Our Victory in Christ's Resurrection - 1 Corinthians 15:54-58

1:22But sometimes we distance that from ourselves. No, his resurrection is our victory. And the implication of that he is resurrected indeed is that we will be resurrected indeed. So I want you to see this morning that Christ's victory is our victory. What Christ gained, we gained. I just want to read to you the passage. We're looking at 1 Corinthians 15, verses 54 through 58. This comes at the end of a long and great chapter about the resurrection. And there were those that were claiming that there was no resurrection. And Paul in this chapter is exhorting the church to stand firm, to keep in their mind the whole doctrine of the resurrection, that it is very critical. It is the core element of the resurrection. And he gets to the end, and I'll just pick it up here and we'll spend the last look at the last five verses. But when this perishable, beginning in verse 54, will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written: Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.

3:13Christ's victory is clearly stated here as being our victory. Look back at verse 57. I just want you to see this. 57 says, but thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. It is our victory. Now, two qualifiers have to be made. First of all, look, our victory is given to us by God, right? God is the one who gives. He gives the victory, but he gives it, right? As one receiving the gift, the gift becomes ours. It was his victory, but he also gives it to us. So it really does belong to us. It's a gift given, and as such, his victory is our victory. Second thing in verse 57 to note is that our victory is given to us through Jesus Christ. Through Jesus Christ. And notice the possessive there, our Lord. Our Lord. He is our Lord. That is, he categorically belongs to his people. If you are one of his, Jesus is your Lord, and his victory is your victory.

4:27You know, I want to just Say this about, she's actually on the face of our bulletin today. That was by accident, by the way, or by providence, let me put it that way, by providence. But, you know, recently, she just won one of the highest awards, and she won it on behalf of her engineering department. Go, go, engineers, right? But she won it. And it was, I won't get into all the details, but it's perhaps one of the highest awards. And the engineering department that she represented, it really becomes there. It's a statement about the whole department, right? Her victory is really their victory. And of course, any professor that gets national recognition, it's a reflection of the university, right? So any professor that makes a name out there or makes a contribution, that victory, that award becomes the whole university's award, right?

5:35Well, the same is true about Christ. His advance was our advance. He's on our team. Not just on our team. He's the head of our team. He's the author of our team. And his victory is our victory. And it is really ours. And why? Why did God give us? This victory through Jesus Christ. Why? And the answer is plain and simple: He wants us to live victorious lives. That's what this is all about: you living a victorious life. And the problem with many of us is that we don't live victorious lives, do we? I see this. Probably one of my greatest pains as a pastor is seeing week in, week out, people struggle and not seem to get the victory in their life.

6:35Why is that? I mean, you know what I'm talking about, right? Many of you know exactly what I'm talking about. We serve a victorious Lord, He's Lord of heaven, Lord of earth, and yet somehow that doesn't equate to our victorious living day to day. Why is that? I can offer you a couple of suggestions. Number one, maybe we really do not believe. Maybe we really do not believe in Christ's resurrection. Oh, maybe we would sign a doctrinal statement, but maybe we really don't believe that our Lord has risen from the dead, now sits at the right hand of the Father, and everything goes through Him, and He's perfectly good, perfectly magisterial, and perfectly a good shepherd to us.

7:30So, maybe we don't really believe the resurrection and all its implications, or maybe we just fail to understand what is given to us in the resurrection. Well, this morning, I hope to show you that Christ's victory is our victory. And I hope to help you understand what is given to us in Christ's resurrection so that you can live a victorious life. Specifically, I want you to see three aspects of our victory in Christ Jesus so that you will live a victorious life. And I want to say something to all you kids here, okay? Pay attention. Listen, see this? I'm going on a scavenger hunt today, okay? And I want you to listen, and I want you to live. I'm going to give three keys throughout this sermon on how you can live a victorious life. Three keys. And if you will write these down, and if you will come up to me and talk to me after the service, I'll stay up here. I have a gift for you, okay? So, a scavenger hunt. Oh, and there's a bonus. There's one bonus. I'm going to ask a specific bonus question. And if you get that one right, then I'll give you a high five as well. Okay?

8:44Three keys to a victorious life. You guys be looking for them. Okay. But let's just start. I'm going to start with the first aspect. First aspect of our victory in Christ Jesus or in Christ's resurrection is knowing. That we will conquer death. So, the first aspect of our victory, and this is our victory in Christ's resurrection, there is a victory that comes from knowing that we will conquer death. Operative word, that. You need to know that, that we are going to conquer death. Okay?

