The Power of the Resurrection - Kyle Yule

Lesson Transcript

Peace be to you. Today I had thought about my message a little bit and the topic, and I realized that we had just gotten over Christmas and the birth of Christ, and now I'm going to be talking about the resurrection, and Easter is still a couple of months away. But it's something that I find very dear to my heart, and I deeply enjoy to think about the resurrection.

And every Sunday I wake up and I thank the Lord that He has rose today, and that this day of the week is the day that we get to remember that Jesus—that Jesus, He rose as our King. And we celebrate the empty tomb. We celebrate the victory that Jesus had won. He had conquered death and bound Satan and plundered His house.

And so the title of my message is "The Power of the Resurrection." And today I would like to focus on a couple of ideas that—and this idea that through Jesus's resurrection, we as followers have the power to defeat death as we live in the power of Jesus's resurrection. I'd like to do this in three different ways. The first is by offering an explanation on how Jesus does this for us. The next is by showing how we can live in victory over sin and Satan.

And the third is by looking forward to the hope of the resurrection of the dead. And so in my reading of Brother David's book on the Matthew Commentary, I came across this verse, and this was probably about the first time that I had read this verse in the context of what the early Christians had thought about it. And it really stuck out to me. And so I'm going to read it. And it's Matthew 12:29, and then the parallel is Luke 11:21 and 22.

And it says, "Or else, how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house?" And then in Luke 11:21 and 22, it says, "When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace.

But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil." And the background for this is the Pharisees had just accused Jesus of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebub, or the ruler or prince of demons. And Jesus responds in this wonderful kind of heated discourse about how if he casts out demons by the Spirit of God, and in so doing the kingdom of God has come. Then he gives this verse in response to them.

And as I looked into it, this verse is quoted so often by many of the early Christians to show how Jesus had conquered Satan and has bound him and plundered his house, how we can now live in victory over sin. It is a verse packed with so much that I believe we could spend the rest of the day talking about it. But since it is a fellowship meal and I myself do get hungry, we're only going to focus on the three. So how does Jesus give us victory through his victory over Satan?

Well, in the passage, the strong man is Satan. And Jesus is the one in reference that Luke has is the stronger than he. And so we see that when Jesus dies on the cross, he enters into Hades and was able to plunder his goods. That is, all the souls that Satan had kept for so long, Jesus now frees by preaching the gospel to them. And Conrad does an amazing message on this in his series through First Peter, where he explains how this aspect of Jesus preaching the gospel to the dead.

And so if you have not heard it, I would highly recommend it. And then on the third day, Jesus rises from the grave and shows that he truly has defeated death. And in turn, if we follow the footsteps of our conqueror, we too can defeat Satan and cast our chains down onto the devil himself, binding the strong man by one who is stronger. And so when I look at this verse in Luke, the armor that Satan has is death. It is his sin.

And so when Jesus defeats that, when he takes his armor of death, and now he divides his spoils, and now we do have the power to overcome. And I also see that he restores the image of God by restoring humanity to its original state by teaching us how to live. He offers more than just the forgiveness of sins, and he gives us a hope for a resurrection of the dead and a transforming of the body. Jesus became man and lived a perfectly obedient life the whole time waging a war with the kingdom of darkness.

And as he led out his final words on the cross, "It is finished." He conquers death by winning a battle that Satan thought he had won since the garden. It was by sin that death entered the world. So when Christ, who knew no sin, dies for us, he owes nothing to death. He tramples death and sets the captives free. So we too can follow him into death, then into resurrection. And so where does this start? Sorry. This quote I had found very interesting.

It's by Melito Sardis, and it says, "Our Lord arose from the region of the dead, trampled death underfoot, bound the strong man, and set mankind free. As a result, the whole creation could clearly see that the judge was condemned for mankind's sake." I believe that kind of sums up what I had just said and paints this really amazing picture of. And so where does this start? How does this work? And I believe it starts in baptism. So if you would like to open to Romans 6:1-14, it's also on the screen, and I'll read.

"What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not. How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus, were baptized in his death? Therefore we were buried with him through the baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

For if we been united together in the likeness of his death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of his resurrection. Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. Knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over him.

For the death that he died, he died to sin once for all. But the life that he lives, he lives to God. Likewise, you also reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.

For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the law, but under grace." And so we see in baptism, we are united with Jesus in death. We put to death the life of sin we had lived prior. We renounce Satan and his demons by crucifying and burying a life of living outside of what God wants. However, just as Christ did not stay in the grave, neither should we. For we are raised from the dead, our sins being washed clear.

