As Christians, we have been saved unto eternal life. We have been moved from darkness to light, from death to life. We have, by God’s grace, been raised with Jesus Christ and are seated with with him in the heavenly places. We are forgiven of all sins—past, present, and future—and are free from our deserved condemnation. Honestly, this list could get very long if we simply continued to list all the beautiful, wonderful blessings the believer has through faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the resurrected Messiah.
The question is, though, since all that is true, how now shall we live? How do these marvellous realities move us into action? How does what we have in Christ propel us into this world? How does the knowledge of what we’ve been freed from and freed toward motivate our pursuit of holiness? How does the good news we’ve received send us into the world to those who haven’t heard?
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Sermon Notes
Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.”
So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word. And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.”
Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened. When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, saying, “Tell them, ‘His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.’ And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will appease him and make you secure.” So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.
Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
Matthew 28:1–20
We rejoice in the resurrection of Jesus!
- We felt sad about His death – now we deeply appreciate it.
- The crucifixion and resurrection cause us no anxiety nowadays.
- We have a mature and biblical understanding of the death & resurrection.
Do we really understand what this means for us BELIEVERS?
- Yes, we are free from the wages of sin and death!
- Yes, we are free from the condemnation of our past sins!
- Yes, we are free from the law of sin which wages war against us!
WE ARE FREE! Does that mean we can just go home now and relax?
- Now I can relax because the devil won’t get me when I die.
- Now I can relax because the devil can’t get me while I’m alive!
- Is that what FREE means? Peace? Confidence? Heaven-bound?
That is the way a LOT of us live! Free! Clean! Holy! Relaxed! Assured!
For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.
2 Corinthians 5:14–15
If Jesus died – then we ALL died – so we can no longer live for ourselves!
- You felt it – a call to do something significant in this world!
- Of course! Why give us the Holy Spirit unless to empower us for duty!
- Give a soldier a gun – he won’t pack it away, but prepare to use it!
Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
We can do something NEW, something DIFFERENT!
- You weren’t saved to watch clean movies and clean TV!
- You weren’t saved to live a clean life and raise a clean family!
- You were “born of God” in order to do something godly!
- God will place that desire in your heart – what do you want to do?
For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Galatians 2:19–20
We need to think a whole lot more about Jesus than we already think!
- Christ is living in you! Don’t put Jesus in the granny flat!
- Put Jesus in the mirror every morning! What will you do today?
- CHOOSE: What you do – Jesus does! OR What Jesus does – you do!
- Choose the one where Jesus chooses and the two of you cooperate!
- You have to live this life by faith – with risk – outside the box!
Like the man who was killed by a lightning strike.
- They revived him that night.
- He had died – and now he is alive.
- Every waking moment was a reminder that he should still be dead!
- “I taste my food, I smell my wife, I breathe the fresh air, I look at the scenery, and I feel my clothes!”
- He realizes what he COULD have missed if he had died – now he wanted to truly LIVE!
Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
2 Corinthians 5:16–17
When you look at a Christian – a REAL Christian – I want you to see MORE!
- This person has died with Christ and is a new creation, made by God.
- This person can do ANYTHING through Christ who strengthens him/her!
- This person has Holy Spirit power to do EXPLOITS for God!
Romans 8:37: “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.”
Jesus died so we can live!
- Not in Heaven, but right HERE on earth!
- Rejoice that you don’t have to return to your old, plain, empty life!
- You have potential!
- God will give you holy desires!
- God will give you a vision! God will give you a challenge that requires faith!
- God will give you the victory!
Stephen is a long-time missionary with and representative for Operation Mobilization, an organization that seeks to encourage and equip God's people to "share the knowledge of Jesus and his love with every generation in every nation." In that role, he has been privileged to labour for Christ in many countries, in many contexts, with many groups, and in many languages. When home in Canada, Stephen is actively involved in local church ministry and theological education, and serves as an Elder at Oakridge.