Sermon Title: Are you “Alive With Christ”?
“Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.” (Mark 16:20)
Dearly Beloved,
Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Risen Savior, Jesus Christ!
That our Lord Jesus Christ has risen from the dead, and very much alive today, must be our central reality; and never an abstract concept.
His constant Presence was the simple reality of the earliest disciples of Jesus Christ – for “He worked with them”as they “went out and preached everywhere”.
In every regard, they were fully “alive with Christ”.
The Apostle Paul teaches,
“When you were dead in your sins and in the unholiness of your
flesh, God made you alive with Christ.
He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our
legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us;
he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.” (Colossians 2:13-14)
The earliest disciples embraced the fullest extent of God’s forgiveness through Christ and lived utterly for Him – by being wholly devoted and obedient in fulfilling His command to:
“15 “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.
16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned
17 And these signs will accompany those who believe:
In my name they will drive out demons;
In my name they will speak in new tongues;
In my name 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all;
In my name they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” (Mark 16:15-18)
And even after “he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God” (Mark 16:19), our Lord Jesus continued working with them in inbreaking the Kingdom of God.
To be alive with Christ is the only way to live.
Do you believe that Christ is indeed risen and that He is alive today?
To be alive with Christ – to be born-again - is to live by faith in His continued presence, and in complete participation with Him in Gospel Ministry.
Yes. It is to actually work with Christ!
Today, not tomorrow; in this life, not the next.
To concretely understand what it means to be “Alive With Christ”, we must follow the historical record of what happened to the disciples upon the resurrection of Christ.
Mark 16 Jesus Has Risen –
When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body.
2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3 and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”
4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away.
5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.
6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.
7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”
8 Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb.
They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid. (Mark 16:1-8)
Are you afraid or ashamed of the Gospel?
If you are afraid, don’t be – have faith!
Faith in Christ drives all fear away.
Simply tell the Truth - about the Salvific Love of Christ and His finished work of atonement on the Cross; and you are already preaching the Gospel!
However.
If you are ashamed, be very careful – for Jesus said, “ Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. (Luke 9:26)
Never, ever, be ashamed of the Gospel; it is not the seal of the believer but the stain of the unrepentant.
The Apostle Paul reveals the deep, and powerful, significance of the Gospel in Romans 1:16-17:“ 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.
17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
Have faith in Christ; and have faith that His Gospel hold the power of God to bring Salvation to all who believes!
On with the historical record… …
9 When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons.
10 She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping.
11 When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it.
12 Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country.
13 These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either.
14 Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen. (Mark 16:9-14)
Do you truly believe that Jesus is RISEN AND ALIVE TODAY?
Never be found lacking in faith; or stubbornly refusing to believe in the Risen Christ – for His rebuke is a direct judgement unto “the second death” – where “the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur.” (Revelation 21:8)
Instead, repent in His rebuke; live for the Truth! Come Alive With Christ!
In life, do not be led by your feelings; but rather, be led by your faith in Jesus to fulfill your life’s purpose – which is, the Great Commission.
The entire resurrection story deals with the disciples being led by their feelings…and not their faith in Christ; His Promises and Prophecies.
And they were rebuked by Christ “for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe” that He is indeed risen from the grave.
Yet, we do observe that when Mary believed; her feelings changed, her fears disappeared; and her footsteps became pleasing to the Lord.
Remember.
Faith in Christ must come first;
feelings must follow;
fears will disappear; and your
footsteps will delight the Lord.
Be always led by your faith in Christ – and never your feelings.
Faith first.
Know Jesus; obey His Commands; live in the Power of His Holy Spirit!
Do not let your feelings tell you what Jesus is doing.
Do not trust your feelings.
In faith, let Christ tell you what He is doing.
Trust Christ, not your feelings.
Our Lord Jesus tells you that He will heal you, deliver you and raise you from the dead.
Trust Him.
Focus not on the sickness, nor the pain, and focus not even on the healing.
But rather, focus on the Healer; focus on the Risen Saviour; focus on the Risen King; focus on the Lord of Lords!
Focus on God – and work with HIM!
That is what life really is all about!
The full life (Ref: John 10:10) is to be alive with Christ – resting, trusting in Him; and working with Him.
Faithlessness in Christ is always the result of allowing your feelings to govern your life –allowing your feelings to control your actions, emotions, perceptions, even your dreams and visions.
To be subservient to your feelings is self-idolatry – plain and simple.
To be led by your faith in Christ is not to be unfeeling, but to solely feel the heart of Christ in every matter of your life.
To be led, and governed, by your faith in Christ is to be led and guided by our Lord Jesus presently, and personally.
