Raised in Christ

Good morning, everyone.

Morning, Mike.

So humbling and delightful to be here with you.

I've been a bit absent in recent weeks,

and I'm so glad to be back in my home church with you all.

I want to preach from the reading that John just read to us

on the verse,

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

So it's a little worrying when the vicar stands up

at the beginning of the service to introduce you

and says you're about to preach on a subject

that I've never heard of before.

And so what I'm going to talk to you about

is your identity in Christ

as disciples of the risen Christ.

Someone say amen.

Amen.

And what that means and what that looks like in your life,

but reflecting on it,

the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus to the disciples

are not on the face of it that encouraging, are they?

John tells us in his Gospel

that when Jesus appeared to the disciples,

they were in a locked room.

And the reason they were in a locked room,

John tells us, is because they were fearful.

Luke tells us about the confusion of the disciples

on the road to Emmaus.

And how they only recognized the risen Jesus

when he broke bread with them

and had breakfast with them.

And then, of course, there's Peter

who denied Jesus three times

before Jesus' death on the cross.

And then you remember in that curious scenario,

again in John's Gospel,

Jesus asks Peter three times,

do you love me?

To the point where Peter, we're told,

was hurt by Jesus' repeated questioning of him

and was a little embarrassed, I guess,

because of his shame at his denial

and the upset that Jesus would ask him

not once but three times

for some kind of reassurance.

Now, on the face of it,

the experience of these disciples

in the very earliest days after the resurrection

is, I think you could describe,

just a little shaky.

These disciples who would become lions of the faith,

people who would take the Gospel

to the far-flung places of the known world

as it was then,

didn't make a particularly encouraging start.

Resurrection.

The resurrection of Jesus

is not just a happy ending to a story

which would otherwise be not very satisfying.

It is the essence of who we are in Christ,

our identity in Christ,

who we are.

Without it,

we would just be remembering a dead hero.

And you remember the words of Paul

in 1 Corinthians chapter 15.

1 Corinthians 15 · chapter mention

He kind of nailed it there, good and proper,

when he wrote about the resurrection.

Let me remind you that 1 Corinthians

is one of the earliest epistles

in the New Testament.

This is what Paul thought about the resurrection.

He said,

if Christ has not been raised,

our preaching is useless

and so is your faith.

More than that,

we are then found to be false witnesses about God

for we have testified about God

that he raised Christ from the dead.

But he did not raise him

if in fact the dead are not raised.

For if the dead are not raised,

then Christ has not been raised either.

And if Christ has not been raised,

your faith is futile

and you are in your sins.

The message about the risen Christ

is for people who know what it is to be fearful.

For people who know what it is to be shamed.

For people who know what it is to be confused.

Which is just about all of us.

The risen Christ is here

in the power of his spirit right now.

Paul in Colossians,

twice in four verses,

tells us that we have been raised with Christ.

That's in the past tense.

And that we're also told, remarkably,

that when Jesus returns,

we will appear with him in glory.

Imagine that for a moment.

That you will not only know about the glory of God,

if indeed you do,

but you will share in that glory.

In your risen life.

Paul says two things here.

Set your minds on things above

and set your hearts on things above.

In other words,

emotionally set your hearts on the things that are above

and intellectually set your minds on the things that are above.

Not either or.

But both and.

Some scholars think that these verses

might have been part of an early hymn.

Or indeed,

might have been part of a baptismal liturgy.

That is,

the words you say

at a baptism.

I want to teach you two fundamental things this morning

about the risen life in Christ.

About your identity

as disciples of the risen Christ.

Firstly,

I want to tell you that resurrection means

that in Christ,

heaven is your destination.

Romans chapter 10 and verse 9.

Romans 10 · chapter mention

If you confess that Jesus Christ is Lord

and believe that God raised him from the dead,

you will be saved.

The resurrection means

that heaven is your destination.

But I want to teach you also

that if you are in Christ,

the resurrection is your motivation.

For we are meant to live

the risen life of Christ today.

Back in the 19th century,

people criticized the Christian faith

because they said,

it's pie in the sky when you die.

