The Components of Christianity, Part 8 (I Am Risen with Christ)

Thank you for this great and glorious day. The opportunity we have once again to study your word. We are such a blessed people to be able to open your word each and every day, to hear you speak to us through the scriptures, to show us, Lord, your will, that we might hear the words of God and say, yes, Lord, I believe. And yes, Lord, I follow. And yes, Lord, I want to serve and honor your glorious name. And on this day, this Lord's day, we ask that as you speak to us through your word, your spirit would energize our lives, that we might truly honor and glorify your precious name.

We thank you in Jesus name. Amen. Today, I want to bring to a conclusion our present study in Luke chapter 9. This will be the 10th sermon in a series called, which we're going to call, His Way in His Words. Beginning Luke chapter 9, verse number 18, down through Luke 9, verse number 26. It's all about the way to heaven through the words of Christ. What does Christ say about his only way? And so we're going to put this in a, in a tape series that you might be able to purchase it if you so desire, because we want people to know the way to heaven through the words of Christ himself.

It all began with a question, who do men say that I am? Because if you're ever going to heaven, it must be centered on the identity of the Messiah. And that question quickly went to an instruction. And that instruction centered around the centrality of his mission, that not only is he the Messiah, but the Messiah will come, die, and rise again. Salvation is based on the person and work of Jesus Christ himself. That's why it's his way through his words. It begins with the question, who do men say that I am?

That's the identity of the Messiah. It moves to his instruction that deals with the centrality of his mission, that he might come and die for your sins and mine. And then it leads to the application that we spent the last seven weeks on. Today will be the eighth week. And that is the reality of his message. He says simply, if any man come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me. That is the gospel message. And that's what Jesus preached. And we have spent many weeks here because we want you to understand that.

We want you to come to grips with the reality of the gospel that Jesus himself preached. Because we live in a day where we have rewritten the message. We have reinterpreted the message of Jesus. And we have thus then diluted the gospel. And thus we have a lot of people thinking they're on their way to heaven. But in reality, we'll end up in hell because they have no idea as to the identity of the Messiah or the centrality of his mission or the reality of that message. And so therefore, we spent time talking to you about that.

And today, what I want to do is bring it to a conclusion by helping you understand what it means to be risen with Christ. If you have died with him and been raised with him, what does that look like? We spent the last couple of weeks looking at what it means to be crucified with Christ. I mean, if Christ says, if any man come after me, let him deny himself, refuse to associate with who he is anymore, meaning that he has crucified the flesh, he has died to self, what does it mean to be crucified with Christ?

If you've died with Christ, if you've been buried with Christ in the likeness of his death, you then are raised with Christ in the likeness of his resurrection. What does that look like? If I take up my cross daily and I bear it for his glory, if I seek to honor his name because I'm going to deny myself and lift him up and I'm going to wholly follow him, then there is that experience of the resurrected life that I have been risen with him. If I've died to self, I've been raised with Christ. What does that look like?

It was A.W. Tozer who said these words, his joyful resurrection followed hard upon his joyless crucifixion. The life that halts short of the cross is but a fugitive and a condemned thing, doomed at last to be lost beyond recovery. That life which goes to the cross and loses itself there to rise again with Christ is a divine and deathless treasure. The man who takes his cross and follows Christ will soon find that his direction is away from the sepulcher. Death is behind him and a joyous, increasing life before.

His days will be marked henceforth by joy unspeakable and full of glory. Having died to self, having been crucified with Christ, having understood what it means to follow him and to take up my cross daily, there comes that wonderful joy because of my commitment to the one who promises joy, Jesus Christ himself. And it comes because I have been risen with him. Paul says it this way in the book of Romans, Romans chapter 6, verse number 1, what shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase?

May it never be. How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him through baptism into death in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we had become united with him in the likeness of his death, certainly we shall also be or be also in the likeness of his resurrection.

Knowing this, that our old self was crucified with him, that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin. For he who has died is freed from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. Knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again, death no longer is master over him. For the death that he died, he died to sin once for all. But the life that he lives, he lives to God. Even so, consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God.

In Christ Jesus. If you have died to self, you walk in a brand new life. You walk in newness of life. The Bible says, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation.

