WHAT IT MEANS TO BE RISEN WITH CHRIST? Pastor James J. Barker
Text: COLOSSIANS 3:1-6 INTRODUCTION: 1. When we consider the
Messianic credentials of the Lord Jesus Christ, several things come to
mind. 2. First we consider His virgin
birth. Then we consider His sinless
life, matchless teachings and amazing
miracles. 3. We also think of the impact
of His life upon history. Today is
April 16, the year of our Lord (AD) 2006. 4.
Anno
Domini
(abreviated as AD) is Latin for, “In the Year of our Lord.” Before Christ (abbreviated as
BC) is used to refer to the days before the birth of Christ. 5. Another important and
undisputable Messianic credential is fulfilled prophecy (cf. Isaiah 7:14; 9:6;
53:1-12; Micah 5:2, etc.). 6. This morning I want to speak
about another important Messianic credential. In fact, in many ways this is the most
important of all – the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. Matt.
28:1-10). 7. H. P. Liddon said, “the
resurrection is the very keystone of the arch of Christian faith, and, when it
is removed, all must inevitably crumble into ruin.”
8. That is a beautiful
illustration. When I was in Rome, I
was amazed at all of the ancient archways.
I saw them everywhere – in churches; all over the Coliseum; there are
archways as you enter the city, etc. 9. It was the Romans that first
began using a keystone in their arches. The keystone is the topmost stone in the
arch. The keystone helped to distribute the weight down the side supporting
blocks of the columns. With this design, the keystone is the “key” to supporting
the arch, because if you remove this stone, the arch would
collapse. 10. In like manner, the
resurrection of Christ is indeed the very keystone of the arch of our Christian
faith! I. THE IMPORTANCE OF THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST. 1. Our Lord frequently
predicted that He would be crucified and that He would be raised from the dead
(cf. Matt. 12:38-41; 16:21; 17:9, 22, 23; 20:18, 19;
26:32). 2. When we move from the four
Gospels into the book of Acts we see that the apostles emphasized the
resurrection of Christ in their preaching (cf. Acts 2:23, 24,
32). 3. The resurrection of Christ
is one of the great themes of the epistles (cf. Romans 1:1-4; I Cor. 15:1-4;
Phil. 3:10). 4. When we get to the last book
of the NT, we see the resurrected Christ saying to the apostle John, “I am He
that liveth, and was dead; and behold, I am alive for
evermore” (Rev. 1:18). 5. So we see the importance of
the resurrection of Christ. When
the apostle Paul writes in Colossians 3:1, “If ye then be risen with Christ…”
there is no uncertainty. It
literally means, “Since ye have been risen with Christ…” (Cf. Col.
2:20). II. OUR UNION WITH
CHRIST 1. Normally when a person gets saved we baptize him, encourage him to come to Sunday School and church regularly, encourage him to go soulwinning, and give him a box of tithing envelopes. 2. This is all very important,
but there is something else that we must emphasize and that is his union
with Christ (Col. 3:1-4). 3. When we speak of our union
with Christ, we are referring to our identification with Christ in His
death, burial, and resurrection (cf. Rom.
6:1-5). 4. The average Baptist convert
understands that baptism is an important step of obedience but he often does not
understand the importance of his union with Christ (Col.
3:1-4). 5. Some times people stumble
over this concept of identification.
Let me illustrate by asking you to turn to Leviticus 1:1-4. 6. All of these OT sacrifices
pointed to the cross of Christ.
