"Lord, update my file"

By Odon Bulamba

1 Cor 1:18, the words of the cross are foolishness for those who are not saved, but for us believers it is a different story.

 

Today we are going to talk about an awkward topic called “Lord, update my file” but before we do we will read together Revelations 1:18 out loud.  “I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades”.   Jesus himself said it.  Yesterday I was dead, I was crucified and killed but I am alive forever more. To die was one step, to be alive is another step but also remember the next step: “I hold the keys to hades and death”.

 

Imagine they could tell you these are the keys of death, it is up to you do decide if a person lives or not.  How many people would run after you and beg you for life?  This is a powerful message of Jesus that was addressed in Revelations.  He didn’t talk about it while he was alive but spoke about it later when he spoke to John to let him know the future because many people were saying He left and doesn’t talk to us anymore.

 

Today many people are talking about Easter.  Buddhists, Muslims, Jews, they all accept it but don’t want to believe that Jesus holds the keys of hades and death.  They don’t want to believe that life comes through Jesus and if you want to be far from hell and be judged on last day, you need Christ.  They don’t want to believe that.  Jesus is different from other leaders because of the resurrection.  All religions have leaders and they died but never came back to life. 

 

Mathew 27:52&53: “And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.”

 

The day that Jesus came back from the grave, He didn’t come back by Himself.  He brought a group of people with Him, those who were believers and trusted in God and believed that God was their savior.  People like you and me saw them walking around the holy city with their own eyes.  Those people walking in the city – what does that mean for us today, what does that teach me? 

 

We have heard a lot of teachings of Jesus – buried and rise again.  Easter is the biggest party that Christians should have in life, the biggest celebration we should organize because it is the day of salvation, the day Jesus brought us back into the Kingdom.  When Jesus died He said it is finished, but what happened, people continued their normal life.

 

Before He died, He promised, “you’ll bury me but three days later I’ll come back to life”.  They took strong soldiers to look after the tomb day and night and when resurrection arrived, the people were like dead people and they couldn’t look at Him because of the power of resurrection.

If you see someone who passed away 20 years ago and they come back again, how will you look at their face?  What will be your reaction if you see them?  Will you hug them?  Some will scream, some will cry on the name of Jesus believing it is a ghost or run away because they will think they are demons.  There is power in resurrection and your body shakes.  When Jesus came back, those in the garden collapsed because of fear.

 

The lady who came to visit the tomb panicked but the angel told her not to fear.  She must have wondered, how can you tell me to not be afraid.  Why does God tell us to not be afraid?  He knows fear is there.  How often are we afraid to tell others about God, or to kneel down in front of others to pray, or to talk to colleagues and show them I am not a part of them. 

 

Miraculously Mary conceived through the Holy Spirit and gave birth and we also were miraculously given a new birth by the Holy Spirit and were born again.  We started to grow up like Jesus who loved so much to be in church and discuss with elders about the Word of God.  We also loved church and to read the Word of God.  There are similarities between Jesus and Christians but one thing we didn’t do was die on cross but we can pray and heal the sick just like Jesus. 

 

Now is the time of resurrection.  I believe all of us here are saved and something crucified you.  Maybe you have a problem with reading the Bible, maybe you feel tired every time you go to read it, or maybe people visit you just as you are about to open it or maybe you don’t have the strength to read it.  Maybe you are crucified because your body is weak so you are prevented from doing what is good, like Paul who said he wants to do good but his body doesn’t allow him.  Maybe you feel crucified because your body doesn’t do what you want and those are looking around you and expecting you to do something.  Sometimes your children have to remind you to say grace.  Sometimes we know what to do but we don’t’ because our bodies don’t allow us and because we don’t’ push our bodies to listen.

 

Jesus knew He would be crucified but He pushed his body.  Your time on this earth is very short and God didn’t hide this from you.  For God, He is telling us to get ready every second because you don’t know when he’ll call you back.  Although salvation is there, resurrection is the most important part.  When someone is dead in our cultures we decide to get rid of the person, we don’t want to keep the body, and we bury them.

