(Preface: After preaching this message on Resurrection Sunday, I have had many requests for my notes. I give them here as my Daily Bible Commentary. Because of the short time frame given to share this message, I did not sight the many Bible passages undergirding this message; this is merely a brief testimony of what the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ has come to mean to me! God will help you fill in the Scriptures. Be blessed!)
What Resurrection Day Means to Me According to Romans 6-8 (preached at Open Bible Church in Clear Lake, Iowa on April 31, 2024)
I. Five ways people approach the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ
1st Dogmatic Denial: These are the atheists, naturalists, and humanists who reject the existence of God and the Supernatural realm.
2nd Religious Ritual: This is the religious crowd who turn passion week into another religious holiday to be observed in order to earn grace or merit with God.
3rd Intellectual Reason: These are the people who analyze the merits of the historical record of Jesus Christ to come to a mere rational verdict based on the facts.
4th Emotional Association: These are the people who try to enter into emotional connection with the suffering of Jesus Christ on the cross. They often emotionally punish themselves.
5th Faith Appropriation: These are the people who by faith have appropriated all the benefits of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ into their daily lives.
II. Examples of My Appropriation of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ into my life:
Let me take a moment to summarize and testify about what the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ means to me and how I am appropriating them into my daily life! I am a work in progress: (Ephesians 4:22-24 Principle: put off the old self … be renewed in the spirit of your mind … put on the new self)
Death:
A. Because by faith I have been crucified with Christ my past sin and failure is dead, gone and forgiven.
B. I have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ and now belong to Him and have a new identity.
C. He took away all my guilt, shame and condemnation and nailed it to the cross.
D. He disarmed the rulers, authorities and demons who formerly tormented me and has muzzled the accuser of the brethren from speaking against me by removing every decree and accusation against me and nailed it to the cross.
E. He smashed every stronghold raised against me, broke every sinful yoke in my life and set this captive free from every bondage and addiction.
F. By His stripes I have been healed and by trusting in His role as physician… disease, sickness, injury and death no longer need rule over me! Healing is mine because the curse of sin is gone from my life.
Burial:
A. Being buried with Christ I can now renounce all deception and renew my mind with truth.
B. My secular world view has been replaced with a biblical world view.
C. My humanistic world view has been replaced with a “God of the Bible” world view. (I can no longer say “theological world view” because man made theology put to many boxes and limitations around Him.)
D. My naturalistic world view has been replaced with a supernatural world view.
E. My self-centered life has been replaced with a Christ-centered life.
F. All self justification, excuses for failure, lusts, greed and pride have been left in the grave.
G. I am dead and my life is hidden with Christ in God.
Resurrection:
A. I have been raised up with Christ in the likeness of His resurrection.
B. My spirit is alive within me and filled with newness of life (Zoe life) and has replaced my body and soul as the new Governor in my life.
C. I am sealed, filled and baptized with the Holy Spirit and with fire so that my body is now the temple of the Holy Spirit.
D. I have been delivered from the domain of darkness and transfers into the kingdom of His beloved Son with full access to all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places “in Christ”… which are the measure of my new inheritance as a child of God.
E. I now live as an adopted son of the Father, entrusted with the authority of Jesus Christ, and have become a temple of the Holy Spirit filled with power and agape love.
F. The deeds of my flesh have died and have been replaced with the fruit of the Spirit, spiritual gifts and a divine calling and purpose in life.
G. I have now put on the new self which is created in the likeness of God in righteousness and holiness in the truth. Old things have passed away… all things have become new! (Brief personal testimony of my coming to Jesus Christ)
H. I am now the benefactor of the full scope of prayers Paul prayed for believers in Ephesians 1:15-23; Ephesians 3:14-21 and Colossians 1:9-12.
I. I now have angels as body guards and not demons as tormentors… I can take hold of abundant life.
J. I now have instant access to the throne of grace for prayer, worship and divine help as I walk with God.
K. I am an ambassador of Christ in this present world endowed with heavenly authority.
L. I am salt, light, hope and a carrier of the good news of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world.
Conclusion: This list is not conclusive… but it helps illustrate the “Faith Appropriation”concept taught in the book of Romans. By faith we need to claim, enter into, apply and walk in the full benefits of the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Christ!
