Living in the Power of the Resurrection

As believers, we know that Christ is not on the cross. Christ is not in a tomb. Christ is seated at the right hand of his Father in heaven. And the scripture tells us that he ever lives to make intercession for the saints, for those of us who know him. Over the past eight years, every Resurrection Sunday, I have been taking books of the Bible and teaching what that particular book has to say about the resurrection. [00:25:05]

Paul highlights various aspects of the resurrection and their significance. So I don't want you to miss that. Each book is giving us a different aspect of the resurrection of Christ. New Testament scholar F. F. Bruce wrote, the resurrection of Christ is not merely an event of the past, but the dynamic power that energizes the believer in the present. For Paul, especially in the prison epistles, the resurrection is both the foundation of our salvation, and don't miss this, the pattern for our transformation. [00:26:19]

The fact that Jesus is alive changed my life. It changed your life. So we're going to walk through these books and take a look at what each of them have to say about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And I submit to you that the resurrection of Christ is the tenet of Christianity. Remove the resurrection and there's no Christianity. That's why Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15, 17, if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. [00:27:02]

It is so important that he mentions it in the very first verse. Paul, an apostle, not for men nor through men, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead. The very first verse. Paul, an apostle, not for men, but through Jesus Christ and God the first verse talks to us about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. God the Father raised Him. And Almighty God can do that. I don't question God's power. I believe that God can do anything. [00:27:50]

And Paul uses the resurrection to validate his apostleship. The fact that he was able to go out on mission and preach the good news of Jesus to others. That Christ rose from the dead. Listen. There would be no good news today if you could go and visit the grave of Jesus Christ. There would be no good news. But there is good news for us. And we ought to thank God for that. We ought to shout it from the mountaintops. Jesus is alive. [00:28:24]

You see, Paul saw himself crucified with Christ. And that is the key to living the Christian life. You must die to yourself. And some of you that are here in this auditorium today, you need to hear that message. You need to hear the message that you need to die to yourself. Paul said, it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And he's talking about a spiritual resurrection. [00:29:23]

He says, in the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me. You see, the resurrection in Galatians emphasizes justification by faith and new life in Christ rather than the works of the law. You cannot, listen, you cannot get saved, be saved, remain saved by keeping rules and regulations. It is not beads, deeds or creeds. Salvation is by grace through faith alone. [00:29:48]

You have been raised up with Christ. You're to walk in newness of life. You're not to drag the old corpse of the dead man along with you. He's to be buried. You've been raised up with Christ. And then that salvation is by grace through faith plus nothing. You can't add to what Christ has finished and done for us. Now turn to the book of Ephesians. This is the electric book. And from electricity we get power. [00:31:03]

And look what he says in verses 19 and 20 of chapter 1. He says, What is the exceeding greatness of his power towards us who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at the right hand in the heavenly places? You see, the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead showcases God's mighty power. I have never raised anyone from the dead. [00:31:36]

But I can assure you that it takes a God power to do so. A God power to do so. In preparation for this Easter Sunday, I started looking through the Bible and seeing how many people were raised from the dead. And I discovered that there were three people in the Old Testament that were raised from the dead. The son of the widow Zarephath, raised by Elijah in 1 Kings 17. The son of the Shulamite woman, raised by Elisha in 2 Kings chapter 4. [00:32:21]

And then a man was raised when he fell into the grave and his body touched the bones of Elisha's bones. He was raised to life in 2 Kings 13. And then I moved into the New Testament and discovered that in Jesus' ministry, he raised the widow of Nain's son in Luke 7, Jarius' daughter in Mark chapter 5. And then his friend, Lazarus, whom he loved, he raised from the dead in John chapter 11. [00:32:48]

And then after Jesus' resurrection, we have Jesus himself resurrected, mentioned in all four Gospels. We have many of the saints in Jerusalem that were raised at the time of Jesus' resurrection. There were people that were walking around the day that Jesus rose from the dead that had died. They came up out of their graves. And then Tabitha Dorcas was raised by Peter in Acts chapter 9. [00:33:25]

And then there's a man in Acts chapter 20 that was listening to a very long sermon that Paul was preaching. He was setting up on a windowsill and he fell asleep and he fell out the window and he died. And Paul went down and prayed over this man's life and raised him from the dead. So God used Elijah, Elisha, Jesus, Peter and Paul to raise the dead. But get this, it was God's resurrection power. [00:33:50]

It was not their power. They did not raise them. God raised them. No one is raised without God's power. Jason happened to share a verse that I'm going to be sharing right now. Romans 8, 11. This verse empowers me. It ought to empower every Christian in this auditorium this morning. And if you're not a Christian, you ought to want to become a Christian. There is no greater life than the Christian life. [00:34:29]

And Romans 8, 11 says, But if the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you. The spirit that raised Jesus from the dead. He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his spirit who dwells in you. You see, do you realize the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead lives in us as believers? [00:34:51]

Why is it I ask you today Why is it If the same power That raised Christ from the dead Lives in us Why do we so often live defeated lives? We have resurrection power living in us The power that raised Christ from the dead We need to tap into that power We need to tap into it You see, Ephesians is the electric book It's where you get your power. [00:36:26]

Turn to Ephesians chapter 2 and look at verses 5 and 6. It says, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ. By grace you have been saved and raised us up together and made us to sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Scripture tells us positionally right now you and I are seated at the right hand of the Father with Christ. [00:37:00]

Jesus was highly exalted. He was enthroned next to his Father. And that tells us that we who have resurrected from the dead, that's what it says in verse 5. Even when we were dead in trespasses, he made us alive. He made us alive. We're not dead anymore. Stop living as dead people. You are alive in Christ. Live in the supernatural power provided to you by Jesus Christ. [00:37:38]

And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. That was Friday. Therefore, God has highly exalted him, and given a name which is above every name. God highly exalted him. That's his resurrection. That at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow of those in heaven, and those on earth, and those under the earth. [00:39:13]

And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Though not directly mentioning the resurrection, it implies it. God exalted Jesus after him. His death, which included His resurrection and His ascension into glory. Paul goes on in this book. Look over at chapter 3 and look at verses 10 and 11. He says that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering being conformed to His death. [00:39:44]

If the resurrection of Jesus never happened, then why do the authors of the Bible mention it so many times? Why do they mention about knowing Christ's power and His resurrection? Paul wanted to experience so much of Christ. And believers, if I could instill in anything in you today, I would say, have a hunger, have a thirst, have an urging and longing to know more and more about Jesus. [00:40:20]

Don't be satisfied going in just day after day, the same routine in your life. Get to know Christ better and better. Paul said, I want to know the fellowship of His suffering. In other words, it is, listen, if you know Christ, you may suffer in the ways that Christ suffered. For all those who live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. That's a fact. [00:40:55]

And he says, being conformed to His death. Again, he's saying, I need to die to myself in order to live for Jesus. When you find yourself living for yourself, you probably are not living for Jesus. But when you die to yourself, then you can live for Christ. And then he says, if by any means I may attain to the resurrection of the dead. There's a Greek word used in there. It is exenastasis. [00:41:31]