They observed that a lot of Christians,

some missionaries in fact,

were preaching the gospel to people

who were starving.

No, said some of the reformers

of the 19th century,

what you need to do

is to feed hungry tummies

before you preach the gospel to them.

People like William Booth

and Charles Hadley Spurgeon

were giants in reminding the church

that we're not sitting around

just waiting to die to go to heaven.

But we're called to live

the risen life here and now.

Heaven is your destination.

I wonder if you have

any assurance of that

in your life.

I know a lot of people

might be sitting here this morning

thinking, well,

having assurance that I might go to heaven

sounds like a terrible arrogance to me

and it would be an arrogance

if it was based on what you've done.

But it's not an arrogance

because it's nothing to do

with what you've done.

It is to do entirely

what God has done in Jesus Christ

on the cross of Calvary

in the resurrection of Jesus

and His ascension into heaven

on your behalf.

The God of grace.

The God who loves you

even though you don't deserve it

sent His Son.

that we might have

eternal life.

Life everlasting.

And there's more in the New Testament

about heaven

and eternal life

than just about any other subject.

More about heaven

and eternal life in the Bible

than there is about Holy Communion

for instance.

writers of the New Testament

want to believe us to know

that in Christ

they would receive the gift

of eternal life.

Excuse me.

Eternal life

is not just an infinite extension

of life as we know it.

because for many of you

that would be

an intolerable thought.

No.

Eternal life

is life

of a different order.

The Bible teaches us

that we shall have

a new body

when we are resurrected.

That's partly why

Jesus in His resurrected body

wasn't immediately

recognizable

to those early disciples.

But reassuringly

eventually

the penny dropped for them

and they recognized Him.

People say to me

maybe you thought it

when I die

will I see my partner

in heaven?

That's a really tough question

especially if your partner

is not a believer.

But if your partner

is a believer

then I believe

ultimately

you might recognize them

in heaven.

I find that

very reassuring.

Imagine

you will have

a new resurrection body

not immediately

recognizable

as the body

you have now.

I don't know

whether there's anybody

who stalks the planet

who would rather

have the body

they've got at the moment

with the one

that they will have.

In my case

I just need to look

in a mirror.

Heaven

is your

destination.

You will get

a new body.

There will be

a continuity

between you today

and your resurrected body.

It will mean

the end of suffering.

Imagine that.

Imagine

a way of being

where there will be

no more tears

and no more crying.

In Revelation

Revelation 21 · chapter mention

chapter 21

the very last

book of the Bible

you can read

about that.

Amazing words

of John

as he wrote

that incredible book.

Revelation

Revelation 21 · chapter mention

chapter 21

and verse 3

onwards.

I heard a loud

voice from the throne

saying now

the dwelling of God

is with men

and women

and he will live

with them

they will be

his people

and God himself

will be with them

and be their God.

He will wipe

every tear

from their eyes

there will be

no more death

or mourning

or crying

or pain

for the old

order of things

has passed away.

if I was sitting

there this morning

without trusting God

without believing

in God

those verses

on their own

would change

my heart

because looking

at this world

right now

as Tim implied

in his prayers

is not the most

encouraging thing

to do

at the moment.

Heaven is your

destination

and in heaven

you will not need

hope anymore

because the kingdom

of God

will be manifest.

Tom Wright

wrote these words

he said

Jesus' resurrection

is the beginning

of God's new project

not to snatch people

away from earth

to heaven

but to colonize earth

with the life

of heaven.

This earth

all that God

created

the earth

the heavens

all that therein

is

will one day

one day

be redeemed.

and that's why

it's not pie

in the sky

when you die

because it begins

now

as the people

of God

seek the power

of spirit

to live the risen

life

that God

has in store

for them.

What a tragedy

friends

that there are

people who

warm the pews

or the business

class seats

of churches

Sunday by Sunday

and they have

no idea

what the risen

life is

or what it

might look like

in their lives.

Which brings me

to my second

point

in Christ

the resurrection

is our

motivation.

How are we

to live the risen

life now?

How are we

to rise above

that which Jesus

called the worries

of this life

the deceitfulness

of wealth

and the desire

for other things?