 

My father was my best friend and when he died I was told to come and see him for the last time.  I freaked out because I couldn’t understand why I didn’t have the right to see him again and I was only 10 years old.  I started to think about bad people and old people and asking myself, why can’t they die.  When the time is there for someone to go forever, you will be invited to say good bye forever and they will take the body and dig a hole and cover it with dirt.

 

When they tell you, come let us dig here, this is your place…how will you feel?  I was once given a coffin for a present.  In my heart, I wondered what the person wanted, does he want me to die and all my thoughts were negative.  Opening the coffin, it said, to die is gain and I hope one day I will see you in eternity.  If you receive a coffin, how will you feel?  Most of us forget that we are going to die and any second death can take us.  Death doesn’t knock on the door and say are you ready or accept money instead.

The man with the keys of death is warning us that at any time I can unlock the door so why don’t you put your trust in me and hook yourself in me so you can be alive in my kingdom.  Maybe my key for life is my bank account, my job, or my will.  Do you have a will for where you are going?  Have you written that?  God, when I leave this is what I am planning?  God is expecting from you to come back to life as a saint.  Will you be a saint at the resurrection? 

 

In the passage we just read, Jesus came back to life and those who came back to life with Him were saints.  They had given their lives to Jesus and were committed to Him.  One day He is going to come back again and take us and only those that are clean and alive in Jesus will come back to life and reign with Him forever.

 

Look at your computer, you can have Microsoft word and your computer will tell you that you need to update your program.  Why do we need to update them? Because they need to be on the same system as the operating system of the computer.  Microsoft will update itself and in order to keep your files running properly, you need to update.  If you don’t, you could lose your file.  Your files become old. 

 

We have many Christians with old salvation, with old faith, with old gifts of the Holy Spirit, taking the mask of old people and with their old belief they walk.  God is the same yesterday and forever, He doesn’t get old and we should also be fresh every time.

 

One time someone was praying to God and he asked God to respond to a lady who was sick and after praying for a couple of years, the Holy Spirit spoke and said, you have to pray for that lady and he said, I’ve been praying and what I have prayed is enough, I have other topics. 

 

Many Christians continue to stick on yesterday and continue to believe that because Jesus died for me, I am saved.  If I don’t give my offering today, it is ok.  They start to try to find a place where they should fit but as Christians, we don’t fit there.  You have to know your place with God and fit in His puzzle.  Why are we on the earth?  Just to eat, to wear nice clothes, to have a degree, to have a family, to look at Gods creation…no…for one purpose…to come to earth to serve your God.  We are not here to get glory, or be seen by others as someone important but to serve God.

 

The day you go back, God will ask you what did you do?  During your 90years on earth what did you do?  You will never tell God about your glasses or suit.  Are you a servant?  Where do you keep what God gave you? What are they doing here on earth?

 

Jesus said you have to update your file. A computer will take a short time to update and once it has everything runs fast and smooth.  When was the last time you updated yourself?  When you die, they will bury you.  Jesus is coming back for the church. Those who die in Him will come back to life and meet the Lord in the air.  Are you ready to meet with Him?  Will it be a shame if your daughter, brother or sister say, “hey you used to pray, I’m in heaven and you are not” how will you feel.  Tell God that you want also to see your resurrection

 

If laziness is killing you, tell God.  Some are lazy to go to church.  You wish to sleep instead but don’t worry about sleeping because one day you will be in the grave for years and you will have the chance to sleep for many years until the day that Jesus comes back to wake you up. 

 

Some Christian’s behavior doesn’t reflect Jesus’ behavior.  If you die with the Holy Spirit in you then resurrection will be easy for you.  In all situations it will be easy for you.  In your work, your colleagues can try to kill you but remember when the time God arrives, he will rise you up no matter what.  Every year I tell God I want to come back with you and also be alive and look fresh.

