If you’re not familiar with The Chosen App – and the episodes of The Chosen that have run thus far, I’d encourage you to download it and watch it. It’s an excellent, free App. The episodes are not directly about the life of Jesus, but rather about the ones He’s chosen to follow Him.
When you come in contact with Jesus, your life changes.
“When you come in contact with Jesus, your life changes.”
In The Chosen, the people who come in contact with Jesus change. The people discover that the things that they thought were important weren’t so great; what Jesus called them to was of much greater importance. That applies to today as well.
When people realize that truth, they begin to see themselves differently. Instead of seeing themselves as they always had, they begin to see themselves as He sees them. It changes how they walk in this world and how they see things.
If you believe you are what Jesus says you are, you’ll act out of that belief.
“If you believe you are what Jesus says you are, you’ll act out of that belief.”
The resurrection of Jesus changed everything. Before that time, only the Jews’ high priest could enter the “Holy of Holies” of the temple, where the presence of God appeared. The veil signified that man was separated from God due to sin; one time each year, the high priest was allowed to go into the Holy of Holies to sacrifice, in order to make atonement for the sins of the Jewish nation.
But when Jesus died on the Cross, Matthew 27:51 states that “at that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.” The supernatural and the natural collided and the natural (the veil) had to give way.
The veil that separated the Holy of Holies God from everyone else tore from top to bottom, allowing everyone to enter…that’s good news! Now, we’re not separated from God; there’s nothing holding us back from relationship with Him.
We have to recognize this truth and see ourselves the way God sees us. Not only that, we need to see ourselves like He is. Why? The Bible says (1 John 4:17), “as He is, so are we in this world.”
Light to Everyone
“In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through Him, and nothing was created except through Him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and His life brought light to everyone.” – JOHN 1:1-4 (NLT)
Jesus came to be a light in the darkness. He came to shine. So what is it our time to do? It’s our time to shine!
Last week, I quoted 1 Peter 1:23 from the Mirror Bible. So we know that the indestructible living seed of the Word of God has conceived resurrection life within us. As the verse states, “this life is equal to its source.” And since our life is equal to its Source, we’re to bring light to everyone and shine in the darkness, bringing hope to them.
Hope City Church was so named because of what Jesus told us in Matthew 5:
“You are the light of the world – like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” – MATTHEW 5:14-16 (NLT)
We’re to bring hope to others! Remember, because of Jesus, our life is equal to its Source. The message of hope is summed up in the truth of the resurrection of Jesus…because if Jesus was raised from the dead, so are we!
Remember what Romans 8:11 tells us: “Since God’s Spirit of Resurrection lives in you, He will also raise your dying body to life by the same Spirit that breathes life into you!” (TPT) This is not something only available to a few; it is available to everyone!
At the Cross, the veil that separated us from God was torn apart! Anyone is able to receive resurrection through Jesus, and we’re able to live out that truth regardless of what comes our way.
Consider Jesus’ words recorded in Luke 6. It’s the parable of the house built on the rock:
“Let Me illustrate what it’s like for any individual who follows Me, hears My words and fully engages the effect of the message. It is like building a stormproof house. So, this person dug beyond the surface layers, and continued to excavate until solid rock was found. And the foundation of the house was laid upon that rock. Then, one day, there was a massive cloudburst; the water began to rise, and a river came down in flood until it burst its banks in a torrent and broke against the house with full force. Yet, its intensity did not even shake the structure. The secret is, that this house shares the same strength of the rock, which makes it equally stormproof.“ – LUKE 6:47-48 (MIRROR)
Because of what Jesus did, we can do! Because Jesus is the Light – and we’re His harvest – we are the light because our life is equal to its Source. In Him, we have His strength and that allows us to confidently shine brightly…so let’s not hide that light.
It’s time to shine!
To watch the April 18, 2021 message on which this post is based, click here.
