Bible Ballistics: Christ Arose!!! April 20, 2014 Vol.3 #23
Hallelujah!!! Jesus Christ Arose!!! On this Resurrection Sunday many believers around the world celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I hope you had a joyful time in worship and fellowship today. Of all people, we have cause to rejoice in serving the Risen Lord, not an idol made of stone, or someone who remains in the grave. How blessed we are to have new life through Jesus – the Risen Lord—resurrection life!!! As Paul said in Philippians 3:8-10,
“Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, 9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: 10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;”
Oh, the joy of knowing Jesus and being made more and more like him. To walk in the resurrection ‘power’ that He imparts is amazing, but it also means we walk in His sufferings. When we align ourselves with the Savior we will face opposition, just as He did. He warned us of that.
Galatians 2:20 says, “ I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
I am to die to self and live my life, day-by-day, moment-by-moment, in resurrection power. To not only know about Him, but to know Him and yield to His power that is at work in me through His blood and His Spirit. Resurrection power!!
Romans 12:1-2, ““I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
Presenting myself to God as a ‘living sacrifice’ –
a life lived for Jesus,
being conformed to Him
not the world.
Yielding ourselves to His Spirit and walking in the ‘light’ as He is in the light (and He IS light), so our lives are that evidence of His glory and transforming power that we talked about last week. Living ‘proof’ of the ‘good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God’, in all we do each and every day.
But how do we renew our minds? That’s an easy one, sort of!!! We stay in the word, spend time talking to our Lord in prayer, and listen when He speaks through
His word,
His body,
prayer
and our circumstances.
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” Philippians 2:5-8
So how does this workout? Having the mind of Christ.
We must read His Word,
pray
and humbly serve Jesus
by serving those around us.
Humbling ourselves before Jesus and people.
Being evidence of God’s life transforming grace.
Guarding our hearts and minds through His word
and walking in the Holy Spirit.
‘Living’ proof to the world that Jesus is Lord of all. That He came to die for sinners, yet not to leave us as sinners, but to ‘transform’ us into His image, fitting us for His service with resurrection power. Doing all to glorify God and not man. To lead others to have this ‘mind of Christ’. To be an example of God’s handiwork to the world, as Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:16,
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
How do we shine? There’s only one way– ‘Christ in you the hope of glory’ Col. 1:27. Jesus is the light and when we receive Him as Lord and Savior, He imparts His light to share with the world. Am I reflecting Jesus?
John 8:12, “ Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
When we born again of His Spirit, we become ‘sons’ of God (and daughters) and He is working in us. But the question is, ‘are we walking in the light as He is in the light?’ Or, have we let so much of the ‘darkness’ into our lives and our churches that we don’t realize how ‘dim’ we have become? Are we hiding our light under a bushel? Are we walking in ‘newness of life’, as a ‘new creature’? Or are we shinning brightly? Has our light grown dim? Call on Jesus—He’s ready to forgive and restore. Remember HE IS LIGHT!!!! He makes old things new. Walk in Him—reflecting HIS light.
Romans 6:4, “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”
2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
Where are you walking? You choose—light or dark?? Newness of His resurrection power or your own power?? Remember,
“Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” 1 John 4:4
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