Jesus in 4D "Atoning Moment 3: Resurrection - New

Jesus in 4D "Atoning Moment 3: Resurrection - New Life"

Romans 4:25; 6:1-14; 1 peter 2:9-10; 2 Corinthians 5:14-21

Pastor Jeff

3/22/2015

Why Sunday?

The resurrection - we celebrate on Sunday because it's a memorial to the resurrection of Jesus Christ

It's more than hope of life after death

It makes all things new

It's the flow of life from God into God's people

Christ's resurrection insures our justification

And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, (‭Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭8-9‬ NIV)

Christ's resurrection insures our regeneration - new life

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, (‭Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭4-6‬ NIV)

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, (‭Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭18-20‬ NIV)

And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. (‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭15‬:‭17-20‬ NIV)

Jesus' resurrection breaks the chains that held us in bondage to sin and has set us free.

It ensures that we will also be raised from the dead.

because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself. (‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭4‬:‭14‬ NIV)

In the cross we know that God loves us.

Jesus came and give it all for me.

If we want to know if it's true, we look at the resurrection.

The resurrection calls for a response from us.

3 dimensions to Faith:

- content - understanding the message (Christ died for our sins)

- assent - believing it is true

- personal commitment and trust, involving surrender (this is the critical piece!)

⚫️ Transformation

What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 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. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. (‭Romans‬ ‭6‬:‭1-14‬ NIV)

The power of resurrection is already at work in believers, even before we die.

This leads to moral transformation: we no longer live in sin

⚫️ In community - new relationships

remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

...

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. (‭Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭12-13, 19-22‬ NIV)

For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

...

All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:

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We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭14-15, 18, 20-21‬ NIV)

⚫️ Our mission

God's mission is our mission, His purposes are our purposes.