The Gospel of Jesus Christ (18) The Resurrection of Jesus Christ (3)

​“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.” (Rm 6:4-8)
 
Review
We’ve been talking about the gospel of Jesus Christ, and two weeks ago, we started talking about Jesus’ resurrection.
 
The importance of knowing about and believing in the resurrection of Jesus Christ can’t be emphasized enough in Christianity because that’s the foundation of everything we believe. If there’s no resurrection, our faith becomes useless because there’s no point in believing in Jesus if the life we have on earth now is all there is and there’s no afterlife.
 
But, if Jesus' death and resurrection really happened, then it must change every aspect of our lives from the inside (our hearts, minds, perspectives, and values) to the outside (our words and actions). In other words, if we’re truly Christians, everything in our lives must be based on the truth of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
 
So, let’s continue talking about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the first part, we discussed some theological meanings of the resurrection.
 
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is a central doctrine of Christianity because first of all, it serves as strong proof of life after death. What the resurrection shows us is that our lives won’t end but will continue after our physical deaths here on earth.
 
Second, the resurrection of Jesus Christ serves as a clear sign that Jesus was the Son of God whom God has appointed the King of kings and the Lord of all. Jesus performed many wonders that show that He is the Son of God, but the resurrection was the clearest sign that He wasn’t just a man, but God.
 
Third, the resurrection of Jesus Christ gives us confidence in the forgiveness of our sins and our salvation. The resurrection of Jesus serves as a vindication that God accepted and approved of Jesus’ shedding of His blood and His sacrifice on the cross as a proper ransom for all our sins. Now, we don’t have to be afraid of whether or not our sins are forgiven because they were truly paid for in full when Jesus bore our sins on the cross. The resurrection assures us that our sins are forgiven and our future is secure.
 
Last Sunday, we focused on the historical evidence of the resurrection to answer the question of how we know that it really happened.
 
The easiest way to answer the question would be because it’s written in the Bible. That’s true. We know that God raised Jesus from the dead on the third day because that’s what many authors in the New Testament testify to in the gospels and letters. That's the most important thing to consider when we talk about resurrection because all of our conversations about the resurrection are actually based on the eyewitness accounts written in the Bible.
 
But, there are still other things that are good to consider when it comes to evidence of the resurrection because we’re called not only to believe in the resurrection but also deliver it to others. We’re sent to people who don’t believe that the Bible is written by God. Then, in order to let them know about the resurrection more effectively, we need to present reliable sources not only from the Bible, but also from elsewhere if we can.
 
And what we discussed when it comes to evidence of the resurrection other than the Bible was historical evidence that we see in the lives of early Christians.
 
When Jesus was arrested, all of His disciples ran away. And after He was crucified, they isolated themselves from the world and stayed behind locked doors out of fear of the Jewish leaders.
 
But, less than two months later, they went to the streets and started to boldly proclaim the gospel with confidence. They were no longer afraid of being persecuted or killed. They even rejoiced in suffering. That was the reason the gospel of Jesus spread quickly and widely, and many churches appeared not only in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria, but also in Galatia, Asia, Macedonia, Achaia, and Rome in a very short period of time.
 
It was truly amazing to see this given that churches were founded after Jesus ascended into heaven and during a time when Christians were severely persecuted for their faith by Jews and by Roman emperors. This is written about not only in the Bible, but also in historical writings.
 
We see the result of this even now. Actually, we’re the results. If early Christians had given up their faith in the face of persecution and death, there would be no churches today. But we still see churches being built in every corner of the world.
 
So, we can’t help but ask what gave the early disciples the power and courage to overcome their fear of persecution and death. And the only plausible answer for this is that they saw the risen Savior and found their hope in Him.
 
They risked everything to preach the gospel, even their own lives, which means that they found something more valuable than their lives. So, what could it be? What is more valuable than your life? Think of a list of things that you would be willing to risk your life to get. You probably can't think of many, because your life is more precious than anything else.
 
So, when I think about the lives of early Christians and how they proclaimed the gospel in the face of severe persecution and death, I can’t help but believe that they met the risen Savior and found eternal hope in Him, which they considered more valuable than their temporary lives on earth.
 
Of course, this can’t be absolute evidence of the resurrection. In fact, there’s no absolute evidence. If there had been, we wouldn’t need faith.
 
That’s how God has a relationship with us. God doesn’t make us like robots who have no choice but to believe in Him. Rather, God made us humans with free will who can willingly choose to believe in Him. Without free will, there is no way to have a truly loving relationship. That’s the reason God put the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden despite the possibility of His beloved people eating it and turning away from Him.
 