Ask yourself

this question

do you want

more of God

or do you want

more of money

and things?

I know

that's a little

below the belt

but it's something

you should think

about.

Are you

constantly

wanting what

others have

more than

what God

can give you?

if you are

I fear

you're a deluded

person

there is

another way

to live

and it's a way

that is

ushered in

by the resurrection

of Jesus Christ.

Let me say

very briefly

three things

about that.

Firstly

you can't live

the risen

life

if you want

to live

a hidden

life.

Let me say

that again.

You can't

live the

risen

life

if you

want to

live a

hidden

life.

1 John

1 John 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1

John nails

it.

He says

this

this

is the

message

we have

heard

from him

and

declare

to you

God

is

light

in him

there is

no

darkness

at all

wait for

it

if we

claim to

have

fellowship

with him

yet

walk

in the

darkness

we

lie

and do

not

live

by the

truth

but if

we walk

in the

light

as he

is in

the

light

we have

fellowship

with one

another

and the

blood of

Jesus his

son

purifies us

from all

sin.

I'm not

going to ask

you to put

your hands

up but

I wonder

how many

of you

sitting in

church today

effectively

live a

hidden

life.

There are

aspects of

your life

that you

cannot talk

to anybody

about

because you

are so

ashamed

and you

would love

to give

it up

but you

don't know

how to

give it

up and

therefore

your life

is in

the dark

ness

and

it's

hidden

and while

it's

hidden

you

cannot

live

the

risen.

Set

your

minds

and your

hearts

on things

that are

above

says Paul.

Second

you can't

live the

risen life

if wanting

what you

want

surpasses

what God

wants

for you.

I think

there are

a lot

of people

who deep

down inside

know

that actually

when it

comes to

talking about

their motivation

the idea

is not to

please God

but the idea

is to get

what they

want out

of life.

You wonder

why the world

is the way

it is?

The reason

is that

most people

ignorant of

God are

just living

for themselves.

Not

everyone

who calls

me Lord

Lord

said Jesus

will enter

the kingdom

of heaven

but only

only those

who do

the will

of my

father.

You can't

live the

risen life

if wanting

what you

want

surpasses

what God

wants

for you.

And

finally

I would

think it

would be

very

very

difficult

to live

the risen

life

if you

let the

hope

that

resurrection

brings

drain

from

your

soul.

There are

a lot

of things

that human

beings can

deal with

in their

lives.

We can

deal with

a lack

of dignity.

We can

deal with

a measure

of shame

but when

we lose

hope

it's our

last

resort.

hope

is our

resurrection

surely

means that

we are

a people

of hope

and for

those people

for those

of us who

trust Christ

and his

death and

resurrection

for those

of us who

trust that

hope

is not

an abstract

idea.

It's not

like put

your hands

behind your

back and

cross your

fingers.

It's a

historical

reality.

The

resurrection

of Jesus

Christ from

the dead.

We have

never met

Jesus in

the flesh.

We have

not had the

experience of

Thomas who

could put

his fingers

in Jesus'

hands and

his hand

into Jesus'

side to

have his

curiosity

satisfied.

No,

for us,

belief in the

resurrection is

likely to be a

gentle and

undramatic

realization that

he is

alive.

And all

this would

be impossible

if it wasn't

for this very

profound truth

that the same

spirit which

animated Jesus'

corpse and

allowed him to

walk out of the

tomb is the

same spirit that's

in this church

this morning.

It's the same

spirit that wants

to give you

real assistance

in living the

risen life.

It's the very

same spirit that

can convict you

of your sin and

make you repent

and come to

Christ afresh

and start to

live the life

that he has

for you.

not some

imaginary fantasy

of life which

is what you

want but

no,

the life that

he, the

maker of the

heavens and

the earth and

all that therein

is has for

you.

I want to

end with a

remarkable

encounter I

had about

six weeks ago

when I was in

Houston doing a

week of teaching

and preaching

out there.

The rector had

written to me in

advance, he

wasn't going to

be there and

said, would I

turn up at some

women's meeting?

He said, I

think it could be

quite good.

I'm like, well

that would be a

first for me.

