2021 04-04 Sunday Morning Service

primarily at the physical characteristics of the story of the Resurrection the tomb the stone the soldiers the women the disciples the grave clothes the angel all of that but this morning I want to do something a little different and that is to focus not on the historical data regarding the resurrection but on the spiritual significance of the Resurrection The resurrection of Jesus Christ is a fact it is a well-documented fact that Jesus died was crucified was placed into the tomb on the third day. The tomb was empty. He was risen. He was seen by over 500 eyewitnesses it once along with numerous other appearances to his disciples. The fact of his as erection is witnessed by a proof of a bunch of personal eyewitnesses and by the ongoing life of the church as well. We could look at the empty tomb the line soldiers who tried to explain away the Resurrection The Grave clothes line undisturbed where the body had Lain we could talk about the massive Stone which was rolled away the angels and their conversation the transformation of the disciples from unbelievers who had no expectation of a resurrection to believers who preach the resurrection. We can talk about the birth of the church as testimony to the reality of that resurrection and we could talk about our own transformed lives as the living Christ who lives in us and that we give testimony that he lives we could talk about the historical reality of the Resurrection from all of those angels and it's very important to understand the Jesus actually rose from the dead that there was a man named Jesus who was God in human flesh who came into the world lived and died by being crucified rose from the dead. This is critical to Christian faith. And this is critical to Every Soul in the world because the Bible says in Romans 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead you will be saved. To be safe from the judgment and penalty of sin one must believe that God raised Jesus from the dead and confess Jesus as Lord. So knowing and believing about the historical fact of the Resurrection is essential and that's why all gospel preachers from the apostles on have always preached the resurrection of Jesus Christ. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised him from the dead affirming his death as a substitute for sin, which God accepted and indicating that he had conquered sin and death you shall be saved. It's important to understand the historical fact of the resurrection and to believe it because it's essential to one salvation one cannot be saved apart from understanding the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And so it would certainly be appropriate and has been through the years to address the historical reality of the Resurrection. But this morning I want to do something a little different. I want to look at the resurrection not in its historical reality, but in its spiritual significance, I want to talk about the resurrection not so much as how it related to Jesus with how it relates to you and me. It is in a very real sense not just a historical event that happened two thousand years ago. It is a present reality that is happening again. And again spiritually speaking too many people it is happened to most of us. There is a spiritual significance in the resurrection. That must be understood. To put it simply the resurrection of Jesus Christ was not just his resurrection. It was yours and mine as well. In Reading study in the Bible. I have seen that the spiritual union between a believer in Jesus Christ in his death and Resurrection is a constant theme in the New Testament. I would like to look at the main passage which explains its significance and that's Romans chapter 6 because there's the full explanation of the significance of our Union with Christ in his death and Resurrection. Now when I say that we as Christians are joined with Christ in his death and Resurrection. I'm not talking about some fantasy of some kind I'm talking about something that is factual but it's historical but has implications that are spiritual for every one of us. We're going to see what that involves as we look at Romans chapter 6. Now there's a principle that I want to go back and set it all up. But I wish we had time. So let me start and verse 2 with the statement. How shall we who died to sin still live in it? That's very significant statement how shall we who died in sin to sin live in it? Now Paul came along and preach the gospel. He was preaching it. Of course too many Jewish people and Jewish people had grown up in the system, which basically said if you want to be right with God if you want to go to heaven you have to do certain good works and those good works will achieve for you eternal life and then you have to keep on doing them and you have to live a holy and righteous life and keep all of the Mosaic law all of the time or you might forfeit that life. Along Comes the Apostle Paul and he says God offers you salvation not by works nor by anything you do or have ever done or ever will do but purely on the basis of race. He gives you salvation is a free gift and after you've accepted the free gift not on the basis of anything that you've done just by believing in Jesus Christ as Lord and Risen Savior you receive that free gift from then on he will continue to forgive all your sins for the rest of your life. That's the gospel of grace. God will forgive your sins by Grace. He will grant you righteousness by Grace. He will give you Heaven by grace and then he will continually by Grace forgive