SHARE THE RESURRECTION

Matthew 28 NLT

1 Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb. 2 Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. 3 His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. 4 The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint. 5 Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. 7 And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you.” 8 The women ran quickly from the tomb. They were very frightened but also filled with great joy, and they rushed to give the disciples the angel’s message. 9 And as they went, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they ran to him, grasped his feet, and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid! Go tell my brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see me there.” 11 As the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and told the leading priests what had happened. 12 A meeting with the elders was called, and they decided to give the soldiers a large bribe. 13 They told the soldiers, “You must say, ‘Jesus’ disciples came during the night while we were sleeping, and they stole his body.’ 14 If the governor hears about it, we’ll stand up for you so you won’t get in trouble.” 15 So the guards accepted the bribe and said what they were told to say. Their story spread widely among the Jews, and they still tell it today. 16 Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him—but some of them doubted! 18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Every Easter you would think is the easiest sermon to prepare for a pastor --- it is actually the hardest.

Everyone knows what the topic is and can anticipate what you will you say...

This year the Lord laid on my heart to talk with you about SHARING HIS RESURRECTION....

So, I am not going to preach about the eye witnesses to the resurrection, or the various details of the resurrection, but

HOW DO WE PARTICIPATE IN HIS RESURRECTION?

I have been studying a book on Christology - the study of who Christ is by Frank Macchia entitled, “Jesus the Spirit Baptizer”

The whole premise of the book is that the culmination of Jesus work and life is not the RESURRECTION but the Baptism in the HOLY SPIRIT - and the impartation of the Spirit into the lives of those who would TRULY FOLLOW HIM!

IN other words, it is not enough to just acknowledge the RESURRECTION when JESUS wants to impart the POWER OF THE RESURRECTION into our lives.

Romans 8:11 NLT

11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.

The RESURRECTION OF JESUS made Him NOTORIOUS, VICTORIOUS, and GLORIOUS!

His RESURRECTION will do the same in our lives!

1. NOTORIOUS

The RESURRECTION OF CHRIST MADE HIM NOTORIOUS!!!

To be notorious means to be well known and talked of! Synonyms for notorious are - celebrated, distinguished and noted, renowned!

BILLIONS over 2000 years have recognized the RESURRECTION of CHRIST, celebrated it, worshipped Him for it, given their own lives and died for it. HE has more notoriety than perhaps any other human who walked this earth!!!

You either love and embrace HIM, or you IGNORE and REJECT Him!!!

You may be thinking that NOTORIETY is only a negative term --- that it is always from a negative perspective, but that depends on what perspective you come at it from!!!

The reality is those who reject CHRIST, those who want to deny his RESURRECTION, and the SPIRITUAL BEINGS of DEATH, HELL, SATAN, and the GRAVE all look at Jesus notoriety because it means their defeat!!!

Jesus descending into hell to take the keys of death and the grave and release the captives in hell SHIFTED the VERY SCIENTIFIC and ETERNAL Path for ALL HUMANKIND forever!

Humankind fell from the grace of God through disobedience in the Garden of Eden thereby changing the very NATURE OF ALL PEOPLE from that point forward...

CONDEMNING THEM TO A LIFE OF ETERNAL DEATH AND SEPARATION FROM GOD ...

No person could have enter into HIS presence, the presence of the HEAVENLY FATHER again because sin cannot be in His presence.

Psalm 5:4 NLT

4 O God, you take no pleasure in wickedness; you cannot tolerate the sins of the wicked.

His very JUSTICE cries out for punishment of sin ---

Romans 3:10 NLT

10 As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous— not even one.

Some might think this harsh, but the reality is the love of God caused Him to offer up His ONLY Son.

Jesus was equal with the Father in heaven, but put aside his DEITY to become flesh to become a second ADAM and pay the price of sin for us on the cross.

John 3:16–17 NLT

16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

When a person confesses their sin and surrenders to Christ

1 John 1:9 NLT

9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

We are cleansed from that sin, and the very RESURRECTION POWER of CHRIST CHANGES OUR ACTUAL SINFUL NATURE INTO THAT OF THE REDEEMED (bought and paid for by Christ)

2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT

17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

We are no longer citizens of a fallen nature and a fallen world, but our citizenship status changes to that of the KINGDOM OF GOD!

John 17:9–21 NLT

9 “My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, because they belong to you. 10 All who are mine belong to you, and you have given them to me, so they bring me glory. 11 Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are. 12 During my time here, I protected them by the power of the name you gave me. I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for destruction, as the Scriptures foretold. 13 “Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy. 14 I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. 15 I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. 16 They do not belong to this world any more than I do. 17 Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. 18 Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. 19 And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth. 20 “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. 21 I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.

