Trinity Church of Benicia
Remembering the Resurrected Christ - Amel Dominguez

      • Psalm 30:1–4ESV

  • Christ The Lord Is Risen Today
  • Not In Me

      • Matthew 28.1-3ESV

      • Matthew 28.4-6ESV

      • Matthew 28.7-8ESV

      • Matthew 28.9-11ESV

      • Matthew 28.12-14ESV

      • Matthew 28.15-17ESV

      • Matthew 28.18-20ESV

  • Come Behold The Wondrous Mystery
  • Dismiss the children if you haven’t already
    GREETINGS
    Good afternoon Church! Today is Easter Sunday and on this day we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
    …we are breaking from our normal flow of exposition from Revelations and Philippians to talk today specifically about Resurrection. With that in mind we are going to be in 2 Timothy, looking at select verses in chapter 1 and chapter 2.
    Go ahead and turn your Bibles there and as you make your way there, let me just say that we are glad that you are here this afternoon. If you are visiting we’re glad you came. If you have any questions about the church, about what you see or about anything you hear today, please feel free to pull me or any one of the elders aside and we’ll be glad to speak with you.
    We’re in 2 Timothy where I’ll be taking a cursory look at 2 Timothy 1:3-2:13. To start us off, let me simply read verse 8 of chapter 2.
    2 Timothy 2:8–10 ESV
    8 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, 9 for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! 10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
    The title of our sermon this morning is “Remembering the Resurrected Christ”!
    PRAY

    Introduction

    There are well known things in the Christian faith that I incorrectly interpreted as a kid growing up … Thing in which I was mis-guided, perhaps short sighted or even flat out mis-took for something else.
    For example, I thought when the church taught on the Reformation and mentioned Martin Luther … I thought they were talking about the Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. … when actually they were referring to Martin Luther, the great Protestant Reformer from the 16th century; not the 20th century.
    I also thought that Augustine of Hippo was surrounded by hippopotamuses. Hippo is actually a place back in the 4th/5th century that is today called Annaba, Algeria.
    I thought Christmas was for opening gifts, not celebrating the birth of Christ.
    I thought the church was the building, not the people.
    I thought salvation by grace was through works, not apart from works.
    I thought, I thought, I thought. Among those thoughts was Easter. I thought Easter celebrated rabbits and eggs. When I was younger, my dad got me and my brother a rabbit, and guess what people? Rabbits don’t lay eggs. They lay bunnies … baby rabbits … and if you don’t control it well, they lay lots of bunnies that will squeeze under your fence and infiltrate your neighbors back yards. We didn’t have a rat problem or a mouse problem in my neighborhood, we had a bunny problem.
    Friends, Easter is not about rabbits and eggs. I will say though, having Easter egg hunts are fun for kids and I don’t mean to knock on it, just like I wouldn’t knock on opening gifts on Christmas, but that’s not what it’s about.
    Easter is about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It recognizes that Jesus Christ became flesh, lived a real human life, died a real death and then three days later rose from the dead. Acts 2:24 says, “God…
    Acts 2:24 NASB95
    24 “But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.
    Death could not hold Jesus Christ, so even though he died a real death, He rose three days after His death and is alive today, seated at the right hand of the Father.
    Speaking of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:57 that God the Father “…gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” And what is this victory, but the victory over death so that Paul can say in 1 Corinthians 15:54, “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
    God’s answer to man’s plight of sin and impending looming death is for Jesus to die for the sins of many and to rise in victory so that those who believe in Jesus are saved beyond measure from their sins having a victory over sin that renders sin powerless over their souls. If you believe in Jesus, you will be saved, you will have eternal life, and you will be with God forevermore. And so you see dear friend, death is swallowed up in victory!
    In our text Paul tells Timothy, “Remember Jesus Christ risen from the dead.” I think what’s happening here is that Paul is offering an angle on the resurrection that Timothy has never thought of before. That’s why in 2:7 Paul tells Timothy “think over what I say.” And it’s not that Timothy was thinking about Easter bunnies and eggs, but there is something about the Resurrection that even Timothy who grew up in the faith needs to understand.
    I simply want to show from this text that remembering the Risen Christ isn’t just a mental assent to a past event; it is the active drawing upon God’s grace through resurrection hope as fuel for the people of God to joyfully serve God in this world.
    With 2 Timothy 2:8 in mind, let us look first at 2 Timothy 1:3 and consider…