all your sins and then at the end take you to his heaven. Now the people who spent their whole life in a system that said you not only have to earn your salvation, but you have to keep it by doing good that sounded like absolute nonsense. You're actually saying it once I've accepted this gift is Grace will forgive me, aren't you just setting people up to live free and sinful lives because it's all paid for right? It's like giving a child and unlimited bank account saying no matter what you want. No matter what you do a cover at all and then turtle. You'd have to be insane to do such a thing. You have to realize that there would be a tremendous temptation to abuse. This generosity. Isn't that what we are to understand about this offer of Graces salvation? Is it the setting people up off on a life of sin? Because they know they're covered. In fact chapter 5 verse 20 towards the end of the verse Paul said it is true that where sin increased Grace abounded the more sin the more grace. That even compounds more if God is glorified by being gracious then maybe we oughta send more so he can be more gracious and get more glory for his grace. The whole thing seems like a formula for disaster. Is that really the gospel? Are we really inviting people to a life of three sin with a promise it'll all be forgiven and just turning people loose. I suppose even in the Gentile world of Rome there were religious systems there who had very high ethical standards and the Conformity to those standards was out had to be if you wanted to please the Gods. And so it's against that backdrop the Paul rights chapter 6. Because people are going to accuse him of preaching a message of Liberty a message that leads to abuse a message that leads to freewheeling sinfulness knowing it's all going to be covered. He has an answer for that inverse to How shall we who died to sin still live in it? His points this our life is not going to be the same. We're not going to go on living in sin because we've been saved by grace why because we died to sin. Something has happened to us. Our Salvation is not just a declaration from God. It's just not just God saying, okay, I'll bring your sin will forgive it because you believed in me and my son it's not just God saying I have clothed you and righteousness of Jesus Christ. I have put his righteousness on you because of your faith. It's not just a declaration of that. There's something else here the fact that he puts Christ's righteousness to our account is truly. It's certainly true and that's been his discussion in chapter 5 but in chapter 6, he goes beyond that and he says salvation is not just a court declaration. It's not just God saying you're not guilty. It's also a transformation and that takes place verse 2 says through a death when a person comes to Christ. There's a death takes place and he says it's dying too thin. Now this is not describing the state of being it is describing an historical event. When you were saved you died. When you committed your life to Christ you died. There was an event with finality that took place. So no longer are you living in the same sphere death? Always does that mean the same as true? Spiritually when you came to Christ and put your trust in him you died and you entered a new dimension and you now live in a different dimension that you let then you lived in before you understand things. Now you never understood before you have relationships. Now you never had before your understanding of Time and Eternity has completely opened up to you and what was darkness is light. Now, what are we talkin about? Well, he goes going to explain it and he does it in for simple statements. Number one at Salvation one who believes in Jesus Christ is immersed into Christ notice in verse 3, or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ. Jesus have been baptized into his death. Now when you see the word baptism for baptized you immediately think of water, don't you? There's no water here. He's not talking about water baptism an inward, which is a symbol and outward symbol that reflects an inward work. He's not talking about water. He's using baptized in a very simple sense. It really means to immerse when you were saved when you put your faith in Jesus Christ. You were immersed into Christ that we understand that we understand what that means. We would say about somebody who went to boot camp in the military. Well, he's getting his baptism by fire. We don't mean that literally we mean that he's immersed in it very difficult and trying circumstance some people become immersed in grief. We mean they're literally submerged into a certain kind of environment and that's precisely what Paul is saying here you have been plunged into Christ Christianity you see is not just a religion or people believe certain facts. It's a relationship in which there is a real Union between Jesus Christ and the individual and Paul puts it this way Galatians 2:20. I have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me. You didn't know where he ended in Christ began in Romans 8. Paul says that if any man is Christ the spirit of Christ dwells in him. We have a relationship. We have a living Christ dwelling in us. There is a change we've been immersed in Christ 1st Corinthians 6:17, but he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him and Galatians 3:27 for as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. We as Christians really don't know where we end if he starts doing When I teach or serve the Lord and God blesses shirts me and my gift and I'm doing whatever