Christian, those of you who are in Christ - YOU ARE NO LONGER OF THIS WORLD even though we are still in it.... we await a day when a NEW HEAVEN AND EARTH comes forth - our citizenship is now the KINGDOM OF GOD - we are sons of GOD through our faith in Jesus!

Those whose natures are not changed by the POWER OF CHRIST - they will not always love or recognize this...

2 Corinthians 2:14–15 NLT

14 But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. 15 Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing.

We share in his NOTORIETY - loved by those who find the TRUTH and WAY OF SALVATION, and despised by those who reject it!!!

Nonetheless, our nature is CHANGED because of HIS RESURRECTION

Galatians 3:26–29 NLT

26 For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. 28 There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.

and being in CHRIST we share in HIS NOTORIOUS BEING!

2. VICTORIOUS

PERHAPS the MOST Victorious moment in ALL OF HISTORY was when JESUS conquered death and hell!!! and ROSE FROM THE DEAD!

Victory over the grave, over sin, over death, over the forces of evil in the world, over temptation, etc. etc. etc.

Revelation 1:18 NLT

18 I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.

Jesus has promised this same VICTORY to HIS CHURCH!

Matthew 16:19 NLT

19 And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.”

Conquering the grave PURCHASED VICTORY for all who FOLLOW AND SERVE CHRIST!

The price of SIN was satisfied and therefore those who SHARE IN HIS RESURRECTION can be VICTORIOUS OVER SIN IN THEIR LIVES!!!

James 1:12 NLT

12 God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT

13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.

Romans 8:38–39 NLT

38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Jesus calls us into a VICTORIOUS place of following HIM. What the law could not do, what animal sacrifices could not do, JESUS did!!!

Even in our lives Jesus promised the power of His Holy Spirit to help us...

John 14:12 NLT

12 “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.

Will you share in His VICTORY???

3. GLORIOUS

Hebrews 12:1–2 NLT

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.

Jesus is at the right hand of the Father in heaven.

He has been glorified and honored for the VICTORIOUS WORK HE PERFORMED!!!

Acts 5:30–32 NLT

30 The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead after you killed him by hanging him on a cross. 31 Then God put him in the place of honor at his right hand as Prince and Savior. He did this so the people of Israel would repent of their sins and be forgiven. 32 We are witnesses of these things and so is the Holy Spirit, who is given by God to those who obey him.”

Jesus is GLORIFIED and exalted to the RIGHT HAND OF THE FATHER.... because of the cross and RESURRECTION

How are we glorified - IN THE RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD!

1 Corinthians 15:35–56 NLT

35 But someone may ask, “How will the dead be raised? What kind of bodies will they have?” 36 What a foolish question! When you put a seed into the ground, it doesn’t grow into a plant unless it dies first. 37 And what you put in the ground is not the plant that will grow, but only a bare seed of wheat or whatever you are planting. 38 Then God gives it the new body he wants it to have. A different plant grows from each kind of seed. 39 Similarly there are different kinds of flesh—one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. 40 There are also bodies in the heavens and bodies on the earth. The glory of the heavenly bodies is different from the glory of the earthly bodies. 41 The sun has one kind of glory, while the moon and stars each have another kind. And even the stars differ from each other in their glory. 42 It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. 43 Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. 44 They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies. 45 The Scriptures tell us, “The first man, Adam, became a living person.” But the last Adam—that is, Christ—is a life-giving Spirit. 46 What comes first is the natural body, then the spiritual body comes later. 47 Adam, the first man, was made from the dust of the earth, while Christ, the second man, came from heaven. 48 Earthly people are like the earthly man, and heavenly people are like the heavenly man. 49 Just as we are now like the earthly man, we will someday be like the heavenly man. 50 What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever. 51 But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! 52 It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. 53 For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies. 54 Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 56 For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power.

We will also RISE from the DEAD - our SPIRITS in HEAVEN REUNITED NOW WITH A TRANSFORMED PHYSICAL MAN...

Our mortal will put on IMMORTALITY — INCORRUPTIBLE BEINGS --- GLORIFIED FOR ALL ETERNITY celebrating our SAVIOR AND KING!

CONCLUSION

Those who will share in the RESURRECTION OF CHRIST will find themselves

NOTORIOUS with a changed nature and citizens of the Kingdom of God, heirs of the Kingdom

VICTORIOUS in this life over sin and joined to the love of CHRIST, no longer condemned by sin but overcomers

GLORIOUS changed and ourselves RESURRECTED to an INCORRUPTIBLE ETERNAL LIFE made whole in Christ!

This is the story of EASTER!