To pray and act in the Name of Jesus is to pray and act in His Holy Presence – in the existential reality that He is with you.
Our Lord Jesus commanded His earliest disciples (Ref: Mark 16:15-18) as He does us:
Go and preach the Gospel to all creation!
In His Name, His Presence, and with Him, drive out demons, speak in new tongues, live in His Protection, place your hands on the sick and know that they will get well!
Be Alive With Christ today!
In His Presence, and with Him – Preach the Gospel!
In His Presence, and with Him - Pray in the Power of the Holy Spirit!
In His Presence, and with Him - Perform His Miracles!
Work with the Lord Jesus Christ!
Our faith can, and must, be manifested in the work of the Kingdom!
Our faith must become Kingdom-action - to truly come alive with Christ!
“Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.” (Mark 16:20)
To the earliest disciples, their repentance from their faithlessness and stubborn refusal to believe in His resurrection, and consequent resolve to obey Christ’s Commission - resulted in the historical record that their lives were lived in His continued Presence, and in their fullest participation of God’s Kingdom Inbreaking.
To the earliest disciples, the reality of Christ’s ‘ever-presence’ is a historical fact, and not an abstract concept.
And in the same way, His ‘ever-presence’ must certainly be our reality.
Why?
Because.
Nothing has changed today.
Jesus is Risen.
He is alive.
The present disciples of Christ must still go out and preach everywhere in the certainty that Jesus will still work with us and confirm his word by the signs that accompany it.
Nothing has changed.
We must live as the disciples of Jesus did.
We must always remember that to be alive with Christ – which is, the only way to be alive – is to work with Christ, our risen Saviour; who is actually in the world today - to preach the gospel with Him; to pray in the power of the Holy Spirit and perform His miracles – all in His Name; in His Presence; together, with Him.
To be alive with Christ - to be truly saved and destined for the Kingdom of Heaven - is to work with Christ today.
So I say to you - stop mulling or regretting over your past inactions and faithlessness;
START WORKING WITH THE LORD JESUS TODAY!
Today is the first day of the rest of your life.
Start working with Jesus Christ in preaching the gospel, praying in the Power of the Holy Spirit; and performing His miracles - today.
Remember.
When you are led by your faith in Christ; and the correct feelings will follow; fear will disappear; and your footsteps will be a delight to the Lord.
Truly believe in the Risen Saviour and Living King!
In everything, be led by your faith in Christ and you will come alive with Him; faithfully following Him; worshiping Him; serving Him; working with Him – in the firm knowledge and reality that the Lord Jesus is alive and that He is with you even right now.
Shalom.
Let us pray.
Our Father in Heaven,
Hallowed be Your Name.
Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done; on earth, as it is in heaven.
Lord Jesus, I am eternally grateful for Your divine revelation that You are fully present to me all the days of my life – and in that knowledge, may I constantly be filled with Your Spirit’s Power to preach your Gospel to all Creation as Your Holy witness.
May my faith in You be foremost and absolute – that I may never be led by my feelings, but rather by my faith in You.
I believe that You are my Risen Saviour and Living God.
May my faith in You manifest in the unceasing and unyielding work of inbreaking Your Perfect and Eternal Kingdom.
May my faith in You become Kingdom-action; that I may truly come alive with You.
I believe that when I am led by You; my feelings will follow Yours, my fears will disappear and my footsteps will delight my Heavenly Father.
Grant me boldness, certainty and strength whenever I am afraid to preach Your Gospel; and forgive my sins against You when I am ashamed of Your Gospel.
I believe with all my heart that Your Gospel “is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.” (Romans 1:16)
I am forever grateful that You have given me faith to believe in the Gospel; and that You
have made me righteous in God’s sight.
I declare that I live solely by faith in You. (Ref: Romans 1:17)
Grant me the impulse and the divine insight to start working with You, Lord Jesus – that I would boldly preach Your Gospel; pray in Your Spirit’s Power; and perform Your Miracles in Your Name and in Your Presence.
That as a church, we would be completely devoted to You, Lord; and obedient to Your Command to “go and preach to all Creation” – personally experiencing You working alongside us, and confirming Your word by the signs that accompany it – that in Your Name we would drive out demons, speak in new tongues, be divinely protected against the schemes of the evil one, and place our hands on sick people and they will get well!
May we come fully alive with You, Lord Jesus - our Creator, our Saviour, our King and our God.
Holy Spirit, fill me with Your Power; and make me come alive in Christ – that I will follow Him faithfully and resolutely; worship Him; serve Him and work with Him all the days of my life.
