Resurrection Life

[0:00] Verse 6, He is not here, for He is risen, as He said.

[0:19] ! Come see the place where the Lord lay. He is not here, He is risen. It is resurrection day.

[0:30] The tomb is empty, our Lord is risen. We can look back to that empty tomb today and know our Saviour not only bled and died in our place for our sin, but rose again.

[0:44] It says in Ephesians 2 verse 4, And everyone along the same line says, If you then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

[1:28] Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. Just to reflect on these things of the resurrection day, of resurrection life, that you have it.

[1:40] Brother, sister today, as God's people, we have His life. You that were dead in sins, has He quickened, made alive together with Christ.

[1:52] He's raised us up together, He's made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Notice firstly it says, We were dead in sins. What a tragic condition for man.

[2:05] A world without God is dead and lifeless. A life without Christ is empty and meaningless. Outside of Christ there is no real life. There's a barren existence.

[2:17] There's dead people in the world all about us today, dead in sins. Full of dead men's bones, the Lord said of the Pharisees.

[2:28] No real relationship with God. It's been said that if you attempt to talk to a dying man about sport or business, he's no longer interested.

[2:41] He now sees that other things are more important. People who are dying recognize what we often forget that we're standing on the brink of another world.

[2:53] Dead in sins. Are you right with God this morning? This time is for believers. I trust that you are a believer or you can become one in an instant by faith as you trust Him.

[3:09] The old slogan in the, I know I've mentioned this before, at the Salvation Army at Munta it says, On the front of the altar, get right with God.

[3:20] That used to be the slogan of the Salvation Army. Get right with God. It wasn't contribute to the Red Shield appeal. It was get right with God. They used to stand for the truth.

[3:32] They used to stand for the Gospel. Now thank God for the Red Shield appeal. But far better that we get right with God, brothers and sisters. That's the slogan that we need. That's the message. That's the mandate.

[3:43] That's the motto. Those who are dead in sins need to get right with God. And then we see in verse 5 of Ephesians 2, a dramatic change happens. It quickened us together.

[3:55] We have life, the life of Christ. Christ brings new life into that dead sinner and gives us life with a capital L. Life.

[4:06] He's taken us from the cemetery into the hospital delivery room to be born again. That's what Christ does, isn't it? He makes us born again.

[4:17] He gives us God's kind of life. He gives us that life-saving heart transplant operation. Life without Him is really not life at all. It's death.

[4:28] And John 17, 3 it says, And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom they hast sent.

[4:42] In Him is life. Life everlasting. Newness of life. Purpose of life. Jim Elliot, who was a martyr for Christ, wrote this, Thank God for purpose in life.

[4:58] When one works the will of God, there is no excuse for laziness or wasted time. He is redeeming our lives as well as our souls.

[5:09] Years ago there was two Scottish brothers named John and David Livingstone. John had set his mind on making money for his life. And he became wealthy.

[5:20] He wanted to become wealthy and he did. And his name is listed there in the Encyclopedia of Britannica. John Livingstone, the brother of David Livingstone.

[5:32] That was all they wrote about him in the Encyclopedia of Britannica. But what about David Livingstone? David Livingstone, while John was dedicating his life to making money, David knelt and prayed and surrendered his life to Christ and resolved, as he stated, I will place no value on anything I have or possess unless it is in relationship to the kingdom of God.

[6:01] And on his tomb it says, For 30 years his life was spent in an unwearied effort to evangelize. On his 59th birthday, David Livingstone wrote, My Jesus, my King, my life, my all, my again, dedicate my whole self to thee.

[6:20] He was quickened. David Livingstone was quickened. He was made alive, quickened together with Christ. Secondly, we raised up together with him. We got the victory of Christ.

[6:31] As he rose from the dead, you too, brother, sister, you have victory this morning. As he has awakened us from death, he's resurrected us from the dead, he's breathed his life into us, he's taken us out of death and darkness and deadness into everlasting life.

[6:49] And Romans 6, 11, it says, Likewise, reckon ye also yourselves dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

[7:02] He that were once dead in sin, now should be dead to sin. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin, but yield yourselves unto God as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

[7:24] Friends, he's rolled the stone away. He's no longer there. He's broken the chains of death, and you too are made alive with him. You're quickened together, you're raised up together with him.

[7:36] The power of his resurrection is something we can know in the present day. Whilst we know there's death and it's real. The shadow of death, the fear of death, the sting of death, the poison of death is sin, he's taken it.

[7:52] The pains of death, he bore it. The loss, the grief, the sorrow, he's wiped it out by the power of his resurrection life. 1 Peter 1.3 it says, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercies have begotten us again unto a lively hope.

[8:16] He's caused us to be born again unto a lively hope, a living hope. And the resurrection today, it means your victory. It means your conqueror has conquered the final enemy.

[8:27] The grave is empty and he's brought complete victory today. Dead in sins, quickened, raised up, and lastly made to sit together.

[8:44] Made to sit together in heavenly places. We've got a heavenly position now through Christ's mercy. We have his reigning in our hearts, the kingdom of God within us, the peace of God ruling in our hearts and minds.

