Embracing the Power of Resurrection in Daily Life

Devotional

Day 1: The Foundation of Faith

In our spiritual journey, focusing on the fundamentals is crucial for growth and victory. Just as Coach John Wooden emphasized the importance of basics, like properly putting on socks, our faith requires a strong foundation. The Apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians 15, highlights the "first importance" of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. This is the cornerstone of our faith, akin to ensuring we are spiritually prepared to avoid the blisters of unpreparedness. By understanding and embracing these foundational truths, we can experience spiritual victories and a deeper relationship with God. [01:51]

"For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 3:11, ESV)

Reflection: What foundational truth of your faith do you need to revisit and strengthen today to ensure you are spiritually prepared for life's challenges?

Day 2: Encountering the Living Christ

The resurrection is not just about the empty tomb; it is about personal encounters with the risen Christ. The disciples' faith was not rooted in the absence of Jesus' body but in their transformative experiences with Him. These encounters are what fuel our faith and empower us to live out the resurrection's power. As we seek to know Christ personally, we are invited to experience His presence in our daily lives, transforming us and strengthening our faith. [04:37]

"And they said to each other, 'Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?'" (Luke 24:32, ESV)

Reflection: How can you create space in your daily routine to encounter the living Christ and allow Him to transform your heart and mind?

Day 3: Embracing Resurrection Power

The surpassing power of the resurrection is available to us, but it requires us to die to our old selves. This power enables us to live joyfully, pray expectantly, and follow faithfully, transforming us from the inside out. By letting go of the things that entangle us and embracing the new life Christ offers, we can experience the fullness of His power in our lives. This transformation is not just theoretical but is meant to be intimately known and experienced daily. [14:57]

"That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death." (Philippians 3:10, ESV)

Reflection: What old habits or mindsets do you need to let go of to fully embrace the resurrection power in your life today?

Day 4: Letting Go of the Flesh

To experience the resurrection power, we must put to death the deeds of the flesh. This involves letting go of sin and embracing the new life Christ offers, allowing His power to flow through us. By dying to our old selves, we can live in the freedom and glory of the Spirit, experiencing the transformative power of Christ in every aspect of our lives. This requires intentionality and a willingness to surrender our desires to God's will. [19:05]

"Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry." (Colossians 3:5, ESV)

Reflection: What specific area of your life do you need to surrender to God today to allow His power to flow through you more freely?

Day 5: Living in Surpassing Grace

God's grace is surpassing and available to us even in our struggles. As we experience His grace, we are called to extend it to others, living generously and enhancing God's reputation through our actions. This grace empowers us to face trials with joy, pray with confidence, and live in obedience to God's word. By living in surpassing grace, we can reflect God's love and generosity to those around us, making a lasting impact on the world. [28:46]

"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me." (2 Corinthians 12:9, ESV)

Reflection: How can you extend God's grace to someone in your life today, enhancing His reputation through your actions and words?

Sermon Summary

In today's gathering, we explored the profound significance of focusing on the fundamentals of our faith, drawing inspiration from the legendary Coach John Wooden. Wooden's emphasis on the basics, like teaching his players how to properly put on their socks, serves as a metaphor for our spiritual journey. Just as Wooden's attention to detail led to unparalleled success, our spiritual victories depend on our commitment to foundational truths. The Apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians 15, reminds us of the "first importance"—the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. This is the bedrock of our faith, akin to putting on our spiritual socks correctly to avoid the blisters of unpreparedness.

The resurrection is not merely about the empty tomb; it is about our personal encounters with the risen Christ. The disciples' faith was not rooted in the absence of Jesus' body but in their transformative encounters with Him. This encounter is what fuels our faith and empowers us to live out the resurrection's surpassing power. In Ephesians 1, Paul prays for the church to have wisdom and revelation, to know the hope of their calling, and to experience the greatness of God's power. This power is not theoretical but is meant to be intimately known and experienced in our daily lives.

Paul's own life exemplifies this as he considered all his achievements as loss compared to the surpassing value of knowing Christ. This challenges us to evaluate what we are chasing after and to prioritize our relationship with Jesus above all else. The resurrection power is available to us, but it requires us to die to our old selves, to let go of the things that entangle us, and to embrace the new life Christ offers.

As we reflect on these truths, we are called to live joyfully, pray expectantly, and follow faithfully. The resurrection power enables us to face trials with joy, to pray with confidence, and to live in obedience to God's word. It is a power that transforms us from the inside out, allowing us to put to death the deeds of the flesh and to live in the freedom and glory of the Spirit.

