Audio: #49 He Turned It Over to Us

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Del Tackett

Jun 5, 2025

This is the audio for #49 He Turned It Over to Us

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If Jesus Rose from the Dead, then (#49) He Turned It Over to Us

In the midst of Jesus telling His disciples that He was going to be killed and then raised from the dead, He also talked to them about His leaving. The Resurrection surprised them; the Ascension did not… nor did Pentecost.

I suppose it was in the 40 days of teaching after the resurrection that they finally began to understand what was going on. Can you imagine having over a month with Jesus? Listening, asking all your questions? That must have really been something. They didn’t have the Holy Spirit yet, but the resurrection got their attention… it really changed everything.

This is what Jesus said to them in the Upper Room before He was taken to be crucified:

"Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father" (John 14:12, ESV).

So, here we have another link that Jesus is making between His death, resurrection and ascension, and what it would be like after He left. He talked a lot about that, and we have dealt with much of it already: He would not leave us as orphans; the Holy Spirit would come; He and the Father would make their abode in us; He would prepare opportunities for us; etc.

In this passage, Jesus is telling them that the Body of Christ (whoever believes in Me) would, after He left, do “greater works." This could be puzzling to some, for one might think that “greater” means more spectacular or more miraculous. But the Greek word here is probably better understood in terms of a numerical greater or wider scope. In other words, Jesus was going to leave, and the works that He had done in a single physical body in a small geographical place were now going to be done in the “body” of Christ that would reach to the ends of the earth; brothers and sisters in Christ who would be engaging neighbors from every tribe and tongue and nation, from east to west and north to south.

This should be a watershed picture for us. The plan of God was that Jesus would leave, the Holy Spirit, God Himself, would come and live within us, and we would then do greater works.

This is quite a vision. Have we captured it? Yesterday we looked at the amazing declaration that those of us who are in Christ are priests, whether a farmer or a teacher, a seamstress or a janitor. Coupled with the Royal Law, we are priests who have been providentially placed in our neighborhood next door to a neighbor who has also been providentially placed there. This is our Jerusalem and ground zero in the work of the Kingdom.

Just like the priests were scattered among the twelve tribes, to be distributed among them, so, too, are we scattered and distributed among the cultures in which we find ourselves. All those who are in Christ Jesus are part of this royal priesthood, prepared and appointed to fulfill our priestly duties within our neighborhoods.

This is how it should be.

There is a great question from the symbolic imagery in Ezekiel 37:

The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live” (Ezekiel 37:1-3, ESV)?

“Can these bones live?” It is a great question for the western church today. Of course, in God’s interaction with Ezekiel, the Spirit of God came upon those dry bones and they eventually “lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.” Can the western church live again? Can it become an exceedingly great army again? Symbolically, of course, but an army that again turns the world upside down through the indwelling Spirit and loving their neighbors.

You know, it is easy to make Christianity complicated. But it isn’t very complicated at all. Jesus told us we were a priest and we were to love our neighbors. That’s how the early church worked for 250 years. It reminds me of that incredible promise of Jesus:

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls (Matthew 11:29).

I am increasingly aware of how my Christianity doesn’t foster much “rest for my soul” but rather it is filled today with all kinds of products and programs that make me more restless than restful. There is a simplicity to the Royal Law and my role as a priest within my neighborhood that eliminates the deceiver’s call to “save the world” or “do more” or other forms of chasing significance that isn’t, in the end, very significant. I’m finding that the enjoinment to “find out what pleases the Lord” is really quite simple and it brings “rest” to one’s soul. Isn’t it interesting to think of how complicated the OT rules and regulations were and to then look at the New Covenant where everything has been summed up in one simple thing: love your neighbor. And the power to do that has been given to us because He dwells within us, giving us all the fruit we need to fulfill what He has asked us to do.

The Scripture certainly gives us enough of a picture of who we are:

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God (1 Corinthians 6:19)?

Paul, the “Hebrew of Hebrews” and “as to the law, a Pharisee” was now speaking such radical things to new believers including this, that they were a new temple in which the Holy Spirit dwelt. Temples on feet. Temples with hands and voices… and smiles. I long for us to see ourselves in such a powerful way.

