Category: Practical

How Can We Celebrate the Resurrection All Year?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn PracticalLeave a comment

Resurrection

Yesterday was Easter. If you went to church, you celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Today, you can still celebrate the resurrection.

In my sermon yesterday, I challenged the congregation to celebrate the resurrection all year long. The way we do that is by living as resurrected Christians.

What do I mean by resurrected Christian?

In Romans 6:1-14, Paul tells us, when we profess Jesus as Lord and Savior, we are united to Him. His death becomes our death. His burial becomes our burial. His resurrection becomes our resurrection.

When God looks at believers, He sees a people who have already suffered His punishment, already died, and already been resurrected, which means He no longer see us as sinners who deserve punishment. He sees us as He sees His Son. He sees us as those who have been resurrected.

For those who have been united to Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection, the penalty for sin is paid. The power of death is broken. They are resurrected to live in newness of life.

When we obey God’s commandments, live as if our old man has been crucified, the power of sin broken, as those free to serve and worship God, we live as resurrected Christians. When we live as resurrected Christians, we celebrate the resurrection everyday of our lives.

Three Ways Our Union with Christ Applies to Resurrected Christians

(1) Resurrected Christians know why they can obey God.

Christians don’t obey God because somehow they try harder than non-Christians. They obey God because:

(1) Sin is no longer their master.

They have been set free from sin.

(2) As well as their heart has been changed.

They have new desires. One’s that direct them to know God’s commandments and obey them.

So then resurrected Christians know why they obey God. It is not because they have pulled up their bootstraps and manned up. It is because of their union with the resurrected Savior.

Practically, this is important because if we believe the only way we can obey God is by our own efforts, we have setup a system that causes us to forget that our union with the resurrected Savior is what empowers us to obey God. That is going to cause us to be frustrated because we can’t obey God in our own power. To try to do so is futile. We must be united with the resurrected Savior.

So you may ask yourself:

  1. Why do I obey God?
  2. Is it because I try hard?
  3. Or is it because I know the bonds of sin have been broken and my heart has been changed?

If we are resurrected Christians, the second will be true for us.

(2) Resurrected Christians do not continue to live a life of sin.

This doesn’t mean we will not sin; we will. Instead it means our lives will not be characterized by sin. We will do all we can to follow God’s commandments.

  • We will read and know God’s Word.
  • We will gather with other Christians to discuss and learn His Word.
  • We will ask others to hold us accountable.
  • We will flee from sin.
  • We will know our struggles.

That is not to say that we will not be disobedient to God from time to time as Christians. Rather, it is to say that the continual pattern of a resurrected Christian is obedience to God.

So you may ask yourself:

  1. Is my life marked by continual obedience to God’s Word?
  2. Have I been faithful to live for God since I professed Christ?

If you are a resurrected Christian, then you will continually obey God.

(3) Resurrected Christians are motivated to obey God by the gospel

This means they do not obey in order to pay God back or earn their salvation. They understand they have been made a new creation. They know that the old man has been laid aside. They understand they are now freed from the bondage of sin and Satan. They know this has occurred because of God’s grace.

So instead of obeying to pay God back or earn salvation, resurrected Christians obey because they are free and thankful. They are overwhelmed with the thought that Christ would die for them. They are overwhelmed with the knowledge that they have been freed from the bondage of sin, Satan, and death. Their gratitude and freedom then motivates them to obedience.

So you may ask yourself:

  1. Am I thankful for Christ’s death and resurrection?
  2. Am I thankful I have been freed from the bondage of Satan, sin, and death?
  3. Does my gratitude and freedom motivate me to serve God and obey His commandments?

If it doesn’t, then you might want to consider whether or not you are a resurrected Christian.

Question for Reflection

  1. Do you live as a Resurrected Christian?

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Colored Eggs, Scavenger Hunts, or the Resurrection

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Practical1 Comment

Resurrection Empty Tomb Jesus

What comes to mind when Easter is mentioned? For many it might be the thoughts of family gatherings, colored eggs, and scavenger hunts. Easter, however, is about more than our family, our fun, and ourselves. Easter is about the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

Why is the Resurrection Important?

(1) It proves all Jesus’ claims during His earthly ministry were true.

As the climax of the biblical story, it proves that Jesus is the Messiah, the Chosen One, the Son of God, the Savior of the World.

(2) It provides salvation for the believer.

Jesus’ resurrection brings all those, who believe by faith that He is their Savior, into a right relationship with God (Rom. 4:25). In Jesus’ resurrection we are vindicated and made sons of the Living God (Gal. 3:26). As well as, we are freed from the bondage of sin, which means we should not let sin reign in our bodies any longer. We must put all unrighteousness to death by the power of Jesus’ resurrection (Rom. 6:11-13).

(3) It provides eternal life for the believer.

Death no longer has dominion over the Christian. All those who believe in Jesus as their Savior, will be resurrected to a new and eternal life, and given a perfect body that is not subject to aging, weakness, or death (1 Cor. 15:50-57). Whereas, all who reject Jesus as their Savior will experience eternal punishment (Matt. 25:46; 2 Thess. 1:5-10).

