Introduction:     In Romans 1:4, it says that Jesus "was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead." Paul, writing in Philippians 3:10, virtually shouts the desire of his heart: "That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection." It was Paul’s earnest desire to be a partaker of the resurrection power of Jesus Christ. It should be our desire as well. In this passage we see a very important declaration made by Jesus Himself. It is a declaration of Jesus about Himself. He declares that He is the resurrection. It is important to note that He did not say that He has resurrection power, but that He is resurrection power. That statement also has significance and eternal meaning for all of humanity. What does it mean that Jesus is the resurrection? What does Christ’s resurrection power mean for you? The power of the resurrection means:

I.          HE LIVES FAMOUSLY

The first thing we need to see is that Jesus’ resurrection means that He is alive. The resurrection power of Jesus Christ means that

A.        The Chains Of Death And The Grave Could Not Hold Him.

Because of our sin, the sinless Son of God was nailed to a cruel cross. He hung there, between heaven and earth, suffering for the sins of human-kind. Hanging there, He paid the penalty for the transgressions of lost multitudes. Finally, He committed His Spirit to the Father and bowed His head in death. The death that Christ died was a real death. The death that He died was a necessary death. His death testified to the gravity of human sin. The seriousness of our sin hung Christ on the Cross. The gravity of our sin meant that He must do more than suffer — He must die! And so, He did.

            B.         The Cordon Of Stone Did Not Hinder Him

After Christ died His followers laid Him in the tomb. A large boulder was rolled against the mouth of the tomb and it was sealed by Rome. Guards were placed there at the request of the Jewish leaders. But that tomb could not hold such a one as Jesus. This was no ordinary man who lay there. This was the resurrection Himself. And so, on the third day Jesus Christ rose from the dead. He broke the chains of death. He defeated the power of hell. The empty tomb stands forever as the greatest monument to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Critics have scoffed at the idea of Christ’s resurrection but none have been able to produce the body of Christ. We have with us the bodies of all the other great political and religious leaders. But Christ’s body is not here. It’s not anywhere to be found, for He is risen as He said. The resurrection of Jesus is one of the most historically attested facts to have ever occurred. It is not merely a line in a creed. It is real. He lives!

II.         WE LIVE FULLY

Not only does resurrection power mean that Jesus lives, it also means that we live. Is there life after death? The truth of the power of Christ’s resurrection is even if we die, we will live.

             A.        The Lord’s Promise

Christ led the way. Because He lives, we shall live also. (1 Cor.15:20) "But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept." (1 Cor.15:23) "But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming." 

            B.         The Lord’s Provision

There qualification put on this: Only those who are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ shall enjoy this promise. The resurrection power of Christ is at work in those who put their faith in Him.

III.       WE LIVE FOREVER

The resurrection power of Jesus means that He lives; it means that we live; but it also means that we live forever. Only those who believe in Jesus shall experience real life through the power of the resurrection. The unbeliever will experience an existence of torment and suffering. That is what the Scripture calls the Second Death. (Rev 20:14-15) "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. {15} And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." The believer is born twice and dies only once; the unbeliever is born only once and dies twice. Eternal life has to do with

A.        The Quantity Of Life

We will live in God’s presence forever to enjoy the glories of the Lord. There we will never know pain or sorrow, sickness or death. There we will be united again with loved ones who have preceded us, never to be apart again. There we will be free from the limitations of this finite, frail, sin ridden human body as we are changed in the twinkling of an eye. This mortal will put on immortality. What a day, glorious day, that will be. And so, the promise of Jesus to us is that we will live forever. Our destiny in Christ is secure forever. Resurrection power means that we live forever 

            B.         The Quality Of Life

Eternal life has to do with both the quantity of life and the quality of life. Christ’s resurrection power works in us even now. Because Jesus has been raised from the dead, He is alive today to live within each one of us. Jesus didn’t just say that He was the resurrection. He said He was and is the life. The life that is resident in us in the person of Jesus is the life that gives us the power to rise again. But it is also that life that begins to conform us to His image here and now. It is the life that gives us the power to manifest Jesus to the watching world. It is the life which gives us the capacity to live victoriously in the midst of a secular society.

Conclusion:       The resurrection power centers in the person of Jesus Christ. He is alive because of that resurrection power. And because He lives, we live as well. But we live in our present situation by the power of His life living within us. He is both our future hope and our present strength. Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"