I can in my own human strength and by the goodness of God allowing me to do it, but in the end any spiritual benefit that comes out of anything is his work through me whatever I do in like Christian Life and by way of obedience and honor and worship to the Lord is his work in me. I don't know where I end and he begins I can't draw Broadline and separate those two for me to live is Christ. That's all I know I live. yet not I It's that very difficult thing to understand I live yet. I don't live it's him in me. When you become a Christian Christ comes to take up residence in you. You're literally immersed into Jesus Christ. That's why the Bible says you better be careful how you treat a Christian because how you treat Christian is how you were treating Christ. If you've done it to the least of these my children, Jesus said, You've done it to me. He is inseparable from his people do Paul's point is look you can't even apply the attitudes before your Christian to being a Christian because afterwards there's such a dramatic change converted people don't think like unconverted people because we have the mind of Christ. We've been immersed in the Christ. We're Inseparable from him and he from us now. That's the basic principle that he starts with here. Everyone who puts his faith in Jesus Christ is joined with Christ. So now let's go to the second principle. And here's the main one since we are immersed into Christ. We are immersed into his death and Resurrection back to Romans 6:3. Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death. We're talking about a spiritual reality when you were joined the Christ you were joined to his death Christ and his death died in your place. So in effect it was the Bible says the wages of sin is death Christ died and he had never sinned but he died as a substitute for you and me so his death was really our death because God counted it as if it were our Death Christ died in our place and he died under the full Fury and the wrath of God. Pain completely the penalty for sin. So God poured out all his Fury against our sin on Jesus. So when he died for all intents and purposes we died because he died our death he died for our sins. So when we were converted we were literally immersed into Christ Jesus and we were immersed into his death because his death was applied to us. So we died the real death took place. following verse 4 Therefore we were buried with him through baptism into death that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the father even so we also should walk in newness of life. venomverse 5 for we if we have been United together in the likeness of his death. Certainly. We also shall be in the likeness of his resurrection. Now we're getting to the heart of the Resurrection. It's not just something we look back and believe in it is something in which we participate we died when he died because God counted his death as hours. And when we Rose when he arose because God counted his resurrection as if it were ours the penalty of sin was paid. The justice of God was satisfied in Christ came out of the Grave having satisfied God's justice against sin. And that is the reason the Bible says he was raised for our justification and so in a very real sense rice died for you was buried for you and Rose for you. You didn't need to die to be buried in to rise again for himself. He had no sin. It was for us. He did it in our place and consequently. It was our death in our Resurrection. So when Paul and verse 2 says we died to sin. He's talking about this death in Christ. He's not saying we are dead to sin. He's talking about a historical event. When Christ died. I died when Christ Rose I Rose when he died my sins were paid for when he rose. My new life was guaranteed. That's the spiritual meaning of the Resurrection. That's the profound intent of Paul in Romans 6 to have a rasp this huge truth. Not notice, since we are in the likeness of his resurrection, we walk in newness of life. That's the reason we don't just say well, I'm a Christian. I'm under grace and God has forgiven all of my sin and he's going to keep forgiving it all until I die. So I'm just going to send like crazy and really enjoy it it is because

it is because we aren't who we used to be. Have you ever heard someone say I want to do when I want to do I want to feed my lust do what I like to do. Do you want fulfills all my passions and desires and if I become a Christian, I have to stop all that I have to go to church read the Bible pray those things just don't interest me at all. I can understand that. But the point is when you become a Christian your interest change all of a sudden what used to interest you, you hate all of a sudden what you used to hate you love because you aren't who you used to be. That's the new creation If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation old things passed away and new things have come we walk in newness of life. So pulse answer to the person who says if you just preach Grace people are going to wear what going to run amok is no because there's a real transformation that takes place at Salvation. There's a new birth. There's a transformation in this new person walks in a different way. We die a real death and that death is a significant thing a significant event with significant results. We have a new life Psalms. 43 says we sing a new song. We have a new song Ezekiel 18 says we have a new spirit inside Ezekiel. 