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An
Easter Sermon:
Resurrection
and the New Creation
Rev. Charles R. Biggs
This Easter remember
that EVERYTHING changes because of the empty tomb, the
womb from which would come the new creation ruled
by the glorified God-Man!
Introduction
The tomb was
sealed. A huge stone rock covered the opening to the tomb.
No one could come in and no one could come out. As Jesus was laid in
the tomb, and the sky grew darker, the bright hopes of all the
disciples dimmed with each passing moment. Bleak. Despair. Mournful.
Blackest darkness. This described the failed hopes and dashed dreams
of the disciples of Jesus as he was laid into the tomb.
Three days had been
spent with great sorrow as the disciples mourned the loss of their friend
and Master. Yet what the disciples did not understand, nor remember
because of the dullness of their hearts and their slowness to believe was
that Jesus had told them that this night of his atrocious death must come,
in order for the dawn of joyous life to begin. Jesus had told his
disciples clearly:
"The Son of Man must suffer many things and
be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and
on the third day be raised."
..."Let these words sink into your ears:
The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men." But
they did not understand this saying, and it was concealed from them, so
that they might not perceive it. And they were afraid to ask him about this
saying. (Luke 9:22, 45-46)
This present world
characterized by sin, misery and the rule of the deceiver must end in the
death of God's Son, in order that the new world to come characterized by
holiness and the awesome presence of God could be fully realized. The
third day of the old world would begin the first day of the new
world! The old creation began to come to an end, as the new creation
dawned on the third day!
The resurrection of Jesus didn't merely occur on
the first day of the week (Luke 24:1), but it was literally the first day
of the new creation characterized by resurrection life!
Never since the creation
of the world had a day dawned with so much power and newness! The
third day begins the first day of the new creation. Jesus the
God-Man is resurrected and humanity is glorified in constant union with
deity.
What man could not do in living perfectly
according to God's commands, God could do in the Person of Jesus.
What God could not do in dying perfectly for sinners, man could do in the
Person of Jesus. Jesus the God-Man was alive- -he had risen from the
dead on the first day of the new creation.
The stone tomb became
the womb through which the new creation was born into this world on the
third day in the Person of Jesus Christ --the glorified and resurrected
God-Man. This new day was filled with fantastic new things and unbelievable
new surprises that should encourage us as the people of God today.
In Luke 24, we see the
newness of this new day and new creation revealed in (1) a new life, (2) a
new understanding, (3) a new man, (4) a new power, and (5) a new
worship.
Everything changes because of the empty tomb,
the womb from which would come the new creation
ruled by the glorified God-Man!
Luke's Gospel begins in
Luke chapter one with an angelic announcement of a birth, the birth of one
who will prepare the way for the one who will save his people from their
sins. Luke's Gospel ends with an angelic announcement of a birth, the
birth of a new creation and the One who will prepare a way and a place for
his people to live with God for eternity!
We thank God for his
mercies that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of a young
virgin named Mary, and Jesus was born from her womb to keep God's Law and
lay down his life for sinners so that he could be born from a tomb of death
and bring resurrection life to all who believes!
Hallelujah, to the New Man!
A New Life
ESV Luke 24:1-12: But on the first day of the
week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had
prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3
but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4
While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them
in dazzling apparel. 5 And as they were frightened and bowed
their faces to the ground, the men said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6
He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he
told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of
Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on
the third day rise." 8 And they remembered his words, 9
and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven
and to all the rest. 10 Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and
Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these
things to the apostles, 11 but these words seemed to them an
idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter rose and
ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by
themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.
Notice first how Luke
signifies the end of the old world and the birth of the new with the last
verse from chapter 23:
On the Sabbath they rested according to the
commandment (v. 56)
The Old Covenant time
period fully comes to an end in this statement. For this would be the
last Sabbath to be observed on the last day of the week. The
Christian Sabbath of the New Covenant and New Creation would begin in the
resurrection. Notice Luke 24:1:
But on the first day of the week, at early dawn,
they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared.
Luke's Gospel ends at
the resurrection account with nothing less than the end of one world, or
age when Jesus' dead and bloody body is placed within the tomb, and
the beginning of the dawn of a new day and a new creation on the first day
of the week. We now celebrate as the people of God on the first day
of the week because we belong to a new world, a new period of time, a new
creation characterized by resurrection life, love and joy! This
teaches us about the new life in Jesus.
