The Implications Of The Resurecction

[00:00:00] This audio sermon is provided by AnabaptistSermons.com and may be freely copied and distributed. You may not sell or edit this sermon. Our prayer is that you would be blessed by this ministry. Please turn to Colossians chapter 3. Colossians chapter 3. One additional underline in the bulletin. [00:00:47] There is a change in the schedule next Sunday. And rather than having an evening service, as the bulletin will show, we are having a service in the afternoon. and planning to have a carry-in dinner here at church and then service to follow. It's been rescheduled to that extent. Colossians 3 I would like you to be thinking as we read this passage of the implications of the resurrection of Christ. [00:01:27] If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. Mortifier, put to death therefore your members which are upon the earth, fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness which is idolatry. [00:02:08] For which things sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience, in the which ye also walked some time when ye lived in them? But now ye also put off all these, anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him. Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision or uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bond or free, but Christ is all and in all. [00:02:50] Put on, therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering, forbearing one another and forgiving one another, If any man have a quarrel against any, even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body, and be ye thankful. [00:03:25] Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them. Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing unto the Lord. Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged. [00:04:10] Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eye service, as men preachers, but in singleness of heart, fearing God. And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men, knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance, for ye serve the Lord Christ. Christ, but he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done, and there is no respect of persons. [00:04:44] Actually, we could go on reading in chapter 4. These are all implications for us of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Let's bow together in prayer. Dear Father, as we look to your word just now, [00:05:23] we ask that by your Holy Spirit you will open our hearts, our understanding, our minds to your truth. And may this not be just another time when we sit through a sermon, But we pray that you will walk among us and challenge us with the great truth of the resurrection of Jesus. For we've gathered here as your people. [00:05:57] Most of us have been here for a while. Fellowship with one another. Examining your truth, the resurrection, and the earlier service. And our hearts are lifted. May we be led by this great truth. May we be led by your Spirit to apply it now in an ongoing way to our lives. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. We have often been exposed to false teaching [00:06:43] in the matter of the resurrected life. Oh, we've been taught to believe that Jesus rose from the dead. That's not what I mean. But we have lost sight of the application of that truth to us personally. This passage is a very interesting one that we read [00:07:14] because it contains a series of commands about putting off and putting on and all of that sort of thing. Written to believers. Some people think that all those things are put off and put on when you accept Christ as your Savior and somehow you're not supposed to have any more problems. But that's not what the scripture teaches. [00:07:49] And some people think that you put off and put on all these things as a way of pleasing God unto salvation or unto keeping salvation. And neither is that what the scripture teaches. But in our ongoing Christian life, we are to manifest growth by the grace of God. and seeing these things improved. We are to, by His grace and His power, become more like Him. [00:08:29] Christian life is a life of growth. And so, as we think today of these things, As we think of what the resurrection should mean to us, and we were well introduced to that truth in the earlier service, I would like for us to meditate together on what the value of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is to us now. [00:09:03] We, I think, usually think about the value of the resurrection of Jesus Christ to us in the past. We think that it's on the basis of his resurrection that we can have life. That's true. We've been taught to believe in the absolute essential aspect of the bodily resurrection of Christ, and that is true. His victory over death certifies our victory over death, and that is true. [00:09:35] But what does it mean to us day after day after day? That perhaps is not emphasized quite as much, and we would like to do that for a few moments this morning. applying the truth of the resurrection to our personal Christian life. All Scripture is meant to be applied to us in one way or another. [00:10:07] The history sections of Scripture show us and are to be applied in terms of lessons as we look at the Old Testament people and their failures. We are inclined, as someone from the congregation, I don't remember who it was, recently said, you know, how could they, having just been delivered through the Red Sea, deny God the way they did? But that reflected by application is a reflection of our own hearts. [00:10:44] We can be on the mountaintop with God one minute and fall into the valley of despair the next in our human frailty. Let's admit it. Let's not put up the bold front about how a Christian ought to be and try to be that way. But let's admit our failures and our brokenness. Stop the denial. We are like the Old Testament people, like it or not, because we are children