Victory of the Open Grave

Victory of the Open Grave by Dr. Omolola Omoteso

Worship:  

God sent His son, they called Him, Jesus;

He came to love, heal and forgive;
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Saviour lives!

Chorus
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!

Worship:

Victory in Jesus name

Honour in Jesus name

Glory Hallelujah

There is victory in Jesus name!

Prayer:

Lord God, we thank you for sending your Only Son

Thank you for naming Him to shame the devil

Thank you for his love, healing and power to forgive
Thank you because his life and death bought us eternal pardon,
Thank you for an empty grave which is timeless proof that Jesuslives!

We pray for grace to understand the blessings of the open grave.

In Jesus name we pray.

Opening

Dearly beloved, I greet you gracefully in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God. I join millions all over the world to wish you a Happy Resurrection. We thank God for the finished work at Calvary, which was evident by the fact that Jesus rose from the dead and is no longer in the grave. Brethren, there was a Friday, but there was also a Sunday. There was shame, but there was also glory. Let somebody shout hallelujah! 

Tell your neighbour in one word or sentence what Easter means to you. To me, it is faith in action; one that touch others and floods the face with smiles and the heart with joy. Inexplicable joy. Easter is the symbol of divine love, salvation, hope, resurrection and freedom spelled out by Jesus Christ to all who believe. And all who believe are called to show that Jesus lives within them to exemplify God in and for us.

I was graced to meet and work with the Abidoyes in 2008-2009at Jesus Palace, Maryland. I am graced to call Pastor Adenike Abidoye my prayer partner, my sister and my friend. I thank you ma for drawing from my source to be a blessing to this wonderful group. I have met fewer people who have remained consistent; she is one. You are blessed to have her here. Let’s give a round of applause to God who has kept her in the faith to the glory of God Almighty.  

I was told that Jesus Palace Atlanta is looking at Open Heavens. Today, we will look at Open Grave. Victory of the Open Grave. For testimony to happen, there must be a test. For triumph to happen, there must be trial or tribulation. For heaven to happen, there was a grave (tomb). The grave is always timed,but heaven is timeless. Heaven is TIMELESS. Ija d’opin! The battle is over! Hallelujah! Happy Easter! On this glorious day, may we all receive victory over dead issues in Jesus name.

I watched a video of about 90s where a fire fighter rescued 6ducklings from a gutter as mother duck and one duckling pacedfrantically. The fire fighter called to the ducklings using a quacking ringtone on his mobile phone. This action by man to mammals exemplifies God in and for us. It was like the Parable of the Lost Sheep in Matthew 18:12–14 where a shepherd leaves his flock of ninety-nine sheep in order to find the one that is lost. Be sure that if Pastor Abidoye ever see or hear that you have fallen into a pit, she will not leave till you are out. It’s what we are wired to do as Christians.

1 Corinthians 15:4 is an example of Love so divine! And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures: Who was buried? Who rose again?

Victory of Resurrection

Resurrection would not be worth celebrating if Jesus died and stayed dead. But the grave could not hold Jesus bound! The grave will not hold you bound in Jesus name! 

Do you know why? The grave is OPEN! That is why we can thank God wholeheartedly for the resurrection morning and shout with boldness, He Arose! Hallelujah Jesus Christ AROSE. Jesus by His resurrection stripped satan of all your possessions and gave you the victory. The empty tomb is God’s grand signature that you have been set free from anything that the devil has to offer. He did it all just for YOU. Hallelujah!

Begin to decree and declare what Jesus set you free from…

What does Psalm 49:15 say?

But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. 

What are the blessings of the open grave?

1. Freedom from agony

But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. Acts 2:24

2. Mastery over death

For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.Romans 6:9

3. Victory over death 

But God will rescue me; he will save me from the power of death (Psalm 49:15). By his resurrection he has overcome death, so that he might make us share in the righteousness he won for us by his death. Apostle Peter declared that death could not hold on to Jesus any more than a pregnant woman can hold her unborn child in her body. To emphasize this point, Peter adds: “because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.” Why was this impossible? God made Jesus both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36). So then, Jesus’s victory over death is a victory in which we share when we are united with him. What a comfort this is when we face death. 

4. Bondage Breaker

Jesus is identified as the Messiah (Christ), the Anointed One who would deliver God’s people by leading them out of bondage. Death could not keep its hold on Jesus! Romans 6:9, Unlike Lazarus’s ‘revival’, which did not spare him from another physical death, Jesus Christ’s resurrection meant a final break from/with death and all its power.

5. Divine Connection by faith 

Our union and divine connection to Jesus, makes this true for us as well. Verse 9 is connected to Romans 6:8, which says: “Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.” This union or connection to Christ comes through faith (Romans 3:22). Peter makes the same point at the end of his sermon in Acts 2, calling people to repentance and baptism (a sign of belonging to the people of God) in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38-39). It is comforting that we share in the victory over death. As Christians we must not entertain fear. Leave the unknown tomorrow in God’s hands. One sign that you are not in love is fear; the Bible says perfect love cast out fear. No matter how we die, death is comforting to the saints.

6. He Arose! No Evidence of Argument Against Empty Tomb

The fact that Jesus arose is not debatable. By his power we too are already now resurrected to a new life. There is no evidence of dispute anywhere in the world that the tomb of Jesus was empty on Sunday morning, not even those who crucified Jesus.