What Resurrection Day Means to Me According to Romans 6-8 (preached at Open Bible Church in Clear Lake, Iowa on April 31, 2024)
I. Five ways people approach the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ
1st Dogmatic Denial: These are the atheists, naturalists, and humanists who reject the existence of God and the Supernatural realm.
2nd Religious Ritual: This is the religious crowd who turn passion week into another religious holiday to be observed in order to earn grace or merit with God.
3rd Intellectual Reason: These are the people who analyze the merits of the historical record of Jesus Christ to come to a mere rational verdict based on the facts.
4th Emotional Association: These are the people who try to enter into emotional connection with the suffering of Jesus Christ on the cross. They often emotionally punish themselves.
5th Faith Appropriation: These are the people who by faith have appropriated all the benefits of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ into their daily lives.
II. Examples of My Appropriation of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ into my life:
Let me take a moment to summarize and testify about what the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ means to me and how I am appropriating them into my daily life! I am a work in progress: (Ephesians 4:22-24 Principle: put off the old self … be renewed in the spirit of your mind … put on the new self)
Death:
A. Because by faith I have been crucified with Christ my past sin and failure is dead, gone and forgiven.
B. I have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ and now belong to Him and have a new identity.
C. He took away all my guilt, shame and condemnation and nailed it to the cross.
D. He disarmed the rulers, authorities and demons who formerly tormented me and has muzzled the accuser of the brethren from speaking against me by removing every decree and accusation against me and nailed it to the cross.
E. He smashed every stronghold raised against me, broke every sinful yoke in my life and set this captive free from every bondage and addiction.
F. By His stripes I have been healed and by trusting in His role as physician… disease, sickness, injury and death no longer need rule over me! Healing is mine because the curse of sin is gone from my life.
Burial:
A. Being buried with Christ I can now renounce all deception and renew my mind with truth.
B. My secular world view has been replaced with a biblical world view.
C. My humanistic world view has been replaced with a “God of the Bible” world view. (I can no longer say “theological world view” because man made theology put to many boxes and limitations around Him.)
D. My naturalistic world view has been replaced with a supernatural world view.
E. My self-centered life has been replaced with a Christ-centered life.
F. All self justification, excuses for failure, lusts, greed and pride have been left in the grave.
G. I am dead and my life is hidden with Christ in God.
Resurrection:
A. I have been raised up with Christ in the likeness of His resurrection.
B. My spirit is alive within me and filled with newness of life (Zoe life) and has replaced my body and soul as the new Governor in my life.
C. I am sealed, filled and baptized with the Holy Spirit and with fire so that my body is now the temple of the Holy Spirit.
D. I have been delivered from the domain of darkness and transfers into the kingdom of His beloved Son with full access to all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places “in Christ”… which are the measure of my new inheritance as a child of God.
E. I now live as an adopted son of the Father, entrusted with the authority of Jesus Christ, and have become a temple of the Holy Spirit filled with power and agape love.
F. The deeds of my flesh have died and have been replaced with the fruit of the Spirit, spiritual gifts and a divine calling and purpose in life.
G. I have now put on the new self which is created in the likeness of God in righteousness and holiness in the truth. Old things have passed away… all things have become new! (Brief personal testimony of my coming to Jesus Christ)
H. I am now the benefactor of the full scope of prayers Paul prayed for believers in Ephesians 1:15-23; Ephesians 3:14-21 and Colossians 1:9-12.
I. I now have angels as body guards and not demons as tormentors… I can take hold of abundant life.
J. I now have instant access to the throne of grace for prayer, worship and divine help as I walk with God.
K. I am an ambassador of Christ in this present world endowed with heavenly authority.
L. I am salt, light, hope and a carrier of the good news of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world.
Conclusion: This list is not conclusive… but it helps illustrate the “Faith Appropriation”concept taught in the book of Romans. By faith we need to claim, enter into, apply and walk in the full benefits of the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Christ!
