A LIFE OF
POWER AND JOY
Philippians
3:7-11
For the many fans of the Lord of the Rings trilogy by Tolkien,
the recent movies by Peter Jackson provided delightful entertainment. The intricate weave of plot lines and
background stories behind the primary battle between good and evil succeeded in
stirring interest and engaging our minds and emotions in the adventures and
heartaches of all the human beings, elves, dwarves and of course, hobbits.
One scene in the
movie prompted a deeper look at what it means to think on an eternal scale
rather than merely for the moment. In
the city of Rivendell, Arwen, the elvish daughter of Elrond, meets with
Aragorn, the leader of men (and when you see the movies or read the books you
will find out more about him). The
tender exchange of words of love leads to a dilemma that requires serious
consideration. In this fictional world,
If she chooses to love and marry Aragorn, she forfeits the immortal life of the
elves.
Arwen: (When
we first met…) Do you remember what I
said to you?
Aragorn: You said you'd bind yourself to
me, forsaking the immortal life of your people.
Arwen: And to that I hold. I would
rather share one lifetime with you than face all the ages of this world alone.
[hands him her pendant]
Arwen: I choose a mortal life.
Great movie stuff!
But the problem
is that every day, around the world and among people you know, millions are
making the same choice of a mortal life—but
without any noble reason. They
are in fact choosing to die when God offers them a chance to live forever—and with those who love
them most and with the greatest possible joy.
THESIS: The message
of the gospel of Jesus Christ that we proclaim today and every day is that
because He died and rose again, we can live forever in the joy and through the
power of a life that never ends.
When Christ rose
again on the third day after dying for our sin, He demonstrated the awesome
power of God. Now He offers us a chance
to forever—a chance to choose an immortal life! He wants us to look into His loving gaze and declare to Him: “I choose immortal life!”
I. THE POWER
OF CHRIST THROUGH THE RESURRECTION
--For those who choose to turn away from Christ, the
resurrection poses a major obstacle to their unbelief.
--Therefore, since the first morning that the tomb was
discovered to be empty, they have been trying to convince themselves and all
who will listen that it could not have happened and that people cannot rise
from the dead.
--Yet it is the very power of the resurrection that in the
end will be their undoing since it unleashes the unlimited power of an
omnipotent God.
--The power of Christ was most evident not in the miracles,
nor in the messages—it was in the power of an indestructible life. (Hebrews
7:14)
A. POWER THROUGH
SUFFERING
--In a fascinating twist, God has chosen to show His eternal
power through those things which appear to be signs of weakness from a human
perspective.
Brother Lawrence on the
Resurrection
(c. 1605-1691)—“I regard myself as the most wretched of all men, stinking and
covered with sores, and as one who has committed all sorts of crimes against
his King. Overcome by remorse, I
confess all my wickedness to Him, ask His pardon and abandon myself entirely
unto Him to do with as He will. But this
King, filled with goodness and mercy, far from chastising me, lovingly embraces
me, makes me eat at His table, serves me with His own hands, gives me the keys
of His treasures and treats me as His favorite. He talks with me and is delighted with me in a thousand and one
ways; He forgives me and relieves me of my principal bad habits without talking
about them; I beg Him to make me according to His heart and always the more
weak and despicable I see myself to be, the more beloved I am of God.”
--When the Apostle Paul prayed for the power of God to heal
him of the thorn in his flesh, God answered in an unusual way:
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 And He has said to me, “My grace is
sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly,
therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ
may dwell in me. 10
Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses,
with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak,
then I am strong.
--Before there could be a resurrection, there had to be a
death of the One to be raised.
--The power of God was released in a world-changing moment
when He who suffered and was put to death rose from the grave never to die
again!
--Therefore, the power of the resurrection can only be ours
when we take part in the suffering that results in the death of our old
nature—by faith, we die with Him so that we might be raised to new life in Him!
Philippians 3:10-11
that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; 11
in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
--Listen carefully, the power of God through the
resurrection belongs only to those who choose immortal life by choosing to
identify with Christ as He took their place in death.
--God’s power is best displayed through the resurrection
which was only possible because Jesus chose to die on our behalf!
B. POWER AS
A WITNESS
--God then makes that power obvious to everyone who is
willing to take an honest look at what happened.
1. To the
Identity of Jesus Christ
--The resurrection confirmed what Jesus had said all along,
verified His identity as God’s own Son.
Romans 1:4
who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead,
according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,
--The empty tomb stands as a perpetual testimony
by God Himself that if you do not understand who Jesus is, I have raised Him
from the dead with power by the resurrection so that there can be no credible
doubt about His identity.
2. To the
Truth of the Gospel
--With all the competing claims for truth, God placed His
mark of confirmation not only on the Savior, but on the message of salvation by
giving it the power to save and transform.
1 Corinthians 2:4-5 And my message and my preaching were not in
persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of
power, 5 that your faith
should not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.
--Words can convince and logic can persuade, but only the
power of God can transform lives by changing the heart.
--By the power of the resurrection, God bears witness to the
truth of the gospel by changing lives.
--Unchanged lives speak of no power, but transformed lives
tell a story of a life-changing power that only God can give.
3. To the
Presence of the Spirit
--When the Holy Spirit dwells in your heart, His presence is
confirmed by the availability of an undeniable inner power that cannot be attributed
to any human capability.
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Him who
strengthens me.
