Power of the Resurrection
Philippians 3:10
Luke 24:1-10 KJV
1 Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.
2 And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.
3 And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.
4 And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:
5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?
6 He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,
7 Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.
8 And they remembered his words,
9 And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest.
10 It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles.
Understand what this means, There are 3 great lessons to understand the power in the resurrection
His words are from a veteran who built his life in the foundation of Christ. Paul experienced extreme hardship, trials, and Setbacks. He spoke with confidence from knowing Christ Personally
1st A helpful strategy, in life is to: "rejoice" occur again and again,
2nd The most powerful New Testament affirmations of Christ’s deity and lordship. Jesus who was God from eternity emptied Himself to become a man and, after suffering death, was raised again to His original glory and given a name above every name: Lord.
3rd Paul shared his own personal goal in life - his yearning for a present experience of that transformation which will be his at the resurrection.
Phil 3:8-10 KJV
8 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;
Only the power of Christ resurrection, not ourselves
A ship on her way to Australia met with a very terrible storm and sprang a leak. As evils seldom come alone, a little while after another tempest assailed her. There happened to be a gentleman of the most nervous temperament aboard, whose garrulous tongue and important air began to alarm all the passengers. When the storm came on, the captain, who knew what mischief might be done by a suspicious and talkative individual, managed to get near him, intending to quiet him. The gentleman, addressing the captain, said in a tone of alarm, "What an awful storm! I am afraid we shall go to the bottom, for I hear the leak is very bad."
"Well," said the captain, "as you seem to know it and perhaps the others do not, you had better not mention it to anyone, lest you should frighten the passengers or dispirit my men. Perhaps as it is a very bad case, you would lend us your valuable help, and then we may possibly get through it. Would you have the goodness to stand here and hold hard on this rope? Do not leave it, but pull as hard as ever you can till I tell you to let it go."
So our friend clenched his teeth, and put his feet firmly down, and kept on holding this rope with all his might, till he earnestly wished for a substitute. The storm abated, the ship was safe, and our friend was released from his rope-holding. He expected a deputation would bring him the thanks of all the passengers, but they were evidently unconscious of his merits, and even the captain did not seem very grateful.
So our hero, in a roundabout style, hinted that such valuable services as his, having saved the vessel, ought to be rewarded at least with some few words of acknowledgment. He was shocked to hear the captain say, "What? You think you saved the vessel? Why, I gave you that rope to hold to keep you busy, that you might not be in such a feverish state of alarm."
This becomes a picture of how much self-righteous men contribute to their own salvation apart from Christ. They think they can certainly save themselves, and there they stand holding the rope with their clenched teeth and their feet tightly fixed, while they are really doing no more than our friend, who was similarly fooled.
If ever you get to heaven, you will find that everything you did toward your own salvation, apart from the Lord Jesus, was about as useful as holding the rope; that, in fact, the safety of the soul lies somewhere else and not in you; and that what is wanted with you is just to get out of the way and let Christ come in and magnify his grace.
Power of the resurrection restores life
In the winter and early spring there seems to be no life in the garden and field and forest. Everything looks dead--twice dead. But it is not so really. Under the surface, roots are full of ferment, seeds are swelling, and within the bark of the trees is as much movement as in a city’s noisy streets. Every fiber is tingling with vital force, and the sap is coursing along the minute channels, and all that is needed is the breath of the south wind, the warmth of the smiling sun, and the branches will burst into buds, and the earth will break out with laughing flowers. So in souls that seem dead, twice dead, the Spirit of God is often at work, and one earnest heaven-sent message calls out the buds of penitence and faith, and it is seen as a very garden of the Lord. Spiritual winter may hold a springtide of blessing and resurrection glory in its chill grasp, but He who commands both can easily transform the one into the other.
Power of the resurrection transforms
Suppose a visitor to our earth from another planet were to see a caterpillar on a rosebush, and a conversation could take place between them. It might go something like this: "How ugly you are and how gross, doing nothing but eat, eat, eat, all day long," says the visitor. "True," replies the caterpillar, "but I won’t always be like this. Some day I’ll have beautiful wings, and fly from flower to flower." "A likely story," says the visitor with a laugh. A few days later, this stranger finds a hard brown chrysalis on the rosebush and is surprised to hear the caterpillar’s voice saying, "Now I’m worse off than before. You think I’m dead because I can neither move nor eat, but soon I shall have a resurrection and fly in the sun." "Poor deluded worm," says the visitor, "you’d better accept the fact that your life is over." But about three weeks later, the stranger, strolling in the rose garden, is surprised to hear the caterpillar’s voice again. Looking for the chrysalis, he sees one beautiful wing and then another unfolding from its cracked shell. "You see," says the voice, "my resurrection has come," and spreading its wings the butterfly flits away to enjoy its wonderful new existence.
Power of the resurrection leads to a higher life
Most of the skyscrapers in New York City were built by Indians! It’s true! The Mohawk Indians are native to New York state. They are famed for their catlike ability to scamper across girders. They are totally indifferent to heights. It seems to be a genetic trait. A writer spoke of it in 1714. In 1886 the Mohawk Indians built the bridge that spans the Saint Lawrence river. They were the riveters on the Empire State Building and Rockefeller Center. Some people are uncomfortable in high places, but the Mohawk Indians seem right at home. Spiritual heights are uncomfortable for some. They want to live in the lowlands of life, but Christ keeps calling us to higher ground.
Power of the resurrection brings eternal Glory
On opening an Etruscan tomb, it was found to be occupied by the skeleton of a king. After thousands of years, he still wore, amid the gloom and ghastliness of the grave, a remainder of his former state of majesty. A rough fillet of gold had been placed around the skull--a mocking satire on his present condition, was a memorial of his previous greatness. Such a crown man wears in his hopes of immortality. Like indestructible gold, they have survived the fall and its spiritual death, though they are only vestiges of his departed glory. Of himself, and until quickened by Him who is the Resurrection and the Life, he cannot wear them as his crown; but when the Son of God raises the soul from its death; then He brings life and immortality to light, and life, kingly and eternal, becomes his blessed and abiding possession.
The power of the resurrection makes all things possible
Hans Christian Andersen said, "Nothing is too high for a man to reach, but he must climb with care and confidence." While most of us may set our goals too low, we must be realistic, too. There are some things beyond our reach, but not so many perhaps as we often think. Our goals should be high enough to challenge us; high enough that we climb with care and confidence, but not so high that they are impossible to reach.
Life Application
* Know Christ
Paul writes: "I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ . . ." (Philippians 3:8).
Before his conversion, Paul had what many considered everything a person could want. He had social status, money, and political power. He was well-educated and religious. As a result of his discipline, he had been elected a Pharisee. Men respected him and listened when he spoke. Yet he was spiritually blind to God’s grace and personal love. For Paul the privilege in knowing God was wrapped up in action and duty, not in a personal encounter with the Savior of this world. Therefore, his life was empty and meaningless.
This changed, however, when he met the risen Savior and Lord. Paul’s words in Philippians 3 are evidence of his deep devotion to God and his intimate relationship with the Savior. While he experienced many rewarding moments in life, none compared to the joy, peace, and fulfillment that was his through knowing Jesus Christ.