36 says we have a new heart 2nd Corinthians 5. We're a new creation Galatians 6 were new Bean Ephesians 4 where a new man Revelations 2. We have a new identity. Now all of a sudden we're released back into this world, but were alien to it. We're strangers to it. We don't belong anymore because there has been such a severe transformation real death has occurred in a real Resurrection has occurred and we engage ourselves in a new kind of life with all new perceptions of the world around us. We walk in the light instead of the darkness. So Christ Calvary was my Calvary Christ Resurrection was my resurrection and I am one with him and I am not what I used to be. Now. That doesn't mean we're perfect. We still have to battle the sin that is around us and the sin that is in our unredeemed flesh, but I am a new creation. I am not what I was you see salvation isn't just adding something new to watch you were salvation is transforming you so that you are a new person. You're not the old person you used to be and that takes us to his third Point hear what happened to make such a dramatic change. What happened was sin was done away with the body of sin was done away with he said knowing this that our old self was crucified in him the death was that our old self died when he died. It was not only a substitutionary death for our sins to pay the penalty for our sins. But in some way it was a transforming death out of that transaction. We became a new creation. The old self what does that mean? That means what we used to be the old self was crucified. And in that crucifixion the body of sin was done away with what does that mean the body of sin not talking about physical body, but sin as an entity The Entity of sin has been destroyed. We can't say that since we become Christians citizen dilated. It's still there in our flash. It's still there in our humanness. And as long as we're in this human realm will battle soon but a very decisive blow has been struck against sin that can be described here by the words of Paul the body of sin is done away with what does that mean? Well, it means this to be deprived of its strength. There's one thing true about a person who doesn't know the Lord their dominated by sin. It is their Master. It calls all the shots because they do not have the life of God because they have never died to the old life and come alive in a new life. There life is simple top to bottom front to back not all people are as simple as they could be there are people who are far more sinful than others in terms of a relative sinfulness, but all people are simple enough to the degree that they are condemned by God. What about when they do good deeds. Well, if they do them for any other motive than the glory of God, they are not good deeds in the truest sense. So even the good that men do because it's motive is self-promotion or the easing of one's guilt or the desire to earn a good reputation turns out to be something other than glorifying God and therefore falls into the category of sin. So unsafe unsafe people just send they are totally dominated by sin. They are mastered what happens when you die. It's like a slave who dies and is therefore freed from the old Master. We were like slaves to sin we die. And when we died said no longer was our master. So that's the decisive death of Paul is writing about here in verse 6 again the body of sin is done away. And here's what that means that we should no longer be slaves to sin for he who has died is freed from sin. As soon as a slave dies. He's freed from his master and spin was our master. And when we die, we were freed from its presence to go down 2 verse 12. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey it and it's less you can if you choose to make Sim The Sovereign it's your choice because the entity of sin has been rendered weak has lost domination. It's no longer The Sovereign of Our Lives. Look at verse 14 for sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under law, but under grace. That's the point now is a Believer. I am free from the domination of sin in my life. So Paul says look, we don't go on sinning as Christians because we died does he mean by that? We were United to Jesus Christ so that we become one with him. We were United in his death burial and resurrection and in the death burial and Resurrection The Entity of thin has been rendered no longer The Sovereign of our lives. So we do not live any longer under the mask. in fact notice further in the chapter 6 verses 16 through 18 Do you not know but to whom you present yourself slaves to obey you? Are that one slave whom you obey weather of sin leading to death Oroville deviance leading to righteousness, but God be thanked that though you were slaves to sin that you obeyed from the heart that form of Doctrine twitch. You were delivered and having been set free from sin. You became slaves of righteousness. You know what really calls the shots now in your life, right justness and when you send you have to deal with your conscience Paul says there's a principal in me. There's a lot on me constantly wanting me to do what is right. I love the law of God. I want to do what God wants me to do. I want to I want to honor God in everything. It's a battle for me. I don't do what I want to do. And I do what I don't want to do but in Me is This strong compelling driving influence of My New Self, that's what takes charge so that sin becomes heartbreaking sin becomes not a fulfillment of what I really want but a distraction from what I really want not a fulfillment of my deepest desires, but an intrusion into the Fulfillment of my deepest desires Now all of a sudden instead of saying well now that I'm under grace I'll just send willy-nilly and no it's all covered. All of a sudden. I have a new longing and all I want to do is to honor God in sin breaks my heart. Is it does God's SO3 truth so far we've been immersed in the Christ. Therefore we've been immersed into his death burial and Resurrection in the control. The dominance of sin has been broken and we now have a choice. We now could be slaves of righteousness in a final Point very important one. The fourth idea comes in verses 8 through 10. