Reflection: The application of the resurrection to the saints
Reflection: The Application of the Resurrection to the Saints
For me, the journey to a resurrected life starts from a position of turning away from our prideful nature to recognise our true self – dead without Christ and spiritual cut off from our heavenly Father God. Without responding with humility, it is not possible to effect the change that will settle the destiny of our souls.
Next, we move to a position of acknowledging that the resurrected life of Jesus Christ begins and ends from a place of inclusivity. Our Father God’s love for each of us (whom He created in His image), is the motivation for the resurrected life of the cross.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3 v 16
The resurrected life that the righteousness of Jesus Christ offers us is a free will gift of God’s grace towards us all, giving us equal standing before Him.
“In that new life there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, freeman; but Christ is all and in all!” Colossians 3 v 11
If we read or hear what the Scriptures says, we are required to decide whether we choose to accept or reject that life-changing gift. The decision is ours alone to make.
The resurrected life of Jesus Christ is the pathway leading us back to a place of reconciliation and restoration with our Father God. Like Adam before his fall, we can come back into the atmosphere of God’s presence. Our goodness and good works cannot achieve this. He has presented us with this opportunity to achieve this through the resurrection.
On his third missionary journey to spread the Gospel in the city of Corinth, the Apostle Paul shared a truth with the Corinthians that is equally applicable to us all today:
“For if while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, it is much more certain that since we have been reconciled we shall finally be saved through His new life.” Romans 5 v 10
When we previously chose to live our lives out of alignment with our Father God, our feet took us to places where we should have never gone, whether by coercion or our own free will. We lived a life of trespassing! We were in the wrong place, at the wrong time, with the wrong people, motivated to wrong actions, resulting in the wrong outcomes for our lives. Trespassing in wrong territories and environments brought a curse on our lives. It matters where you allow your feet to take you. The psalmist said:
“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or set foot on the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers.” Psalm 1 v 1
The application of a resurrected life means we change the context and even some or all our previous company in how we do our living moving forward in pursuit of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God.
The fact that the acceptance of a resurrected life brings us back into alignment and fellowship with our Father God is a blessing. We should have a heart expressing our continuous gratitude and thanksgiving. We qualify for grace because Jesus Christ became our greatest advocate for eternal life by His sacrificial love, demonstrated on the cross. For that we say, “Thank you.”
“Surely, He took our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered Him stricken by God, struck down and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him; and by His stripes we are healed. We all like sheep have gone astray, each one has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid upon Him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53 v 4 – 6
Thank God for His love, His grace, and His mercy. Jesus Christ won our freedom and victory. Decide that you are going to to choose to live a resurrected life walking victoriously, even when faced with challenges, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
The journey of reconciliation and restoration includes making a personal declaration to decide in the mind to be fearless and free from doubt. The battle in the mind is whether to operate or not to trust and operate in faith. It is a decision that begins with planting a mustard seed of faith to believe. It is not a decision someone else can make for you.
The pursuit of a resurrected life is one that requires you to be active in acknowledging and coming into agreement with what Jesus Christ said about Himself to Martha – the sister of Lazarus:
Jesus said to her “I am the Resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes in me, though he dies, yet shall he live.” John 11 v 25
This is the message of salvation. This is the truth that Jesus Christ shared with Martha and with those who had come to the tomb of Lazarus. Resurrected life brings glory to the name of God. Nothing has changed since the days of Lazarus. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. This same truth applies today, and we must choose to respond and not harden our hearts. The writers of the book of Hebrews said:
While it is said “Today if you will hear His voice, harden not your hearts as in the provocation.” Hebrews 3 v 15
The resurrected life of salvation is for today. Every new day is a gift of grace telling us that the day of salvation is now! Walking continuously in newness of life is not something we should put off until tomorrow.
“As God’s fellow workers, then, we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. For He says: “In the time of favour I heard you and in the day of salvation I helped you.” Behold NOW is the time of favour, NOW is the day of salvation.” 2 Corinthians 6 v 1 – 2
Once we hear the message of salvation, we must activate our faith. If we do not, we are choosing to reject our personal gift with the ingratitude of unbelief. We need to choose wisely as it will impact our lives and our destiny.