    1. The Case for Remembering the Risen Christ

    Why do we need to remember Jesus as risen today? As we build this case for remembering the risen Christ…

    1.1. Consider Who You Are

    Paul knew who he was. (See verse 1) … He knew who Timothy was. (See verse 2)
    2 Timothy 1:1–2 ESV
    1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus, 2 To Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
    And in light of who he was and who Timothy was, Paul is able to say this in verse 3 …
    2 Timothy 1:3 ESV
    3 I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day.
    The rest of this chapter hangs on that statement “I thank God whom I serve” before he goes on to say in 2:1, “you then, my child” … where he transitions from Paul to Timothy so as to say that just as I have thankfully served God, “you then, my child” ought too as well.
    Paul had this tight knit discipleship relationship he had with Timothy. One in which he lead him spiritually when he refers to him in 1:2 as “my beloved child” and then again as “my child” in 2:1. John does this same thing in 1 John where he says in 2:1, “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.” You see the same thing there referring to children as people you pour into spiritually.
    Paul’s life of faith is going to carry on through Timothy’s life of faith as he pours into him spiritually carrying the faith from one generation to the next. You see that in 2 Timothy 2:2
    2 Timothy 2:2 ESV
    2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.
    Just as Paul poured into Timothy in the faith so must Timothy pour into others in the faith and so what you see in the Christian life is a heritage of faith.
    Notice that Paul in 1:3 connects serving God to “ancestry” which I believe dates as far back as Abraham if not further. Romans 4:16 states that as people of faith, Abraham “is the father of us all.” When you become a Christian, you inherit a rich heritage of faith that you can trace all the way back to Abraham. And just to be clear Paul does have faith very much in mind here.
    2 Timothy 1:5 ESV
    5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.
    There you see it’s kind of like a family tree. This statement by Paul, “I thank God whom I serve” is a matter of faith, identity, heritage, and a long line of grateful people of faith who serving God through the ages. Serving God gladly, gratefully, thankfully as people of faith, as servants of God! That’s who you are! By referring to Timothy as my beloved child is to pull him into this rich heritage of gratefully serving God.
    There’s more to this than just merely being a servant of God.

    1.2. Consider the Challenges that Come with Who You Are

    Paul asks Timothy to suffer hardship with him. As you may well know in 2:9 that Paul is “bound with chains as a criminal” which we know from church history that he doesn’t make it out of this thing alive. He is actually awaiting his execution. How sweet then the thought in 2:8 of resurrection … to remember Jesus Christ risen from the dead, which in Paul’s case he did as one facing death in this life. What did it mean for him to know that His resurrected Savior has accomplished victory over death for him … death which was around the corner for him.
    As we continue to build this case of why we need to remember the risen Christ, consider the challenges that come with simply being a Christian.
    What Paul knows about his life, which Timothy must know about his own life, and what we must all know about our lives is that in a world of sin and death is that hardship will attend our faith. That faith which is marked with grateful service to God has with it the hardships of life we must endure at the same time.
    To this we see Paul telling Timothy…
    2 Timothy 1:8 ESV
    8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,
    2 Timothy 2:3 ESV
    3 Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
    As we read those verses, let us be clear that Paul is not inviting Timothy to be bound in chains as a criminal; he is not inviting Timothy to die in prison with him! He invites him to share in suffering for the gospel in general.
    It’s like when there are soldiers fighting for your country in the battlefield and your asked to fight for your country, but your stuck at home and your just a kid. Your not going to be sent out into the battlefield, but how are you going to fight for your country? For that kid it might simply be helping mom at home, learning well at school, picking up a part-time job … but he sees himself very much a part of that fight.
    Faith in this life is coupled with hardship. Paul is in prison, but Timothy is not but they are in this together none the less.
    If you look at the ancestral line of faith in Hebrews 11, it talks about Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and then it says “and the prophets.” And then in between them and beyond them a countless many more people who by faith lived for God.
    Hebrews 11:36–38 ESV
    36 Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— 38 of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
    Men and women whose faith was met with hardship. Different places, different scenarios, but the same God whom they serve with the same heart of gratitude as they served.
    Paul says “I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors” of which Timothy is now a part of. Suffering for the gospel is not just for those in prison, but for those outside of prison. Not just for those with a pedigree even like Paul or the prophet Samuel, or the great father of faith, Abraham. Rahab was a prostitute. David was just a shepherd boy long before he became king. And Timothy … timid, frail, sickly. This is also for him, it’s also for me and it’s also for you.
    While this may not sound so appealing, just know that while Paul is building his case for remembering the risen Christ, he’s going after something.
    2 Timothy 1:4 ESV
    4 As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy.
    It’s not easy being a Christian. Can you blame him for wanting joy? Being filled with joy by the way doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t have joy. It could mean you have it and want more of it.

