The Witness and Power of the Resurrection | Sunday, August 29, 2021

Welcome to Cross Connection Church online! We're so grateful that you're joining us today. Before we get started, we want to let you know that if you want more information about Cross Connection and some of the things that we do here, make sure you check out lifeandconnection.com.

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What a beautiful name it is! What a beautiful name it is—the name of Jesus Christ, my King. What a beautiful name it is; nothing compares to this. What a beautiful name it is—the name of Jesus.

What a wonderful name it is! What a wonderful name it is—the name of Jesus. What a wonderful name it is.

At the beginning of this month, we began this series, "First Things First," focusing on the book of Revelation, specifically Revelation chapter 3. There, Jesus writes a letter to the church in the ancient city of Sardis. He opens His words to them, saying, "And to the angel of the church at Sardis write: These things says He who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars: 'I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God. Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore, if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know the hour that I will come upon you. You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments, and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'"

Jesus says to that church to strengthen the things which remain that are about to die. Looking at the landscape of Christianity in the West as we are now one-fifth into the 21st century, it can be a little disconcerting. It can sometimes feel as though the church is like this church in Revelation chapter 3—a church that is almost as if it is on life support. That is a concerning thing to see, especially for someone like me who is a pastor. It is my calling to minister to a church and to equip the saints for the work of the ministry. Therefore, to see the state of the church in the West here in 2021 is disconcerting.

In 1864, a young German, at the age of about 20 years old, began studying theology and classical philology at the University of Bonn in Germany. His hopes were to become a minister.

But after only one semester, he stopped his theological studies and eventually lost his faith. Nearly twenty years after that, when he was in his late thirties, he wrote this story, a parable—almost a poetic sort of parable. He writes, "Have you not heard of the madman who lit a lantern in the bright morning hours and ran to the marketplace and cried incessantly, 'I seek God! I seek God!'"

As many of those who did not believe in God were standing around, he provoked much laughter. "Has he got lost?" asked one. "Did he lose his way like a child?" asked another. "Or is he hiding? Is he afraid of us? Has he gone on a voyage, immigrated?" Thus, they yelled and laughed.

The madman jumped into their midst and pierced them with his eyes. "Whither is God?" he cried. "I will tell you: we have killed him. You and I, all of us, are his murderers. But how did we do this? How did we drink up the sea? Who gave us the sponge to wipe away the entire horizon? What were we doing when we unchained this earth from its sun? Whither is it moving now? Whither are we moving now, away from all suns? Are we not plunging continually backwards, sideward, forward in all directions? Is there still any up or down? Are we not straying as through an infinite nothing? Do we not feel the breath of empty space? Has it not become colder? Is not night continually closing in on us? Do we not need to light lanterns in the morning? Do we hear nothing as yet of the noise of the gravediggers who are bearing God? Do we smell nothing as yet of the divine decomposition? God is to decompose. God is dead. God remains dead, and we have killed him."

"How shall we comfort ourselves, the murderers of all murderers? What was holiest and mightiest of all that the world has yet owned has bled to death under our knives. Who will wipe this blood off of us? What water is there to clean ourselves? What festivals of atonement? What sacred games shall we have to invent? Is not the greatness of this deed too great for us? Must we ourselves become gods simply to appear worthy of it? There has never been a greater deed, and whoever is born after us for the sake of this deed will belong to a higher history than all history hitherto."

Here, the madman fell silent. He looked again at his listeners, and they too were silent and stared at him in astonishment. At last, he threw his lantern on the ground, and it broke into pieces and went out. "I've come too early," he said. "My time has not yet come. This tremendous event is still on its way, still wandering. It is yet to reach the ears of men. Lightning and thunder require time; the light of the stars..."

Requires time. Deeds, though done, still require time to be seen and heard. This deed is still more distant from them than the most distant stars, and yet they have done it themselves. It has been related further that on the same day, the madman forced his way into several churches and there struck up his requiem. Eternam dale led out and called to account. He has said always to have replied nothing but, after all, what are these churches now if they are not the tombs and sepulchers of God?

The author of those words published them in 1882, and then he died as a madman on August 25th, 1900, 121 years ago this last Wednesday. He died in a mental asylum in Weimar, Germany. His name was Friedrich Nietzsche. The madman proclaimed there in his parable, in his story, the death of God. He said, "We have killed God, and what will become of us, the murderers of God?" When he wrote those words, he recognized that he had come too soon for the people living in his day at the end of the 19th century. The culture of his time did not really know how to respond to the madman other than to laugh at him and to mock.

But the madman could see that this homicide of God would result in untold horrors. The 20th century showed us what it looks like to live in an advanced and technological society and culture without the recognition of God, in a culture that has effectively killed God. Germany, at the turn of the 20th century, right as Friedrich Nietzsche died, was possibly the most progressive and intellectually advanced society of the modern era. It had been the center of the Christian Reformation and the epicenter for the launch of modern missions. It was a center for the Enlightenment, and from within its borders came inventions like the printing press, the bicycle, the automobile, the diesel engine, and aspirin. Rocket engines and many other world-changing innovations also came from Germany.

Then, in the 20th century, Germany also innovated.