“For whoever wishes to save his life (in this world) will lose it (through death), but whoever loses his life (in this world) for My sake and the gospel’s will save it (from the consequences of sin and separation from God).” Mark 8 v 35
If you choose to reject Jesus Christ, you are saying that you reject the resurrection.
“If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is worthless, and so is your faith.” 1 Corinthians 15 v 13 – 14
If you choose to reject the resurrection you are saying that death still has a grip on you physically and spiritually. But Jesus Christ has conquered death and the grave. Do not choose to live like the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection.
“If our hope in Christ is for this life alone, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.” 1 Corinthians 15 v 19 - 20
Add works to your resurrected life of faith in Jesus Christ. Do not be afraid to share the hope of your faith. If you do not know how to articulate your faith ask your Father God to put His words in your mouth so that you can impact the lives of those that He brings into your spheres of influence. We only need to share our testimonies based on the Word of God. On many occasions Jesus said “It is written…” We can do the same.
I was recently readmitted to hospital. Father God provided me with many opportunities to witness to the paramedics, nurses, and patients. It was a humbling experience to spend four of those five days sharing the gospel of the resurrected life of Jesus Christ with a Muslim lady. This lovely lady has now died but not before the grace of God gave her the opportunity to hear the same words that Martha heard Jesus Christ say:
“I am the Resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he dies, yet shall he live.” John 11 v 25
I felt the weight, the truth, and the power of those words. Today is the day of salvation. We need to apply that truth today because tomorrow is not a guarantee but a gift of grace.
The Apostle Paul asked the Corinthians a rhetorical question, which he answered for them:
“But what does it say? The Word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart. That is the word of faith we are proclaiming: that if you confess with your mouth “Jesus is Lord” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved. It is just as the Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in Him will never be put to shame.” Romans 10 v 8 – 10
There is no shame because our Father God’s gift of resurrected life brings us the favour of a living hope. That hope is the promise of eternity with Him.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. By His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, reserved in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power for the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.” 1 Peter 1 v 3 – 5
The application of choosing to accept the gift of the resurrected life of Jesus Christ means choosing to die to our own will in order that Jesus Christ be Lord of our lives and not just the Saviour of our souls. When farmers plant seeds they expect to reap more than just seeds. They expect to reap crops and bountiful crops. The Apostle Paul said:
“Foolish man! The seed you yourself sow has no life given to it unless it first dies.” 1 Corinthians 15 v 36
The evidence of our resurrected life is that others should see a noticeable difference to the type of fruit we bear based on the new seed we have planted through a resurrected life:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5 v 22 – 23
We can bear such fruit when we are walking in unity with our resurrected Saviour and King.
“Therefore, if any one is in union with Christ, he is a new being! His old life has passed away; a new life has begun.” 2 Corinthians 5 v 7
“For if we have become one with Him (permanently united) in the likeness of His death, we will also certainly be (one with Him and share fully) in the likeness of His resurrection.” Romans 6 v 5
Sharing a resurrected life with Jesus Christ means you choose to live your life with His mindset. Not fearful but filled with His power through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Not fearful but filled with the compassionate, never-ending love of our Father God. Not fearful but filled with the sound mind of His perfect peace. Choosing to live with the mindset of Jesus Christ means we no longer conform to the ideologies and cultures of this fallen world. The Apostle Paul said:
“For you have died to this world and your new life is hidden in Christ.” Colossians 3 v 3
The application of our resurrected life through Jesus Christ is not a destination but a journey. You need to remain steadfast and diligent in pursuit of the Kingdom purposes of our heavenly Father God. Again, the Apostle Paul said:
“Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ (to a new life, sharing in His resurrection from the dead) keep seeking the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.” Colossians 3 v 1
Like the seed planted in the ground you need to commit to grow. We need to show evidence in our lives that there are signs that His life is living within us. The Apostle Peter reminds us that everything we need to live a resurrected life has been empowered to us. The point that we believe, we confess, and we accept Jesus Christ as ‘the Resurrection and the Life’ is the moment of our empowerment.
“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. Through these He has given us His precious and magnificent promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, now that you have escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this reason, make every effort to add to your faith, virtue; and to virtue, knowledge, and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities and continue to grow in them, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1 v 3 – 8
Today and every day, we thank you Father God for the resurrection gift of everlasting life and eternity with you and our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen xxx