When the disciples go to
the tomb, they find that the stone has been rolled away, the body
of Jesus gone, and two angelic messengers who ask them: "Why
do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen."
(Luke 24:5-6). The point the angelic messengers are making in their
question to the disciples is what the angels have so intently have
been looking into for ages and trying to understand. As Peter says:
1 Peter 1:10-12: Concerning this salvation, the prophets who
prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired
carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ
in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the
subsequent glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were
serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced
to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit
sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.
These angelic messengers
were those who for many ages had been trying to figure out God's mysterious
plan with regards to the salvation of his people. Here the angelic
messengers are not merely proclaiming the good news that Jesus is born as
they do in the beginning of Luke. Rather, these angelic messengers
are proclaiming that Jesus is risen, and that a
new creation has been born! By God's grace, the angels and soon the
disciples will be worshipping God and rejoicing in this new day! The
Gospel of Luke begins with a new prophetic announcement from angels sent
from God's Heavenly court:
Luke 2:9-14: And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the
glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. 10
And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you
good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For
unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the
Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby
wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." 13 And
suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising
God and saying, 14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on
earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!"
Now the angels of the
Lord are saying to the disciples that there is a new life because of the
resurrection of Jesus Christ the Lord. He was born in the city of David, a Savior, Christ the Lord, and he glorified God
in the highest and offers peace to those with whom God is pleased to offer
his grace!
This Jesus has been
born, has lived perfectly for his people, has died for sinners, and now is risen- - He is alive. Rather than finding a baby
wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger as a sign of God's favor
and grace, Jesus' resurrection shows as a sign grave clothes left by a
resurrected man with new life! So, the question is:
"Why do you seek the living among the dead?
He is not here, but has risen."
Why, indeed!
Jesus' resurrection marks a new life for all those who live in him.
Jesus IS the Resurrection and the Life, those who believe in Him, though
they die, shall live also (cf. John 11:25). Jesus by the power and virtue of his resurrection lives the
new life and offers this new life in the new creation to all who will
believe in him. Jesus had raised Lazarus, but Lazarus died
again. Jesus' resurrection marks a new life where death will never
threaten!
This new life in Jesus means a new destination:
the New Heavens and the New Earth- - wherein righteousness dwells- -
for this present age and old world is passing away, but he who does the
will of the LORD abides forever (1 John 2:17; Revelation 22).
A New Understanding
Luke 24:13-27 That very day two of them were going to a village named
Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14 and they were
talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15 While
they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went
with them. 16 But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17
And he said to them, "What is this conversation that you are
holding with each other as you walk?" And they stood still, looking
sad. 18 Then one of them, named Cleopas,
answered him, "Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things
that have happened there in these days?" 19 And he said to
them, "What things?" And they said to him, "Concerning Jesus
of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and
all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and rulers
delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. 21 But
we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it
is now the third day since these things happened. 22 Moreover,
some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the
morning, 23 and when they did not find his body, they came back
saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was
alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and
found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see." 25
And he said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to
believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not
necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his
glory?" 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets,
he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
Because of this new day
and new creation dawning in the resurrection of Jesus, we have a new
understanding of His Scriptures by His Spirit sent to us. If you
remember, when the disciples came to the empty tomb they were concerned --
they were "perplexed" (Luke 24:4), and the angelic messengers
reminded them of what Jesus said while he was still in Galilee: "that the Son of Man must be delivered into
the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day
rise." They quoted to them the very words of Jesus.
However, the disciples
did not fully understand. In fact, when he told them that he had to go
to Jerusalem to die, they started comparing themselves with each other
wondering who was the greatest (when they should have been concerned with
who was the least) (Luke 9:22; 44-48). Many times the disciples did
not understand what Jesus was saying to them (cf. John 12:16). In Luke 9:44-45, Jesus says literally:
"Let these words sink into your ears:
"The Son of Man is about to be delivered
into the hands of men."
And verse 45 says:
"But [the disciples] did not understand this saying, and it was concealed
from them, so that they might not perceive it." As Biblical
Theologian Geerhardus Vos
writes:
"We
interpret the resurrection in terms of the atoning cross, and easily forget
how little the disciples were as yet prepared for doing the same. And
so it requires an effort on our part to understand sympathetically the
state of mind they brought to the morning of this day. Nevertheless
we must try to enter into their thoughts and feelings, if for no other
reason, for this, that something of the same fresh marvel and gladness that
subsequently came to them may fill our hearts also.
