Because He Lives

Logan Peters

Sermon • Submitted a year ago • Presented a year ago

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Because He Lives

John 14:15-19

Because He Lives I have…

Hope - I can face tomorrow

Peace - All fear is gone

Confidence - I know He holds the future

Purpose - Life is worth living because He lives

Conclusion: Salvation

I know many here were lucky enough to know my grandfather Dan Tomlinson. We all know there was one thing he loved to do, and that was to sing praises to God. And buddy, did he have a voice! And I feel like that was something he was able to pass down to my mother, and my mother to me. And in a way, it helps me still feel connected with him. On my way to work most mornings, I like to listen to worship songs and I like to sing along with them just as Papaw and myself did so many times when I would spend time with him. It is just a great way for me to start my day by praising God. It gets my mind right and puts a little pep in my step. Well, I have been listening to a particular song over and over again. “Because He Lives”. I have probably listened and have sung along with it twenty times this week and decided to make it the main idea for our lesson this morning. And what a thought this song brings to us! Because Christ lives, we have so many blessings as children of God.

Because He Lives, I can face tomorrow - that is Hope

Because He Lives, All Fear is gone - that is peace

Because I know He Holds the future - That is Confidence in Christ

Life is worth the living just because He Lives - He gives us purpose

As we dig into this study this morning, I encourage you to reflect on these words and think about how truly blessed we are as Christians to know that Christ lives, and He lives in us (Galatians 2:20).

BECAUSE HE LIVES I HAVE…

Hope - I can face tomorrow

Because Christ Lives, we have hope that will allow us to face each and every day. What is this hope that we have? Where does it come from and what does it mean to you and me? Let’s look together at Ephesians 1:17-18

How do we handle every day? How is it that we can continue to press onward and face the struggles of tomorrow? There is so much evil going on all around the world every day. This can truly cause us to question ourselves, our mission, and our faith. There is one thing that we have as children of God that no one else has. That is Hope of an eternal home with God. The hope of salvation. To know that one day, all the struggles, all the heartaches, and all the pain will be worth it. Without hope, how can we face tomorrow?

Isaiah 41:10 says, “fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

The comfort of God is a real thing, friends. Knowing that one day we will be in Heaven with Him ought to give us joy and should help us push through the tough times. There will always be times of trial, times of pain, and times where you sit there wondering to yourself, “Why me?”. But the hope that we have because Christ lives, gives us an answer. I love how Peter describes it in 1 Peter 1:3. He calls it a “living hope”. Brothers and sisters, this hope that is in us is alive. This hope will not fade away, it will not decrease in value, it cannot be taken from us.

It is a hope given to us directly by God through the obedience of His Word. Hope is not something everyone has. It is not something everyone will obtain. Unfortunately, there are people in this world that will turn away the hope of salvation. The only way to capture it is by obeying God. There are things that we need to give up in order to obey God. When we obey the gospel, we make a promise to God to live for Him, love Him, and spread His gospel. That means giving up those sinful things we did before. That means giving up certain relationships we had before. That means transforming ourselves by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). The living hope inside ourselves has a cost, and that cost was paid for by the blood of Christ because of the mercy and Grace of God the Father. When we do the things necessary to obtain salvation our living hope is in Christ. The real expectation that we will have a home with Him in heaven if we are found faithful.

What does hope mean to you and me? It quite literally means everything to us. The knowledge and security knowing there is something better to come. That there is a reward awaiting us if we are found faithful to Christ and obedient to the Word of God. When we think about facing the troubles and the cares of the world, let us remember the living hope that is in us. The hope of an eternity with God.

Peace - All Fear is gone

Because He Lives, we have peace..

We all have fears don’t we? We all have doubts and questions about our lives. We think about our next big career move, or we are concerned about a test result, or we are worried about the future. That is just human nature. There is just something about the unknown that scares us. If we allow this fear to consume our lives, then it makes it very hard for us to fulfill our duty to God. It can cause us depression, anxiety, and even cause us to completely shut down.

But what does Phillipians 4:6-7 say?

When we pray to God and place our cares and burdens on Him, it is so much easier to face the unknown. The peace of God, who knows literally EVERYTHING, will guard our hearts. Why do we feel the need to put restrictions on God? We act like there is nothing God can do for us, and we neglect prayer to Him and seeking out His will and guidance. It is so easy for us to shut down in the midst of fear and anxiety. But what Paul is trying to convey to us is that we should allow God to be our peace. We should allow Him to be our comforter. In a world full of uncertainty and fear, we should be turning to God to be our comfort.

Let’s look at 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Our God is the God of all comfort. In our hardest times, in our weakest moments, in our toughest battles God will comfort us. In all things, God is able. Does it stop there, friends? As Christians, our whole purpose is to show Christ through our actions. We are to take all the good that God has done for us and has spread that to others. Vs 4 of 2 Corinthians 1 does not tell us to take the comfort from God and keep it to ourselves. NO! We are told to because God is our comfort in our time of affliction, we are to be that very comfort to others. It is so very different when we think about it in this way. A lot of times we seek out God in the hope that He will comfort us and be our refuge. When we receive those blessings from God, we should then think about how we can bless others! God gives us all blessings, both spiritual and temporal. As children of God, it is our job to turn that around and be a blessing to someone else. If we are not showing Christ in our daily lives by serving others, then we are not doing our jobs.

