A Time for Resurrection

Introduction

Review last week - We spoke of ‘A Time to be Crucified’

We’d preached on in essence of the first five words of Gal. 2:20 - ‘I am Crucified with Christ…’ and what this meant:

A Time to be Crucified - He spoke of:

A Person (‘I’)

The Present (‘am’)

A Position (‘Crucified’ [fixed])

The Testimony of the Crucified

You’ll bear the Marks

You’ll Endure the Shame

You’ll Pray for your Persecutors

Your Testimony will be Blameless

You’ll Care for Others more than Self

You’ll have Good Company

You’ll have Good Reason

You’ll be Victorious

You’ll do it Voluntarily

Today we’re going to look at the remainder of the verse and preach the message ‘A Time for Resurrection’

Just as there is a time & reason to die - there’s also a time & reason to live! And it’s Time for Resurrection!

The first thing we see is A Surprise of Life

I. A Surprise of Life

‘nevertheless I live…’

(Possibly speak of the surprise of everyone that Jesus had raised from the dead)

It’s amazing that in one breath, Paul is speaking of death, yet in the next - life. Consider those two statements together for a moment: “I am Crucified with Christ, NEVERTHELESS - I LIVE!”

I titled this point ‘A Surprise of Life’ because it almost seems that Paul is surprised at the outcome of death! For many, death is an end, it’s defeat - but not for Paul. And not for anyone else who is ‘Crucified with Christ’. Death brings about goodness and victory - not agony & defeat.

What Paul realized was three things:

A Life Superior

Paul was a learned man

Paul was a man of influence

Paul had a good life

But the life that Paul had now was BETTER!

For the Christian who is Crucified with Christ, they don’t live ‘less-than’ their neighbors who are lost. They don’t live ‘less-than’ their worldly Christian brothers & sisters. THEY LIVE SUPERIOR. IT’S A BETTER LIFE!

Christ said: John 10:10 “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

‘Might’ have it more abundantly. There is an abundant life available - but it’s not had by drugs, alcohol, fornication - it’s had by being Crucified with Christ! That’s the Secret Surprise! Just as Christ’s death brought about life anew in HIM, our death brings about new life in us!

It’s a Life Superior

A Life of Substance

What was Paul’s life before Christ? His purpose was to punish & condemn others. This purpose wasn’t a help to him. It wasn’t rewarding - other than to a lost man’s bloodlust.

But now things are different. Now Paul has purpose to his life. He’s not a detriment or drain on others - he’s a help & blessing to others! Paul has purpose! Paul’s life matters!

(Ill.) I often wonder 100 years from now if my life truly mattered. If the impact of my life stands the test of time. The only way to ensure that my life matters is if it focused on something eternal - and a life resurrected from self-Crucifixion does that!

It’s a Life of Substance

A Life that Shines

Paul’s life became inspiration to others. It wasn’t because:

Paul was beautiful

or smart

or popular

or eloquent in speech

Paul’s light shined in the first century and it shines today because Paul lived life anew! He was Crucified, but He lived the abundant life that Jesus spoke about!

The Surprise of New life from being Crucified is that it’s a Superior life. A life of Substance & one that Shines for Jesus!

We see a Surprise of Life, secondly we see a Shepherd for Life

II. A Shepherd for Life

‘yet not I, but Christ liveth in me…’

Because He Lives, He has the ability to Shepherd me

I am the Shell

Paul is not taking credit for this new life. He’s not bragging on who he is or what he’s done. He’s saying ‘Listen, it’s not me. I’m the beneficiary, but I’m not the cause’.

Paul says in essence ‘I am the Shell, but Christ is the Spring’

Christ is the Spring

John 4:14 “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”

This is the image as I pondered on this passage: So picture this now: ‘yet NOT I, but Christ liveth IN ME’.

(Ill.) Paul is the ACTOR, but Christ is the DIRECTOR

I’ll speak more on this shortly…

You have a Shepherd for your Life

We see a Surprise of Life, a Shepherd for Life, next a Shift of Life

III. A Shift of Life

‘and the life which I now live in the flesh…’

A Noticeable Change

‘the life which I NOW live...’ In other words, it’s different from the one he USED to live.

I don’t care who you are or what you’ve done. A Resurrected life is DIFFERENT than the life you used to live. You may say ‘Well, I was never really a bad person’ - I don’t care! A Resurrected life is DIFFERENT than others.

Not only are your actions different, but your wants, focus, desires, communications, interpretations - everything is different!

Consider Jesus, after His Resurrection He spoke to one of these women. The Bible tells us: John 20:11–15 “But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.”

Listen, if your life after Christ is no different than before Christ, odds are you’re still dead in trespasses & sins. A Resurrected Life means there’s a shift in life!