Whether
we may be able to explain it or not, the gospel tells us that,
notwithstanding the emphatic prediction by the Savior of his death and
resurrection, they had but little remembrance of these words, and drew from
them no practical support or comfort in the sorrow that overwhelmed
them. In part this may have been due to the fact of our Lord's having
only predicted and not fully explained these tremendous events." ('Grace
and Glory', pg.. 67-68).
Only by God's grace and
His Spirit can we fully understand the meaning of the Scriptures.
Many of the Scriptures of the Old Covenant were ironically fulfilled
through a misunderstanding of them, including the death of Christ (Acts 4:27-28; see also John 11:49-53; 12:19).
What this ultimately
means for both men and angels as we saw in the above
passage, is that only through God's gracious Spirit can we fully
understand the things written in the Word of God. Here on the Road to
Emmaus, Jesus catches up with two very sad disciples whose hopes had been
dashed in the death of Christ.
Christ says to
them: "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the
prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer
these things and enter into his glory?"
Then Christ gives them
ability by interpreting the Scriptures for them and how they speak of him!
[Note: the Greek word used in Luke 24:27 for "interpreting" the
Scriptures is where we get the word for "hermeneutic"
or the science of Biblical interpretation.]
"And beginning with Moses and the Prophets,
he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself." (Luke 24:27).
We don't have Jesus with
us today physically to teach us the Scriptures, but He has sent forth His
Spirit so that we might be guided and come to an understanding of the
Scriptures by His grace. By His grace and His Spirit we too come to a
new understanding of the Scriptures as we rely on the Spirit's work
to know the mind of God (1 Corinthians 2:6-14). In fact, this is true
Biblical spirituality- -to learn to think and live as God reveals himself
in his Word and to interpret all things in our world through the lens of
Scripture.
You see, apart from a
divine work of the Spirit, by God's grace, we cannot fully believe and
understand "these things"- -that is these things having to do
with the new day of the new creation because of the resurrection. It
is helpful to teach men why we believe rationally that Jesus is alive and
why in real space and time no one could have stolen his body under Roman
and Jewish guard, resuscitated him, and caused him to make an appearance to
over 500 (1 Corinthians 15:1-10).
There is overwhelming
evidence in favor of the resurrection of Jesus and plenty of witnesses who
can testify to the truth and reality of the resurrection.
But this is not enough for faith!
We should remember what
Jesus says in the story of Lazarus and the rich man. When the rich
man found himself in torment in Hades, he requests that Father Abraham send
someone back from the dead- - a resurrected man- - to warn of the terrible
torments of hell, yet Jesus teaches us in the story that the Scriptures are
a sufficient, clear, and authoritative testimony to this
reality:
"If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets
[Scripture], neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the
dead."
Reason and evidence
alone will not suffice. The problem is a supernatural blindness, an
inability to see and hear and believe. Remember, even the Jewish
officials who crucified Jesus had seen a resurrected man named Lazarus and
they wanted not only to kill Jesus for this, but to kill the resurrected
man as well!
When the large crowd of the Jews learned that
Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see
Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans
to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him many of the Jews
were going away and believing in Jesus (John 12:9-11).
Our unbelief is so bad
that even Jesus' closest disciples, when they heard of the resurrection
thought it was literally an "idle tale" (Luke 24:11). And
the text goes on to say: "And they did not believe [the testimony of
the women who saw the empty tomb]."
All the evidence and
reasonable proof in the world will not change dead and sinful hearts of
unbelief. Only a powerful work of God's Spirit, as He lifts the veil
and enables us to see and understand.
This new understanding
comes to God's people because of the finished work of Christ and the new
day of His resurrection. This new understanding of Christ-centered
Scripture comes only by grace and only as Jesus through His Spirit makes it
known to us!
Notice how these disciples
on the Road to Emmaus came to understand the death and resurrection of
Jesus. They had proof, but they needed an "eye opening" and
"heart warming" experience of the Holy Spirit in order to fully
understand:
"And their eyes
were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight.
They said to each other, "Did not our hearts burn within us while he
talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?"
This new understanding
because of the resurrection and the new creation takes all of us on
our own "Road to Emmaus" as we seek to know more about God and
ourselves as we study God's Word and sit under the preaching and teaching
of this most important means of grace!