9:21It's a certainty. There is a victory celebration that is mentioned in our text. Matthew, just to give you a little context of verse 35 through 53, what's happening is Paul is speaking about the coming resurrection, that coming resurrection, our bodily resurrection. All who are in Christ. This is a coming certainty, a coming reality that all of us who are in Christ, who are followers of Christ, believers in Christ, there is a bodily resurrection that is coming.

9:57And verse 52 speaks of that moment, that very moment. Oops, let me read it to you. Verse 52 speaks: in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised, imperishable, and we will be changed. There is a moment when this change is coming. And in verse 54, Paul is speaking about that very moment, that point when new resurrection, when we who are in Christ, will put on this. New, glorious, resurrected body that's made in the image of our resurrected Lord. That's the moment. And verse 54 is speaking about that moment. Look back and notice. Notice what's going to take place. But when this perishable will have put on this imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality. And what's happening is Paul is describing a dramatic change. There's a change that's coming. And it's a change that literally is like putting on a new set of clothes.

11:07It's the picture of a beggar trading in his rags for the finest suit in the land. That's the picture here. And it's the perishable or the corruptible, that which is susceptible to corruption and decay. It's going to put on the imperishable, the incorruptible, that which cannot decay. And he's speaking about our bodies. Listen, the God who designed us in the first place knows how to make us live forever. Okay, he's got it all figured out. It's not hard in him, in his mind.

11:44If you can just grasp that we're even here, speaks of a wisdom and an insight far beyond anything we can imagine. And the same God who created us knows how to give us life, a body that doesn't wear out. It's easy for him. There's a second thing that's going to be put on there. Not only will this perishable have put on the imperishable, but this mortal will have put on immortality. That which is susceptible to die is going to put on that which cannot die, cannot be separated from God any longer, anymore. That's the clothing.

12:28And Paul, the Holy Spirit, God Himself wants us to know that it is a Father's heart that we be clothed in such a glorious body. In fact, you are to know this for certain. This day is coming. You know, Jesus Himself gives us an insight into the Father's heart regarding the clothing of his children. And he uses the exact same terms that Paul uses here. And this is a picture of it in Luke 15. Remember the prodigal son? You remember that younger son? He squandered his estate with loose living. This is Jesus telling the story, right? And when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in the country, and he began to be impoverished. I mean, he started, he no longer had the money, his clothes, everything reflected poverty. So he got up and came to his father, right? But while his father was still a long way off, His father saw him coming and had compassion on him, and he ran and embraced him and kissed him. Now, listen to the first words out of the father's mouth.

13:43Quickly, as he says to his slaves, quickly, bring the best robe, put it on him. You hear that? I don't like the way he's dressed. Put him in clean, put him in the finest clothes, put the signet ring, put the authority on his finger, and let's celebrate. Same exact word: put on, put on. The father's heart has not only the means and the ability to clothe us with that which is incorruptible and perishable or imperishable, but he has the heart to do it. Put the best robe on him. That's God.

14:36So, our text, verse 54, tells us when this victory is going to be celebrated. Look back. Look back. The victory isn't putting on the imperishable. The victory happens afterwards. The new bodies is necessary for the victory celebration. But look at when is it going to happen? Look back. The text right after our bodies are resurrected, when, but when this perishable will have put on the imperishable and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come. You see that? When we have received our new bodies, then comes the victory celebration. Now, what's this victory celebration going to be like? Well, look back, we'll read it.

15:31Then will come about the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? Paul draws upon two texts from the Old Testament that are involved here, and they describe what's going to be taking place at this victory. First, there's going to be this glorious realization, a glorious realization. Death is swallowed up in victory. That's Isaiah chapter 25 and verse 8. There's a moment when we realize death has been swallowed up. There's a moment that's coming after we are gloriously resurrected that we are going to look and see and realize. Isaiah 25:8 says this: He will swallow up death for all time, and the Lord God will. Wipe away tears from all faces, and he will remove the reproach of his people from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken. Word for swallowed up literally means gulped down. It's a picture of the earth opening up and gulping down the water that the dragon spewed against the woman in Revelation 12 and 16. It's a picture of the Red Sea. We can think of it as gulping down Pharaoh's army. We can think of Jonah being gulped down or swallowed up by the great fish.

