Sermon - Resurrection Sunday - Philippians 3:10-11 - Littleby Baptist Church - April 4, 2021

A lot of challenges over the last year, but we have a lot of things to celebrate and to be thankful for in addition to our Lord’s Resurrection.

While we celebrate what Jesus did, we need to remember that day, that act, is something that impacts every day of our lives and has a profound impact on our Eternity.

“24 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came to the tomb, bringing the spices they had prepared. ² They found the stone rolled away from the tomb. ³ They went in but did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. ⁴ While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men stood by them in dazzling clothes. ⁵ So the women were terrified and bowed down to the ground. “Why are you looking for the living among the dead?” asked the men. ⁶ “He is not here, but he has risen! Remember how he spoke to you when he was still in Galilee, ⁷ saying, ‘It is necessary that the Son of Man be betrayed into the hands of sinful men, be crucified, and rise on the third day’?” ⁸ And they remembered his words.” – Luke 24:1-8

Jesus died on that cross.

Jesus was buried in that tomb.

Jesus rose from the dead!

These are facts that we can count on.

Facts that should change the lives of all who hear that Jesus died to pay for our sins. That He gave us a way to wipe away every sin completely, and as if that was not enough, He rose from the dead and gave us new life. An Eternal life in the presence of the Father.

We may be sinners but through the actions of our Lord Jesus, we are not treated as such. If in this life we turn to Jesus and follow Him, we are received as Beloved Children of God when we join Him.

I cannot think of anything better than that!

The Apostle Paul is fairly vocal about his shortcomings. We know he persecuted early Christ followers. He declares that he is the chief of sinners, has said he is not fit to be an apostle, and it is probably safe to say that he felt unworthy of all that God had done for him.

These are words he wrote to the church in Philippi.

“¹⁰ My goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, ¹¹ assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead.” – Philippians 3:10-11

Knowing that Paul understood how much of a sinner he was and that he was unworthy of all that God had done for him, makes these words jump off the page.

At this point, there is no doubt that Paul has already repented of his sins and was a follower of Jesus. Paul was secure in the fact that Christ died for him and rose again giving him a new life. Paul was not talking about Salvation in these verses.  

Paul was declaring that he wanted to know Christ more than he already did. Paul wanted to know Jesus in ways that he did not up to this point. He wanted to be closer to his Lord than he had ever been before. Paul wanted to Know Jesus more! His desire was to experience Jesus in his life in every way possible.  

Paul wanted to experience the ‘power of his resurrection’. He wanted to experience the power that raised Jesus from the dead. This same power, the Holy Spirit, was at work in Paul and is at work in each of us. It is that same power that carries us through our struggles, helps us to overcome our sinful ways, it is the power that carries us through the things that hit us in this life. It is through the Power of the Holy Spirit that we are able to walk through this life as we draw closer to our Lord and eventually and triumphantly enter into Eternity with Him.

Paul wanted to experience this power in his life, and I hope that each of us would desire the same thing in our lives.

When I think about the Power of God and how it should impact our lives, I think of the armor of God.

“¹⁰ Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by his vast strength. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens.” – Ephesians 6:10-12

When you take a look at the list of those that are fighting against us, there is no way we can do it on our own. There was no way Paul could prevail against these odds. We are fighting battles that we cannot win with our own knowledge, wisdom, or power. We will look like little David standing before the giant Goliath.  

We need the Power that took the lifeless corpse of our Lord and Savior and rose it from the dead.

We need the Power of the Resurrection in our lives.

We need the strength of our Lord Jesus to resist the devil.

We need the power of God to stand up to the giants in our lives.

“¹³ For this reason take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand.” Ephesians 6:13

We need the Power of God to withstand the attacks of the devil, we need the full armor of God to stand strong.

“¹⁴ Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest” Ephesians 6:14

While the battles we face, require the Power of God, we are to stand our ground with truth, righteousness, and peace.

The truth is seen as we live our lives with integrity and faithfulness. We live our lives as the person of faith we say we are. We talk the talk and walk the walk.

Righteousness starts with our salvation found in Jesus, but to stand against the attacks of the devil we need to resist the temptation of sin in our lives. If we struggle with alcohol or porn, we need to avoid the bar and distance ourselves from sources of that garbage. We need to stand strong and walk away from the temptations in our lives.

“¹⁵ and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace.” Ephesians 6:15

The Peace of our God is on all who put their trust in Jesus. We have that Peace though our Faith in Jesus and His amazing gift. It is that Peace that helps us stand when the devil’s arrows are flying our way.

“¹⁶ In every situation take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” – Ephesians 6:16

If we have faith in our God… if we trust in the Power that raised our Lord from the dead… the arrows of the evil one will be extinguished.

It can be hard to see or imagine the power of God in the world we live in. We do not see demons being cast out and healings happening on a regular basis, but we still need to have faith in the Power of God. We need faith in our Lord, in His Word, and in His power. Our faith opens the door, but it is the Power of God that will allow us to stand strong to resist the devil. It is the Power of the Holy Spirit that will change our lives and the lives of those around us.

“¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit—which is the word of God.” – Ephesians 6:17

The helmet, the salvation we have in Jesus, is our ultimate protection. If we are following our Lord, if we are trusting in our Jesus, we have been saved. Regardless of what happens when we walk out of this building today or any day that lays before us, our helmet protects us. If Jesus is our Lord and Savior, our salvation is secure. If we are following Jesus, whatever battles that lie before us we are guaranteed a spot with our Jesus forever.

Then we find our sword, which is given by the Holy Spirit. The most common understanding of the sword is Scripture, and that is correct and easily fits here, but it is not limited to the Bible. The Holy Spirit can give us the words we need to calm our hearts, to share the gospel with others, to bring peace to those who need it… The sword of the Spirit is our Bibles, but it can also be what the Holy Spirit lays on our hearts to share with others.

“¹⁸ Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints.” – Ephesians 6:18

With the battles we are facing today and the ones that will hit us tomorrow and the next day, we need to Pray. If we want to see the power that raised our Lord Jesus from the dead at work in our lives and in those around us, we need to pray.

“¹⁶ Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.” – James 5:16

The prayers of a righteous person are not powerful because of who they are or what they have done. The prayers of a righteous person are powerful because they have put on the full armor of God, because the power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work in them.

We need to put our trust in Jesus and the work of the Holy Spirit.

Our struggles with sin are real. The things that knock the breath out of our lungs are real. The overwhelming fear of the unknown, the lostness around us, the decay of morals, and more are very real.

So is the power that resurrected our Lord Jesus!

“¹⁰ My goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, ¹¹ assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead.” – Philippians 3:10-11

Our Lord Jesus has Risen from the dead and I pray that each one of us will experience that Awesome power in our lives.

Seek God, wear the full armor, and let God work in your life.

Happy Resurrection Day!

Robert