The Proper Response to the Resurrection

In Matthew 28, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary go to the tomb of Jesus where they meet an angel. The angel shows them the empty tomb and tells them to go and tell the disciples that Jesus has risen from the dead. On their way to tell the disciples, they meet Jesus on the road and fall down and worship Him.

The two Mary’s provide us with the proper response to the resurrection.

  1. We are to go and tell others of Jesus’ resurrection and what that means for those who believe.
  2. We are to worship Jesus as Savior and Lord.

Conclusion

Jesus’ resurrection proves all that He said is true. It vindicates us from our sin. It mends our relationship with God. It frees us from the bondage of sin. It allows us to live in accordance with God’s commandments. As well as Jesus’ resurrection provides us with a new body that will never die, age, or experience decay for all of eternity.

As a result, our proper response is to tell others about Jesus’ resurrection, and to worship Him as Lord and Savior.

I pray that we will contemplate more fully the resurrection of Jesus this Easter Sunday.

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The Gospel in One Minute

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Evangelism, Practical2 Comments

Here are a couple of videos explaining the gospel. They are all around a minute.

Why Are We Not Doers of the Word?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Practical4 Comments

The Bible

In his epistle, James challenges us to be doers of the Word; to be people who live according to God’s commands (James 1:19-26).

After teaching through this section of James, I have been thinking, if God expects us to live according to His Word, why do some disregard this command? I thought of three responses, but I am sure there are more, so let me know what you think.

Why We Are Not Doers of the Word

(1) We are ignorant of what God’s Word says on a particular issue.

This can be corrected by studying God’s Word. To get the most out of God’s Word we must saturate ourselves in it, which we can do by:

  1. Reading it
  2. Studying it
  3. Singing it
  4. Hearing it preached

In order to learn as much as possible about God’s Word, it is important Christians be:

  1. Apart of a church.
  2. Be committed to attending that church.
  3. Get together apart from church times to study Scripture.
  4. Center their conversations around what God is teaching them through their study of God’s Word.

(2) We know the truth, but we are rebelling against God’s Word.

This can be corrected through accountability. It is the job of church members to hold each other accountable, and speak into each others’ lives when they see blatant sin.

Life changing accountability requires:

  1. Deep community.
  2. Commitment to one another.
  3. A strong desire to see God glorified.

Without deep community, commitment, and a strong desire to see God glorified, accountability will not take place.

(3) We are unbelievers who do not see a necessity to live out God’s Word.

This can only be corrected through salvation. Salvation comes through evangelism and the Holy Spirit working on our hearts.

What Are Your Thoughts?

These are three reasons I came up with regarding why we do not live according to God’s commands. After thinking through them and the questions below, let me know your thoughts.

Questions for Reflection

  1. How do you saturate yourself in God’s Word?
  2. How often is God’s Word apart of your everyday conversations?
  3. How much more do you think God would be glorified and your church act as a witness to the community, if you saw accountability as a necessary part of your church body?
  4. How are you personally attempting to reach people with the gospel in your own circle of influence?

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No One is Above Culture’s Influence

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Practical1 Comment

Culture's Influence

No one is above the influence of their culture. Even Samuel, the great prophet of God was not above the influence of his surroundings.

Samuel Not Above the Culture

1 Samuel 16 tells of Samuel’s journey to anoint the next king over Israel. After traveling to Bethlehem, escaping the suspicion of Saul, and convincing the elders he came in peace, Samuel calls the elders and Jesse’s family together for a sacrifice.

After they gathered, Samuel noticed Jesse’s son Eliab. He was tall and his appearance was pleasing. He stood out from the rest. Samuel thought he was God’s next king. He was not, however, the one the Lord would anoint as king. Sure, he looked the part, but his heart was not right. He was not a man after God’s own heart; that would be his brother David.

Samuel’s thoughts and the Lord’s declaration tells us something important. No man is above their culture’s influence. When Saul was installed as king, Israel praised and exalted him because he looked the part. He looked like all the surrounding kings. Samuel’s thought shows culture rubbed off on him; it influenced him.

Understand Culture’s Influence

If we are honest with ourselves, we are all influenced by our culture and traditions in one way or another. Knowing that anyone can be influenced by their culture, we must ask ourselves:

  1. How does our culture influence us?
  2. How does our traditions sway our thinking and decisions?
  3. How does God’s Word tell us we should act?

It is important we ask ourselves all these questions when approaching a decisions, especially the last question because God’s Word should be our guide in everything we do.

Question for Reflection

  1. How have you noticed your culture influencing you?
  2. How do you deal with its influence?

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What Disciple Making Should Look Like

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Discipleship, Evangelism, Pastoral, Practical3 Comments

Questions for Reflection

  1. Do you believe the church is your building or the people?
  2. How is your church training its people to engage those in their circle of influence with the gospel?
  3. What do you believe works better an event/program driven church, or a church on mission? Why do you believe what you believe?

Resource

This is Discipling from The Foursquare Church on Vimeo.