So I went

along and

these upscale

wealthy

Houston women

in all their

glad racks

dressed to the

nines and

me and my

staff colleagues

at the church

in our

dog collars

and a lady

stood up.

Her name is

Jean Lakin.

She's a

Rwandan

national.

During the

troubles, she

was a

Tutsi and

you will know

that the

Hutus slaughtered

the Tutsis in

thousands.

She watched

while her own

mother and

father and

family were

butchered with

machetes, hid

in the bush,

was found,

was raped,

escaped,

was adopted by a

foster family who

took her to the

USA only to

discover that

the man in

the foster

home was a

sexual abuser.

father.

If I didn't know

Jesus Christ, I

could never

imagine how

anybody could get

past that.

And I'm

imagining that

sitting in church

this morning, a

number of you

thinking exactly the

same thing.

how does

anybody ever

get past that?

I have a book

here.

It's called A

Voice in the

Darkness.

This woman goes

around the world

and talks to

people about

forgiveness.

Let me ask you

a question.

Do you think

that's the

risen life?

Because I

sure as heck

do.

For those of

you sitting

there this

morning who

got stuff

that you

can't get

past, that

must surely

be an

encouragement.

Things could

not go much

worse in life

for any human

being than

they did for

poor Jean

Lakin.

You can get

this book.

You can read

about it.

She wrote

in the cover

to Mike and

Anthea,

God is

your light

in the

darkness.

He is

your strength.

Listen to

me.

Some of you

are struggling

with fear.

Some of you

are struggling

with confusion.

Some of you

are just

struggling with

some basic

stuff like

paying the

bills in

your house.

some of you

are angry.

Some of you

feel shame.

And you

can't feel

any of that

stuff and

live the

risen life.

And this

morning, God

in the power

of His Holy

Spirit wants

to speak in

your ear and

think again.

God

will

be

alive.

And if you

ever struggle

believing some

of the stuff

in the Bible,

then here is

a historic,

concrete example

of the 21st

century.

She's alive.

Not just

physically alive,

but alive in

God and alive

in His Holy

Spirit.

I want to ask

you this

question.

who wouldn't

want that?

I cannot

believe that

any of you

would say

no.

Jack

Hayford,

that guy

that wrote

that worship

song we

used to sing

in the 90s,

Majesty,

anybody remember

that?

Jack

Hayford said

once,

I heard him

preach a sermon,

he said,

nothing messes

up a graveyard

like resurrections.

And nothing,

nothing messes

up your life

in Christ

if you're

trying to do

it without

believing that

Jesus is raised

from the dead.

And you need

to set your

minds on the

things above.

And you need

to set your

hearts on the

things above.

life.

Because there

is light

in the

darkness.

And it

can be

yours.

And it

can be

mine.

And we

need it.

In the name

of God,

Father,

Son,

and Holy

Spirit.

Amen.

I want to

invite you,

if you

feel

that God

has spoken

to you

this morning,

I would like

you just to

stand up now

please,

if you would.

Don't be shy,

just get up,

get up,

get up.

Thank you.

Thank you.

You want to

live that

risen life

that Christ

has for you,

get up now

and I'll

pray for you.

I'm not going

to humiliate

you in any

way whatsoever.

Let the

Holy Spirit

whisper in

your ear.

This is

such a big

deal,

friends.

Such a

big deal.

Father God,

I pray for

these people

who got up

on their

legs and

want to

commit

themselves

again to

that risen

life,

maybe some

for the

first time

Lord.

I want to

pay for

people in

the house

who are

fearful,

who are

angry,

who feel

shame,

who feel

all these

negative

emotions that

can get in

the way

of who we

are in

the risen

Christ.

Lord,

would you

open our

hearts in

new ways

to receive

your truth,

to know

your grace

and your

forgiveness.

But Lord,

help us

please to

know the

power of

your Holy

Spirit.

Lord,

because we

know that

you want to

change us

from the

inside out.

Come,

Holy Spirit,

now.

Fill your

people.

Heal your

people.

Lord,

that we

may be

followers of

the risen

Jesus Christ.

And the

people who

agreed said

together,

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.