17:03But what Paul is saying is that there is coming a time when all of us who are in Christ will experience a moment that we realize that death, that age-old enemy, has been swallowed up. What swallows him up? Look back. Swallowed away into victory. There's the idea. Victory will consume death. I mean, consume it. Gone. And let me make sure you understand this. We're not just talking about a feeling of victory. We're not just talking about a sensation, oh, a feeling of victory, but a real, settled realization, a glorious realization that death has permanently been done away with.

17:58And then all the feelings. Going to go with that. It's not just the feelings. It's a settled, glorious realization. And there's coming that moment when all of us who are in Christ are going to realize that. And that should begin to shape the way you live right now. Well, the second text that Paul mentions here is from Hosea 13:14. O death, where are your thorns? O Sheol, where is your sting? So this glorious realization turns into a joyful declaration. Oh, death, where are your thorns? O grave, where is your sting? Here's Hosea taunting death. Wow.

18:50He's taunting death as if it were like a scorpion that had its stinger pulled out. I remember I had a knew a guy who would cut off the scorpion's stinger and he'd run it around and let the scorpion run around his hand and go up to people, see my little friend. Now, you wouldn't do that with the stinger on there, right? But that's the idea. But here it is. If you can imagine, imagine it's this glorious realization all of a sudden turns into this joyful declaration. You get the sense of this. All of a sudden, there's this realization. Imagine. And this day's coming.

19:31Put on a new body. Death is done away with, and you realize it. Wow. And then you realize, death. Was that it? That's it? It's done. It's finished. But the emphasis, the emphasis of all this is the certainty that you are going to experience this truth if you are in Christ. There is a certainty of it. And that's why Paul is so adamant about defending the doctrine of the resurrection here. Verse 54, let's look back. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written. And there are two elements in this text that are specifically designed to communicate certainty. The first is the verb itself. Then it will come about. A future indicative. This will be. When you've put on this new glorious body, then this will be. And then, second thing that communicates certainty is the word, the written one. The word, the one which has been written. That's the one. The inscription. Word. You remember what Jesus said? It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than one little bit of the law to pass.

21:10So two things communicate certainty. This will happen, and it has been inscribed that it will happen. Certainty. Get your mind around that. If you are in Christ, then you will most certainly experience this truth. And you know where the scripture takes us? It takes us to one of two places. Either you believe it, or you have to call God a liar. Scripture doesn't give us any middle ground. What does your life testify about your belief in the resurrection?

21:51Oh, that we could grow in our belief this morning of Christ's resurrection and how that impacts us today. Well, the first aspect of our victory in Christ's resurrection is knowing that we most certainly will assuredly conquer death. So, kids, first key. The first key to a victorious life is know that you will conquer death. Know you will conquer death. And if you don't know that, if you don't know that right now, you can know for sure. If you're honest with yourself and you're like, You know, I really don't know if I am going to conquer death.

22:33Well, you can make that certain today. Come talk to me, talk to one of your parents, talk to anybody. This goes for anybody. And how do you become certain? Number one, you agree with God that you are a sinner. Number two, you look to Jesus and you ask Him to forgive you. And number three, you receive Him for who He is. And He says He will come. He says He will forgive. And He leaves you with two choices: either you believe that or you have to call Him a liar. And I don't know about you, but I cannot call Him a liar. So come to Him and receive. So, the first key to a victorious life: know that you will conquer death.

23:19There's a second aspect. I want to shift gears here. We've already looked at one aspect of our victory in Christ's resurrection, and that is victory in knowing that we will conquer death. Second aspect is there is victory in knowing why we will conquer death. So, there's victory in knowing that, yeah, one day we're going to conquer death, but it's also important to know why we're going to conquer death, why we're going to conquer death. And I want to think through this carefully because the answer is given to us in verses 56 and 57.

23:55I want you to take a moment and kind of think through this in a In a way, and pay attention because this may be one of the extra credit questions. You know what the study of entomology is? Entomology is the study of insects, right? We've got a pretty good insect department over here at Pittsburgh's AM. Those who study it, not just there's a bunch of insects over there, but you get the. But you know what? I read this list last week of this guy who was an entomologist that wanted to understand which was the most painful stings on the planet, which bugs had the most painful sting. And he, he, he, this is real science, right?

