The Power Of The Resurrection
Philippians 3:10
Introduction
There are a lot of people who buy computers today who really only use them in a minimal way. They play games and perhaps do email, but have no idea about all the things a computer can do. There is nothing wrong with that, it is just that they have at their disposal power to do many things and are unaware of the power at their disposal.
I have seen some pretty fancy sewing machines in some of your homes. If I owned such a fancy machine with all its electronic settings it would not be very useful, because about all I ever do with a sewing machine is sew the odd canvas bag for camping. I would not make use of or even be aware of all the power available to me.
Today we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Do we know the power that is expressed and available in the resurrection?
In the last MB Herald, one article talks about the struggle of faith and doubt. The writer speaks of "the push and pull that is faith and doubt." Sometimes we are filled with faith, and another time, we are filled with doubt. That is a part of life, but because it is, we often remain unaware of the power available in the resurrection.
That same issue of the Herald also talks about how many times we have an intellectual grasp of the resurrection, we know that it is true as a cold historical fact, but that fact does not stir us or change us and so we remain unaffected by the power of the resurrection.
In Philippians 3:10, Paul expresses his struggle with this when he tells the Philippians that his desire is "that I might know Him and the power of His resurrection." Is it our longing to know the power of His resurrection?
In Ephesians 1:19,20 Paul prays that the Ephesians will know the power of His resurrection. That is my prayer for all of us that we will really know by understanding and by experience, the power of the resurrection.
As we contemplate the resurrection today, let us invite God to help us understand the power of the resurrection.
I. The Power Displayed In His Resurrection
The story of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the most amazing and wonderful occurance in the entire history of the human race. Nowhere in all the world or in all of history has there ever been such an event.
We know all about death. We are, in fact, very efficent at producing death. At this very time, we as Canadians are in the process of killing in Yugoslavia with our war machines.
Although many have fantasized about making life in stories like that of Frankenstein and although we have succeeded in postponing death through amazing medical advances, we are not able to bring people back to life who have died. In spite of all our efforts, death is still final.
But what is impossible for us, God has done! Jesus died, of that there is no doubt. He was buried because He was dead. But God raised Him from the dead and that is the message of Easter. It was seen, it was demonstrated. It is difficult if not impossible to refute that Jesus Christ died and rose again.
As Jesus hung on the cross, the soldiers mocked him, the robbers also mocked. The chief priests taunted Him to come down off that cross and one man mocked that perhaps Elijah would come and get him... and then he died. All who saw it were completely sure that it was over. And it was... except that God raised Him from the dead.
He rose from the dead and as Hebrews 7:16 puts it He demonstrated the "power of an indestructable life." He could not be destroyed!
The tremendous power of the resurrection was demonstrated when all looked lost and Jesus died on the cross, but was raised to life again.
The tremendous power of the resurrection was demonstrated in that Satan could not defeat Jesus by death and in fact was himself destroyed through the resurrection of Jesus.
The tremendeous power of the resurrection was demonstrated when Jesus was transformed from a corpse to a crowned King who took his seat on the throne above all powers and enemies. Marcus Barth writes, "there are other powers, but they are outdone by the power of God as demonstrated in the resurrection." Jesus has now taken eternal lordship and reigns as Lord over all things for the church.
The tremendous power of the resurrection is seen in that nobody can stop what God wants to do. If death cannot stop God from accomplishing His purposes, then nothing can stop Him.
II. The Power Available In His Resurrection
We know all this. This is the story we tell each Easter. We rejoice at its wonder and the hope it gives. Its glory is in its telling, but even more so in that this tremendous power of the resurrection is not just a wonderful story to tell and celebrate, but it is a truth that impacts our whole life and being. The power of the resurrection is for us. In Ephesians 1:19,20 which is Paul's prayer for the Ephesians. He says, "that you may know...his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead..." Did you catch that? "his incomparably great power for us!!" "The power which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead!" Resurrection power was not just to raise Jesus from the dead, but is for us today, now!
II Corinthians 13:4 says, "For to be sure, he was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God's power. Likewise, we are weak in him, yet by God's power we will live with him to serve you."
The power of His resurrection is the power God has to take that which was dead and make it alive again. He does that in several ways in our lives now. Do we know it? Do we see it?
A. The Power Of A Changed Life
On Friday, we looked at the power of the cross to overcome the guilt of our sin and the consequences of our sin. The power of the resurrection takes that hope one step further in giving us freedom from the power of sin in our lives.
Through the power of the resurrection, by the Holy Spirit, God has freed us from the darkness of sin by putting the life of God in us. Apart from the cross and the resurrection, we were doomed to seek to rise above sin by our will; against the depressing bondage of our affections. We were utterly unable to get away from the power of sin. We all know too well how powerful sin is and when we have a mind to do something, it is hard to stop doing it. We were completely powerless to overcome this power. If I tie these ropes to my feet, I should be able to climb to the roof. I can lift my foot with this rope and the other foot with this rope and if I lift this foot and then this foot, I should be able to climb up. It is with the same ability that we can overcome the power of sins in our lives.
This was and is a hopeless situation. But to this hopeless situation the power of the resurrection is applied. Through the power of the resurrection, we have been set free from from the power of sin. Romans 6:10,11 says, "The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus." The power of the resurrection is the power of the Spirit to change us and make all things new.
