Easter 1
Colossians 3:1 If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.
Introduction
Now remember on Easter Sunday we began our Easter celebration by looking at the theological significance of the Resurrection.
This morning I want us to continue our Easter celebration by looking at the real time significance of the Resurrection.
That is, I want to explore the notion of living in light of the Resurrection.
I. (Where) Living in light of the Resurrection means- understanding the scope of the Resurrection FN#2. The salvation that Christ accomplished is not just a private, internal renewal of your heart. Instead, salvation/recreation is as extensive/comprehensive as God’s original work of creation. In other words, God does not concede one aspect of His creation. Instead, He reclaims it all. Notice then the scope of God’s salvation:
1. The Resurrection renews the whole of the believer, body and soul
Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you. (I Cor 6:19-20, 15:12-13, 16-20, 52-53; I Thes 4-13-18) FN#3
John 13:35 “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (Gal 3:28; Eph 2:14-19)
2 Peter 3:13 But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. FN#6
Notice the point: the scope of the Resurrection establishes the scope of your walk. Christ came to reclaim the whole of reality, therefore, you are to serve God with every aspect of that reality (you are to serve Him with all that you are, have, and do; at all times and in all places; with everyone you meet)
Mark 12:30 and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’
II. (When) Living in light of the resurrection means– being assured of the current operation of the Resurrection life in every area of existence. In other words, the scope of God’s salvation is not just a matter of the future. Rather, the new life of the resurrection is the deciding factor that already governs, directs, and is unfolding in the very details of existence. Notice then:
Romans 6:4 We have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
1 Corinthians 15:24 then comes the end, when He delivers up the kingdom to the God and Father, after He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. (C.f. Ps 110:1-2)
Notice the point: the scope of the Resurrection establishes the scope of your obligation and expectation. God’s plan governs every facet of life that you encounter right now today, inside and out (Dan 2:21, Phil 1:6; I Thes 5:23-24; 2:10-11). Therefore, we are to serve, seek, and expect God right now today in our lives
1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
III. (How) Living in light of the Resurrection means- understanding that new life means new living. That is, the grace that forgives your sins is a grace that heals your sinfulness. Therefore, you are not to ignore, resist, or reject the work that God’s grace is doing in you; nor are you to exchange His plan/purpose for the priorities of the world. Instead, you are to seek with your life the very things that God’s grace is already unfolding in your life FN#7.
Psalm 85:13 Righteousness will go before Him, And shall make His footsteps our pathway.
Bottom line: living in light of the resurrection means having the assurance that you never go it alone. Instead, God is with you, His grace is at work in you, and He is Lord over every detail you face. Therefore, you are to serve/follow/trust Him with every aspect of your life at every moment.
Footnotes
1] In other words, the salvation that Christ provides is a matter of both what God takes from you as well as what Good puts in its place. Thus, on the Cross Christ took your unpaid debt for sin and your outstanding obligation to obey God and He satisfied them both. That is, Christ bore our sins in His body and in exchange offered His perfect obedience on our behalf. In turn, the Resurrection is the forgiveness, fulfillment, and new life that the Cross accomplished and that God puts in place of the brokenness His Son bore. The result is, the salvation that Christ provides both forgives (takes) our sins and is the source of (provides) our righteousness, growth, and renewal. Thus, the grace that saves you is a grace that changes you.
2] Note: the flow of the sermon is as follows: As we consider what it means to live in light of the resurrection the first part of the sermons addresses
3] Yes the resurrection changes your heart but it does not stop there. Instead, salvation reclaims the entirety of who you are (inside and out). Notice then, in the incarnation Christ assumes the whole of our human nature because He has come to redeem the whole of who we are (every aspect). In turn, on Easter, Christ rose bodily from the grave. In other words, Christ brought forth the whole of our human nature with Him into newness of life. As such, Scripture teaches that we are looking for our own bodily resurrection (the resurrection of the flesh) when Christ returns.
1 Corinthians 15:52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.
4] Remember the personal, relational, and eternally social Triune God created you for fellowship (fellowship with God and with each other). Therefore, salvation is not an isolated renewal of disjointed selves. Instead, the Resurrection renews our relationships and society.
Ephesians 2:14 For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups (Jew and Gentile) into one, and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall,
Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.
5] We should also include that the new life of the resurrection redeems the whole of human history. Think about it. If there was no promise to redeem man given at the very doors of the garden, then the whole of human history would simply be an account of futility and pointlessness that ends in judgment and disposal. However, God did not concede His plan for human history. Instead, Scripture places the cross at the center of all time, mooring time itself to redemption and God’s purpose for mankind. As such, the whole of the Old Testament period is the unfolding of God’s promise to send the redeemer. In turn, from the Cross and Resurrection onward human history is the unfolding of the redemption and Kingdom that Christ established. Listen to Hebrews
Hebrews 10:12 but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God,
Notice the temporal centrality of the Cross. Hebrews places the Cross as the central, defining point of all history. On it Christ’s one sacrifice extends across all time (redeeming those in the past, present, and the future to come). As such, the whole of human history and every believer (Old Testament and New) are caught up in a cosmic plan, established by the Cross, and which extends across every age. Simply put, the salvation and resurrection life that Christ brings with Him from the tomb is the redemption of the whole of time. History is not pointless or forsaken. Instead, it bears the unfolding of God’s plan for redemption and thereby is itself redeemed.
6] Notice at once: it is at the Lord’s Table that we see and participate in the most comprehensive expression of Salvation this side of Christ return. In other words, at the Table every aspect of this comprehensive salvation is set before our eyes. Thus, each week we enter the heavenly court of the New Testament Holy of holies (not on some mystic ethereal plain but right here on God’s reclaimed earth- it is the promise depicted by Jacob’s ladder, it is the already/not yet of the Tabernacle of God among men in a new heavens and earth). In turn, we come personally and bodily (salvation includes the whole of each believer). However, we do not come alone or in private isolation. Instead, we gather together as God’s redeemed people. Not only that, we gather in God’s House, on God’s reclaimed earth, on the Lord’s Day (on the Day of the Lord pointing to His return). In turn, we gather amid the realities, challenges, and details of God’s reclaimed history/time. As we do so, we are assured that the fullness of the Salvation Christ accomplished on the Cross and brought forth with Him from the tomb is already unfolding in the very details of our existence (inside and out). Therefore, we have God’s divine guarantee that the comprehensive picture we see and partake of at the Table will one day be ours in full (i.e. we will stand before our Heavenly Father face to face, fully complete, as His people, in resurrected bodies, in a new heavens and a new earth).
7] Another approach to part three could be:
III. Living in light of the Resurrection means- understanding that new life means new living. That is, the grace that forgives your sins is a grace that heals your sinfulness. Therefore, you are not to ignore, resist, or reject the work that God’s grace is doing in you. Instead, you are to seek it, pursue it, and cling to it with all the strength God has provided. In other words, the scope of God’s Lordship/salvation is the source of both my desire and ability. In other words, scope of God’s Lordship/salvation underwrites and is the source of my expectations and ability.
Philippians 2:12 Work out your salvation with fear and trembling (vs casualness and indifference); 13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.