Old things have passed away, behold all things, not some things, all things have become new. It is the resurrected life. So I want to talk to you today as we conclude this section of Luke 9 on Christ's way through Christ's words. What is the risen life? What does it look like? How do you know if you're living the risen life? In other words, how do you know you walk in newness of life? I want to give you five principles this morning that will help you understand that you live the risen life. Here they go.

Ready? Number one, if you live the risen life, you rejoice always. You rejoice always. Paul said in Philippians 4, rejoice in the Lord always. And again, I say rejoice. Over in first Thessalonians 5, 16, Paul said, rejoice always.

The question comes, is that the kind of person you are? Are you the kind of person who rejoices always? You say, you got to be kidding me. Nobody does that. Paul said he did. Was Paul a liar? I don't think so. But he said, rejoice in the Lord always. In fact, he was on a boat in a storm as a prisoner, making his way to Rome. And there was a storm. Everybody feared for their lives. And Paul said, be of good cheer because I know God. Be of good cheer, I know God. I wonder when you're in the midst of a storm and everybody around you is fearing for their lives, if you're the one who says, be of good cheer, I know God.

I know who he is. And I know all about the direction we're going. That was the apostle Paul. In first Corinthians 15, 57, he said these words, but thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

He says, I've experienced victory. I live the resurrected life. I am a risen man. I once was dead in my trespasses and sin, but now I am a risen man because I have died to self. It's no longer I who lives, but Christ lives in me. It's the life of Christ that lives in and through me. And that's the way Paul lived his wonderful, wonderful life. Now, we know about the pitfalls in Paul's life. I love what he says in Acts chapter 20, verse number 24, when he says, none of these things move me. What things?

Well, the very fact that they told him, look, if you go to Jerusalem, they're going to bind you. They're going to throw you in prison. You're going to die. And Paul says, none of that really moves me. None of that really makes much difference to me. I can really care if they imprison me. Who cares? I could die. Who really cares? I could suffer. Doesn't really make that much difference. None of that moves me. None of that is going to deter me. None of that's going to keep me from doing what God's called me to do.

He finishes with these words, neither do I count my life dear to myself so that I might finish my course with joy. The only thing that matters in life is that I live my life with joy. Whether I die or whether I live, whether I am present with you or whether I am absent, I want to live my life with joy. Do you? The risen life rejoices always. Now, how can I do that? Well, first of all, you need to understand that it's God who provides joy, right?

Only God can provide joy. I mean, after all, we love Christmas and we love to hear the story of the angels say in Luke 2, not sing in Luke 2. The angels said in Luke 2, we bring you good news of great joy. No need to fear. The good news we bring to you provides great joy for you. For unto you this day in the city of David, there's been born a Savior, a Savior who is Christ the Lord. You want joy? The angel said, we're going to give you joy. It's good news that brings great joy. It's God himself who provides the joy.

But his kingdom, his kingdom promises joy. Did you know that? Romans 14, 17 says very clearly that the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and you finish it, joy in the Holy Spirit. The kingdom of God promises joy. Christ, when he came, came preaching, repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. That kingdom promises joy. It's all about the righteousness that we can't obtain, but Christ gives to those who come to him because now they're at peace with him and only those at peace with God experience the joy of God.

So Christ or God himself provides joy. The kingdom promises joy. And number three, it's the spirit that produces that joy.

For in Galatians chapter five, it says that the fruit of the spirit is love, peace, and joy, right? It's the spirit of God that produces that joy. So the joy that the believer has that causes him to rejoice always is not self-induced. It's spiritually induced. It comes because of the presence of God's spirit in me. So Christ provides joy. The kingdom of Christ promises joy. The spirit of Christ produces joy. And the truth of Christ promotes joy. Did you know that? The truth of Christ promotes joy.

The Bible says in Psalm 43 verse number three, these words, Psalm 43 verse number three, it states, Oh, send out thy light and thy truth.

Let them lead me. Let them bring me to thy Holy hill and to thy dwelling places. Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my exceeding joy. And upon the Lear, I shall praise the Oh God, my God. John said in first John one, four, these things I have written that your joy might be made full.

John says, I write these things to you so that joy will be full in your life so that the scriptures will promote joy in your life. In John chapter 15 verse number 11, it was Christ who said, these things I have spoken to you that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be made full. Folks, listen, only the truth of God can promote joy in your life. I know there are people who talk to me regularly. They have no joy, none. They're down in the dumps. Now folks, listen, if you've walked in the flesh, you know that his kingdom promises joy.

