The Resurrection Gives Us Life And Hope

THE RESURRECTION GIVES US LIFE!

John 11:25-26 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26 and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.

Eph 2:4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions

We have spiritual life because Jesus lives! If we had a dead savior we might have an historical faith, but it would be a dead faith. Yet Christ lives forevermore and he continues to do what he has always done and that is to give life and that abundantly, because He is the way , the truth and the life!

Many believers, don't understand their spiritual union with Christ right now. As we saw before we are seated with Christ. His life has become our life!

Col 3:1-4 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

If He is raised then so are we. We have been raised from spiritual death and given spiritual life. Paul says that we should set our minds on these spiritual realities not on the things of earth. Our greater reality is with Christ in heaven.

Think about it, if you had to heal a man who had died of cancer you would have to do two things: Raise him to life AND heal the cancer. If you just healed the cancer, you would have a cancer free corpse. If you only brought him back to life, he would die soon because of his disease. You need both. That is what Christ did. Not only did he make forgiveness possible by dying for the cancer of sin, he gave us spiritual life when we were spiritually dead to God.

As we fix our eyes on the heavenly realities and our hearts and affection on those things, the things of this earth lose their appeal.


THE RESURRECTION GIVES US HOPE!

1 Cor 15:19-22 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. 20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive

We have hope because we know that this life is not all that there is. We will overcome death itself, just like Christ, and will experience a resurrection and a new body! Since Jesus is the "first fruits", other fruit is sure to flow-- namely us. Paul cries out in triumph. "Death is swallowed up in victory!"

1 Peter 1:3-4 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade-kept in heaven for you

1 Thess 4:13-14 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.

We don not have to grieve like the rest of men who have no hope. We have an afterlife with Christ and know that we will meet even those who departed this earth in the Lord. Every believer need not fear death, for we know where we are going because of what Jesus has done on the cross. He has destroyed the power of death for his people and will raise them to new life to be with him forever. "Behold I go ahead of you to prepare a place for you If it were not so I would have told you."

Therefore, we can live with boldness. To live is Christ, to die is gain. We don't have to fear the future because we know that God is faithful to keep what we have entrusted to Him.

We are living in a new era. The era between the comings of Christ. We know that Jesus is coming back the same way that he left the earth.