24:45He let himself be stung by 150 different insects, and then he wrote down what he thought. Real science, right? Okay, pseudoscience. But I don't think anybody's really going to question his, I don't think anybody's going to duplicate his experiment. But anyway, this is what he did. And he comes up with a ranking system. And I just want to go through and just mention a few of these. You'll see some of these, but I want to work towards the most painful sting on the planet Earth. Okay? So, first of all, there's the fire ant, right? We all, probably, if you've been around here, you've probably even been stung by a fire ant. Well, this is how he describes a fire ant. Fire ant steam or bite.

25:33It's like walking across a shag carpet and then reaching for the light switch. So, what do you think will happen? If you know what shag carpet is, there's a little spark, right? Oh, that's a fire ant, okay? If you've had a fire ant bite, you know, I think they hurt a little more than that. But anyway, that's where he puts it. That's pretty low, okay? So, that's the fire ant. Then there's the honey bee. I think, Clyde, you've been stung probably 2,000 times. He doesn't have any pain in his joints right now. And 97 years old, he says he thinks it's because he's been stung so many times.

26:10But this entomologist says the sensation is like taking a match that is on fire and just putting it on your hand or on your skin, just a burning sensation. Would that be kind of close? Yes. He wouldn't even feel it. I'd be out there getting stung with him, and he'd just be out there without any protection, just getting stung, and doesn't hurt. Okay, that's the honeybee. Now, the red harvester ant. A face only a mother could love, right?

26:44I'm not even sure. But this is what he says about the red harvester ant. It's like somebody using a drill to excavate your ingrown toenail. Now, that sounds painful, right? Okay, well, he keeps going. Then there's the paper wasp. This is like spilling a beaker of hydrochloric acid on a paper cut. Have you ever done that? Wow, that hurts, right? Okay, so then we get to the tarantula hawk. Have you ever heard of the tarantula hawk? This guy is up there, number two. This is number two. He says it's like a running hair dryer thrown into your bubble bath.

27:31I guess it's kind of a shocking experience, right? Just electrifying, right? That's, I think, what he's okay, but the number one, the number one, the king of stings, planet Earth, is the bullet ant, the bullet ant. And this is how he describes it. Now, some people describe it as like being shot with a bullet, but this is how he describes it. It's like fire walking over a flaming charcoal with a three-inch rusty nail grinding into your heel.

28:07I think this guy had some problems. But anyway, the point of all this, the point of all this, the point of all of this is that the power to harm is in the strength or the potency of the sting. That's where the power of the harm is. It's in the power of the sting. You take away their sting, and they have no power to harm. They're just a bunch of cute little creatures, right? Except for that red harvester ant, you know. But the rest of them, they're just cute, harmless animals. So, going back to the question of verse 55, remember he says, Where is your sting, death?

28:52Where is your sting? That's the question. That's the last question we've been left at in verse 55. And my question is, what is the sting? What is the sting that he is referring to? And the answer that he gives is in verse 56 and 57. Let me just read those. The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. So let's just think carefully about this. We'll just walk through this, make sure it helps sometimes to make little equations, right? The sting of death, verse 56, is sin. Sting equals sin. The sting of death is sin. What Paul's communicating here is that we, as humans, we have an innate sense that we are guilty of sin. We know that. We know that God is infinitely holy. We know that he is infinitely separated from sin, and he possesses an infinite hatred of sin. Fundamentally, we know that as being image-bearers, we understand that. Even though we suppress that truth, we sear our consciences. We know. We know.

30:13Second thing: the power of sin is the law. If you see, it says the power of sin is the law. Now, he's already made the statement: the sting is sin, and so it follows: the power of the sting is the law. Is the law. I'll think through this. The law is the revealed righteousness of God. And the revealed righteousness of God, it exposes our sins, and the righteousness, the law demands, the law puts demands upon the holy God.

30:52His law demands both internally and externally that God must condemn sin. God has committed himself to keeping his word and executing justice. This is the law. These are the righteous standards of the law. And it boils down to this: the decrees of God. Boils down to the decrees that the law, God says this, the payment of sin is. Death. That is decreed. That is the axiom. For God to change that, he ceases to be God. His word is no longer valid. The payment of sin is death. Decree.

31:47There is no way around it. So the fear of death is its sting. And the power in the sting is the fear of judgment. So the fear of death is directly related to the fear of judgment. If you have no fear of judgment, there is no fear of death. So the question becomes: do you see what we have to get over here? How do I overcome the decrees of God? How do I overcome the decrees of God against me?

