Focus for Effect #4: The Resurrection of Christ  | Pastor Mac Hammond 
 
Recap
 
What a wonderful Easter weekend we had as we celebrated Jesus! His resurrection is the focal point for our faith, for it bridges the gap between the seen realm and the unseen realm. As you go through your day today, remember that the resurrection power of Jesus has the ability to raise your circumstances high above anything you can imagine. The touch of death does not need to destroy your life! God’s resurrection power is at work in you and through you to touch this world for Him.
 
Dive Deeper
 

The affliction that you face today does not need to ruin you. It does not need to overwhelm you or worry you. The affliction you face today can be light and momentary as you move your focus from what is wrong to what is right.

Now, that may sound difficult, for you may be facing a situation that doesn’t appear to have anything right in it, but as Pastor Mac pointed out this past weekend, every day we have the opportunity to focus our minds on what is always right: the resurrection of Jesus.

You may see that death has touched your life in some way. You may see a crumbling relationship or a negative bank balance. You may be uncertain of what your future will hold. Today, though, you can turn your attention away from what is wrong and turn it toward the resurrection of Jesus. Jesus showed us that what looked like defeat was deliverance in disguise. He showed us that Friday and Saturday were agonizing, but Sunday eventually came! The resurrection power of Jesus is at work, and it can impact your life!

A good question to ask yourself is this: What attention are you giving to spiritual truth throughout your day? Are you spending time outside of your prayer and Bible time where you are focusing on what God can do in your life? The more you magnify God in your thought patterns, the more the relief of God’s peace and His presence can come into your life.

Focus on the resurrection of Jesus, for His resurrection power is what we celebrate every Easter.

 
Read About It
 

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 KJV

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:18 TPT

…because we don’t focus our attention on what is seen but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but the unseen realm is eternal.

Ephesians 1:19-20 KJV

And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places.

1 Peter 1:13 KJV

Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

 
Discussion Questions
 

When you look at life through the lens of God’s resurrection power, how does that change your perspective?

How can you focus more on Jesus throughout each day? (If you don’t have a good answer, ask the Lord to show you ways to make this happen, and He will!)

What is the central focus of your daily life?

Recent Sermon Notes

Covenant and Chesed | Billye Brim

we had our long-time friend of the ministry, Dr. Billye Brim, as our guest minister. She taught us about covenant and a very special word tied to it—chesed! God is a covenant-keeping God and He wants to enter covenant with us. She reminded us that He has a glorious plan for all His children. Because He is a covenant-keeping God, He will honor His plan for our lives as long as we honor and live under His demands for our lives.

Grace Unveiled, #22: Resurrection Magnification | Jim Hammond

Pastor Jim continued his series Grace Unveiled this past weekend. He continued in Romans chapter 6 and talked about what baptism is and the importance of recognizing that there is power available to us through Jesus’ resurrection. We are new creatures in Christ who can identify with the resurrection of Jesus. We don’t need to live by our old ways. We can magnify Jesus and all He is done for us. His grace makes us everything we can become today!

Grace Unveiled: “Baptized Into His Death” | Jim Hammond

Pastor Jim presented the 21st installment to his series on the book of Romans entitled, “Grace Unveiled.” By now, having gone through Romans chapters 1 through 5, we should all have an understanding of what it means to be justified. Once you ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, you receive the gift of righteousness. That means you are able to stand before God the Father without a sense of guilt or inferiority. This is the New Testament covenant we have with God, made possible through Jesus Christ. Now that we have a firm understanding of what it means to be justified through grace, Pastor Jim began to teach on the subject of sanctification.

GRACE UNVEILED 19 The Throne of Grace | Jim Hammond

Pastor Jim gave the 20th installment of his series on the book of Romans entitled, “Grace Unveiled.” His subtitle was “The Spirit Is Greater Than Flesh.” He finished up his examination of Galatians 5, where it listed the works of the flesh. This examination revealed that a lot of us have been sinning and we didn’t even realize it! Nonetheless, because of our New Testament Covenant, through grace, our sins are forgiven and we are made righteous before our God!

Upper Midwest Faith Explosion 24 | Terri Savelle Foy, Kenneth Copeland, and Jesse Duplantis

“Ignite a fresh fire in our hearts, Lord,” was the heart cry of Pastor Mac at the annual Upper Midwest Faith Explosion. Passion to fulfill the Lord’s mandate to make disciples of all nations was the driving force of these special meetings. Though each of our guest speakers—Terri Savelle Foy, Kenneth Copeland, and Jesse Duplantis— preached unique messages, their messages converged into a united flow, acknowledging the time is short. It’s time for the body of Christ to push beyond the limits of the Christian experience, uniting together to make disciples of all nations. “And that,” said Pastor Mac, “is how we will change the face of the globe!”