of Adam as they were. And we do fall flat on our faces time and time again. [00:11:22] And it magnifies God's grace that He will still receive us, still work with us, still walk with us. Although He will discipline us as He did them. And so let's look at the applications of God's truth and particularly the application of this matter of the resurrection. The resurrection is a great truth. [00:11:55] It's the pinnacle, in a sense, of New Testament truth. It was the center of the preaching of the apostles. Without the resurrection, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15, there is no hope. We are deceived and most miserable. It is central to the gospel message. [00:12:28] If Jesus is, if the body of Jesus or the skeleton of Jesus or the remains of Jesus Christ are still somewhere in Palestine, the gospel message has been negated. But that is not true. But now is Christ risen from the dead and become the firstfruits of them that believe. as 1 Corinthians 15 teaches. [00:13:03] Those are theological issues and we need to be theological. And that is very important to look at the essential aspects of this truth as we think of the theology. Theology of salvation. Theology of the eternal life. theology of our certain hope all of those things but this doctrine of the resurrection [00:13:38] also has an application to us now it isn't merely past we were saved or present for some who are saved now or who are coming to Christ now or future for those who will come to Christ it's not merely that As great as that is, it is not merely that we will be with God in eternity. We will see Christ face to face, as glorious as that is. [00:14:12] But it has to do also with the here and now in our Christian life. And Colossians 3 deals with the here and now in our Christian life. And if you can't find yourself among the sins of Colossians 3, in some way, you may not be as bad as you can be, probably none of us are as bad as we can be, but neither are we perfectly righteous in our experience. [00:14:43] And so if you can't find yourself in Colossians 3, among those shortcomings and sins, then I would have to suggest that you are probably living in some level of denial. He was writing to a church established by the apostles, and he talks about things that they were to put off. I suspect that times are not that much different today for all of us. [00:15:16] And so, as you think of the resurrection, it has an application to my life right now, to your life right now. It's a great theological truth, a truth that we depend on, a truth that bears on the past, present, and future. A truth that bears on our preaching. A truth that bears on the presentation of the gospel. But it is also a truth that has application to us in our Christian lives right now. It's touched on repeatedly in this way in the New Testament. [00:15:52] Think, for example, of Romans 6, where it speaks about dying with Christ. Alive unto God. Resurrected to new life. And that refers, of course, to our salvation. But it is the beginning for us of that resurrection life. And so the first point of application is our personal salvation. [00:16:30] The message of the resurrection is that we were dead in trespasses and sins or because of trespasses and sins. Ephesians chapter 2. We were dead. We were not sick, though sickness was a part of it, but we were dead. And we have been, if we've come to Christ truly, we have been resurrected. [00:17:07] We were dead in sins. We've been resurrected to life. On the basis of what? On the basis of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. You see, the resurrection is not just, as we've suggested, a great theological truth, though it is that. It doesn't just bear on the darkness of salvation, though it does that. But it has a personal application and a personal significance. [00:17:40] What is salvation? Salvation for us personally is resurrection. Coming to life in a new way With a resurrection life that we never had before It is a total change And so the hymn writer can say [00:18:11] Heaven above is soft or blue Earth, Benny, is greener still, or however that goes, it's something like what it says. In other words, our whole outlook changes as we look on Jesus as our Savior and arise from death and sin to life in Christ. [00:18:44] So the resurrection of Easter morn should have something of personal significance, not just excitement over the fact of history, but personal significance to us. But it does not end there. Brother David mentioned resurrection power and spoke of that earlier this morning. And I would like you to leaf back in your Bibles to Philippians chapter 3 for just a moment. And in Philippians chapter 3, this passage about the power of the resurrection is again driven home. [00:19:25] Philippians 3, verse 10, as Paul says, let's read the beginning of verse 9 just that we may see the context a little more fully. and be found in him, in Christ, not having mine own righteousness which is of the law but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith that I may know him, Christ, and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings [00:19:56] being made conformable unto his death if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. He speaks here of resurrection power. This is not merely, or not only, I should say, I don't want to downgrade it. It's not only salvation, though that is resurrection power as we've suggested, but it is resurrection power in our daily lives. [00:20:29] Giving us the want to, rather than the have to of the law, giving us the want to, to apply the truths of a passage like Colossians 3. If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above. Set your love, your affection on the things above. It gives us the want to. [00:21:01] That is the power of the resurrection in our daily lives. It powers us to live the resurrection life. The Apostle speaks about his days of legalism. in this passage of Philippians 