Bible Text: John 11:25, 14:19, 1:4, 3:16, 10:10-11, 14:6, Colossins 3:1-4, Galatians 2:20, Matthew 10:7-8, Acts 17:28 | Preacher: Prophet June S. Reinke | I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE

John 11:25: Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

This is resurrection Sunday, as we celebrate the fact that JESUS our Savior is risen from the dead. There is no resurrection without death. But that death was swallowed up in victory! If Christ had not risen from the dead, we would have nothing to base our faith on. There would be no hope of eternal life. There would be no heaven to gain and no hell to shun. If it was only about this little brevity of life that we have here on hearth, we would be as the Apostle Paul said, of all people, most miserable. But our hope is a living hope that is based on a living Word, a living Savior and Lord. The full gospel is one of life and hope.

John 14:19: …because I live, ye shall live also.

Not only can we be assured of eternal life, someday, but the moment that we are born again, we step into the light of His eternal kingdom that we have been translated into. We come out of the death and darkness and impending damnation. We no longer have dead works, but serve the LIVING GOD! Our good works become eternal as they glorify GOD.

To become a new creature in Him, we had to die to the old sinful nature. We did not have a make-over or d0-over, but a total rebirth took place. We had to die to ourselves, our sins, our own desires, our plans, thoughts, dreams, aspirations, and surrender to His perfect will in order to have the NEW life that we have been given: resurrection power and life!

John 1:4: In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

We celebrate Jesus as our life and light. He is life, the source of ours. We are to walk in that light continually. Essentially that means that we are to walk in Him. Not only is He the LIGHT, but we are the light of the world. As He is in heaven, so we are to be on earth.

Acts 17:28:: For in him we live, and move, and have our being;

Our entire lives are to be enveloped in Christ. We are to put on the LORD JESUS CHRIST! He is the garment of praise for depression. He is the robe of righteousness and garment of salvation, for Jesus IS OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS alone! There is NO SALVTION in any other. We are to be clothed in His glory, as we are also mantled with His grace.

If we are not in Christ, then we are not a new creature. Old things will remain the same, rather than for everything to become the new that He creates for us. We have a new walk, a new destination, a new vision, a new direction, a new and living way, a new life in Him.

John 3:16: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

This passage is the central theme of the gospel. For the good news centers around the heart of love that GOD has for us, who gave His only Son to die for our sins. Without his willingness to give His son to die for us, we could never be saved. We would never have eternal life. We would never have fellowship and friendship with our creator. His act of love was generated out of who HE IS, for GOD IS LOVE. The proof is his gift of life. That life is in CHRIST JESUS alone.

Jesus proved Himself to be the surrendered Lamb of GOD that takes away the sin of the world when He laid down His life for us. It is the Holy Spirit that convicts us of sin and reveals to us the plan of salvation that comes only by faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, and His finished work on the cross. He died. We died. He was resurrected from the dead. We are also. HE lives, We live also!

John 14:6: Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

When there was no way, God created a Way. Christ Jesus became the Way. When there was no life, GOD created a plan for everlasting life. Jesus became life for us, and We RECEIVED eternal life through faith in Him. We now have fellowship with the Father and the Son. Once alienated from GOD because of our sins that separated us from him, now we are near Him as cleansed from all unrighteousness by the blood of Christ.

John 10:10-11:
10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come
that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

Abundant life does not mean the abundance of things or money or worldly goods. What we have have been given can never die. The gifts that GOD grants us are without repentance. They will never be extracted from us and will remain forever in heaven as well as on earth. Temporal blessings are not the abundant life that we have. But God will supply our needs. We have daily benefits that He gives us. But abundant life is permanent, and this unspeakable gift of His Salvation is what we are to pursue and appreciate that can never be taken away. Since Christ laid down His life for us, it is good that we lay our lives down for his sake and serve Him all the days of our lives with every fiber of our being.

Galatians 2:20: I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

When Christ died, we died with Him. When He arose from the dead, we too arose. He was not the same. We will not be the same as we were. We live in His resurrection power! We live now by the POWER of the SPIRIT OF GOD that lives in us. We live by faith. We walk by faith. We have Christ in our hearts by faith. We are no longer ordinary, but extraordinary. We are no longer common, but uncommon. We are no longer of the world, but in it to be His representatives, as we are now citizens of heaven. Our lives are not our own. We have been bought with a price: the blood of Christ. We die daily, and are alive forevermore, even as Christ is.

Colossians 3:1-4:
1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above,
where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

Because of His life in us and His resurrection power, we now have a NEW focus. It is not tied to this old world and material treasures. Our treasures are in heaven, though our daily needs are met. We seek the kingdom of GOD and His righteousness as our priority. He adds to us daily benefits and gives us things to enjoy. We are blessed to be seated in heavenly places with Christ, while our feet still walk on these earthly roads. As we place our affections on Him, we become effective on earth for the kingdom of God and His glory. We too die to self, but are very much alive in CHRIST, will live with him and be with Him forever, and we too will be glorified with Him. We will be LIKE JESUS, and rule and reign with Him forever.

Matthew 10:7-8
7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

But until then, we are to preach the gospel of JESUS CHRIST. It is not a dead letter, but a living Word. He sent His Word and healed them and delivered them from all their destruction. We are to be written epistles, known and read by men. We are to be a living letter, a living Word as we preach the good news of the gospel, the wonderful words of life.

We will know that the KINGDOM OF GOD is at hand when the WORD of GOD is live, healing, delivering, saving, empowering, healing. The Word of GOD that we are to speak and declare is not the enticing speeches of men, but the power of the gospel that produces LIFE. The sick are to be healed. The lepers are to be cleansed. The dead are to be raised. The devils are to be cast out.

The Great Commission is a powerful message that demonstrates who GOD is. He is the Healer, the SAVIOR, the Deliverer, the LORD. He is our all in all, and very much alive. His Word is alive and life giving, and His WORD is Spirit and LIFE. WE too are to be like JESUS and be alive and vibrant, beams of light in this dark world and do the work of the ministry as new creatures in Him, filled with His HOLY SPIRIT and Resurrection power to expand the kingdom of GOD on earth as it is in heaven, because HE LIVES. WE SHALL LIVE ALSO!