Day 18, Wednesday (March 27) - Living into His Name

Posted on: March 27, 2019
by: Gerrit Dawson, Senior Pastor

JESUS SAID, "I AM"

The Resurrection and the Life
Day 18 Wednesday

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EXPLORE THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST

For us there is one God, the Father,
from whom are all things and for whom we exist,
and one Lord, Jesus Christ,
through whom are all things and through whom we exist (1 Corinthians 8: 6).

JOHN 11: 17-27

Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

CONSIDER

How would you define resurrection?

In what way is Jesus himself the resurrection?

How does Christ’s resurrection affect our future resurrection?

Our present spiritual resurrection?

In what areas of your life do you desire to see resurrection?

What does the hope of future, embodied resurrection do for your daily life now?

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PRAY THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

Begin with the Jesus Prayer. Pray it reflectively several times, for yourself or on behalf of another.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Then pray the day’s prayer slowly and repeatedly for at least a minute (that’s about seven times). Allow the prayer to take you into the meaning of the day’s facet of Jesus’ name. Pray it for yourself and/or on behalf of another. Take your time and trust this process!

Lord Jesus Christ, Resurrection and the Life,

you wept over Lazarus as a man yet raised him as God;

so by such tender mercy raise me to life in you.

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LIVE INTO THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

He has granted to us his precious and very great promises,
so that through them you might become partakers of his divine
nature . . . For this very reason, supplement your faith with
virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness,
brotherly affection and love (2 Peter 1: 4-7).

ROMANS 6: 8-11, 13A

Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Do not present your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life.

CONSIDER

Paul considered that the literal events of Jesus’ death and resurrection have spiritual effects in us right now.

Based on the hope that we will live in Christ, how are we to live right now? If you’ve ever had to leave home for work, you know it’s important to “present” yourself so your boss and coworkers know you are there and ready to go. Every day, we have to “show up” to our work as those who are in Christ by making a choice about who our boss is. By presenting ourselves either to the old life of sin or the new master, Jesus the resurrection.

In what areas particularly do you feel led to renew your choice to be dead to sin and alive to God?

Will you claim the resurrection power of Jesus today for victory?

Close by singing these verses from Charles Wesley’s famous Easter hymn,

Love’s redeeming work is done, Alleluia!

Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia!

Death in vain forbids him rise, Alleluia!

Christ has opened Paradise. Alleluia!

Soar we now where Christ has led, Alleluia!

Following our exalted Head, Alleluia!

Made like him, like him we rise, Alleluia!

Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!

Charles Wesley. Christ the Lord Is Risen Today. 1708.