32:32It is God's own word that says he must punish sin. And the wages of sin is death, eternal separation out of my good pleasure forever. That is what God has decreed about himself and what he will do with sin. So how do I overcome the decree? Which I have this whole list of things against me. How do I get there? I mean, the question isn't, and this is how often we reduce salvation down. We reduce salvation down to the idea that if I can just overcome the general goodness of humanity, if I just somehow am above the curve of the rest of humanity, that I'll be welcomed in, that's a little bit easier hurdle to get over, isn't it? You just got to start comparing yourself to others. But how do I overcome the decree of God that says he must punish with death eternally every single little infraction of sin because he is infinitely holy? How do I get over that?

33:45Well, verse 57 goes on to say, but thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. You see, our victory is through Jesus. And how does God give us the victory through Jesus? I'd love to take another hour and just walk through Colossians 2:13 and the incredible, rich theology and teaching that is there. But let me just read it to you. You don't need to turn there. Colossians 2:13. When you were dead in your transgressions and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he made you alive together with him, having forgiven us all transgressions. Transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us, and he has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross, which he has disarmed the rulers and authorities. He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through him. In other words, he took the decrees. And this is incredible language here.

35:02The word for having canceled is having obliterated that certificate or that record of our debt, the record of the decrees of God against us. He took that and he nailed it to the cross, making a public display of God's justice. You see, law, by its very nature, cannot be merciful. Law can only say yes or no. It doesn't have a heart. It is law. It must be satisfied. It cannot be merciful. But God is rich in mercy. And he displayed that mercy, not at the expense of his law, but by fulfilling that law. So when Christ goes to the cross, He's taking the righteous demands of the law that you and I must meet. And he's making a public spectacle out of them. And he's saying, it is finished.

36:12I have forgiven. I have canceled. All those decrees that are against us are gone. And he has obliterated them. Christ satisfied the law's demands on our behalf. What was he doing upon the cross? What was he doing there? Satisfying the law of God. Just take you a moment, just as I think about the journey of a disciple. Let me just imagine what it was like walking with Christ. And I just want to take a few moments and just step into the narrative that we have in the gospel. And I want to speak about it from the first person as if I was one of the disciples. But I can imagine, as I put the record together, of what these disciples went through over the years that they walked with Jesus. First of all, it started out by a hearing. I heard. I heard news about Jesus. I heard news about this guy, and it piqued my interest.

37:28And then he called me. He called me and I heard the words, Come and follow me. And I was honored. I mean, he was highly regarded, and he called me. Wow, what a privilege. And so I followed him. And then he taught me. He taught me. And the words that he communicated were filled with such wisdom and such insight and such authority. No man had ever spoken like this, ever. And then he showed me his power, miracle after miracle. The power of God himself was with him.

38:11And then I got it. I finally recognized you are the Messiah. You are the one that God has appointed to rule. I get it. And then he started speaking about his death. And I didn't get it. I brushed it off. So, what are you talking about? Messiah reigns. Messiah doesn't die. And those who follow him reign with him, right? And he kept on talking about his death. I said, I don't get it. I don't believe it. It doesn't make any sense. And my mind couldn't grasp it.

38:55And then he died. He went through with it. Went right up there. And I knew he could call all the angels he needed. I knew this was the all-wise one. I knew he was the all-powerful one. So, what in the world is he doing? And I was shattered. It was the greatest letdown. I questioned everything. I was confused. And then I got news that he rose. And I rejoiced, my heart leapt. And I rejoiced. But you know what? I still didn't understand his death. And then he taught me again. He taught me again, and he showed me why the Messiah had to die. And he took me and he built my confidence upon the written word.

39:49And as I reflected those events, and as I looked upon the cross, and those memories came through my mind, and the bleeding and the horror, it hit me. He was all-wise. And he was all-powerful. And he knew exactly what he was doing. He was fulfilling the righteous demands of God's law. And he was removing the sting of death from me. That's what he was doing. He was giving me the victory over death. He was obliterating those decrees. Against me. That's what he was doing up there.