Ephesians 3:16 that He would grant you, according to the
riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the
inner man;
--The same power that raised Jesus from the dead resides in
you when you are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and clothed with power from on
high—just as Jesus promised! (Luke
24:49, Acts 1:8)
C. POWER FOR
victorious living
--Because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, every one
willing to come by faith to trust in Him will be empowered to live with ability
far beyond our natural resources.
--In the power of the resurrection of Christ, He makes it
possible for each of us to…
1. Overcome
Sin
--Because Christ defeated sin and death, when I put my
complete confidence in Him, His power enables me to overcome sin and
temptation.
--Since He overcame them, as I live and walk with Him by the
Spirit, He gives me the strength to come out on top, to gain the victory.
Romans 6:5-6 For if we have become united with Him in the
likeness of His death, certainly we shall be also in the likeness of His
resurrection, 6 knowing
this, that our old self was crucified with Him, that our body of sin might be
done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin;
2. Live
Forever
--Who wouldn’t want to live forever? Well, the answer depends!
The average life-span in the US was 47.3 years if
you were born in 1900, 68.2 if you were born in 1950, and 77.2 if you were born
in 2000—a thirty year increase during that one century. People are living longer…but forever? We call the Guinness Book of Records when
someone hits the century mark!
People have always searched for
some kind of ‘fountain of youth’ that would allow them to live longer. Ponce de
Leon was searching for that when he came to Florida in 1513. Each week you read of new products which
promise to extend your youth and prolong your life. People want to keep living!
Because of the resurrection
of Jesus Christ, everyone who gains new life in Him will live forever—and not
get increasingly more decrepit and miserable but in a way that marks 1000 years
as a day! (2 Peter 3:8)
--Having defeated death once for all, Jesus offers the power
of the resurrection to all who will believe in His name!
1 Corinthians 15:12-19 Now if Christ is preached, that He has been
raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection
of the dead? 13 But if there
is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been
raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. 15 Moreover we are even found to
be false witnesses of God, because we witnessed against God that He raised
Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not
raised, not even Christ has been raised;
17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is
worthless; you are still in your sins. 18
Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If we have hoped in Christ in
this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.
--Although we do not understand all that living forever
means, we do know that we will be living with Jesus Christ and that alone will
make it greater than our imaginations can handle!
3. Be Made
Over Completely and Perfectly
--You talk about the ultimate “make-over”—through the power
of the resurrection of Christ, when we finally get to see Him face to face
(since He is alive even this moment), we will be made like Him.
1 John 3:2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it
has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we
shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is.
As we have noted, people long to remain young, to live as if they never
grew old—even longing to look like the culture’s ideals of what is
attractive…namely, young, slim and vigorous.
The latest fad is the “make-over” shows on TV which try to find people
whose lives will be “improved” by surgically and cosmetically altering their
physical condition. How sad that people
get consumed over what will once again wrinkle and sage with years and gravity
taking their toll—and yet ignore the promise of Christ when He offers for free
the power to live forever….and to be completely and totally transformed to a
glorious new condition that will never degenerate—not ever!
Philippians 3:21
who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body
of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all
things to Himself.
Philippians 3:21 (The Message) who will transform our earthy bodies into
glorious bodies like his own. He’ll make us beautiful and whole with the same
powerful skill by which he is putting everything as it should be, under and
around him.
4. Stimulate and Sustain a Morally Pure and
Spiritually Dynamic Life
--Countless numbers of Christians struggle simply to endure
each day instead of experiencing any sense of victory in their lives.
--Through the power of the resurrection, God has granted us
all that we need to live godly lives in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
2 Peter 1:3 seeing that His divine power has granted to
us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of
Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
--When you come to Christ in faith, trusting in His
sacrifice to forgive and cleanse you from sin, the power of His resurrection
enables you both to desire and to live a morally pure and spiritually dynamic
life…wanting it and doing it as the power of the Spirit gives you all that you
need.
II. THE JOY
OF CHRIST IN THE RESURRECTION
--Powerless people feel frustrated, anxious, oppressed…but
when we are strengthened by the unlimited power which raised Jesus Christ from
the dead, He brings us joy!
--The message of hope resounding in the resurrection floods
us with His inexpressible joy.
1 Peter 1:8 and though you have not seen Him, you love
Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice
with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
--Therefore, Paul continues his thoughts about the impact of
the power of the resurrection on our whole perspective on life once we have
come to know Christ fully.
Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say,
rejoice!
--Christ Himself anticipated what was to come
through the power of the resurrection and endured all the suffering and pain
knowing the joy that awaited Him.
Hebrews 12:2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and
perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising
the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
--So you see, there is great joy in the resurrection!
All of this brings us to a very
fundamental question: Why would anyone
choose a mortal life when they can live forever with joy through the power of
the resurrection?
Paul says that
he willingly gives up everything that he once considered important, all that
once had great value to him, in order to know Jesus Christ as His Lord and to
know first-hand what it means to experience the joy and power of the
resurrection.
Philippians 3:8
(Amplified Bible) …I count everything
as loss compared to the possession of the priceless privilege (the overwhelming
preciousness, the surpassing worth, and supreme advantage) of knowing Christ
Jesus my Lord and of progressively becoming more deeply and intimately
acquainted with Him…
Today as we celebrate Easter, the basis
for that celebration is the joy and power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Because He lives, we can live forever in His
name…and from now on grow to know and love and rejoice in Him who loves us so
much that He died for us.
So rejoice in
the Lord as we live to know Him and the power of His resurrection
personally…step by step, day by day for the rest of eternity.
To be with the One we love forever, we
choose an immortal life!
Providence Baptist Church
© David Horner 2004
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