We can walk out of the grave knowing that we can overcome Satan through the power that comes from God. So we march forward, walking onward in newness of life, a life that proclaims the resurrection of victory. Jesus's death was not the end of his ministry. For after his resurrection, he continued teaching about the kingdom until his ascension. If we focus on the death of Jesus and stop there, we lose the power of defeating Satan. We lose the mission.

After Jesus rose victorious in battle, he shows his followers how to continue winning the battle. Jesus not only offers us forgiveness for our sins, he offers us a way that frees us from sin and death, one that shows us that the way to life is death to sin, death to our fleshly desires, and then from that death, rising to newness in life, one that follows Jesus as the redeemer, a life that was God's original intent for humanity. So we should put to death our sinful desires and crucify the flesh.

But unless we combat it with walking in newness of life and raising to life a new standard, we are only following Jesus halfway. We are living in forgiveness, but not in liberation. We can crucify our sins all the time, but if we do not allow God to resurrect the thoughts and desires into something for the kingdom, then in turn, we are not living the power of Jesus's resurrection. And so my next passage is Hebrews 2:14-18.

And so it says, "Inasmuch as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared in the same, that through death he might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For indeed, he does not give aid to angels, but he does give aid to the seed of Abraham.

Therefore, in all things, he had to be made like his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

For in that he himself has suffered, being tempted, he is able to aid those who are tempted." We get this wonderful connection in this passage to communion through the flesh and blood, in that as Christ became flesh and blood to reconcile us to God, now by partaking in his communion, we somehow, through the mystery of communion, partake in his flesh and blood. And just as Jesus says, it fills us with his life.

It is so comforting that we also see he is able to help us and walk next to us because he himself already walked in our temptations and sufferings. He can reconcile us to God because he walks with us in a personal way, helping us overcome sin through a faithful love to his commands. Our high priest calls us to a standard that he himself first lived, testing and showing that indeed it proves to be victorious.

It's encouraging that this verse, it shows us that this is something special to humans, that it is to those who seek after God and do his will. And it's not given to the angels, those who had rebelled, but to those that are in the seed of Abraham. Cyprian says, "This is Christ, who as the mediator of the two puts on man, so that he may lead them to the Father. What man is, Christ was willing to be, so that man may also be what Christ is." I love this quote. It shows how loving of a God we serve.

For to him who frees us, we offer our lives. In doing so, we follow the path Jesus sets for us, one that binds the strong man. He becomes man so we can follow him. He gives us spirit so that we may walk in the way he walks, in turn, becoming more like Christ each day. It shows us that when we follow God, just as Jesus followed the will of his Father, we cast the chains of Satan off our hands and feet and now should walk, putting on the armor of God so we can continue to fight.

But it's not just when we resist temptation that we are combating Satan. It is also when we do the whole will of the Father. By living the commands of Jesus, we are relentlessly fighting against the powers of darkness. The resurrection and Jesus's victory over Satan gives the Christian life a purpose, a greater purpose. It shows that in our day-to-day lives, we are fighting for the kingdom of God.

And I've heard this idea that if you're not out on the mission field working overseas, then you're not spreading God's kingdom. And I don't want to downplay mission work. I believe it is extremely important in the advancing of God's kingdom. But I feel this mindset can downplay the regular Christian life.

When we are hospitable, gentle, when we are kind and merciful, when we turn the other cheek to someone who wrongs us, when we forgive freely, when we pray, when we feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, and clothe the naked, when parents raise godly children, when we are peacemakers, and yes, when we win people over to the kingdom of God, freeing them from the chains of death and many more, we are waging wars on Satan's kingdom.

We are in turn doing the will of God, which is being obedient to his word, proclaiming the resurrection and victory over Satan. I believe when we lose this vision, when we lose the reality of how interconnected we are with the battles going on between God's kingdom and Satan's, it creates a desire to see evil being combated through worldly ways. This is the reason why we don't vote or get involved with the politics of today.

This is why we don't support the military, because we know that the kingdom that we are called to live in is one that has more power than the government or the military. It is a kingdom of citizens who have been resurrected and are waging wars with the principalities and powers. And I can't help but think of Peter, who, if it had not been for the resurrection of Christ, would have been left with the guilt of denying him.

I think about him on the beach and just after Christ, and he denies him and goes back to his life to fishing. And he's going back to his day-to-day life, and Jesus met him on the beach after his resurrection, and something changed in Peter. He had gone from denying Christ to standing in front of men that had sentenced Jesus to be crucified. And in Acts 2:14-41, he gives this powerful message that changed the hearts of about 3,000 souls.