This new understanding in Jesus means a
better knowledge of our new and heavenly destination: the New Heavens and
the New Earth- - wherein righteousness dwells- - and we are taught in the
Word of God that this present age and old world is passing away, but he who
does the will of the LORD abides forever (1 John 2:17; Revelation 22).
A New Man
Luke 24:33-53: And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and
those who were with them gathered together, 34 saying, "The
Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!" 35 Then
they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in
the breaking of the bread. 36 As they were talking about these
things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, "Peace to
you!" 37 But they were startled and frightened and thought
they saw a spirit. 38 And he said to them, "Why are you
troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 See my
hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit
does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have." 40 And
when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 And
while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them,
"Have you anything here to eat?" 42 They gave him a
piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate before them. 44
Then he said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you
while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of
Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled." 45 Then he
opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to
them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the
third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance and
forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations,
beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses
of these things. 49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my
Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from
on high." 50 Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he
blessed them. 51 While he blessed them, he parted from them and
was carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped him and
returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and
were continually in the temple blessing God.
But "we ain't seen nothing yet"
as the saying goes! Because of the resurrection and the new creation,
we truly share in the new life in Christ as well as the new understanding
of His Scripture, but what we all anticipate is to be fully rescued and
redeemed from this mortal life of pain, misery, death, and suffering!
We long for our glorified bodies when we shall be like him- - glorified.
Because of the
resurrection and the new creation in Jesus, our ultimate destiny and hope
is the same as it was for Jesus- -THE RESURRECTION OF OUR BODIES! The
Apostle Paul teaches us about this hope:
Romans 8:18-23: For I consider that the sufferings of this
present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be
revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits
with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For
the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him
who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be
set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of
the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has
been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And
not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits
of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the
redemption of our bodies.
When Jesus appears to
his disciples in Luke's Gospel, he begins to impart to them a new and
better understanding of their future hope as well. He says to them:
"See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For
a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have." (Luke
24:39). Now notice that even with Jesus' physical appearance before
them- - which is sufficient rational and objective observative
"proof"- - the disciples at first think he is a spooky spirit of
some sort!
But they were startled and frightened and thought
they saw a spirit.
Jesus appears to them
not as a spooky spirit, but as a new man! A new and glorified
man. It is important for us to understand this. Jesus is the
first fruits of the resurrection. The term "first fruits"
refers to the first part of the whole harvest that will be followed by the
remainder of the harvest. Jesus has experienced resurrection-harvest
and we who believe shall experience resurrection-harvest! Jesus was
the first fruits of the resurrection, we will be
the final and remainder fruits of the resurrection by God's grace!
Jesus is the first
new man of the new creation if you will. This means that Jesus is the
first resurrected and glorified human being! Let this grip you.
What sin, suffering, and death do to afflict and destroy our
mortal bodies is permanently cured and healed in Jesus the New Man.
For this perishable body must put on the
imperishable,
and this mortal body must put on immortality. (1
Corinthians 15:53)
As Jesus appears
physically as a new man, resurrected in his body, he is literally
communicating as two worlds or creations interact
IN HIM! In Jesus, the old world or creation characterized by sin,
death, and misery -- which he lived in for over 30 years- - died with him
in the tomb, while the new man who is now glorified- - lives to speak to
them by a virtue and power located in the new world or new creation!
Jesus as the New Man
would be complete once he ascends to the new world or new creation permanently
to prepare a place for his disciples in just a matter of days! This
is heavy- - but worth thinking about.
Jesus is New Man of the
New Creation. Those who have new life in him and come to a new
understanding in him will one day experience a new manhood. This
means that we will one day be glorified in our bodies and the mortal will
literally put on immortality! This is what the Apostle Paul teaches
us in 1 Corinthians 15:
1 Corinthians 15:45-49: Thus it is written, "The
first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam became a
life-giving spirit. 46 But it is not the spiritual that is first
but the natural, and then the spiritual. 47 The first man was
from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. 48 As
was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the
man of heaven, so also are those who are of
heaven. 49 Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust,
we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.
What the Apostle Paul
means above in 1 Corinthians 15 is that we are by nature born into this
world children of the natural man from the dust whose name was Adam.
We are dust and to dust we will return. In other words, we are from
the earth- - earthly- - and to the earth we will return. In the New
Man, or Last Adam who is Jesus, we are made like him as
New Men fit for the New Creation.