7. Testimony of the Empty Tomb

Even the most sceptical, cynical, and unbelieving historians, philosophers, and theologians agree that a man named Jesus died on a Roman cross on Friday, was buried and His tomb was empty by Sunday (Mark 16:5-7). Countless individualstestified that they saw Jesus alive on multiple occasions after he died, including James, his half-brother, who initially did not believe Jesus was the Messiah, but later came to faith and held tenaciously to that belief that he was willing to be stoned to death. You will testify in Jesus name. We are not dealing merely with the fact that the tomb was empty but also with the fact that hundreds of people testified to seeing Jesus alive with their own eyes. 

8. Comforter Promised

Jesus Christ’s destiny of descent to the grave and ascent to heaven is what led to the promise of the Holy Spirit, our COMFORTER. Prophets, Pastors and Counsellors ministerthrough the power of the Holy Spirit. Without an open grave,which made heaven possible, we would never have had the blessing of the Holy Spirit. The open sepulchre guaranteed thepromise and arrival of the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-18). I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you (John 16-7).

9. Eternal Life Guaranteed

Jesus Christ’s resurrection is a guarantee of our glorious resurrection. Let us give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Because of his great mercy he gave us new life by raising Jesus Christ from death. This fills us with a living hope (1 Peter 1:3). For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:(Job 19:25-26). Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me will live, even though they die; and those who live and believe in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25)

10. Limitless Love

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

Conclusion

When my beloved died I was in grave grief but I said to myself, he can only die once. So, I sent him off with celebration. Pain of losing him was in my heart but I denied his siblings the opportunity to just toss him in the grave with gloom. I designed a beautiful funeral brochure; I coordinated a beautiful event with choir and people from all walks of life including the presidency. My prince is going to his King and knowing the power and victory in the grave, while I cried for physical loss of fellowship, I celebrated His passage to glory.

The Bible tells us in Luke 24 that some women went to the tomb to seek for Jesus perhaps to anoint His body or weep at His tomb. It was obvious that they disbelieved all He had told them concerning His death and resurrection. Luke 24: 5-8 “…why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but He is risen: remember how He spake unto you when He was yet in Galilee saying, The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified and the third day rise again. And they remembered His words.’’

Beloved, the truth is that so many believers today are still operating from the grave rather from the throne of grace.  When you continue to accept the fact that you are bound, you are stilloperating from the grave. When Jesus died, He paid the price for your sins, AND He freed you from the power that hold humansdown in destiny AND gave you access into the class of eminence.  He took from the devil all power and authority and restored it back to you so that you can function as one who hasdominion. Ephesians 2:6, says “And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:”

Blessed Child of God, until you begin to see yourself as graced, and clothed in glory you cannot attain the height that God has ordained for you. If the power of hell could not hold Jesus down, no power can stop you from rising. He rose, you will rise! I call on you today to arise from the place of shame, defeat and hopelessness to the place of divine love, salvation, hope, resurrection and freedom.

It is my prayer that the resurrection power that lifts from the grave to grace and glory will touch every area of your life. I stand in faith with you that you will arrive at God’s ordained destiny for your life. Nothing will cut short your celebration. 

In the city of Hanover, Germany, there is in one of the churchyards the grave of Henriette Juliane Caroline von Rüling (1756 – 1782). This grave of many large stones bears a German inscription on the lowermost stone, which is translated, “May this tomb bought for eternity never be opened.” Later, a birch tree somehow grew from beneath the stones, sprouted up from amongst them, and literally caused the tomb to be opened. The tomb became a tourist attraction, to hundreds annually. 

The inscription on the tomb reflected a belief that once a tomb is closed, it is never reopened. Ironically, a tree broke up this tomb! If a seed can exert such force, think of the phenomenal demonstration the Creator of that seed demonstrated by exertinghis power to open the grave of Jesus and by implication all graves.

Indeed, this eventual grand opening of graves is exactly what our Lord promised: Slowly but surely, the irresistible light ofGod’s glory forced its way between the rocks and stones, and burst every iron band. Now there is not a single stone left in its original position, although no hand of man has ever presumed to try to move them.  

The power of resurrection is the CORE power which Jesus Christ, exerts in every believer. “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the word of faith which we preach: that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:8-9

Jesus still comes as of old, anointed with the Holy Spirit, “to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound” (Isaiah 61:1). Like that seed that eventually upset the grave in Hanover, the Bible says poetically that our bodies will be sewn in the ground and will be raised with immortality (1 Corinthians 15:32-45). 

While death frightens us because we have never experienced it before, and know little about what the experience will be, nonetheless we take comfort in the fact that death is not final but is merely a transition which our Friend and Saviour will administer (Luke 16:19-31; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Are you prepared for your own death and resurrection?

The work that Jesus did for you on the Cross of Calvary is very much like a gift card. Your salvation is paid for but only winning over the grave experience in your life guarantees heaven. You will only be able to access the benefits, if you survive the grave and show up to claim the benefits of heaven - healing,peace of mind, breakthrough, victory over sin, wisdom, divine direction and many more that it it offers. Some doubters never show up. Some tap halfway.  Only those who have died to flesh and risen to faith would tap into the paid in full mode. These are REAL Christians who believe and are aware that the provisions of Heaven are limitless.

Salvation is a full package. The work of Jesus Christ on the cross was finished in the grave that is now OPEN. Whosoever believes now has full and unlimited access to all that God has tooffer here on earth and in eternity. Resurrection Sunday is here, it would serve us victory to continue to keep our focus on the reality of the empty grave. Happy Easter! The grave isOPEN; we have victory over dead issues in Jesus name. A.B.C.

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