So, God didn’t give us absolute evidence that all people on earth can’t help but accept as truth. We’ll never be able to absolutely prove God’s existence.
 
Instead, He has given us reliable sources through which we can find, know, and believe in Him. We know about God’s existence from His creation. We know that He is real by looking at the moral law or the conscience in our hearts. We know that He exists by reading the 66 books in the Bible.
 
These are the reliable sources we may consider when it comes to God’s existence. That’s how we’re to consider the resurrection of Jesus Christ. There’s no absolute evidence that supports the event. However, there are still credible sources we may use. When we see how the disciples preached the gospel by risking their lives and kept their faith even when they were severely persecuted and killed, we know that the resurrection really happened.
 
In other words, how the early Christians lived serves as strong evidence of the resurrection of Jesus. Then, this must be the way we proclaim the resurrection of Jesus to those around us. We should show them that Jesus was raised from the dead not only through our words but also through our changed lives, which are deeply rooted in the resurrected life of Jesus.
 
We, as believers, must be able to show how the reality of Jesus' resurrection impacts our lives every day. We’re to live lives that reflect the resurrection of Jesus. And in order to do so, we must be filled with the power of the resurrection.
 
The Resurrection Power
What we see from the resurrection of Jesus is that He is powerful enough to conquer sin, death, and Satan. But this is not only His victory because we can all experience the same victory by remaining in Him through faith. In other words, we can also be victorious over sin, death, and the evil one in Christ. As Paul said,
 
“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”  The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1Co 15:55-57)
 
Then, what is resurrection power? The resurrection power refers to the supernatural power of God that He used to raise Jesus from the grave. In Ephesians 1, Paul prays that the believers in the church in Ephesus know God’s incomparably great power for them. Paul describes the power this way.
 
“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” (Eph 1:19-20)
 
What we know from this passage is that the same power that God exerted when He raised Jesus from the dead is working in us who believe in Jesus.
 
When we believe in Jesus, we become new creations in Him. And as new creations, we have access to the same resurrection power that raised Jesus from the grave. That’s how Paul wanted to live. Paul said,
 
“I want to know Christ - yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.” (Php 3:10)
 
Paul wanted to know the power of Jesus’ resurrection so much that he even wanted to join in His suffering and death. To Paul, even death was gain because he believed that he would be resurrected like Jesus after death through the resurrection power. With this confidence, Paul said,
 
“I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Php 1:20-21)
 
That’s the resurrection power that we’re also to know and be filled with to truly live as Christians. Then, what will happen when we live by the resurrection power?
 
1) Being Born Again
First, we’ll experience being born again through the resurrection power by being united in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:17,
 
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2Co 5:17)
 
Jesus also told Nicodemus, “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’” (Jn 3:6-7)
 
That we’re born again and become new creations means that we’re spiritually reborn through Jesus in us. When we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord, our life begins to change. And the biggest thing we experience is a change in the ownership of our lives. We used to live for ourselves, but now we live for Christ who died for us but was raised from the dead. In other words, we move from a “self-centered life” to a “Christ-centered life”.
 
Paul explains this transformation in Galatians 2:20. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Gl 2:20)
 
This transformation is the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit. But it also requires us to empty ourselves and take up our crosses daily. As we empty ourselves, there is more room for Jesus to occupy. We’ll live by Him and begin to look and act more like Jesus. That’s how we become more conformed to His image day by day.
 
2) Being United with the Resurrection of Jesus
Second, when we live by the resurrection power, we’ll be united with Jesus in His death and resurrection.
 
When Paul explained the meaning of baptism, he said, “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.” (Rm 6:4-5)
 
For us to believe in Jesus means that we’re spiritually united with Him, not only in His death to sin, but also in His resurrection to life. That’s what baptism basically symbolizes.
 
Early churches thought of the meaning of the water used in baptism in two ways. The first meaning of the water is a tomb. Being completely immersed in water means that our old self, the body of sin, dies with Jesus. The second meaning of the water is a womb which gives birth to life. The water is the water of life and gives us a completely new life.
 
That’s what we profess through baptism. When we’re fully immersed in water, we profess that our old selves, including our past sins, mistakes, and failures, are crucified with Jesus. And, by coming out of the water, we express our new, resurrected life with Jesus.
 
Paul talks about both concepts in Romans 6. Verses 6-7 focus on what has happened to us—we died with Christ. Our old self was crucified with him. We’re dead to sin and are no longer slaves to sin because we became free from sin. We’re no longer under the reign of sin, because we were transferred from the dominion of darkness to the kingdom of God. That’s how we should live out the ‘death’ of Jesus Christ.
 