Because Jesus was a man
from heaven, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, he took upon himself a
true and real human nature made from dust and descended from Adam (yet the
Holy Spirit kept him from being tainted by Adam's sin). Because the
divinity and humanity are in eternal union in One Person, the One Person,
or One Man from Heaven, Jesus, literally becomes the "Life-Giving
Spirit" (1 Cor. 15:45).
What this means is that
because God became man, he kept the covenant of works as a true and real
man, living obediently unto God where Adam failed and was subject to sin,
misery and death. Jesus the God-Man lived perfectly and obediently
unto His Father so that He might be glorified and seated at the right hand
of the Father. As Hebrews 2 teaches us:
Hebrews
2:5-13: Now it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of
which we are speaking. 6 It has been testified somewhere,
"What is man, that you are mindful of him, or
the son of man, that you care for him? 7 You made him for a
little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and
honor, 8 putting everything in subjection under his feet."
Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his
control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. 9
But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels,
namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of
death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. 10
For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in
bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation
perfect through suffering. 11 For he
who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one origin. That is
why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, 12 saying, "I
will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I
will sing your praise." 13 And again, "I will put my
trust in him." And again, "Behold, I and the children God has
given me."
Jesus, the Glorified Man
became the "Life-Giving Spirit" or the One Glorified Man in
Heaven who could experience eternal glory, the presence of God, and a resurrected
body! He offers this same new man-ness to all of us who believe in
Him. In Him, we are born again by His Spirit to literally be new
creations, those awaiting the ultimate redemptive hope: bodily resurrection
and eternal glory! Hallelujah! Praise to the Lamb!
The hope that the new
man gives to us by faith is knowing that as we have borne the image of the
man of dust, so we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven (1 Cor. 15:49). Do you live as though already
resurrected as Jesus teaches in John 5:24-29? Do you realize that
although you have not received your new and glorified body yet, you are
already spiritually seated with Jesus in Heavenly Places (Ephesians
2:4-8)? Are you eagerly awaiting and anticipating the return of your
Glorified King so that you might experience the full resurrection of being
a New Person?
This new man created in Jesus means new
and equipped glorified bodies to dwell in our heavenly destination:
the New Heavens and the New Earth- - wherein righteousness dwells- - and we
are taught in the Word of God that this present age and old world is
passing away, but he who does the will of the LORD abides forever (1 John
2:17; Revelation 22).
A New Power
In light of the reality
of this new life, this new understanding, and becoming new people in Jesus,
the disciples are told that they will receive a new and permanent power
from God:
"But stay in the city until you are clothed
with power form on high." (Luke 24:49)
The reality of the new
world and creation dawning in Jesus' resurrection from the dead would be
proclaimed to all the world! This hope to
come should be shouted from the rooftops as people turn from their sins and
rebellion against God Almighty and place their trust and saving faith in
Him!
As John teaches in His
gospel there is a movement from the time before Jesus' resurrection and
glorification and after concerning the receiving of the power of the Holy
Spirit. In John 7:37-39, Jesus says to the people on the last and
great day of the Feast of Tabernacles: "On the last day of the
feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, "If anyone
thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the
Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'"
Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who
believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given,
because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Jesus speaks of the work
of the Spirit, but the Apostle John, writing after the resurrection and
glorification of Jesus says that the Spirit had not been given, because
Jesus was not yet glorified. It is important to understand that Jesus
as the New Man, the first Man to be glorified, although He was very God of
very God, begotten, not made being of one substance with the Father- -he
truly came down and became man for us and for our salvation.
As man Jesus was
glorified and received the Holy Spirit and truly became the
"Life-Giving Spirit". Jesus' human nature was glorified and
he received the Spirit of God- -first!
Once Jesus was obedient
to the Father, died for sinners who did not deserve the Holy Spirit to
indwell them as unclean vessels, was resurrected by the Spirit and
glorified in his humanity, Jesus received the Holy Spirit as a gift from
God the Father, then Jesus sent the Spirit to
dwell in His people.
It is important to
remember that in the Old Covenant the Holy Spirit worked among God's
people, but not fully "in" God's people. In other words, in
the resurrection of Jesus and the birth of the new creation, the Holy
Spirit now comes to indwell and build His Holy Temple in the People of God
(2 Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 2:21; cf. John 2:11ff). As the Apostle
Paul teaches in Ephesians 2:19-21:
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens,
but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of
God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus
himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined
together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.
