He's Done It Again! -- Living the Resurrected Life, by Pastor Ed Evans

He's Done It Again! -- Living the Resurrected Life

by Pastor Ed Evans

Scripture: 1st John 1:1-2:2
1:1  We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life --
1:2  this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us --
1:3  we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.
1:4  We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
1:5  This is the message we have heard from Him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all.
1:6  If we say that we have fellowship with Him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true;
1:7  but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
1:8  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
1:9  If we confess our sins, He who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1:10  If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
2:1  My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;
2:2  and He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

          The story is told of the Pastor preparing to take a flight out of the local airport.  He went through the security checks, and one of the Homeland Security people pulled him aside.  They said, "Pastor, there something in your briefcase we have to check."

          "What is it?" he asked.

          "Well, something set off the scanner, we have to check."

          They opened up the briefcase and found a small container of liquid, so they asked, "What is this?"

          The Pastor replied, "Oh, that's just holy water."

          The security man unscrewed the lid, sniffed it, said, "Oh no, this isn't water.  In fact, this smells like a very good wine."

          The Pastor spread his arms, looked toward heaven and replied, "He's done it again!"

          Whatever the Pastor's motivations, our Lord Jesus Christ has, indeed, done it again.  In churches and at sunrise services all around the world, the rising from the dead of Jesus Christ, Son of God, has been recently acknowledged and celebrated.  The stone to His grave has been figuratively rolled away.  As we have been told by the inspired word of God, just as the women who went to His grave heard from the angel there, He is not in the grave, but He has gone, resurrected by the Father.  Gone, but not gone, for those who call themselves by the name Christian.  He is more with us than it is possible, to our minds, to be with us.

          For those who have accepted the gift of life from the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, He who has given us life, again, He who has opened the door to the Father, He has been resurrected within us.  Jesus Christ lives within and through us.

          But, how is that done?  The Son of the Father, the God-Man Jesus Christ, He knows what He is doing, He is privy to the plans the Father has for us, and having lived here on earth in the flesh, He knows the problems, the ills, the temptations that wait lurking out there in our future.  But we don't.  How do we do this?

          Our Lord knew what was in that Pastor's vial of liquid before it was even opened.  He knew before it was filled what would be in there.  He knew how it was going to work out even before it entered the Pastor's mind to attempt that subterfuge.

          So, how do we go about short-circuiting such events before we do them?  How do we avoid what we don't know is about to trip us up, catch us, embarrass us, play to our weaknesses?  How do we do that?

          We could start with a little human wisdom that there is no good way to do a wrong thing.  Maybe that would keep us away from doing the wrong things.  But the playwright Oscar Wilde spoke for us all when he said, "I can resist anything except temptation."  And Mae West is on record saying, similarly, "I generally avoid temptation unless I can't resist it."

          Since temptation and evil are trains on the same track, maybe the best thing to do is avoid all appearances of evil.  And if Albert Einstein was correct that ”Evil manifests itself in people whose hearts are devoid of God’s love,” then we just have to ensure our hearts are filled with God's love and move ahead.  Until that jerk cuts us off in traffic, or takes that parking spot we were angling toward, or says something callous and rude that threatens our personal standing.  Then the temptation to manifest evil on them is going to jump up and call our name, grab us by the throat, big time.

          Okay, so maybe that's not the best answer.

          Maybe instead of looking for evil head-on, we surround ourselves with what is good and right and just, and allow Jesus Christ to work through us.  After all, the demons fled before His presence.  Let evil be more concerned about He who is in us, rather than being concerned about where we can find evil.  For 1st John 4:4 tells us that "the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world."  Christ in us is "the hope of glory," according to Colossians 1:27, and James 2:19 reminds us that the demons also believe in God, and tremble.  How better to avoid temptation, stand clear of evil so that the resurrected Christ can live His life through us, than to turn over that leadership of our lives to Him.

          The inspired word of God is full of helpful suggestions for leading the resurrected life.  For example, my own "life verse", Galatians 2:20 provides base plate information when it says, "I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."  He lives in me, and through me, and I both know it and give myself over to Him.

          Perhaps more detailed is the Message version of Romans 3:27-28, which reads, "What we have learned is this: God does not respond to what we do; we respond to what God does.  We've finally figured it out.  Our lives get in step with God and all others by letting Him set the pace, not by proudly or anxiously trying to run the parade."

          So, by availing ourselves of scripture, God's own direction, we gain a hand hold on how to live the resurrected life, or more to the point, allowing Jesus Christ to live the resurrected life through us.

          With that level of direction then, how can we tell that ours is that resurrected life?  If we stare into the mirror, can we catch Christ looking back at us?  Do those about us note a glorified glow about our person?  What signs of the resurrected life might give us away?

          For the answer to that, we need only revisit Galatians 5:22-23, where we read, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Against such things there is no law."

          If we seek God through scripture, and through prayer, allowing the Christ to work through us we will be so busy with the "do's" that we won't have time for the "don'ts."  It will happen, and we will find ourselves underestimating what the Lord is doing in our life.  We may not think that living His life through us involves anything important, but it does.  What we say to people, how we treat others, the way we handle adversity -- God will use all of these things to reveal Himself to those in the world around us. 

          Standing for righteousness, refusing to compromise, offering the hand of Christ to others, we will find ourselves bearing a witness for Him that cannot be touched by anything belonging to the god of this world.  Each day will be its own gift, and we will be able to say in truth, "He's done it again!"  Amen.

Week of Worship

April 8, 2012

Invocation:  O Jesus, who called Lazarus from his tomb and presented him alive to his friends, call me, I pray, from the tombs which seek to stifle the life I have.  Remove from me the grave clothes which yet hinder my free movement in Your spirit.  Through the power of your name.  Amen.

Read: Psalm 126

Daily Scripture Readings

Monday                Romans 6:1-11

Tuesday               Ephesians 2:1-10

Wednesday          Galatians 2:11-21
Thursday              John 17:1-5

Friday                   Romans 6:15-23

Saturday               Romans 8:18-30

Sunday                 Acts 4:32-35; 1st John 1:1-2:2; Psalm 133; John 2019-31

Reflection: (silent and written)

Prayers for the church, for others, for yourself.

Hymn: "Make Me A Captive, Lord"

Benediction:  In these moments with You, my Lord, I have heard Your call to life.  O glorious call that awakens me, I am Yours and Yours alone.  Amen.