Because He Lives

Intro

Reflections on Easter - Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection resulting in our hope, life and freedom

It is the ultimate miracle that Christ would come, that He might die so that in His death we can live.

As we look to Scripture this morning, this is what we will see. That we might join in Christ’s death and thereby join in His life, but there is also a warning. Without faith, there will no be life, and instead of dying to sin, we will die in our sin.

Die to Live

2 Timothy 2:11 The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him;

What does it mean to die with Christ?

The old sinful self is “crucified” with Christ, the sin is nailed to the cross, and new life rises from the grave - the new creation

We will only live with Christ if we have first died with Him.

Romans 6:4–8 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing,

so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.

Being buried with Christ in death results in walking in newness of life, united with Him in life as we unite with Him in death. We know that we have died with Him because we have put to death the sin within us and are no longer slaves to sin, but because we have died with Christ we have been set free.

Endure to Reign

2 Timothy 2:12 if we endure, we will also reign with him;

Endure

Colossians 1:21–23 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,

if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

If we are stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that we have heard, then we have been reconciled in Christ’s body by His death and now might be presented before the throne of God holy and blameless and above reproach

Above reproach - nothing can be said against you in a manner of unholy living

Matthew 10:22 and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

We will need to die over and again

If life is always easy and your faith is never tested, then your faith is failing to endure, if you ever had faith

Reign

Revelation 5:9–10 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”

We will only reign if we endure. We do not reign now, but with Christ will reign after His return.

Deny to be Denied

2 Timothy 2:12 if we deny him, he also will deny us;

Matthew 10:32–33 So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

Do we avoid Jesus to make our lives less complicated? Less committed? Less uncomfortable in certain situations? Less sacrificial?

Denial through…

Ignorance - we simply ignore that He even exists Disinterest - we’ve heard the stories, but they don’t just do it for us Apathy - we believe it’s true, we just won’t do anything about it Rejection - we’ve heard the story and we want nothing to do with it

Illustration Tickets for an event

Ignorance - it’s everywhere to be seen, and you can simply reach out and grab a ticket, but you ignore it Disinterest - it doesn’t seem like you’ll get much out of it, so you just aren’t bothered by it Apathy - you are excited, you want to go, but you won’t do anything to actually prepare to go or make your way there Rejection - you don’t like what is required to get the ticket, so you decline and choose to do something else instead

Rejection is not jut not choosing something, but choosing something else instead. Denying Christ isn’t just saying you don’t want Christ, but saying you want everything else more.

He will only deny us if we deny Him.

Faithful or Faithless

2 Timothy 2:13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.

Faithless = denial, not weak or struggling faith

If He is faithful to save, He is faithful to judge

John 3:16–18 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,

but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

While He remains faithful to love us in our helpless state, He also remains faithful to His unchanging promises, including judgment on the wicked. He did not come to condemn those who are ALREADY condemned, but came to save those whom the Father had given to Him.

Warren Weirsbe Paul makes it clear that even our own doubt and unbelief cannot change Him.

The trouble of a Jesus that doesn’t judge. We can’t make Christ who we want Him to be. Whatever or whoever I want Jesus to be is completely irrelevant to who He is, but is entirely relevant to whether or not I am faithful or faithless

He will only be faithful to judge us condemned if we are faithless.

Repent and be Saved

If you have not repented of your sin and turned your life to Christ, then it is His very faithfulness that has brought you to this moment to hear the truth of His gospel. But denial of truth will result in His faithful judgment against you.

Gospel Presentation

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Romans 10:9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Hear the plea of a pastor’s heart: if Christ changes nothing, then Christ does nothing. But if Christ does something, then Christ changes everything.