 

When Jesus came back to earth his body changed.  He could appear and disappear and had an eternal body, a heavenly body.  How is your body? Do you continue to keep it as a temple of the Holy Spirit, does it reflect the heaven or does it reflect something else?  Through your actions people will know you; through your fruit.  What fruit are you bearing?  I questioned a church last week, what is the fruit of the Holy Spirit?  They couldn’t tell me because they don’t read the Word of God.  I asked them, how many gifts of the Spirit are there and one person said, there are too many to fill a basket.  So I asked them to tell me just 20 (although I knew there wasn’t) and then they started to tell me love is kind, patient, instead of giving me the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

 

Maybe we have forgotten here too because if we don’t hold onto it and remind ourselves, we will forget.  Some people can hold onto a pen and ask where is my pen which means instead of searching around, look at yourself first.  People don’t want to look.  Sometimes we see another person who is not ready to come to the meeting, and then we make a decision not to go also.  Salvation is personal so tell yourself you have to do it no matter what.  The day of salvation was given to you. 

 

I have been to Middle East and I have seen people praying at the wall and hitting their head on the wall for hours and they believe the more they hurt, the more God will hear them.  People hurt themselves with whips and blood comes so God can see how much they are sacrificing for Him but here, us Christians we are relaxing with a glass of wine with our dinner and we are dying.

 

Jesus said on the day of resurrection He came back with others from the dead.  How many people are you going to bring with you on the day of resurrection? Not only our actions will follow us so that we will be given a crown according to the work we did but also those around us will follow us into the kingdom.  For many years you have been saved, what have you done with that salvation?  How many people have you told to join you in salvation?  How many people are ready but you don’t give them the chance?  How many people envy you?  People will appreciate you for telling them the truth.

 

Years ago there were times when I had to borrow a pair of trousers and a shirt so I could preach and afterwards I had to give those clothes back and have nothing.  How many people outside are waiting for you to bring them into the Kingdom of God.  No one wants to perish, everybody wants to be saved.  We who know the master with the key of death we don’t want to lead them and we prefer them to be where they are.

 

Jesus is asking us to bring many people because the day of resurrection is coming.  You might say you don’t know where to go.  Talk to people, you lose nothing by telling them to change their lives.  If you are not careful on the day of resurrection, instead of enjoying the party you might be offended when you are asked, “why didn’t you do that, I told you to bring people but you didn’t”.  Will you eat when you have been growled?  Don’t allow your city and country to stay among the dead.  This is the time for our country, this is the time for the church to wake up. 

 

It was women who discovered Jesus was gone and told others.  We as women (the church) what story are you telling others.  Are you just going to eat with others but forget to tell them about Jesus?  God didn’t give you a mouth for eating only but also to make statement.  Jesus was only given three years to work.  How many years have you had?  In three years what did He accomplish?  What have you done with all these years?  What have you done? 

 

“Go everywhere to spread the gospel and make them my disciples”.  That is all, He didn’t ask you to perform miracles first but simply to make disciples.  They are waiting for you, your friends, neighbours, every person.  How do you know you are ready? Don’t you know your gift?  If you don’t know, update and ask God to remind you.  If you have file from 1997, your computer won’t accept it.  So start again, it’s not too late.  Jesus is coming back soon. 

 

Your clothing, food, job and people will stay behind and the only thing that will follow you is your actions.  What good is it for you to gain the entire world but lose the Kingdom of God.  You can think that salvation is enough but for God it is not enough.  Jesus died and said it is finished but His resurrection was another step and if He hadn’t come back to life, we couldn’t be saved.  He died for our sin but His resurrection is a sign that one day he is coming back for us and as a saint I shouldn’t stay as a dead person, I should be alive.  Breath is the only thing that makes you different from the dead.  Are you breathing? Is what God gave you operating?

 

Many people on the day of resurrection will run after you and say you never told me about the Word of God and we were always together and accuse you  because you didn’t tell them.  How happy will you be that day?  How will you feel when the world points the finger at you for not telling them the truth.  Shame on you because you are letting God down.  Make a decision today and that decision will change the lives.

 

We will pray, if you need God to help you to be alive to do God’s work then pray for that.  If you need to update your file, please stand up and I will pray for you.  If you believe you are fine, praise God and continue with the work and God will use you.