Let’s go back and pick up on a very important word in the John 14 passage:

"Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father" (John 14:12, ESV).

“Whoever believes in me” will do greater works. The vision is for every believer. Not just for the cleric or those in professional ministry. Whoever believes. One of the key things we talk about in the Engagement Project is this:

God has entrusted the primary work of the Kingdom to the common, every-dayChristian family.

Brother or sister, whether you are a farmer or hotel maid, a taxi driver or a nurse, a janitor or on a pick-line in a factory… you have been entrusted with the primary work of the Kingdom. You have the Word of God and the fullness of God dwelling within you.

What more do we need? What more do you need?

Jesus was raised from the dead, crushing the head of Satan, defeating death, paying for our sins, making us sons of God and coming to live within us. He has done all of that, and now it’s over to us. He is making opportunities for us and will be together with us in those opportunities. He has left us with His Word and He dwells within us. We have been given everything necessary for us to continue the legacy that was started 2000 years ago: turning the world upside down.

May we see the Body of Christ, the army of God, once again at her station!

Soli Deo Gloria!

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(#2) The Seal Was Broken

If Jesus Rose from the Dead, then (#2) The Seal Was Broken [audio] We don’t spend much time talking about the seal that was placed upon the tomb, but I think it is significant. Here is the historical record: The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’ Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.” Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard. (Matthew 27:62-66) The account states that the chief priests and the Pharisees “made the tomb secure by sealing the stone…”. This seal was most likely several ropes that were drawn across the stone and then affixed to the tomb walls with a soft clay imprinted with some symbol of authority. It was also likely that the ropes were sealed at their juncture in front of the stone. In this way, no one could move the stone or the ropes without breaking the dried clay and destroying the “seal” affixed upon the clay. The seal was there to “put on notice” that no one was to mess with the tomb. Rome could deal quite nastily with those who did so. Now, this doesn’t mean much to us today, for we are long past the norm of using “seals” as they were utilized in ancient times. but in those days, a seal was inviolable[1]. It represented authority, authenticity, and finality. No one messed with a seal. In the book of Esther, when King Ahasuerus issued the order to save the Jews, he commanded them to “seal it with the king's ring, for an edict written in the name of the king and sealed with the king's ring cannot be revoked.” (Esther 8:8) When Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den, “… a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet of his lords, that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel." (Daniel 6:17) In the vision concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, the Scripture says: And the vision of all this has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed. When men give it to one who can read, saying, “Read this,” he says, “I cannot, for it is sealed.” (Isaiah 29:11) The permanence of a seal against all who were unauthorized to break it was an inviolable part of their world. It becomes even more apparent when John is caught up to heaven and there beholds the scroll with seven seals. John weeps because there was “no one worthy to open the scroll or to look into it” (Revelation 5:4). Of course, we find that the Lamb, “standing as though it had been slain” (Revelation 5:6), was worthy to break the seals. And when each of those seals were broken, great calamity came upon the earth. Seals in the Scripture mean something. And John had wept, because the seal represented an inviolable wall to anyone who did not have the authority to break it. Seals show authority. They show authenticity. And they show finality for all except the one who had the authority to break them. And so, we now come back to the tomb. The seal, whether it was a Roman seal or the High Priest’s seal, represented a fixed closure that no one was allowed to breach. When it was set upon the tomb, there was a finality, a stamp of ultimate authority, that said, “This tomb is closed.” Ah, but God is not subject to the laws or seals of man. I can imagine that when the earth began to shake and the stone was rolled aside, that those clay seals with the authority of man impressed upon them broke into a thousand pieces and lay as trash littering the ground. If Jesus rose from the dead, then the seal of man, meant to keep Him in the grave, had been utterly and completely destroyed. But there is one more thing that must be mentioned regarding “seals." It is important to note that God has given us this detail in the record to help substantiate the reality of the accounts of the empty tomb and the risen Lord Jesus. But it also brings our minds to something quite wonderful. In John 6:27, Jesus said: "Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” If God seals something, it is sealed! "In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit." (Ephesians 1:13) “… it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee." (2 Corinthians 1:21) This is God’s seal of authority, authenticity, and finality. You are His, sealed with His guarantee. Oh, my, dear brothers and sisters in Christ! How deep is the steadfast love of God that He should do such mighty things to secure us to Himself and then tell us that He has put His own seal upon you and me? As David writes: “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.” (Psalm 139:6) [previous] [next] [1]Inviolable /ĭn-vī′ə-lə-bəl/: never to be broken, infringed or dishonored; unassailable; secure from violation or assault or trespass