    1.3. Consider Your Need for Grace

    2 Timothy 2:1 ESV
    1 You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus,
    Paul can only thankfully serve God with all its challenges by grace. He needs strength because serving God must be done a certain way. Paul gives 3 examples for us to glean from.
    2 Timothy 2:3–6 ESV
    3 Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. 5 An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. 6 It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops.
    How will you be able to not entangle yourself with the affairs of everyday life (cf. v. 4)? How can you compete according to the rules (cf. v. 5)? How can you be hard working so as to deserve to get your share of the crops (cf. v. 6)? In other words how can you suffer for Jesus, serve God and do it right? How can you fulfill those illustrations of suffering (the soldier, the athlete, and the farmer) and continue to live a life that is pleasing to God? How can you actually get the joy that Paul seeks in verse 4? How can Timothy actually get the grace he needs to uphold this standard?
    The piece of advice that Paul has to offer is in verse 7 … think about it!!
    2 Timothy 2:7 ESV
    7 Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.
    This is deferring now to the work of the Spirit whom Jesus says in John 16:13-14
    John 16:13–14 ESV
    13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
    What this tells me is that it takes a spiritually discerning person to understand these things he has mentioned and what he’s about to say next.

    2. The Call To Remember the Risen Christ

    2 Timothy 2:8 ESV
    8 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel,
    Remember Jesus Christ. That’s the answer to the joy that Paul seeks more of. That’s the answer to the grace that Timothy is in deep need of. When you suffer, the tendency is to want to give up, is to want to complain, is to want to be miserable. Paul says…don’t go there…go here...remember Jesus Christ. In the context, the suffering is a suffering for Christ’s sake. Remember Him.
    Hebrews 12:2 tells us that the way we run with endurance the race set before us is by “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith.” We’re told there that if you consider the cross He endured for you, you’ll endure, you won’t lose heart, and you’ll keep going.

    2.1. Remember Jesus Christ Risen from the Dead

    Jesus Christ was crucified, buried, and on the third day resurrected. 1 Corinthians 15 tells us that this is of first importance.
    1 Corinthians 15:3–4 ESV
    3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
    The risen Christ means that He conquered sin and according to Acts 2:24 when God raised Him from the dead He put an end to the agony of death.
    Here are a few things to consider:
    The resurrection is what Jesus used to cause His disciples to believe in the Scriptures (John 2:22).
    Paul tells us that the resurrection is what you believe in your heart when you get saved (Rom 10:9).
    In 1 Cor 15:17 Paul tells us that if Jesus was not raised from the dead your faith is worthless.
    An interesting title Jesus gives to Christians is “sons of the resurrection” (Luke 20:36) because the hope of every believer is one day we will be like Him in His resurrected state.
    Philippians 3:20–21 ESV
    20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.
    What an amazing thing we are encouraged with this afternoon, to remember Jesus Christ risen from the dead. Even more amazing are the things that we must remember about Jesus along with His resurrection.

    2.2. Remember Jesus Christ Descendant of David

    There’s a promise in the Bible that states that God will give a descendant of David an eternal throne. And so it’s significant that Jesus Christ is a descendant of David.
    Luke 1:30-33 says,
    Luke 1:30–33 ESV
    30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
    The problem with that of course is that the mission of Jesus was to die a sacrificial death on the cross for the forgiveness of sins. Death is terminal. It puts an end to things. Which is why the resurrection is so special. He was resurrected from the dead because as Acts 2:24 indicates, death could not hold Him making Him a descendant of David who could actually assume the throne forever.
    That’s why the angel says there will be no end to His kingdom. It’s a risen Jesus who can assume the throne of David eternally. He is my king forever!

