New Life Now - Through the Power of the Resurrection

Summary and Outline of the April 29 Message

We are in a series this Spring on the power of the Resurrection - Yes, Christ rose from the dead - But now we need to make connections between that even and our daily living.

We make that connection by going into passages that help us process the fact that our Lord transcends death and desires to transfer that power into our living, our fiath and our praying!

In this message we go to Romans 6.1-14 as Paul addresses how difficult it is for us to deal with the force of sin in our lives - how difficult it is to change ourselves. In order for that to be truly manifested in our living - we need the power of Christ's resurrection - that power that changed Him and made Him alive - phsycially, spiritually and forever.

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Passage: Romans 6.1-14

Focus verses: "... just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in the newness of life. For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly by united with Him in a resurrection like His." (Romans 6.4b-5)

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From an episode of Numb3rs ...
... Don Epps is with his therapist. Key line in conversation = "There's a difference between feeling good and feeling right. If you want to feel good you can drink or take a pill - or - you can make the decisions you need to make to get your life right."


Romans 6 - Overcoming Sin (Context)
... Are we at the decision points in our lives to go beyond a life that seeks to stop the pain ... to a life that walks with God, who will make things progressively "right" for us and with us?


Overcoming Sin
... We need resurrection power - not more effort - not more guilt. We need out of the cycle of "sin-repent-sin-repent ..." We know how to apologies with religious language - How do we actually get beyond the sinning to a life that is filled with the power of God?


Raised by the Glory of the Father
... Our perspective/relationship with God is paramount here. Is God the source of your problems or is God the source of your solutions?

... The inner witness for me in this message was - God directing me to pass on God's word: "Tell my people that they walk in the newness of life only as they walk by My Glory." How? - my response.

... God reveals Himself in His Word as ... Faithful, our Strength, our Rock, our Savior, our Fortress, our Provider, our Helper, our Comforter, our Healer, our Sheild and Banner of Protection, our Peace, our Hope.

... When we build ourselves up in knowing Him as He reveals Himself and on knowing His promises - we are lifted by great power to release from the death and dead-end places of our lives to a newness and freshness that maginfies Him.


United in a Death Like His ...
... "United" - from the Greek, meaning "Grow up together" - A word that designates "experience" with Christ.

... United in a Death Like His ... What does this mean? Once could say: "It means the forgiveness of my sins." True. But go beyond that - to the Death of the Old Self ... the death of those destructive forces that keep us disobedient and captive to our petty and often pathetic selves.

... The Cross of Jesus is our fixed point. We are not our own - we were bought with a price. Keep you sin accounts with God real short and be honsest with Him about the sin and struggles of our lives.


United with Him in a Resurrection Like His.
... Allow Him to call you out of the death dimensions of our current life. Learn to depend upon Him in the midst of the struggle.

... The Apostle Paul ... 2 Corinthians 4.8 and following with 6.8b and following ... Note the nature of his life and ministry ... It is really hard with plenty of setbacks. But these are not the words of a man who has to take his lumps from God ... These are the words of a man who knows God as His source ... of Provision, Help, Strength, Solution ... He knows the power of the rusurrection in all of life's situations.

... Paul ... Philippians 4.13 ... "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."


A Norwegian Folk Tale
... A boy took an eagle's egg from its nest and took it to his farm and put it into the nest of the goose on the farm. In time the eggs hatched and the little eagle thought he was a goose, not realizing his true nature. He had a rough time ... He couldn't honk like the other geese. He couldn't swim. They didn't fly so I didn't know to fly. He spent his days waddling around in the dirt on the farm ... Until one day he saw a strangely familiar sight overhead. He saw an eagle in flight. He responded by spreading his wings. He got some air underneath them and rose higher and higher. He finally entered the life he was intended for all along. As he rose higher, the farm and the old life there got smaller. Ahead of him as a new world and a new life.

... God has not destined you and me to live captive to sin and death. ... We were meant to soar.


A Truth to put some air under your wings ...
... God loves you as much as He loves Jesus.

... United with Him in His Death ... United with Him in His Resurrection

The Real Story about Jesus' Tomb

Message Outline for Sunday, April 8, 2007
The Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord

On March 4 the Discovery Channel aired a special called "The Jesus Family Tomb", in which James Cameron (Director of Titanic) and Simcha Jacobovici (a notable Israeli filmmaker) set out to claim, more by inference than by proof, that they had discovered the tomb of Jesus Christ and His family (including wife Mary Magdalene and son Jude). Never mind that this tomb had been discovered in 1980 and that a British documentary had already been done at that time.

Today, on the Sunday of the Resurrection, we get the real story about Jesus’ tomb … It was used for just a real short time. His ‘tomb’ is famous for that is not there. We read eye witness accounts from John 20.1-18. Let’s take a look inside …

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Scripture: John 20.1-18

Key Verse: "Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed ..." (John 20.8)
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The Jesus' Family Tomb
... James Cameron / Simcha Jacobovici / Discovery Channel Special - March 4
... Found - bone boxes for Joseph, Mary, Jesus, Mariamne, Judas (son of Jesus) and Matthew.

But Dan Brown said ...
... Jesus married to Mary Magdalene / Daughter Sarah / Joseph of Arimathea took them to France / Started royal blood line!
... Now I find out this wasn't true. Another crisis of faith!

Scholarly Consensus
... Gospels were not eye witness accounts.
... Gospels made up of rumor and legend circulated by the uneducated and written down well after the time.

Resurrection - Only Symbolic
... Resurrection - not literal. Death still reigns
... 1 Co 15.7 - No resurrection - preaching and faith is in vain and we are still in our sins.