If Jesus Rose from the Dead, then... (#0)

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most important truth claim in a biblical worldview. It is the key apologetic for Christianity. It is the most important event in history. The implications of the Resurrection are so deeply woven into the fabric of our Christian faith that it is important for us to continually embed its truths into our heart and mind such that it becomes an ever-present reality. To do this, I would like for us to ponder fifty compelling arguments and implications that are true if Jesus, indeed, “rose from the dead.” We will look at these, one a day, over the next seven weeks. This will take us through Ascension Day and Pentecost. The latter two are important days of remembrance following the Resurrection and we will highlight them. But more importantly, I want to help people contemplate, on a daily basis, over a sustained period of time, the tremendous significance of the Resurrection. We will do this by considering not only the many proofs, but also the many deep implications. I would encourage you to do this as devotions with your spouse or as a study for your small group and then engage in a healthy discussion (suggested questions will be provided in the daily email). My prayer is that God will use these days to increase faith within the Body of Christ and our ability to provide a "neighborly apologetic" to those who are open to hear as the result of the relationships we are building with them. Paul states that without the resurrection, our faith would be in vain and we would still be lost. “… if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.” 1 Corinthians 15:17 This is not a minor statement, and it should cause us pause, for it puts this unique historical event into sharp perspective. Without the Resurrection, we are hopelessly lost. We are without a true faith and we are unforgiven, still condemned in our sins. We should probably read that verse over several times before plowing forward. It is easy for me, and possibly you, to treat Easter as another Christian holiday marked by multiple, and possibly extensive, preparations. Church choirs rehearse diligently and on overtime, special services are prepared (think Good Friday and sometimes Sunrise Services), thousands of lilies are tended and provoked to bloom at the right time and are purchased to line sanctuary rails, special meals are planned and prepared and joyously consumed, treasure hunts are created, painted eggs are hidden and Easter baskets are filled with chocolate bunnies, peeps, and who knows what else the market has, and will, come up with. The point here is that just like Christmas and Thanksgiving and every other holiday, including birthdays, anniversaries, and the multitude of “take-your-boss-to-lunch” kind of days, they are preceded with much preparation, happy execution, and then forgotten except to toss the wrappings into the trash and press on with life as usual. When I was at the White House, the annual “Easter Egg Roll” on the south lawn was a big deal with weeks of preparation, followed immediately by a massive clean-up and the Secret Service hustling folks out of the “compound." The next day, it was impossible to find any evidence that there had been anything going on. For the Resurrection, however, Paul implies that it is something so critical to our faith that it should be an ever present reality. The astounding cry, “He lives!” should be ongoing, not a one-and-done holiday. Certainly, "We serve a risen Savior, He's in the world today," as the famous hymn states, is an astounding, continual reality. I believe it is important for us to frequently ponder and meditate upon the deep implications that the tomb was really, truly empty and the resurrection of Jesus from the dead is absolutely true. So, we will look at not only these implications, but also the apologetic propositions and the incredible truths that logically follow this unmatched historical assertion. We will generally lay down the apologetic arguments first and then deal with the implications. And hopefully, after working your way through all of this, you will have imprinted these implications and truths deep in your heart such that they will help you with your walk into the darkness we call future. Because it is the Resurrection of Christ that stands not only at the forefront in the apologetic reality of who Jesus is and what God has done for us, but also the enduring hope we have in Christ. As another famous hymn states: "Because He lives, I can face tomorrow." [Next: It Would Have Shaken Everything]