Then, verses 8-11 talk about the new life we have in Christ. Paul said, “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.” (Rm 6:8-11)
 
Here, Paul challenges us to live as Jesus lived. To believe in Jesus Christ is for us to partake in every aspect of His life. If Jesus died to sin, we’re also to die to sin. And if Jesus lives to God, we should also live to God. What is true of Him must be true of us.
 
Then, what does it mean that we’re alive to God? There are a few ways to interpret this expression. Some interpret it in a passive way by saying we’re alive through God or in God. But, given that this expression comes after the phrase “Jesus died to sin,” I think it should be interpreted in a more active way.
 
So, that we live to God or we’re alive to God can be interpreted as we live for God in our active obedience to Him. Throughout Jesus’ entire life, He always lived in perfect obedience to God the Father. His will was always in line with God's will, and His purpose was under God's purpose. I think that’s what it means that Jesus lived to God.
 
It becomes clearer when we read what Paul wrote afterward in the same chapter. He said,
 
“When you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey - whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness… But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.” (Rm 6:16, 22)
 
To live to God means that we become His servants. And we can’t be His servants without obeying Him since we become slaves to what we obey.
 
Then, for us to live to God is closely related to the concept of our obedience to God. In the past, we used to live for ourselves. We only pursued our own satisfaction. But now, we no longer live for ourselves. We live for the glory of God. That’s our sole purpose of living in the world. We rejoice in knowing God’s will for us through His word and obey Him.
 
That’s the purpose of Jesus’ death on the cross. Paul said in 2 Co 5:15, “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.” (2Co 5:15)
 
Paul also said, “For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.” (Rm 14:7-8)
 
That’s how we should live out the life of resurrection following Jesus’ example. We’re to hate what we used to love—our sin. And we’re to love what we used to refuse to do—obeying God’s commands and following His will. I think that’s the most important way to live out the resurrection of Jesus in our lives. Without this, we will never be able to show the risen Savior through our lives, and our proclamation of the death and resurrection of Jesus will sound like a made-up story.
 
The reason the gospel was able to reach us is not only because the disciples proclaimed the message with their words. The reason Christianity grew so quickly despite the difficult situation was because the early Christians’ lives were in accordance with their message. They were praised by people for their good deeds. Many people were inspired by how their genuine faith wasn’t shaken in the face of severe persecution and death.
 
Then, that must be how we should live as Christians. We’re to live in a way that reflects the resurrection of Jesus. We should be able to show how our old selves died with Christ and how we now live as God’s new creations in Christ through our obedience to God’s word and our changed lives. Then, we’ll be able to lead others around us to the resurrection power and life in Christ for the glory of God.
 
Resurrection must be more than a one-time event.  While the resurrection of Jesus took place 2,000 years ago, it has to transcend historical record. The resurrection power must be reproduced in the hearts and lives of believers like us today. I believe that’s the calling all of us received from God.
 
So, I hope and pray that every one of us here in this room today comes to know the resurrection power of Jesus Christ which is at work even now in our lives through the Holy Spirit so that we may truly experience being born again in Christ and be united in His death and resurrection. I pray that we may be used as God’s vessels through which the resurrection of Jesus Christ is revealed and proclaimed.
 
Let’s pray.
 
[Prayer]
Dear Lord, thank You for giving us this moment to think about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Oh Lord, we don’t want the precious truth to be made meaningless. We don’t want to be people who only speak about the resurrection of Jesus but fail to show its power.
 
Rather, we want to be true believers who put on the new self in Christ and are renewed in His image. We want the truth of the resurrection of Jesus Christ to be clearly revealed through our lives. We want our lives to be firmly built upon the gospel.
 
So Lord, please empower us through the Holy Spirit with the resurrection power through which You raised Your Son from the dead. Help us be united with His death and resurrection so that we may also die to sin and live to You by actively obeying Your word.
 
We want Jesus to be exalted in our lives. Help us to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ so that we may preach the gospel not only with our words but also with our changed lives.
 
We thank You and love You, Lord. We pray in the precious name of Jesus Christ, crucified but resurrected from the dead, Amen.
 
[Reflection Questions]
1. What do you think it means to be united with Christ in His death and resurrection? What are some practical ways to live out this truth?
 
2. There are limitations to proclaiming the gospel with words, especially when it comes to the resurrection of Jesus. Then, what do you think is the best way to let people know about the resurrection of Jesus Christ?