I thank You and pray all these in the Name of our King, Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
“Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.” (Mark 16:20)
Dearly Beloved,
Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Risen Savior, Jesus Christ!
That our Lord Jesus Christ has risen from the dead, and very much alive today, must be our central reality; and never an abstract concept.
His constant Presence was the simple reality of the earliest disciples of Jesus Christ – for “He worked with them”as they “went out and preached everywhere”.
In every regard, they were fully “alive with Christ”.
The Apostle Paul teaches,
“When you were dead in your sins and in the unholiness of your
flesh, God made you alive with Christ.
He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our
legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us;
he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.” (Colossians 2:13-14)
The earliest disciples embraced the fullest extent of God’s forgiveness through Christ and lived utterly for Him – by being wholly devoted and obedient in fulfilling His command to:
“15 “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.
16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned
17 And these signs will accompany those who believe:
In my name they will drive out demons;
In my name they will speak in new tongues;
In my name 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all;
In my name they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” (Mark 16:15-18)
And even after “he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God” (Mark 16:19), our Lord Jesus continued working with them in inbreaking the Kingdom of God.
To be alive with Christ is the only way to live.
Do you believe that Christ is indeed risen and that He is alive today?
To be alive with Christ – to be born-again - is to live by faith in His continued presence, and in complete participation with Him in Gospel Ministry.
Yes. It is to actually work with Christ!
Today, not tomorrow; in this life, not the next.
To concretely understand what it means to be “Alive With Christ”, we must follow the historical record of what happened to the disciples upon the resurrection of Christ.
Mark 16 Jesus Has Risen –
When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body.
2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3 and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”
4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away.
5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.
6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.
7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”
8 Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb.
They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid. (Mark 16:1-8)
Are you afraid or ashamed of the Gospel?
If you are afraid, don’t be – have faith!
Faith in Christ drives all fear away.
Simply tell the Truth - about the Salvific Love of Christ and His finished work of atonement on the Cross; and you are already preaching the Gospel!
However.
If you are ashamed, be very careful – for Jesus said, “ Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. (Luke 9:26)
Never, ever, be ashamed of the Gospel; it is not the seal of the believer but the stain of the unrepentant.
The Apostle Paul reveals the deep, and powerful, significance of the Gospel in Romans 1:16-17:“ 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.
17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
Have faith in Christ; and have faith that His Gospel hold the power of God to bring Salvation to all who believes!
On with the historical record… …
9 When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons.
10 She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping.
11 When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it.
12 Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country.
13 These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either.
14 Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen. (Mark 16:9-14)
Do you truly believe that Jesus is RISEN AND ALIVE TODAY?
Never be found lacking in faith; or stubbornly refusing to believe in the Risen Christ – for His rebuke is a direct judgement unto “the second death” – where “the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur.” (Revelation 21:8)
Instead, repent in His rebuke; live for the Truth! Come Alive With Christ!
In life, do not be led by your feelings; but rather, be led by your faith in Jesus to fulfill your life’s purpose – which is, the Great Commission.
The entire resurrection story deals with the disciples being led by their feelings…and not their faith in Christ; His Promises and Prophecies.
And they were rebuked by Christ “for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe” that He is indeed risen from the grave.
Yet, we do observe that when Mary believed; her feelings changed, her fears disappeared; and her footsteps became pleasing to the Lord.
Remember.
Faith in Christ must come first;
feelings must follow;
fears will disappear; and your
footsteps will delight the Lord.
Be always led by your faith in Christ – and never your feelings.
Faith first.
Know Jesus; obey His Commands; live in the Power of His Holy Spirit!
Do not let your feelings tell you what Jesus is doing.
Do not trust your feelings.
In faith, let Christ tell you what He is doing.
Trust Christ, not your feelings.
Our Lord Jesus tells you that He will heal you, deliver you and raise you from the dead.
Trust Him.
Focus not on the sickness, nor the pain, and focus not even on the healing.
But rather, focus on the Healer; focus on the Risen Saviour; focus on the Risen King; focus on the Lord of Lords!
Focus on God – and work with HIM!
That is what life really is all about!
The full life (Ref: John 10:10) is to be alive with Christ – resting, trusting in Him; and working with Him.
Faithlessness in Christ is always the result of allowing your feelings to govern your life –allowing your feelings to control your actions, emotions, perceptions, even your dreams and visions.
To be subservient to your feelings is self-idolatry – plain and simple.
To be led by your faith in Christ is not to be unfeeling, but to solely feel the heart of Christ in every matter of your life.
To be led, and governed, by your faith in Christ is to be led and guided by our Lord Jesus presently, and personally.