You know that it truly is his spirit that produces joy and that it's his truth that promotes that joy in your heart. If you walk in the flesh, you'll have no joy. If you walk in the spirit, you will fulfill the lust of the flesh and you'll experience the joy of the Lord. There are people all the time say, I don't have joy. So I ask them this question. What unconfessed sin is in your life? Remember David? King David. Here was a man after God's own heart. Here was a man who was gifted by God. He committed a sin.

He had, he committed an adulterous relationship with Bathsheba. You know the story. But Psalm 51 says, as he cried to God, restore to me the joy of my salvation. He had lost all joy. Why? Because of sin. So if someone comes to me and says, you know, I don't have that joy. My first question is, what unconfessed sin is in your life?

Because sin chokes joy. Sin so contaminates the life, it robs the life of true joy. And so if you're here today and you don't have joy and you claim to be a believer in Christ and have experienced not only dying to self, but the resurrected life, you're risen with Christ. The reason you don't have joy is because to some degree there is unconfessed sin in your life. There's something you're holding onto. David said that he used to drain his couch with his tears every day because the hand of God was heavy upon him.

Folks, listen, when God's hand is heavy upon you, there is no joy. There is no joy. It best be that you get on your knees and confess your sin to God and cry out to God that you might experience once again the joy of your salvation. But there's something else I ask someone who says to me, I don't have any joy. I ask them simply, talk to me about your prayer life. Talk to me about how you communicate with God. You see, because if there's unconfessed sin, you're harboring a sinful attitude. Maybe it's a bitter spirit.

Maybe it's an unforgiving spirit. Maybe it's anger, anger at God, anger at someone else. Maybe it's a jealous spirit. You're envious of someone else. Maybe, maybe it's just you like to gossip about others. There's this malice and hatred in your heart that unconfessed sin. You know what? It robs you of the opportunity to go to God and speak to Him. Because Psalm 66, 18 says what? If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. So, my prayer life becomes zapped. And Christ says this in John 16.

John chapter 16, verse number 24. Until now you've asked for nothing in my name. Ask, you shall receive, that your joy may be made full. You ask in my name. You ask according to my will. You ask according to my desires, my decrees, my directions. You submit yourself to my will. You ask in my name. And when you do that, your joy will be made full. Now, folks, Jesus is a lie, right? What he says is truth. Therefore, we come to grips with the reality that's my responsibility to go to Him in prayer, having confessed my sin, that the joy of that communion might be restored.

The fellowship with my Lord might be there. And then I can ask in His name that my joy might be made full. Sometimes joy is robbed because we live a discontented life. We refuse to be content in the state in which we are in. That somehow God has robbed me of something, that God has put me in a situation that's unfair, that's not right for me. And that discontented situation is based on an unrealistic view and an untrue view of God's sovereign control. Remember Habakkuk? Habakkuk was a man who was told by God that the nation of Israel was going to experience hard times because the Chaldeans, the most wicked people on the face of the earth, were going to come and destroy them.

And Habakkuk, the prophet of God, had a hard time with that. So he began to question God as to his methods, his plans, his direction, as if Habakkuk, the prophet of God, would know more than the sovereign God. You know, we tend to be that way, don't we? Whenever you question God, you doubt the sovereignty of God. You doubt his control over your life and the life of those closest to you. It was Charles Spurgeon who said that you can talk about any doctrine, but once you start talking about the sovereignty of God, it causes man to grit and grind his teeth.

Because there's something about us that doesn't like the fact that we're not in control, but somebody else is. And they're doing things that we don't appreciate. They're doing things that we don't like. And God says, I'm in charge.

So Habakkuk did the right thing. He went to God. He cried out to God. And to some degree, he even complained to God. That was in chapter one. In chapter two, Habakkuk begins to hear the word of the Lord and God begin to speak. And this is how God concludes what he says in verse 20 of Habakkuk two. The Lord is in his holy temple. Let all the earth be silent before him. Folks, let me help you understand something.

Until you can learn to shut your mouth before God, you're going to have a hard time dealing with the sovereignty of God. Who are we to question God? Who are we even to doubt God? So God says, the Lord is in his holy temple.