We see a Shift in Life - a Noticeable Change

We see a Surprise of Life, a Shepherd for Life, a Shift of Life, next we see the Source of Life

IV. The Source of Life

‘I live by the faith of the Son of God…’

(The reason Christians don’t live ‘anew’ is because of a lack of faith. It’s not that they don’t have faith, but they have ‘little’ faith. It’s the faith that will get you on the water, but then cause you to sink - Mat. 14)

New life must be sourced from Faith

Faith in His Word

Church, do you believe His Word?

Do you believe that this Bible is the Word of God, or is it just a collection of antique writings?

Do you believe that God said what He meant, meant what He said and had the power to preserve in writing in totality?

Do you believe that this Book is trustworthy?

The only way to live a Resurrected Life is by trusting the Word of the Resurrected One! Paul said ‘This life I now live, I’m living it by faith!’

Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

If you don’t BELIEVE His Word, you’ll never OBEY His Word!

The Source of Life is Faith in His Word - and the points that remain branch off of this point

Faith in His Work

Church, do you believe His Work - what He did?

Do you believe that He (insert miracle)

Do you believe that Jesus was the Son of God, or just a really good man?

See, I don’t know about you - but I have faith in the Work of Christ - do you know why? Because the very same Jesus still works today! I trust in His work in the past, and I trust He’ll work in the present & future!

The Source of Life is Faith in the Work of Christ

Faith in His Wisdom & Ways

The Bible is filled with wisdom. from Genesis - Revelation and everywhere in-between. So the question is, do you have faith in the Wisdom of God?

You see, people say that have faith in God’s Wisdom, but instead of living by the Wisdom of the Word, they live by the wisdom in their own minds.

So the question remains, do you have faith in God’s Wisdom & His Was, or are you trusting in your own?

(Ill.) Over the course of my ministry, I’ve taught or preached on various topics only to speak to some afterwards who’d say ‘Well preacher, I disagree with that…’ (And I’m not talking about an opinion on what the Bible says or my interpretations thereof) - but just simply disagree with the Scripture. Because the truth is, most don’t trust in the Wisdom & the Ways of the Bible - else they’d do them. They trust far more their ways than God’s.

But church, if you want that Resurrected Life - if you want that life that is Superior, that life that Shines - then you must Life by the Faith of His Wisdom & Ways detailed in Scripture!

Faith in His Wisdom & Ways

We see a Surprise of Life, a Shepherd for Life, a Shift of Life, the Source of Life, A Satisfaction in Life

V. A Satisfaction in Life

Paul said - ‘who loved me…’

It gives Confidence

Knowing that He Desires the Best for Me

Going back to the ‘Shepherd for Life’ context here, when Jesus is the spring welling up inside that is turning whichever direction He chooses - when you’re just the ACTOR and He’s the DIRECTOR, It gives you Confidence. The same as the writer of Hebrews in Hebrews 13:6 “So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”

This is such an important concept - because once you understand this, it give you comfort & confidence in knowing that the ONE who loved you enough to DIE for you is now DIRECTING you.

And church, He is a GOOD SHEPHERD. He will give you good direction. You too can have the comfort and confidence of David in Psalm 23 “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: And I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.”

I have Confidence in the LORD who Loves Me

It gives Contentment

There’s security in knowing that He loves you.

No matter where He leads, I can be content

Paul told the church at Philippi: Philippians 4:11–13 “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

A have Satisfaction in Life because I know that He loves me

We see a Surprise of Life, a Shepherd for Life, a Shift of Life, the Source of Life, A Satisfaction in Life - ALL BECAUSE OF A SIN-BEARER FOR MY LIFE

VI. Because of a Sin-Bearer for My Life

‘…and gave himself for me’

It was personal for Paul…

The Surprise of a Better Life

Because of Christ giving Himself for me, I have surprisingly a better life than any lost person can possibly have!

A Shepherd for my Life

Because Christ gave Himself for me, I don’t have to live this life blindly - but I have a Shepherd for my life

A Shift of Focus in my Life

Because Christ gave Himself for me, I see things differently now, therefore I live a different life now than I did before

A Stable Source for my Life

Because Christ gave Himself for me, I have a Stable Source for life by Faith in Him.

And make no mistake - Faith in Christ is the most stable thing you can have in this life. It is the solid rock, and all else is shifting sand!

A Satisfaction in Life

Because Christ gave Himself for me, I have a Satisfaction in Life church.

All because of the Sin-Bearer who died so that I may live!

Conclusion

My question to you is this: What kind of life are you leading? Do you want a better one?

I don’t care what your life is like - Being Crucified with Christ - dying to self and living a Resurrected life that Paul speaks of in this verse is far better than any else you ever will.

It begins with Crucifixion - but ends in life!