When Christians carelessly skip over these Scriptures they are missing
out on a wonderful blessing. 7. When the transgressor
brought his animal to the tabernacle, and then laid his hand upon its head, and
then confessed his sin to God – a great transference took
place. 8. God reckoned as if the sin
of the man were laid on the sacrificial animal, and then that animal was put to
death as bearing the man’s sin, and suffering in his
stead. 9. These OT types and pictures
all pointed to the cross. We know that these OT believers were saved the same
way you and I were saved – by the blood of Christ (Romans
3:25). 10.The great hymnwriter Isaac
Watts put it this way: Not all the blood of beasts
But Christ, the heav’nly
Lamb, My faith would lay her hand My soul looks back to see Believing, we rejoice 11.By this identification by
faith, we are joined in union with Christ. We are dead to sin and alive to walk in
newness of life (cf. Rom. 6:4, 8, 11). 12.On account of our union with
Christ, we are to “seek those things which are above” (Col. 3:1), and set our
“affection on things above, not on things on the earth”
(3:2). 13.The bent of the Christian
should be towards heavenly, not earthly things. Worldly people seek after earthly things
but God’s people are to be different (cf. Phil. 3:18,
19). 14.There is an interesting
scene in the second part of John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, where
the Interpreter
takes Christiana (Christian’s wife) into a room where was a man that could look
no way but downwards, with a muck rake in his hand. 15.“There stood also one
(angel) over his head with a celestial crown in his hand, and proffered to give
him that crown for his muck rake; but the man did neither look up nor regard,
but raked to himself the straws, the small sticks, and dust of the
floor.” 16. “Then said Christiana, ‘I
persuade myself that I know somewhat the meaning of this; for this is a figure
of a man of this world. Is it not, good sir?’” 17.Interpreter: “Thou hast said the
right,” said he: “and his muck rake doth show his carnal mind. And whereas thou
seest him rather give heed to rake up straws and sticks, and the dust of the
floor, than to what he says that calls to him from above with the celestial
crown in his hand, it is to show that heaven is but as a fable to some, and that
things here are counted the only things substantial. Now, whereas it was also
showed thee that the man could look no way but downwards, it is to let thee know
that earthly things, when they are with power upon men's minds, quite carry
their hearts away from God.” 18.Christiana: Then said Christiana, “Oh,
deliver me from this muck rake!” III. THE PREEMINENCE OF CHRIST (cf. COL.
1:18). 1. Notice the emphasis in
Colossians 3:1-3 – “with Christ…where Christ…with
Christ…when Christ.” 2. Christ is not just the most
important Person in our life – He is “our life” (Col.
3:4). 3. If we could just grasp that
we would not have any empty chairs in our services. We would come to Sunday School on
time. We would make every effort to
come to prayer meeting – because Christ is “our life” (3:4). We would bring more
visitors. 4. Churches would not have
financial problems if their members understood this. Missionaries would have no problems
getting to the mission field.
In fact we would see more Christians volunteering for the mission field
and other spheres of Christian service.
Because Christ is our life
(3:4). 5. When we think of the
preeminence of Christ, we think of His ascension into heaven (Col.
3:1). 6. When we think of the
preeminence of Christ we think of His finished work on the cross. Note that now He sitteth on the
right hand of God the Father (3:1).
His work on the cross is finished. Lifted up was He to die; 7. When we think of the preeminence of Christ we think of His intercession for us. Hebrews 7:25 says “He ever liveth to make intercession” for us. 8. When we think of the
preeminence of Christ we think of our security in Christ – Colossians 3:3
says our life “is hid with Christ in God.” Is there any place safer or more
secure than that? It is beyond the
reach of Satan and all his demons. 9. Jesus said in John 10:28
that no man can pluck us out of His hand. 10. When we think of the
preeminence of Christ we think of the indwelling of the blessed Holy
Spirit for Jesus said, “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you
another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever” (John
14:16). 11. When we think of the
preeminence of Christ we think of His second coming (Col.
3:4). 12. The hymnwriter put it this
way: Our Lord is now rejected, Oh, the crowning day is coming, CONCLUSION: 1. This Easter Sunday let me
ask you, “Do you have Christ? (Col.
3:3). 2. I am not asking if you have
religion, or if you have a knowledge of Christ; I am asking if you have
Christ (cf. I John
5:12). |
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