40:37He was giving me and all of his people who would only hear the victory over death. Christ's victory is our victory. So, three aspects of our victory in Christ's resurrection. First, it's victory in knowing that we will conquer death. Second, it's victory in knowing why we will conquer death. And the second key, the second key, listen, to a victorious life is to know why you will conquer death. Know why you will conquer death. I want to talk to you about one more aspect of our victory in Christ. The third aspect of our victory in Christ's resurrection is that there is victory in knowing how to live in the meantime. In other words, we know that one day we will be raised, we will be clothed in a new body, we know why that's going to happen and how God is going to be just in raising us and giving us a glorified body that is fit for eternal habitation with Him and His good pleasure forever. We know that's going to happen. We know why it's going to happen. Now, what do we do between now and then? Well, there's victory in knowing how to live in the meantime. Look at verse 58. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain. You see, the whole chapter reaches its conclusion here in verse 58. Everything that's been said in chapter 15 reaches a four-fold exhortation.

42:30And he's saying, you need to become. And it's the imperative, it's the command of this whole chapter. Therefore, you must be becoming. You must become. You must be growing. You must be becoming. Four things, four exhortations. You are no longer a dead person, right? You're alive to God. Now, this is what life to God looks like. Four exhortations. Number one, you must be steadfast. And the second one is closely related to it. You must be immovable. Both of these words convey the idea of being fixed and stationary and settled.

43:19You know, they were those that were saying that the resurrection didn't happen. And what Paul is saying, nothing will upset you more than will destabilize your Christian walk if you lose sight of this resurrection. Glory. And so Paul spends the chapter speaking and exhorting and correcting why we don't just set aside this resurrection, this thought on the resurrection, this doctrine of the resurrection. It needs to be the core of who we are. We are resurrected people. We are resurrected. And we will be resurrected later.

43:58And there are those today who say that the resurrection didn't happen. And I think that shakes the faith of many. But I think, for the most part, you here today aren't going to really be disturbed by that as much. You are far more prone to neglect this truth as I am. We failed to hold fast to this truth more out of neglect. But he is risen. And exactly. The resurrection did happen. And let's not let this slip from our minds. Let's not let this slip from the center of who we are. Let resurrection truth shape our thinking, define who we are, and drive our daily routine.

44:58Be steadfast, be immovable. Two more words, two more exhortations. We can think of the last ones as being the defense, be steadfast, immovable, but these last two are being on the offense. Look back. Therefore, my brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain. First thing, you must be abounding. The whole idea is of abounding, is overflowing. You remember in Matthew 14, when the boy brought the five loaves and the two fish, and God and Christ blessed them, and then they ate, and there were all these leftovers. That's the idea of abounding, just exceeding capacity. So be overflowing. Let this be a daily habit of your life. Be overflowing. Be overflowing in what? Look back. In the work of the Lord. Resurrection living is about being active in the work that Christ has left for us. What does he left for us? Well, we can summarize a lot. We're to grow in grace.

46:15We are to communicate that grace. And we are to be expanding the community of grace. And you'll find within that threefold umbrella all the work that he's laid out. Be active. Let's see, we get. Trouble when we cease to abound in the work of the Lord, don't we? We know this. It's when we cease to abound that we fall into all kinds of temptations, sins, and sorrows, and depressions, and vain pursuits. You can't fall into these things without first failing to abound in the work of the Lord. Look back at that scripture. Notice always.

46:57Don't misunderstand this scripture as saying, go out and do monumental things for the Lord. Yes, that's certainly included. But we're talking to a large degree all about those little things that come along each day. All those little things, abounding. You will have plenty of things all day long to abound in. But fourth, you must be knowing. You must be knowing. Look back. Knowing, knowing that your toil in the Lord is not in vain. So the whole idea is a continual certainty. You know what will protect your life from vain pursuits is abounding in the work of the Lord.

47:51Well, let me move on. All of Solomon's life came down to this. What should I do with my life? And he comes to The conclusion: fear God, keep his commandments. And we have found something here in this text that gives us the insight. We can take it one more step. Yes, fear God, keep his commandments, and always be abounding in the work of the Lord. So, here's the third key, third key to a victorious life. Always be abounding in the work of the Lord. Always be abounding in the work of the Lord. So, three aspects of our victory in Christ's resurrection, our victory. There is victory in knowing that we will be raised. There is victory in knowing why we will be raised or why we will conquer death, and victory in knowing how to live in the meantime.

48:47Well, Christ is risen, and let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you. We know that your victory is our victory, we know that you are risen and that we will be risen indeed. Father, may this day, may this week, may this year be one of increasingly abounding efforts and work about things that you have called us to do. Thank you for your body. Thank you for this celebration we have. In Jesus' name, amen.