Key Takeaways

1. The Importance of Fundamentals: Just as Coach Wooden emphasized the basics, our spiritual journey requires a focus on foundational truths. The resurrection of Christ is the cornerstone of our faith, and understanding its significance is crucial for spiritual growth and victory. [01:51]
2. Encountering the Risen Christ: The disciples' faith was not based on the empty tomb but on their encounters with Jesus. Our faith is strengthened through personal encounters with Christ, which transform our lives and empower us to live out the resurrection's power. [04:37]
3. The Surpassing Power of the Resurrection: The resurrection power is available to us, but it requires us to die to our old selves. This power enables us to live joyfully, pray expectantly, and follow faithfully, transforming us from the inside out. [14:57]
4. Letting Go of the Flesh: To experience the resurrection power, we must put to death the deeds of the flesh. This involves letting go of sin and embracing the new life Christ offers, allowing His power to flow through us. [19:05]
5. Living in Surpassing Grace: God's grace is surpassing and available to us even in our struggles. As we experience His grace, we are called to extend it to others, living generously and enhancing God's reputation through our actions. [28:46]
** [28:46]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:51] - The Importance of Fundamentals
[03:18] - The Empty Tomb vs. Encountering Christ
[04:37] - Personal Encounters with Jesus
[05:25] - The Surpassing Power of the Resurrection
[07:59] - Hope and Inheritance in Christ
[08:55] - Intimate Knowledge of His Power
[10:20] - Surpassing Greatness
[11:06] - Paul's Paradigm Shift
[12:14] - Chasing After Christ
[13:17] - Righteousness Through Faith
[14:57] - Resurrection Power Requires Death
[16:00] - Living Joyfully and Praying Expectantly
[18:11] - Following Faithfully
[19:05] - Putting to Death the Flesh
[28:46] - Surpassing Grace and Generosity
[38:46] - Enhancing God's Reputation

Sermon Clips

1. "And, you know, you don't get there by accident. You get there because you pay attention to the small details. You get there because you focus in on the fundamentals. And one of the fundamentals that he would do is every year the new recruits would come in, and he would sit them around, and he'd tell them to go take off their shoes and socks. And they're going, okay, and what we'll do, your coach Wooden, of course we'll take our shoes and socks off." [00:46:18] (25 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2. "He says, what happens is if you don't get your socks on right, you'll develop blisters. If you develop blisters, then you'll miss a couple of times of practice. And you miss a couple of times of practice, when it comes time to play the game, you won't be as prepared as you need to play because you'll have missed some of the practices. And you'll miss practices because you've gotten blistered. You'll miss blisters because you didn't put your socks on." [01:45:66] (25 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3. "The apostle Paul says, The first importance. this is the thing, this is putting on the socks. You can't win victories out there if you've got blisters down there. You can't win victories out there if you're constantly being defeated, constantly seeing lack of preparation, just in the small, minor things that we do." [02:44:76] (19 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

4. "It wasn't the empty tomb. See, it wasn't until the two disciples with the empty tomb, they still walked towards a man. They said, oh, some of the women heard that the tomb was empty. They're still walking away from Jerusalem. It wasn't the empty tomb, because Thomas says, until I see him, I won't believe. It wasn't the empty tomb, it was the encounter." [04:37:70] (21 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

5. "When you encounter the risen Lord Jesus Christ, your life is changed. Absolutely. Changed three ways. One, give the power to live joyfully. Consider it joy, my brethren, when you encounter the power of the resurrection. Consider, oh, blessings upon blessings of every kind, right? When you encounter good things and you get a pay raise, when, that's what it says, right? Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters. When you get a pay raise, you know, when you get a new car, when you get a new house, when you finally are able to get a house to rent, you know, consider that all joy. Is that what the passage says? Oh." [16:00:56] (38 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

6. "The passage says, consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter trials, temptations of many kinds. Wow. Sometimes, sometimes, sometimes the power of the resurrection comes through suffering, but you have power to live joyfully. Consider it joy, my brothers and sisters. You have the power to pray expectantly. When you have the resurrection power, you can pray, and you can expect God to do it." [16:17:86] (28 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

7. "The power of the resurrection flows through you when those things that have entangled you are dead. When you encounter the risen Lord Jesus Christ, your life is changed. Absolutely. Changed three ways. One, give the power to live joyfully." [15:51:68] (25 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

8. "The surpassing power of the resurrection is yours. If you're willing to put to death those things which are holding you back. What is it that is holding you back? What is it that is holding you back from experiencing the power of the resurrection? You get to make a choice. Are you going to bury it? Are you going to allow God to have it? Say, God, here is my sin. I'm going to bury it. I'm saved. But the sin, it still tangles me." [39:35:92] (33 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

9. "Because remember, what you sow, Paul says, how you sow it doesn't, isn't what it comes out. You sow a seed of corn. It doesn't come out looking like a seed of corn that's just this big, does it? It comes out looking like a green plant, even though it went in as a yellow seed. You sow a black watermelon seed. It doesn't come out. It doesn't come out looking like a giant black watermelon seed. It comes out looking like a green plant, something different." [40:32:04] (23 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

10. "Maybe for some of you, so get rid of your sin and allow God to raise up something new, something fresh, something vibrant, something new. All right? So let me spend a couple of minutes just in quiet prayer as you just talk to God." [40:54:84] (18 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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