The period after your resurrection

After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. - 1 Corinthians 15: 6
 
The crucifixion of Christ and the resurrection of Christ are inextricably bound together. The one leads to the other and neither one makes sense without the other. Now, there is a third element to the sojourn of our Savior. That is His ascension. We are told in Acts that while His disciples were gazing at Him he ascended into the heavens. Stephen would later confirm that He sat down at the right hand of the Father.
 
Okay. Crucifixion. Resurrection. Ascension. That is the order. We suffer. We rise. We go back to the Father. Have you ever wondered why Jesus didn't go back to heaven immediately after His resurrection? Most of us would have been too through with planet earth and have leaped at this opportunity to get the heck out of here and go back to heaven. Not, Jesus. He hung around after His resurrection. Do you see those words at the beginning of verse 6 -"after that?"
 
He had to be seen. Jesus was not satisfied with the fact that He had risen. He wanted to make sure that somebody knew it besides Himself. He did not desire it to be a rumor. His aim was to make it a matter of fact. Thus, He not only showed Himself to His closest disciples (including Thomas) but also to more than five hundred people over the course of forty days.
 
He had something to say. Jesus refused to go quietly into the night and slip into the clouds without comment. Before He left He had something to say:
 
To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: -
Acts 1: 3
 
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 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: 18-20
 
He had somethings to secure. The doubt concerning His resurrection was dispelled by Jesus with His presence among His disciples. Yet, His impending absence created doubt within them about their ability to live without Him. That is why before He ascended, He made it a point to assure them that they would be fine because He was going to send them help.
 
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. - Acts 1: 8
 
After His resurrection, He did not leave until He was sure that He had left people, places and things established to continue the new life which had come into being because of His resurrection. Neither should we. What are you doing to turn your resurrection into a legacy which lives on after you have ascended?

Pastor Benjamin Morris🙏🏽

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