You have nothing to say. Be quiet. That's why the psalmist said in Psalm 46, verse number 10, be still and know that I am God. We are so busy talking to God, we can't hear him speak. Or better yet, we're so busy talking to God, we don't want to hear him speak. We think that we deserve an audience with the sovereign of the universe. Now, folks, listen.

God has granted us access to his presence, but we also have to realize that we go to him in reverence and in fear. And when God spoke to Habakkuk, Habakkuk's perspective changed. His circumstances did not change, by the way. God was true to his word. His circumstances did not change. See, we go to God, we expect our circumstances to change because we cried out to God. And we expect God to change everything for our benefit, as if we were the sovereign ruler and God was subject to our whims and dreams and desires.

And therefore, God is going to be pleased with the fact that I came to him and God will answer my prayer and change my circumstances. He'll change my marriage. He'll change my family. He'll change all that. And God says, no, I don't want to change your marriage.

I want to change you. I don't want to change your workplace. I want to change you. I want to change your attitude. I want to change your perspective on your circumstances. And that's what God did with Habakkuk. Habakkuk would conclude with these words, though the fig tree should not blossom and though there be no fruit on the vines, though the yield of the olive should fail and the fields produce no fruit, no food, though the flock should be cut off from the fold and there be no cattle in the stalls.

In other words, there's nothing. Yet I will exult in the Lord. I will joy in the Lord. I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength and he has made my feet like Heinz feet and makes me walk on my high places. So he says simply, though nothing changes, I will exult, I will joy in the God of my salvation. He realized the value of God in his life and rejoiced. Folks, that's the risen life. It's the resurrected life. It's the walking in newness life. It's the life that says, I rejoice always.

Why? Because it's a command given by God. And the reason we rejoice is because God himself provides the joy. It comes to a saving grace. And not only does he provide the joy, he promises that those who are children in his kingdom will receive that joy. And he's given us his spirit to produce that joy in our lives so that we would understand that through his truth, that joy is prompted. It grows as I read and study the truth of God's holy word. Folks, this is crucial. We need to understand this. Why?

Because point number two, it's simply this. Not only is the risen person one who rejoices always, he's one who inspires others to follow Christ. The risen life is the life that inspires others to follow Christ. That's why Paul said, follow me as I follow Christ. I want you to follow me. When I'm following Christ, get on board and follow me. That was a great story in the Bible, in John 11 and in John 12. So if you have your Bible, turn with me to John chapter 12.

Okay. John chapter 12, great story about a man named Lazarus. Lazarus was a sick man. Lazarus was a good friend of the Lord Jesus. And Lazarus was sick. And news came to Christ that Lazarus was sick and that Jesus needed to go to him. And Jesus decided not to go to him, but instead to let him die. Now that's a hard thing for people. Sometimes Jesus wants you to die. You ever know that? Sometimes he just wants you dead. Precious in the sight of the Lord, the death of the saints, right? Well, he wanted Lazarus to die because he wanted to do the resurrection thing one more time.

And you know the story about his conversation with Mary and Martha and that he was the resurrection and the life. And boy, I tell you this last year, when we went to Israel, we concluded at Bethany. We concluded our Israel trip this year at Bethany, not at the garden tomb, not in Gethsemane, but at Bethany, which is a good place to end the journeys of Jesus. We go to Bethany. There's a tomb there. It's not truly Lazarus's tomb, but you can go down into it to understand what the tombs were like in those days.

And so we go there and we read John 11 and we look at this verse and our verses and understand what took place in Lazarus's life.

He died. Christ called him forth. What have we told you about the miracles of Christ? We've told you that everything Christ does in the physical realm is symbolic of what he does in the, you finish the sentence, spiritual realm, right? So what he does physically for people is what he wants to do spiritually for people. Dead men need to be what? Raised. Those who are dead in their trespasses and sin need to experience the resurrection of Jesus Christ. They need to be raised from their deadness. And what he does with Lazarus is explain to us very clearly that when you are dead, you can't do anything.

Dead men can't speak. Dead men can't make a choice. Silence is deafening. Dead men can't do anything except respond to the call of God. And Christ provided for us a beautiful illustration of what takes place when someone is truly born again, when they become a new creation, that they can walk in newness of life. And Lazarus was raised from the dead. They were told to unbind the man, let him loose, that he might be set free. Great story about Lazarus. But that's not the end of the story. That's just the beginning of the story.