Peter witnessed the resurrection of Christ, and it spurs him to a great power to advance the kingdom of God here on earth. Peter puts to death the guilt of denying Christ and raises to new life, one that strives to proclaim the victory of our King, one that is living in the new resurrected humanity. And finally, I'd like to look at this passage in 1 Corinthians 14:54-58.

"So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, 'Death is swallowed up in victory.' O death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? The sting of death and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." And so finally, we can look forward to the hope of a future bodily resurrection of the dead. Paul tells us that, yes, the sting—yeah, sorry. The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.

And so we see that in the Old Testament, that this idea that the law shows people sin, and that through Christ, who has defeated death, has put off that, and we are now to live to a higher calling than the Mosaic law. And we see this amazing theme that because Jesus was resurrected in the flesh, we too will be resurrected in the flesh. And because we can put our hope in our bodily resurrection, we can dwell with God, we can live a life of steadfast and immovable work for the Lord.

And kind of a mirror point to that is because we live steadfast, immovable lives that are abounding in the work of the Lord, our labor is not in vain, and we can trust that we will be raised with the faithful on the day that Jesus returns. And Tertullian points us out in one of his works titled The Resurrection of the Flesh that we can see the aspect of the resurrection throughout all humanity and all creation. And this morning, I don't know if you took notice of the sun, but it was very beautiful.

The sky was a pinkish cotton candy color coming up. And the aspect that in the mornings or at night, the sun goes down, it sets, and it is put to death, and darkness fills the land, and the whole world goes to sleep. And yet in this, there is a resurrection of the sun. And I think it's interesting that it's the sun and the sun, that in the morning, the sun rises, and it brings life. It casts the darkness out, and it brings a new awakening to the whole earth.

And likewise, he points out the aspect of the seasons and how, at least here in the northeast of America, we get four seasons, and we see the beauty in the spring and the summer that brings life. But we also see the aspect of death in autumn and winter, and how the leaves fall and they die on the ground, and the snow comes and all the trees are bare.

And yet there is a resurrection that happens in that, because in the springtime comes, all the snow melts away, and the flowers start to bloom again, and life returns to the earth. And at the end of Tertullian's discourse on this whole thing about the resurrection and nature, he has this quote, "Wondrous method from a defrauder to be a preserver in order to restore. It takes away in order to guard. It destroys." Yeah, in order to guard, it destroys.

That it may make whole, it injures, and that it may enlarge, it first lessens. This process indeed renders back to us a richer and fuller blessing than it deprived us of, by a destruction which is profit, by an injury which is advantage, and by a loss which is gain. In a word, I would say all creation is in sync with renewal. And how true this is to the Christian life.

I can remember back to when my wife and I had started to realize this aspect that the Christian life is hard and it requires a lot of death, and sitting in our living room and almost tears weeping about everything that we're going to have to give up and all these challenges that are coming along.

And yet, looking back, when we see the power of the resurrection and the new creation we have become, and we look forward to the hope of the resurrection, I can honestly say, and I pray that we all can say with honesty, that Christ renders back to us a richer and fuller blessing. And so to end my talk, I would like to leave us with this: Jesus's resurrection does many things in the Christian life.

It gives us a victory over death and sin because our teacher conquered the power of Satan, now offering us as followers of his way a victory over Satan. It shows us the liberation and transformation from the perils of sin, not just a forgiveness. It gives us a hope to look forward to the day that will come when Jesus comes back for his faithful bride. And to close with a verse, I had really enjoyed this verse because it offers somewhat of a challenge.

And to give some context, it's when Mary and Martha, or when Lazarus dies, and Jesus is coming, and he comes to the house, and he sees Mary and Martha, and Lazarus has already been dead for four days. Martha meets Jesus and tells him that if he was there, Lazarus wouldn't have died. She says, "But I know if you ask God anything, he will do it." And Jesus tells her that her brother will rise again.

And Martha, probably thinking of the, or is thinking of the future resurrection, confirms that and says, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection." And Jesus says to her this, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in me, he shall never die. Do you believe this?" And so that is the end of my message. But just to quickly add, I don't necessarily want to diminish from the death of Christ.

I know that we are, there are many aspects that play a part in our salvation through Jesus's life, death, and resurrection. But oftentimes when I evangelize or when I hear people evangelize, and we kind of tend to focus on the death of Christ and how it is through his death that we are saved. And then it kind of just stops there. And maybe the resurrection is this little add-on that we tack on to the end of it.

But in moving here and talking with many of you and listening to a lot of sermons and reading, I've learned that the resurrection is almost the cornerstone of Christianity, or at least it is just as important as the death. Plus, I genuinely think that when we come to understand the power of the resurrection, it gives the Christian life a purpose and power that it would greatly lose if we left it out or just focused on Jesus's death.