Now that Jesus has
received the Holy Spirit as the first New Man, the first glorified Man who
has become the "Life-Giving Spirit" and can give the Holy Spirit
to His people, he promises this new power for the new creation to all those
who will believe.
And how does the Holy
Spirit equip us for the new creation as new men and women in the
LORD? The Holy Spirit powerfully equips us all with new life and
help us to live as resurrected people (Romans 6:3ff; Colossians
3:1-4). The Holy Spirit powerfully equips us with new
understanding of God and ourselves from the Scriptures and gives us the
power to declare this truth to the world (John 14-16).
The Holy
Spirit powerfully equips us to put off the old man and put on the new
man who is already even now being conformed into the image of Christ.
As Colossians 3:9-10 teaches:
Do
not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its
practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge
after the image of its creator.
The final words of Jesus
in Luke's Gospel instructs us of the urgency and necessity of preaching and
witnessing by the power of God's Spirit so that we might tell the world the
good news that in the resurrection the new creation has begun- - flee this
world that is passing away and live and look for the world to come.
Then he
said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was
still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and
the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled." 45 Then he
opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to
them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the
third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance and
forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations,
beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are
witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I am sending the
promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with
power from on high."
The new creation means
the time of repentance and forgiveness of sins for all those who would
believe and we as well are witnesses to these things!
This new power means a purity and holiness
that cleanses and gives us the privilege to be clothed in Christ's
resurrection power in order that we might persevere to our heavenly
destination: the New Heavens and the New Earth- - wherein righteousness
dwells- - and we are taught in the Word of God that this present age and
old world is passing away, but he who does the will of the LORD abides
forever (1 John 2:17; Revelation 22).
A New Worship
Finally, we have a new
worship of the Living God. This is the first worship service of the
new creation that takes place on the first day of the week and thus the
reason to have our Christian Sabbath on the first day rather than the last
day. Worship of God on the last day ended in Jesus' death and it is
buried with Jesus in His tomb. As Jesus came forth powerfully out of
the tomb on the day of his resurrection, so the worship of God in Spirit
and truth took place on the first day reminding us of the new creation and
the resurrection we shall experience as well.
After they had been
instructed by Jesus, and learning of the hope of the new life, the new
understanding, the new man, and the new power, the disciples began the new
creation with new worship:
"And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the
temple blessing God." (Luke 24:52-53)
As Luke's Gospel begins
in the Temple of God, so it ends in the temple. The disciples
are now worshipping Jesus not through signs and symbols and types as they
formerly did in the Temple of God. Now they are worshipping Christ, the one
all of the Old Covenant signs and symbols and types pointed to. As
they learned earlier on the Road to Emmaus all of the signs and symbols and
types taught to the Old Covenant people by Moses and the Prophets now are
fulfilled in Jesus. Those Scriptures spoke specifically of Christ.
The disciples' worship is now in Christ
and for Christ and Christ-Centered!
The disciples used the Temple of God now as a place to worship Christ, not merely
signs and symbols and types found in sacrifices. The Temple of God was not present in the people of God because of
the Spirit of God. The disciples would no longer go to the temple for
circumcision of children and to offer bloody sacrifices, but would now
practice the worship of the New Creation through preaching, baptism, the
Lord's Supper, and they would offer continuous sacrifices of praise for
what Jesus has done!
Because this new
day of the new creation has dawned in the resurrection, there is literally
a "new start" available for all those who believe. For in
Christ, we die to ourselves and this world to live unto Christ and live as
new creations in HIM! In fact, those who are in Christ ARE new
creations - -the new has come individually by faith and the old has passed
away. As the Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:17:
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a
new creation.
The old has passed away; behold, the new has
come."
And we remember the
great hope of the resurrection of Jesus and how we long as his people to
put on imperishable immortality as we reign with Jesus in God's presence
for eternity!
When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and
the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is
written: "Death is swallowed up in victory."
"O death, where is your victory? O death,
where is your sting?"
(1 Corinthians 15:54-55)
Soli Deo
Gloria!
Pastor Charles R.
Biggs
Ketoctin Covenant
Presbyterian Church
Post Office Box 628
Round Hill, VA 20142-0628
www.kcopc.org
www.APlaceforTruth.org
crbiggsman@adelphia.net
540-338-7170
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