3. And by legalism, biblically, we would understand that you please God by doing things. [00:21:38] You are saved by doing things. You stay saved by doing things. That would be a simple definition of legalism from the Bible. Paul moved from his life of legalism. where he did everything according to the law and the traditions of the elders in order to please God to a resurrected life which occurred on the Damascus road as well as I can understand in which did his lifestyle change for the worse? [00:22:15] No, not at all. His lifestyle probably improved. But his motivation changed totally. Rather than living and doing all this stuff to please God, for his sake, for Paul's sake, He, rather than doing that, he fell in love with Jesus. [00:22:48] And those things flowed out of a life of love for Jesus. Entirely different motivation. The resurrected life, you see, is entirely different than the life of the sinner. The sinner may look and act good, but his motivation is wrong before God. He is seeking to please God. He is seeking to earn God's favor. [00:23:22] We can't do that. It cannot be done. The resurrected life is one of a relationship of love with Christ, in Christ, and thus out of that flows obedience. To the point, as we looked last week, that if there is no fruit, there is no life. So obedience flows out of love rather than out of the motivations of legalism. That is, we do this in order to earn brownie points with God. [00:23:57] Paul talks about the power of the resurrection in this new life. And he talks about it as a goal in this passage. And so we would have to admit that Paul understood that he didn't have it. At least not completely. He was reaching for it. And so the call of Colossians 3 [00:24:27] If you are risen with Christ Or you could actually translate since you are risen with Christ there But if you are risen with Christ These are the things that you should have as your goals And the Christian needs improvement Not in order to please God, although it will please God, but in the love walk with the Savior, that I may know Him, that's a part of His goal, the power of His resurrection, fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death. [00:25:15] Paul recognizes the Lord is still working on him and he wants the Lord to work on him more and he wants to know the power of God in his daily life. And so, the implication of the resurrection, first of all, is in salvation itself as we pass from death into life. From spiritual death into spiritual life. And then, it's a powerful implication. [00:25:47] The implication of God's power is second, as we think about it this morning. Implication of God's power for living, living out that life. I'm afraid many times that most of us, if not all of us, tend toward trying to live out the Christian life in our own strength. [00:26:23] We have been schooled. Most of us have been pretty well schooled in what the Christian life is supposed to look like. We have been so well schooled in that that we look at Colossians 3 and at first glance we may say these things are not a problem to us. We've got these things all together. [00:26:57] But if we're honest before God and transparent before God, our second glance at that passage will convict us that we are likely in error on most of those things down deep in our hearts. We may be able to impress others that we are spiritual in terms of the outside. But we may be no more spiritual than those we feel free to criticize. [00:27:31] Because we are trying to do these things in our own strength. We are really closet legalists. Committed to please God and somehow have good standing with Him because we do some things and don't do others. It is very important as we think of the resurrection of Christ [00:28:03] that we understand that the power that brought Christ from the dead, that the power that raised us from spiritual death if we are truly His children, that same power can be known by us as believers. And that power will enable us to live the life that the Scripture sets before us from the heart now, not merely in the physical essentials. [00:28:46] Though those physical essentials are taught in the Bible, not merely in the physical essentials, but from the heart. Those things would flow. Those righteous things would flow. Not because I'm a good person, because we have to admit that none of us are good people. We are not. If you think you're a good person, may I say it? [00:29:17] If you think you're a good person, you're going to hell. We are vile, wretched sinners in ourselves. But bless God, He has come in salvation, resurrection power. And He has come and provided an escape from that wretchedness by His grace. And the same way that we receive salvation, we can receive the power to live out the Christian life, albeit imperfectly, this side of heaven. [00:30:05] So think of the resurrection power. I've had people come to me and discuss the Christian life. And they say, I just can't do it. I can't control my thought life. I can't control my desires. And I say to them, you are exactly right. And I can't either. But praise God, He can. [00:30:45] We have to but give up in our own efforts and let God work in our hearts and out through our lives. And so, resurrection power is an ongoing thing. And it's set before us. Paul says, this is what I want. This is what I'm working toward. A life of surrender and submission to God and His power working through me. [00:31:28] I'd like us to go back to Colossians 3. And notice again what it says. If ye then be risen, and this is a condition in the original that suggests that it's a fact. If ye then be risen, and you are. Remember, he's writing to Christians at the church at Colossae. [00:32:04] And so you could say, since you are risen, if you be risen with Christ, these are the things you are to do. Seek the things which are above, for Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your love on things above, not on the