It is Me Indeed!

I nearly jumped through the roof of my car this morning. Dr. Adrian Rogers was preaching on I Corinthians 15:12-19 regarding the resurrection of Jesus. It was when he read verse 17, "And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins" that I resisted the urge to leap for joy. Why?

Because just the opposite is true. Christ is raised; my faith is not vain, and; I am not in my sins!

Christian friends, when you are awake, you are dead indeed to sin and alive unto God through Jesus Christ.

This word "indeed" is a powerful Biblical word and I want to share some of its fruits with you today. Both in the Old Testament and the New Testament the word carries the element of absolute certainty. It's associated subject is without a doubt. For instance, in Genesis 17:19 God told Abraham that his wife Sarah "shall bear thee a son indeed...." You know the story. Sarah was way beyond her childbearing years. She and Abraham believed God only upon the certainty of His Word and character. On these same things can we base our certainty today regarding the things He says of us. Here are some examples that should bring you to your feet (unless you are driving - do be careful!).

Exodus 19:5-6, "Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation." (Notice this verse is repeated in Revelation 1:6 and 5:10 applied now to the Church as well.)

I Chronicles 4:10, "And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested." (Remember that wonderful little book, "The Prayer of Jabez"?)

Matthew 20:23a, "And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with...."

Luke 24:34, "Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon."

John 4:42, "And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world." (Unless you hear Jesus personally, your faith and salvation are in vain. He alone is the Savior, not the pastor, not your friend, or any other person who ever witnessed to you. They did their job in righteousness, but unless you heard Jesus, you are still in your sins.)

John 8:31, "Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed."

John 8:36, "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed."

Romans 6:11, "Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Romans 8:7, "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be."

As you can see by this short post, there are things God says with certainty about His children. Some are positive, some negative. Surely we want all the positive ones to apply. But we must be circumspect to ensure the negative ones are in their proper place (e.g. - Be not carnal in your minds, but spiritual that you may indeed serve the law of God according to Romans 7:25b, "So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.")

Rejoice that He is risen indeed. Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life."