is prepared to go the extra mile with a smile. If all Jesus is to you is a prayer and a Sunday service then your journey has not even begun.
LUKE 24 : 29 But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.

Everyone wants to be wanted! Including Jesus!
Some people are not bearing fruit because you refuse to be planted. You get your resources from another source and then expect your fruit to be sweet! But it’s sour! People can tell if you’re sweet or sour based on who your source is.

30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread,( he said he was the bread of life) (His presence is his provision) ( He did to the bread what the Romans did to his body) gave thanks, broke it (crucified was the reason he entered into his season) (his brokenness became their blessing) and began to give it to them. Something must be said about the Reason, The Resurrection and why He keeps on reaching for your redemption.  Because you’re worth it!!!

Luke 24:31 “31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.”

They saw in his scars what they could not recognize in his speech.
He loves you enough to meet you where you are but he loves you to much to keep you there.

32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together.
You can’t camp out at Emmaus;  you’ve got to go back to Jerusalem because there are a bunch of people to reach! There are way too many that need to experience the power of the resurrection! (figuratively)