[8:59] But we've got to abdicate the throne. You have to abdicate the throne and let Christ rule in your heart, in your mind.

[9:10] And we can know what it is to have that position of sitting with him, being seated with him in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Heavenly places, a heavenly vision, a heavenly kingdom, a heavenly calling that we're partakers of.

[9:27] A heavenly gift, a heavenly country, a heavenly city, the New Jerusalem. You people today, as God's people today, the Bible declares that you are seated with him.

[9:41] Sat down in company with him, with the king. You have a royal position. You're seated with the king of kings and the lord of lords. Amen. And a position of dignity, of responsibility, of authority, of privilege, of honour.

[9:58] Do we live like we are royalty? Amen. Would the gossip magazines and the tabloid press find something embarrassing about you, brother Tom?

[10:09] Now they could put it in the press, splash it across its front page. A royal family member found in a compromising position. God forbid that, brother. The paparazzi will be watching your every move.

[10:22] If you are one of the royal family, you're under the spotlight. And we too, as God's people, it's just the same, isn't it? The paparazzi, the spies are out there watching.

[10:35] You're under surveillance. If you were to slip, oh, there's a Christian who's done something wrong. Do we bring shame to his name? No. I trust not.

[10:46] But rather we suffer shame for his name. Heaven is our homeland, our HQ. Amen. And we can come there at any time and place. Amen. We are.

[10:57] We don't have to wait till the hereafter. We can have heaven in the here and now. Amen. Let us therefore, Hebrews 4.16, come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

[11:12] Amen. And take a look at life from that heavenly vantage point, from God's perspective. As we that have borne the image of the earthy, 1 Corinthians 15.49, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

[11:26] Amen. And this heavenly home is not some airy-fairy pie in the sky. It's real and lasting and it's now that you have it. You have it now. You that were dead in sins, have you quickened together with Christ.

[11:42] By grace ye are saved, and have raised us up together, and have made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things that are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God, set your affection on things above.

[12:03] Amen. Brothers, sisters, we rejoice this morning because it's resurrection day. He is not here. He is risen. Amen. And we are risen with Him. Amen.

[12:14] We are risen with Him. People today, grasp that truth today. Let us prayerfully, and everyone's welcome, it's an open, welcome invitation for those that love the Saviour.

[12:29] As the Lord leads you, please join with us. And please go ahead and pass the bread and cup, brothers. And we'll wait for one another and hold it as we prayerfully consider.

[12:40] And the Bible says, Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat and drink of that cup. It's up to you to examine yourself, and so drink and so eat.

[12:52] We know that familiar passage tells us that in the same night in which He was betrayed, it was that same night, that dark night, that dark and dreadful night, that He took the cup, He took it and He sucked.

[13:13] And He said, This is the cup, is the New Testament in my blood. This do you as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you do show the Lord's death till He come.

[13:29] We reflect on that rugged cross, that gruesome Golgotha today. But likewise the empty tomb, it's empty. He's no longer here. He has risen.

[13:41] I know I was watching something on the net about comparing the Muslim and the Christian faith. And the Koran, how would they say it? Koran?

[13:52] Koran. Koran. Koran is jam packed with lots of Bible truth. It's a great book. In part. There's lots of good stuff in the Koran.

[14:04] But they miss some vital truth. They don't believe Jesus was crucified. Amen. I mean, what more could that, the most fundamental thing that you could miss, such as that, and that, brothers and sisters, and that God didn't have a son.

[14:22] And yet, it's talked about Mary, it talks about Jesus, it talks about many of the Old Testament prophets. But what a sad thing to miss that crucifixion, to miss the truth of that.

[14:33] His blood sacrificed for us. What more of a truth could you miss? What more of a fundamental truth could you miss? What more of a truth could you miss than that? And then, of his resurrection too, that you would miss that.

[14:46] We can trust that God will open the eyes of these, these ones in darkness, so they might see the truth. Friends, let us prayerfully reflect. I'll ask Ralph to pray as we think of the bread, the body of Christ.

[15:02] Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. especially at this time of Easter. For today, as our pastor has said, he has risen and given us life.

[15:16] Life everlasting and a crown of glory. Yes, Lord. We don't deserve it, Lord. We know that. But we, as the song we've heard, we cling to that grace of peace, in the hope and the knowledge that we are saved, by the precious blood that the Lamb lives, that's bled.

[15:40] He's died that horrific death for us. So we take this prayer in memory of the Lord Jesus Christ. We pray for God.

[15:52] Amen. Let us sing together. As brother John Beirto Christ, we think of the blood of Christ He shed for us.

[16:09] Father, we thank you for this opportunity to give us to be here this morning. We say thank you for giving us a good day like this to be with the end of history.

[16:27] This day is to remember your resurrection. If you didn't come from the earth, you can't be saved, Jesus.

[16:38] So we thank you. We say thank you a lot because you are Savior. This cup, we say bless this cup for everyone who can take it.

[16:52] We say thank you, Jesus. In Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Praise God.