Appropriate the Power of Christ

  

The resurrection means not only that Christian have a hope for the future, but they have a hope from the future.

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. 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, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

-Ephesians 1:18-21

The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the cobra’s den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

-Isaiah 11:6-9

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

-1 Corinthians 15: 20-26

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.

-Revelation 22:1-2

This is the city that Adam was supposed to have built! A beautiful, glorious earth under the dominion of human beings serving and living in the reign and power of God!

-Tim Keller

Now. . God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.

-Revelation 21:3-4

For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!

-Romans 5:17

  

One: No more guilt and shame!

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

-Romans 6:23

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law…

-Galatians 3:13a

If Christ has not been raised…you are still living in your sins.

-1 Corinthians 15:7

Father,... I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity.

-John 17:22-23a

God’s love for you far exceeds anything your earthly father could give you.

To the degree you live in consciousness of that, to that degree you are free from the shame of anything in your past.

There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

-Romans 8:1

  

Two: No more enslavement to the authorities that would destroy us.

…having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

-Colossians 2:14-15

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

-Ephesians 6:12

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. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

-Romans 6: 8-14

For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!

-Romans 5:17

Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, ‘The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.’

-Exodus 34:5-7

   

Verse 6-7 lists the attributes of God as God ascribes Himself.

• Compassionate
• Slow to Anger
• Gracious
• Abounding in Kindness
• Abounding in Faithfulness
• Extending kindness to the thousandth generation
• Forgiving Sin
• Not clearly the guilty…

Jewish Translation:

Yet He does not remit all punishment, yet He does not clear the guilty but visits the iniquity of parents upon children and children’s children, upon the third and fourth generations.

-Exodus 34:7

Parents are not to be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin.

-Deuteronomy 24:16

…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, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

-Ephesians 1:19b-21

The death and resurrection of Jesus frees us from the dominion of all other kingdoms.

Rock of Ages, Cleft for me.

Let me hide myself in thee.

Let the water and the blood,

From thy riven side which flowed,

Be of sin the double cure,

Save me from its guilt and power.

For the sake of future generations, it’s time to live like the powers and authorities in your life have been disarmed.

  

Three: No more fear of death.

Though death was once an executioner, it is now merely a gard’ner, an usher to convey our souls beyond the utmost stars and poles.

-George Herbert

Death can now only infinitely enhance our experience of the love and joy of God’s presence.

  

1 - Jesus has defeated sin and its effects, yet, not in full.

We are forgiven of past, present, and future sins, but we will still struggle and fight against it with the weapons of our warfare.

  

2 - What Adam has passed down to us, Christ has overpowered, yet, not yet in full.

 

 

 

 

 

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