Because the Bible says this in John chapter 12, Christ was in Bethany. The Bible says six days before the Passover.

Verse number nine, the great multitude therefore of the Jews. Remember the Jews in the gospel of John is in reference to the leaders of Israel, not the common people in Israel. And the Bible says the great multitude therefore of the Jews learned that he, Lazarus, or Christ was there.

And they came not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus whom he raised from the dead. But the chief priests took counsel that they might put Lazarus to death also. Because on account of him, many of the Jews were going away and were believing in Jesus. Now think about that. The implications of that are far-reaching. Why? Lazarus had experienced the power of God in his life. He was a new man with a new life. And the power of God was clearly upon him. In fact, Lazarus, listen carefully now, was a living demonstration of the power of God at work in his life.

So the question comes to you and me, is if we were once dead and now have been spiritually raised from that deadness and walk in newness of life, because the power of God has transformed us into new creations, we must ask ourselves this question, who wants to kill us because we are a living demonstration of the power of God? Who is coming to Christ because your life is a living demonstration of the power of God? You see, that's the risen life. It inspires others to follow Christ. Folks, I can't do a lot of things.

I'm not, you know, a tool man, so I can't do the tool time Tim thing. I can't do that, you know. I'm not a mechanic. I can't build anything. I can't even build sandcastles when we go to the beach with our children. I'm just not well-versed in those things. I'm a preacher. It's all I do is I preach. But you know what? When I go through life and when it's all said and done, the only thing that matters is do my children walk in truth. That's all that matters. Nothing else really matters. I mean, I want you to walk in truth.

I want you to love the Lord. But I can stand up here and compel you to love the Lord and preach to you on a regular basis and desire that you are committed to Christ. But if my children don't exemplify that in their lives, I've got to re-examine where my motives are. I have to re-examine where my priorities are, because they truly are my legacy, more so than you. Because if I don't live it out at home, I don't help them understand that daddy's life needs to be a living demonstration of the power of God.

How effective of a father am I? Let me ask you this question. You're married to somebody who doesn't know the Lord. Is your life a living demonstration of the power of God? Now, it doesn't mean that if you are, your children will walk with God automatically, and your spouse will come to Christ automatically. No, that's not true. But the question comes, is before the Lord, can you truly and honestly say that I am living the risen life? Because you see, if you're inspiring others to follow Christ, the very first evidence of that is that I will rejoice always.

There's a continuous rejoicing in my heart, not because my circumstances are great, but because of the salvation of God that's transformed my life from deadness to life. That I might walk in that newness of life, that I might no longer walk according to the flesh, but walk specifically in line with the Spirit of God. Folks, this is so important. And so you have to ask yourself the question, whose life are you inspiring to follow the Christ? And if those closest to you are not, then go back and ask yourself where it is you have demonstrated a decreasing joy about the Lord Jesus.

And ask yourself, does my life exemplify the power of Almighty God? Do I walk in the Spirit? Do I rely upon God for all things? Do I trust Him for my daily provisions? Do I seek Him diligently? Do I seek Him early? Do I live my life for His glory or for my glory? You see, all that needs to be asked by all of us, right? So that we might be on display because the power of God is working in us and through us. That's something every one of us needs to be able to ask ourselves. Am I inspiring anybody else to follow the Christ?

Stephen Alford wrote this, I am dead to sin through Christ my Lord. For in His death, I also died. It's written clear in God's own word and praise His name, I am justified. I'm dead to sin, thus I must live to Christ alone who gave us all. And for His love, I can't but give my life and gifts both great and small. I'm dead to sin, so I must serve my God and King each day and hour. What He commands, I must observe and seek to do with heavenly power. I'm dead to sin, oh blessed thought. I now can rest from care and strife.

My fight He has forever fought and now I live His risen life. Folks, listen, the risen life rejoices always, inspires others to follow Christ. And I have three more principles that I will give to you in three minutes. Here they are. Principle number three is that those who live the risen life seek those things that are above, not below.