Resurrection - Not Symbolic, but Literal
... These apostles would not give their lives up for a lie. They had everything to lose and nothing to gain.
... They were convinced that Jesus had broken the power of death.
... They saw / spoke with / ate with / touched - and PREACHED Him.

Easter - More than an Empty Tomb
... Key Verse: Went in ... Saw ... Believed
... Sequence: We need to go into the issues ... See the implications for sure faith foundation

If God is for us ...
... Message of the Resurrection: God is on our side.
... If God is for us, who can be against us ... Ro 8.31-39

The Power of His Resurrection
... Paul - Ph 3.10 - Paul wants to the the power of the resurrection
... Do you want to know the power of His resurrection in your life?
... Series for Eastertide - The Power of His Resurrection

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Resurrection - You Get An Upgrade

The Apostles’ Creed states: "I believe … in the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting."

What I have discovered in numerous conversations with people throughout the years is - that many do not realize that there is a resurrection of the body. It genuinely surprises them that we actually get our bodies back to live forever. Most assume that when you die, your "soul" goes to heaven and that's it. But there is so much more revealed to us in the Bible about what happens when we die and what's in store for believers in Jesus.

We were created - as humans - a body-soul-spirit unity.

Death occurs when the body is separated from the soul and spirit. The Bible teaches us that this separation is temporary. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5: "That while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord ... and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord." In Philippians 1 Paul says: "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain ... My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better." I take away from these verses a principle: "Away from the body - At home with the Lord." Jesus said to the thief on the cross in Luke 23: "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in paradise."

However, the story does not end there.

In Philippians 3 Paul says he wants to know the power of Christ's resurrection - which is Christ coming to physical life again (3.10) - an important and essential ingredient in Christian spirituality. Later on in Philippians 3 (at verse 21) Paul says: "But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior - the Lord Jesus Christ - who will change our lowly body to be like His glorious body, by the power which enables Him even to subject all things to Himself." … You get your body back.

Go to 1 Corinthians 15 ...!

That whole chapter is about the resurrection of the dead - Christ's and ours. Death for the believer is a temporary state of affairs. The body will not always be separated from the soul and spirit. Body, soul and spirit are brought back together at the Second Coming of Jesus.

Jesus said in John 5, "The hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear His voice (referring to the voice of the Son of Man - Jesus) and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life; and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment." Later in Jesus' ministry (John 11) at the funeral of His good friend Lazarus, Martha said, "I know that Lazarus will rise again in the resurrection at the last day" (Resurrection is a Jewish teaching). Jesus responded, "I am the resurrection and the life; the one who believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live; and whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die." Jesus called into Lazarus' dark grave for him to come out - demonstrating even at that time the power He had to restore human beings to human being.

When Jesus rose from the dead He was not a ghost or spirit.

He was physical - solid - alive. And one day we will be as well. Revelation 20 through 22 gives a tantalizing glimpse of what's ahead. The body we will receive will be a the body God designed for us all along ... Our bodies and minds maximized, perfected - as though untouched by disease, tragedy and sin. We will finally embody (literally) God’s perfect vision for us … whole, healed, perfect. What a promise!

People wonder - "Will I recognize my loved ones in heaven?"

Yes. You will recognize them. Why? They will be in their bodies, just as you will be in yours. You will not be stuck in an eternity surrounded by complete strangers.

Jesus was certainly known and recognized by His disciples - John 20.19-20: "Jesus came and stood among them and said 'Peace be with you.' When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord." They didn’t say: "Who’s this guy and what’s he doing here?"

In the opening chapter of the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, Jesus was with His disciples for 40 days before returning bodily to the Father. Apparently, there was no contest of recognition. They knew is was Jesus. In 1 Corinthians 15 Paul relates that Jesus revealed Himself to Peter, then to the Twelve and also to James, His brother. Paul also mentions that Jesus met with a little over five hundred of His followers at one time (quite a gathering with the Resurrected Lord!). Recognizable? I should say.

April 8, the Sunday of the Resurrection - is about resurrection.

... Not new life in the Spring, flowers, bunnies, eggs, chocolate and fashion (although I like the ham dinner tradition myself ...!) Come to church with a transformed mind about your transformed body and give Jesus the praise! His victory is ours – resurrection and all.

The Showdown

The Sunday Morning Message Outline
for April 1, 2007
Palm-Passion Sunday

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Colossians 2.13-15

And you, who were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, having canceled the bond which stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the principalities and powers and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in the cross.

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Showdown - to force an issue to conclusion
... Three times Jesus predicted what would happen when they got to Jerusalem.
... 1 John 3.8 - Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil.

Jesus fights on the enemy's home turf - the flesh
... God in flesh - His plan to defeat Satan/death
... To win, He must lose - To live, He must die
... God would take death into His very being through the 2nd person of the Trinity.

Colossians 2.13-15 - the Language of Victory
... Forgiveness - The record of our sins nailed to the cross.
... Disarmed principalities/powers - shows them up for what they are.
... Paul uses the image of the military victory parade.

What "powers" are you dealing with?
... Fear & Worry / memories / Depression / Addiction / Hopelessness / Significance / Money / Fear of aging and death?
... He is greater than the "powers"

"I'm taking the hit."
... Suffering - Enters it / Endures it / Experiences it
... Evil does its best to do its worst - Ultimately unsuccessful.
... There is nothing left of their power - sting removed.

Showdown - to force an issue to a conclusion
... Jesus rides a donkey - humility. Don't be fooled by appearances