In Philippians Paul expresses the desire, "that I might know Him." This desire is set in contrast to the status gained by self righteousness. After making a list of all the things that he had accomplished as a righteous follower of God, He says that what he once killed for, he now considers rubbish. He once thought that he could accomplish righteousness with God by his righteousness, but now sees his righteousness as rubbish in order to be able to live in the power of the resurrection - the power and the only power that can make us righteous. Satisfaction can never be found by anything we might gain, but only in knowing Christ, in relationship to Him and in His gift of grace.
All of us know the struggle with temptation. It seems almost impossible to overcome. It is our responsiblity to obey God, but at least part of what we must do in our struggle against sin is to give up and acknowledge that we can't, that we are powerless, that we haven't got it in us. When we acknowledge our inability, powerlessness and confess the death of our ability, then the resurrection power of God becomes active in raising us to newness of life. The power of the resurrection is the power of a transformed life. Do we see the power of God transforming our life? Do we know that we will not overcome sin by our effort, but only by the power of the resurrection?
B. The Power Of God's Present Help
A few years ago, I heard about a church that was prevented from building because of an environmental lobby. Were they held up by the power of an environmental lobby?
The government in numerous communist countries have in the past 60 years forced churches to close. Was the church of Jesus Christ held under the power of these evil governments?
In II Corinthians 1:8, Paul describes the hardships they experienced as ministers in the work of God. He says, "We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life." Were Paul and his companions prevented from accomplishing God's work by the power of their hardships?
It may be in regards to our health, our ministry, our family, our job that we become discouraged and wonder if there is any hope for our situation. When we become discouraged, we need to hear the hope of Paul in his situation. He writes in II Corinthians 1:9,10, "Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us,"
The power of the resurrection is the power to face any situation with strength and hope because it is in the hands of God who raises the dead. No situation is hopeless when the God who raises the dead is in the situation.
We see example after example of this in the history of God's people. When Abraham was asked to sacrifice Isaac, he proceeded towards doing it even though he knew that Isaac was the promised heir. Hebrews 11:17-19 tells us that he did because He knew that God is able to raise the dead.
When Ezekial was prophesying to a nation that had been devastated by the Babylonians, God gave him a vision, recorded in Ezekial 37, showing him that He is the God who can make dead bones live again.
In a recent prayer letter from Laurence and Leona Hiebert, who are missionaries in Japan, they tell the story of a teen aged girl who had recently become a believer. She wanted to get baptized but her parents who were not believers were strongly opposed to this. Laurence and Leona and the girl prayed about it and on the day of the baptism, the parents permitted it and even attended the baptism. That is the power of the resurrection.
We have been amazed at the way in which Dave Balzer and several others have been able to produce a religious talk radio show on CJOB each Sunday evening. That too is a demonstration of the power of the resurrection.
The power of the resurrection shows us that any situation in life which we find absolutely hopeless is not hopeless if it is in the hands of God who is the God of resurrection.
C. The Power Of Eternal Life
It is absolutely hopeless to think that we have any hope of anything beyond death. When you are dead all is finished.
But that also is not the case because the power of the resurrection assures us that we have life after death. To know the power of His resurrection is to know that nothing can destroy us. We possess eternal life.
The promise of eternal life is found in I Corinthians 15:21-23, "For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him."
Although we will die, death is not the end. We live in the hope of life forever in the presence of God. All this because of the power of the resurrection.
Are you rejoicing in the power of the resurrection in regards to death? God makes life!!
Conclusion
To know the power of the resurrection is to know that when any situation is absolutely impossible, and we cannot do it. God can! We cannot overcome sin, but by the power of the God of resurrection we can! We can not do God's work, but by the power of the God of resurrection it can be done! We cannot overcome death, but by the power of the God of resurrection we can!
The power He demonstrated in raising Christ from the dead is the power that is available for us. How do we live in the power of the resurrection?
We live in the power of the resurrection by faith. Notice that Ephesians 1:19-20 speaks about, "his incomparably great power for us who believe." Resurrection power is available by faith. Faith is not something that we do, it is something we don't do and recognize that God can do. When we trust God, His resurrection power becomes active in us.
The power of the resurrection is available through the prayers of God's people. II Corinthians 1:10,11 says, "He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers..." As we pray for one another, the power of the resurrection becomes active in our lives.
Paul says in II Corinthians 4:10-11, "We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body."
And in Philippians 3:10, it is interesting that Paul desires to know not only the power of the resurrection, but also the fellowship of his sufferings. It is as we experience and are willing to die to self and to self sufficiency that we will experience resurrection power. We will not experience resurrection power as long as we think we can do it ourselves - whether that is overcoming sin, doing the work of God or gaining eternal life. It is only as we die to self and recognize that we are helpless that we will begin to experience the resurrection power of God in our lives. If we try to hold on to life, we will die, but if we share in the sufferings and indeed in the dying of Christ, we, like Him will experience resurrection because God raises those who put their faith in Him. Indeed, it is only as we die and realize our deadness that God will raise us. The real power of the Christian life is not in trying harder, but in dying because then we experience resurrection power.
What a life! We live in resurrection power when we live knowing that when the situation looks most hopeless, that means nothing, because God raises the dead.
I pray that we will know the power of His resurrection.