To pray and act in the Name of Jesus is to pray and act in His Holy Presence – in the existential reality that He is with you.
Our Lord Jesus commanded His earliest disciples (Ref: Mark 16:15-18) as He does us:
Go and preach the Gospel to all creation!
In His Name, His Presence, and with Him, drive out demons, speak in new tongues, live in His Protection, place your hands on the sick and know that they will get well!
Be Alive With Christ today!
In His Presence, and with Him – Preach the Gospel!
In His Presence, and with Him - Pray in the Power of the Holy Spirit!
In His Presence, and with Him - Perform His Miracles!
Work with the Lord Jesus Christ!
Our faith can, and must, be manifested in the work of the Kingdom!
Our faith must become Kingdom-action - to truly come alive with Christ!
“Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.” (Mark 16:20)
To the earliest disciples, their repentance from their faithlessness and stubborn refusal to believe in His resurrection, and consequent resolve to obey Christ’s Commission - resulted in the historical record that their lives were lived in His continued Presence, and in their fullest participation of God’s Kingdom Inbreaking.
To the earliest disciples, the reality of Christ’s ‘ever-presence’ is a historical fact, and not an abstract concept.
And in the same way, His ‘ever-presence’ must certainly be our reality.
Why?
Because.
Nothing has changed today.
Jesus is Risen.
He is alive.
The present disciples of Christ must still go out and preach everywhere in the certainty that Jesus will still work with us and confirm his word by the signs that accompany it.
Nothing has changed.
We must live as the disciples of Jesus did.
We must always remember that to be alive with Christ – which is, the only way to be alive – is to work with Christ, our risen Saviour; who is actually in the world today - to preach the gospel with Him; to pray in the power of the Holy Spirit and perform His miracles – all in His Name; in His Presence; together, with Him.
To be alive with Christ - to be truly saved and destined for the Kingdom of Heaven - is to work with Christ today.
So I say to you - stop mulling or regretting over your past inactions and faithlessness;
START WORKING WITH THE LORD JESUS TODAY!
Today is the first day of the rest of your life.
Start working with Jesus Christ in preaching the gospel, praying in the Power of the Holy Spirit; and performing His miracles - today.
Remember.
When you are led by your faith in Christ; and the correct feelings will follow; fear will disappear; and your footsteps will be a delight to the Lord.
Truly believe in the Risen Saviour and Living King!
In everything, be led by your faith in Christ and you will come alive with Him; faithfully following Him; worshiping Him; serving Him; working with Him – in the firm knowledge and reality that the Lord Jesus is alive and that He is with you even right now.
Shalom.
Let us pray.
Our Father in Heaven,
Hallowed be Your Name.
Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done; on earth, as it is in heaven.
Lord Jesus, I am eternally grateful for Your divine revelation that You are fully present to me all the days of my life – and in that knowledge, may I constantly be filled with Your Spirit’s Power to preach your Gospel to all Creation as Your Holy witness.
May my faith in You be foremost and absolute – that I may never be led by my feelings, but rather by my faith in You.
I believe that You are my Risen Saviour and Living God.
May my faith in You manifest in the unceasing and unyielding work of inbreaking Your Perfect and Eternal Kingdom.
May my faith in You become Kingdom-action; that I may truly come alive with You.
I believe that when I am led by You; my feelings will follow Yours, my fears will disappear and my footsteps will delight my Heavenly Father.
Grant me boldness, certainty and strength whenever I am afraid to preach Your Gospel; and forgive my sins against You when I am ashamed of Your Gospel.
I believe with all my heart that Your Gospel “is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.” (Romans 1:16)
I am forever grateful that You have given me faith to believe in the Gospel; and that You
have made me righteous in God’s sight.
I declare that I live solely by faith in You. (Ref: Romans 1:17)
Grant me the impulse and the divine insight to start working with You, Lord Jesus – that I would boldly preach Your Gospel; pray in Your Spirit’s Power; and perform Your Miracles in Your Name and in Your Presence.
That as a church, we would be completely devoted to You, Lord; and obedient to Your Command to “go and preach to all Creation” – personally experiencing You working alongside us, and confirming Your word by the signs that accompany it – that in Your Name we would drive out demons, speak in new tongues, be divinely protected against the schemes of the evil one, and place our hands on sick people and they will get well!
May we come fully alive with You, Lord Jesus - our Creator, our Saviour, our King and our God.
Holy Spirit, fill me with Your Power; and make me come alive in Christ – that I will follow Him faithfully and resolutely; worship Him; serve Him and work with Him all the days of my life.
I thank You and pray all these in the Name of our King, Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.