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him knowing that Christ having been raised from the dead dies No More Death no longer has dominion over him for the death that he died. He died to sin once for all but the life that he lives he lives to God. No, let me just pull all that together in one simple statement. We no longer live to spin. We live to God. That's the fourth Point since we are immersed into Christ. We are immersed into his death his burial and his resurrection. The power of sended dominate us is broken, and we now live in newness of life and we live this new life in him and verse 10 says he lives to God. So now as we are inseparably linked to Jesus Christ live in the honor and glory of God, we are driven to honor God. We are driven to serve him. I love him to worship him to praise him in to know him. That's what was driving Paul. He wanted so much to be like him. His prayer was that he would be like Christ his prayer for all Christians was the price would be fully formed in them. He told the Ephesians to be followers of God and act like you're his dear children all of a sudden the passion of our heart is to live to God to honor God to do his will to serve him to worship him to praise him to adore him to glorify him. That's what the resurrection does for us. It's totally transforming. Because in the moment of Salvation we are joined the Christ. We die We rise to walk in newness of life. And that life is the Life of Christ lived in us that speak to please God so we can say again with Paul. I am crucified with Christ and he's living to the glory of God in Me and my life is endeavoring to line up with him. There lies the great Christian understanding of conversion of New Birth. That's the desire of our heart. We have a new master and it's not sin. It's more Jesus Christ.

We no longer have to do what's in dictates. We have a choice we can live and yield to righteousness. And that's the significance spiritually of the rule of the Resurrection plays in our lives Christians are different and it ought to be manifested the world that we are different it ought to be manifest while it is certainly true that the greatest testimony to the resurrection is what is written on the pages of a scripture to verify the resurrection alongside with what scripture says it is. Also true that we who call ourselves Christians should be living there fication of Resurrection. People who know us ought to be able to say to us, you're not what you used to be your desires your longings your hopes. Your Ambitions are all different the way you view the world and everything in it isn't what it used to be. You are a different person. The truth is we are because of dramatic and effective spiritual transformation took place at the point of Salvation when we were joined the Christ in his death and Resurrection. He closes this passage and verse 11 with just an excitation likewise. You also reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin. But alive to God in Christ, Jesus our lord there's been a dramatic change in who you are come to a settled conviction about that because then you'll understand your salvation. Then you won't have needless fears and doubts. Then you won't think yourself a victim to Temptation and the devil then you won't fear Temptation because you realize that no temptation will come against you but you're not able to handle 1st Corinthians. 10:13 says no temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man. But God is faithful who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able but with the Temptation will also make the way of Escape that you may be able to You no longer have to get into the terrible depression of being hammered by the doubts of Satan puts on you understand there has been a real transformation. You're not what you were and you fall short and so do I and we grieve over that? And how do we know if we really died and risen Again by the desire of our heart? If you're driven constantly by the need to fulfill your loss that's evidence that you never died. If you on the other hand all of those failures and sins that come into your life only get in the way of your real longings, then you know, you have died in the new way you live. Well the resurrection not just a historical fact spiritual reality and it's your biography in mind if we're priced was prey.

Father we thank you this morning for great morning. Thousands of people gathered all across the world today to celebrate the resurrection. People who have died with you and come to life with you and now live it to God father. We thank you for the power of the Gospel this morning Father. We know that you offer to those who come forgiveness of sin and eternal life. Father we pray that many would come to receive the gift from you and maybe they know that it's simply a matter of asking Lord forgive my sin. I believe Jesus died for me and rose again, and I want him to be Lord. That's simple prayer Lord, and they walk at New Life throughout all Time and Eternity. May that be the reality and lives today for your glory in Christ name?