I mean, if you're seeking those things that are above, that's going to be a big push in how you inspire others, right? You're seeking those things that are above. The book of Colossians says it this way, Colossians chapter three, verse number one, if then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

Set your mind on the things above, not on things that are on the earth. For you have died in your life and sitting with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. Are you setting your affections on things above? Are you seeking those things that are God's? Those who are risen with Christ are constantly absorbed with heaven. They want Christ and they want Him on display. And so there's that constant seeking above. The word for seek is zeteo, which means it's where we get our English word is zealousness.

There's a zealousness about our life, a zeal that consumes us on those things that are above, that cause us to set our mind, our affections on things above and not below. That's the risen life. That's the risen life. Number four, not only do you rejoice always, inspire others to follow Christ and seek those things that are above, but you encourage the weak, the wounded and the weary. How do you do that? It's because you know God and God gives hope and people need hope. Those who are wounded, those who are weak and those who are weary have no hope.

And you, because you know the God of hope, explain to them that God. You explain to them that hope is rooted in God based on Psalm 71, verse number five in Romans 15, 13. He's called the God of hope. Hope is rooted in God and hope is received by grace. If you read Romans chapter 15, verse number 13 and 2 Thessalonians 2, verse number 16, that hope is rooted in God, received by grace and is reinforced in Scripture. These things are written that you might have hope. Romans 15, verse number four, that through the encouragement of the Scriptures, your hope will be rooted and grounded in that faith.

For those who are weak, those who are wounded and those who are weary are encouraged because you know the God of hope and you explain to them how they can receive that hope and that hope can be reinforced through the Scripture because one day that hope will be revealed when Christ himself returns. Titus 2, verse number 13, we're looking for the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. That's why Paul said with that resurrected chapter, resurrection chapter, 1 Corinthians 15, that he could be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that his labor was not in vain in the Lord.

Why? It was all based on the resurrected hope that he believed in. If I'm risen with Christ, I rejoice always. I inspire others to follow Christ. I seek those things which are above. I encourage the weak, the wounded, and the weary. And if I'm risen with Christ, last principle, I need nothing but Christ. I need nothing but Christ. Remember way back in Genesis 15, verse number 1, when God said to Abraham, I am your very great reward. I am your reward, Abraham. I'm it. With those who have been risen with Christ, they need nothing but Christ.

Why? Because he consumes them. He is their life. He's what matters most to them. On this day called Father's Day, dad, ask yourself, are you consumed with Christ? You need nothing but Christ himself. That Christ alone is what you truly need. Colossians 2.10 says, in him you have been made complete. You lack nothing if you're in Christ and Christ is in you. You are complete mentally. You're complete morally because you know the standard and you're the spirit of God to help you meet that standard because you seek after God.

You are made complete because Colossians tells us that in him dwells the fullness of the Godhead bodily. We, according to Peter, are partakers of the divine nature and we, he lives in us and everything about God is in him and he's in us. Therefore, we are complete in him. We need nothing else. We are eternally secure. We are saved. We are forgiven. We are complete in Christ himself and the one who is risen with Christ needs nothing else other than Christ. Christ consumes him. That's his passion. That's his drive.

That's his life. Folks, that's the risen life. I love what the Bible says in 3 John verse number two.

It says in verse number one, the elder to the beloved Gaius whom I love in truth, John says, beloved I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health just as your soul prospers.

Paul says to Gaius, you know, I want you to be physically like you are spiritually. Your soul prospers. Now, why does Gaius' soul prosper? Says this, for I was very glad when brethren came and bore witness to your truth. That is, how you are walking in truth. You walk in truth and because you walk in truth, your soul prospers. I guess I have to ask you, is your soul prospering today? If it is, it's because you're walking in truth. It is because you need nothing but Christ himself. So let me review it for you one more time.

The risen life, simply this, is the one who rejoices always, who inspires others to follow Christ, who sets their affection on things above and not below, who encourages the weak, the wounded, and the weary because they are the ones with the new life and the hope of God. And they need nothing but Christ himself because Christ is everything to them. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for this great and glorious day, the opportunity you give us to spend time in your word. And throughout the many weeks that we have been in Luke chapter 9, Father, we realize that the joy comes in the resurrection of Christ.

The joy comes in living the risen life, the life that exemplifies Christ our Lord. Lord, I pray for any man, any woman, any boy or girl who is here today and doesn't know you, that today would be the day of their salvation. They would come to a place in their life where they say, yes, I want to deny myself. I want to take up my cross daily. I want to follow Christ because I want to experience the resurrected life. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.