earth. For if you are a Christian, you are dead. Your life is hid with Christ. Now we have the second reference to death [00:32:35] because we talked about Ephesians 2 where dead and trespasses and sins. And then we breezed across Romans 6 which talks about us being dead to sin. And the principle of Scripture dead to sin, alive to Christ, resurrected in Christ. Here that is what is being spoken of. You're dead to the power of sin. No longer does sin have you in captivity. [00:33:12] Can you sin? Yes. Do you sin? Yes. But must you sin? No. Before you are a Christian, sin is all you can do. And your righteousness, your goodness is merely filthy rags. That's what the Bible says. For an unsaved person, all their goodness is sin. But for the saved person, we are dead to that captivity. [00:33:53] We don't have to sin anymore, though we do in our brokenness. We're not required to sin anymore. We have broken that bondage, or it has been broken by Christ. And so, you're dead. Your life is hid with Christ. We're going to appear with Him in glory, verse 4. Therefore, verse 5, put to death the flesh. [00:34:33] And the flesh is then spoken of in terms of deeds, verse 5, fornication, uncleanness, and so forth. Again, let me underline. He's writing to Christians. He is saying that you have to do something with this stuff that originates in your heart. I hope you're not among those who think that that all went away when you trusted Christ. [00:35:08] Be nice, be wonderful, but it didn't. But when you trusted Christ, it no longer had to rule you. And so you can put it away by the grace of God. And the other things that this passage says, I'm not going to go through them point by point. But notice again in verse 8, to put off. And then verse 10, to put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him. [00:35:48] So we have a growth process and the power of the resurrection is available to use in that growth process. We are to live our Christian life on the basis of and in the power of the resurrection, letting it continuously affect us, day by day, hour by hour. [00:36:22] We are to allow the conviction of the Holy Spirit to work in our lives when we are not practicing what this says. Convict us of our sin, to call us to repentance and tenderness before God. It flows out then in every aspect of our lives. This passage talks about wives and husbands and children, fathers and servants, employees you could put in along with servants. [00:36:55] And of course, going into chapter 4, you have the employers or the masters. All of these are applications of what it means to let the power of the resurrection work in us. I want to make a distinction, if I may. We hear a lot about justification these days. [00:37:31] And a sub-note of that would be, how does that speak to this issue? We've been born again. What does the death of Christ have to do? With all of this and his resurrection. [00:38:07] And there are two views. I'm reflecting on a conversation that I had with some of you after the service last week. There are two views of this matter of justification, particularly as it pertains to the matter of imputation. The declaration, we would normally define justification as the declaration of God that the unrighteous is now righteous. [00:38:42] That it is something of an accounting procedure. That's how we would understand imputation normally. And we would see the Scriptures teaching that. I hope most of us here would see the Scriptures teaching that. But what we've been saying today may sound a little like the wrong view, and that's why I'm mentioning it. The Roman Catholic view has been what is called infusion. [00:39:18] And that is when you trust Christ, the righteousness of God is somehow infused into you. And you have to fan it and encourage it and it slowly works out the dross. And what dross you don't get worked out in this life you have to do in purgatory. You have to stay in purgatory to get it all done. [00:39:50] And that is the Roman view of this matter. And the Roman view would essentially deny what we call imputation. Now, it is possible that the Reformers took imputation too far in response to the radical infusion view of the Roman church. But nothing that I have said today should be construed to infer infusion. [00:40:25] In other words, God does not put within us a little bit of His grace that we have to fan and so forth. God has charged Christ's righteousness to our account. And the process of progressive sanctification is what we're talking about. Where that which is ours is appropriated in experience through life. [00:41:01] Working toward perfection, not necessarily attaining it. In fact, we will not perfectly attain it in experience. But those who are truly redeemed have the full perfection of Christ charged to their account. They don't have to earn it. They don't have to gain it. It's not infused to be fanned like a little flame. It's ours. But we are to go on in the experience [00:41:34] in the power that God makes fully available to us of growth in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. That is resurrection power applied to us every day, every hour. But we do have to do something about it. We have to be, as the Apostle Paul, open with a goal set. [00:42:12] This is not merely church on Sunday morning, or Sunday evening, or Wednesday, or all three. It is an hour-by-hour walk with Jesus in love. The power is there. It's ours. Made available to us. Will you use it? Will I use it? To put away? [00:42:45] To put off? To put on? In accordance with the passage we've read? That is the real question. These are the implications, or some of the implications. of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. May we pray. Father, we've asked that you'll open our hearts and speak to our hearts. [00:43:19] May it be so. Take the words of your word. Burn them into our hearts. with a holy desire to be like Jesus. We pray in Christ's name. Amen.