    2.3. Remember Jesus Christ According to Paul’s Gospel

    You know the gospel! According to God's gospel, you're a sinner in need of God's grace this morning. If you were honest, it probably wouldn't be hard to point out ways you have offended God, violated His commands, dishonored His name and outright rejected Him. You don’t even need to recall memories from 40 years ago. You might only have to go back 40 minutes or take a look at yesterday or even this past week. God is so holy that the slightest hint of sin or offense separates us from Him forever. Peace with God is only attained through faith in Christ.
    Romans 10:9 ESV
    9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
    That’s the gospel. And core to Paul’s gospel is this:
    1 Corinthians 15:17 ESV
    17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.
    In other words, the authenticity of the gospel hangs on the truth and reality of a risen Jesus.
    1 Corinthians 15:20 ESV
    20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
    You need to remember “Jesus Christ risen from the dead” because apart from the risen Jesus there is no eternal king and apart from a risen savior there is no gospel. The resurrection is that important.
    This is why Paul can say “I thank God whom I serve” even from prison. And Paul tells Timothy to “remember Jesus Christ risen from the dead” so that he too can thank God whom he serves. But why did you need hear this today?

    3. The Conviction

    3.1. The gospel of a resurrected Jesus has been unleashed

    2 Timothy 2:9 ESV
    9 for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound!

    3.2. The salvation of a resurrected Jesus can be had (2:10)

    2 Timothy 2:10 ESV
    10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

    3.3. The demand of a resurrected Jesus is faith (2:11-13)

    2 Timothy 2:11–13 ESV
    11 The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; 12 if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; 13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.
    Faith
    Verse 11 - faith - live with Him
    Verse 12 - faith - reign with Him
    Verse 13 - faith - remaining with Him

    Conclusion

    You need the resurrection no matter who you are this afternoon.
    If you’ve never believed in Jesus Christ…place your faith Him…by believing in Him, His victory is yours…
    If you have placed your faith in Jesus…only a resurrected Christ can get you through what you are going through and what you will go through.
    PRAY
    Communion
    If you are a baptized believer in good standing with your local church, we invite you to join us in communion. Otherwise we ask that you simply let the elements pass and observe this memorial of communion.
    Our text today is not necessarily a communion text, but much of the Christian life is about remembering Jesus Christ. Just as we remembered Him as resurrected during the sermon, we remember Him now during this time as the One who died for us. We know that He rose for us, but it was only because He first died for us. Communion is a time, as Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 11:26 to proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
    The bread is a symbol of His body which He offered up as a sacrifice. The juice is a symbol of His blood which was spilt for you. Through these elements we remember His death. We remember that Jesus Christ died for us to…
    save us
    to bring us into relationship with God
    to give us eternal life
    …
    …
    Make sure everyone has elements
    Pray and partake

      • 2 Timothy 2:8–10ESV

      • Acts 2:24ESV

      • 2 Timothy 1:1–2ESV

      • 2 Timothy 1:3ESV

      • 2 Timothy 2:2ESV

      • 2 Timothy 1:5ESV

      • 2 Timothy 1:8ESV

      • 2 Timothy 2:3ESV

      • Hebrews 11:36–38ESV

      • 2 Timothy 1:4ESV

      • 2 Timothy 2:1ESV

      • 2 Timothy 2:3–6ESV

      • 2 Timothy 2:7ESV

      • John 16:13–14ESV

      • 2 Timothy 2:8ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 15:3–4ESV

      • Philippians 3:20–21ESV

      • Luke 1:30–33ESV

      • Romans 10:9ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 15:17ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 15:20ESV

      • 2 Timothy 2:9ESV

      • 2 Timothy 2:10ESV

      • 2 Timothy 2:11–13ESV

  • In Christ Alone
  • Mighty To Save

      • Hebrews 13:20–21ESV

Trinity Church of Benicia
info@trinitybenicia.com
http://www.trinitybenicia.com
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