God is our peace, our comfort, and our refuge. All fear is gone. The fear of anything that can happen in this life is alleviated when we trust God and make Him our refuge and peace. There will always be times of sorrow and pain. Psalm 119:50 says, “This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life.” God’s promise of eternal life is the greatest peace anyone can have. Along with the hope we spoke about earlier, our salvation gives us peace and allows us to face each and every day. Let’s remember that God is our peace and comforter.

Confidence - I know He holds the future

Because Christ lives, we are confident and He is our confidence. We do not have to worry or fear because Jesus is with us. Obstacles in our lives can seem very overwhelming. Our faith might stumble, and fear may lead us to slip in our commitment to Christ. This, friends, is when we need to lean on Christ, and renew our confidence in Christ. When we lean on God’s Word and lean on Christ and go to God in Prayer, we are putting our trust back into our Savior.

Our confidence can be shaken by the world can it not? We might know people right now who are intimidated by our lives in Christ. Being a righteous person seems to repulse them, and our lives may remind them of how they once were or how they ought to be. Our faith makes them uncomfortable. And what they want is for us to give in and fall back into our sinful lives along with them. That can hurt our confidence, can it not? Those who are worldly and comfortable in sin do not want to be reminded or feel called out for being sinful. They want us to go back to our old selves in order to feel comfortable around us. So how does Christ expect us to respond? Well, He says in Matthew 22:39, “…You shall love your neighbor as yourself “. When those around us attempt to break our confidence and faith in Christ, let us respond in love towards those people, but let us also seek out God in prayer and ask for strength. Be confident in your faith and in Christ. Be confident in knowing who your savior is and knowing who holds our future.

Let’s read Philippians 1:3-6

Our confidence in Christ cannot be shaken, it cannot be broken because He lives. So friends, let us stand strong in our faith and dependence on God. Confidence in Christ is bold but humble. It is engaging but calm. In our lives, we can be sure that Christ is in control. Our confidence is not based on our bank accounts, our clothes, or our looks. It is not dependent on where we live or what we drive. Our confidence is found in Christ alone. He is the answer, He is the Savior, and He is our King.

Purpose - Life is worth living because He lives

Because He lives, we have purpose. That is a pretty big word isn’t it? Maybe not grammatically, but it is big in the meaning behind it. As human beings, when we come into this world, we try to find one singular thing. We try to find our purpose. Some of us look to our jobs, our family, and our hobbies to fulfill that purpose. The mistake we make, even sometimes as Christians, is that we are making it about us. What is MY purpose, why am I here?

Let’s read Romans 8:27-28

Maybe, just maybe it is not about us. Maybe it is not about finding your own purpose or my own purpose. It is about God’s purpose. Colossians 3:17 tells us, “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.” Why are we supposed to do everything in the name of Jesus? Friends, it has nothing to do with us. All the glory and honor goes to God. God’s purpose is to save all those who will obey Him. And if we are not willing to be the boots on the ground, then His purpose will not be known in the world. When we read the book of Romans or any of the letters to the different congregations in different cities, we are reading information on how to maximize our faith and be more pleasing to God and how to be the lights shining in this world.

God has given us the task of going and preaching and teaching the entire world about Him and His love. We are commanded to do this in Mark 16:15-16. We get so caught up in our temporary lives that we forget about our spiritual lives. We get hung up in the world telling us that we need to have a good career, a nice car, a big house, and all these material things. When we get wrapped up in all these temporal objects and ideals, we are falling right into Satan’s trap. We feel like we have to keep up with the family down the street. What will driving a Ferrari do for you in the afterlife? If we are not careful, we substitute these material things for our purpose. Slowly but surely, spiritual matters become less and less important to us. And then all of a sudden, we have abandoned our faith for a false sense of happiness and security. We have given up our eternity for things that are not eternal.

What is your purpose? The good preacher in Ecclesiastes 12:13 tells us exactly what our purpose is… “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man “.

Because Christ Lives, we have this purpose. The purpose to follow Christ. To spread His love and His gospel all around the world. This is our duty, our privilege, it is our life as a Christian.

Conclusion - Salvation

How great is God that He gives us our purpose? How great is He that He allows us to have the answers of life through His Word? How Great is God that He gave His Son so that we could have salvation?

Jesus came to this earth as 100% God and 100% man. He lived a perfect life, and was crucified on a cross where he died and arose on the third day and ascended into heaven just so that you and I could have the opportunity to obey the gospel and become saved.

I know you’ve heard this morning

Have you believed?

Are you willing to repent of your sins?

Confess Jesus as the Christ?

And be Baptized for the remission of your sins

And live faithfully until death?

Maybe you have already done that and something has gotten between you and God. Friend, we urge you to make things right between you and God this morning.

Friends, with Christ we no longer have to wonder what our purpose is. We no longer have to worry about what our identity is. He gives us a reason to smile and a reason to sing and a reason to be joyful. He gives us a reason to continue on when things are tough. He is the reason we have the opportunity to have eternal life with the Father in heaven. We have the answer to life right in front of us. What will you do with it? Will you ignore it and ignore your purpose? Or will you act upon it, make things right between yourself and God and begin to fulfill your purpose? “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man “.