In extreme forms of misery, death camps and gas chambers were invented, plunging the entire world into two world wars that resulted in the deaths of more than 130 million people. Ideas have consequences, and we are living with the reverberations of the philosophy of Nietzsche, as well as other philosophers like him. These reverberations are still affecting Western culture today.

Why did I set out to do this series? First things first, it is because of a concern that I have. I am afraid that we do not really learn very well from history. Although there were scattered revivals of Christianity in Western culture during the second half of the 20th century, and some of you who may watch this experienced some forms of those revivals, I think of the Jesus People movement of the 1960s, 1970s, and extending into the 1980s. Even so, there were small revivals in the second half of the 20th century, but we are once again at this moment here in 2021. It seems, in so many ways, like we are on the path of the madman.

I am convinced that the only hope for our culture—and this is really important—the only hope for our culture, and not just for our culture but really the only hope for the world, is the gospel of Jesus Christ and the salvation that He brings.

I found it interesting that about a week and a half ago, I was listening to a podcast interview, not a Christian podcast at all. The interview was with an individual who has been writing for years for different publications like Newsweek and Slate. This gentleman, Andrew Sullivan, is probably in his late 50s or middle 60s. He is a homosexual man who has lived with HIV for decades. In the interview, the interviewer asked Andrew Sullivan what he thinks will help the culture. He responded, "I think the only hope for our culture is a revival of Christianity."

It is an amazing thing when an individual like Andrew Sullivan observes that the only hope for our culture is a revival of Christianity. That should say something.

As a pastor, you would expect me to say that the only hope for our culture and for the world is a revival of Christianity, the gospel of Jesus Christ. However, it is pretty phenomenal to hear other people, who really don't have a connection to the Scriptures, expressing similar sentiments.

Though I am often accused of being a little too optimistic, the last 17 months have caused me and many others to be concerned that the church in the West is not in a great place. Before we can even entertain the thought of hope and revival in the West, revival needs to take place within the church first. Far too many Christians, I’m afraid, have in some way mourned the death of God themselves; they are living as though God were dead.

We need to be reminded that God both died and rose from the dead 2,000 years ago. It is still reasonable to believe the things of Scripture, especially as we live in a time and culture where people are deconstructing their faith. Many are questioning whether they believe in the God of the Bible or if they believe in God at all.

This challenge is reminiscent of Friedrich Nietzsche, who started on a path to become a minister but, through various experiences, arrived at a place of denial regarding God's existence. We must come back and consider whether these beliefs are reasonable. I believe it is both reasonable and rational to accept the truths we read in Scripture.

This conviction is a significant part of why I have been teaching the things I have over the last several weeks in this series. The narrative of our time suggests that there is no God and that everything we see in the universe came to be from a massive explosion, the Big Bang, 13.8 billion years ago. However, I believe there is evidence that supports a much better story than the one often told by our culture.

We have what I would call a tale of two stories. One story claims that everything happened by random chance and mutation over billions of years, that everything emerged from chaos and ordered itself over time.

For years, one story says everything was designed and created for a purpose by a superordinate and superintending mind. Another story claims that there is no ultimate purpose, order, or end to the things that exist. One story leads to what one author called zero-point nihilism, a feeling that there is no point to anything, that there is nothing of value, no true or objective knowledge, no objective morality or ethics, and no objective beauty. This view ultimately asserts that there is no meaning to anything, and therefore, there is no hope.

In contrast, the other worldview posits the existence of God and the possibility of love, joy, peace, goodness, purpose, destiny, and hope. Now, if given the option, which story would you choose? I know for certain which story I would want, especially when presented with the seeming hopelessness of a broken world in which things like Haitian earthquakes and Taliban warlords exist.

It is entirely logical, I guess you could say, for people to look at all the things presented by our modern and even postmodern society and say, "I would like to believe these things. I would like to believe this story that Christians tell and believe from the Scriptures." However, many people, like Friedrich Nietzsche, would argue that it sounds like fiction. They would love to believe it, but it seems like a fantasy in light of all the discrediting evidence in science. It appears that if you believe these things, you are pretending that everything is glorious while the band continues to play on as you stand on the decks of a sinking Titanic.

There are those who will say that science has discredited the story we want to believe. That is what science sees, and that is what postmodern people believe. But I don't think so. I have presented to you over the last several weeks my views on why I think these things are reasonable to believe.

The chief story of science was the focus of my message last time, and I will admit that I approached it with a tone of mockery. As I read from the Institute of Physics website, I discussed how 13.8 billion years ago, this event occurred, and one second after it happened, I was a little mocking in my tone. I was no less mocking than those who reject God often are when they speak about Christianity. I acknowledge that I may have been guilty of presenting a straw man, mockingly portraying the scientific assumptions of our time.

This is because the narratives presented on physics websites or in science textbooks often sound a little science fiction-like. They can seem just as fantastical as the way people present the story of Scripture, along with the tone they use. After giving that message and somewhat straw manning the views put forth by many science textbooks today, I had a great conversation here at the church on Sunday with a young man and his mom. They had some questions about my mocking tone.

Before I continue with what I want to discuss this week, I want to address a valid question that arose from that conversation. The question is this: in mocking the story of what I would call 21st-century Western scientism—the narrative that begins with a giant big bang 13.8 billion years ago—are you suggesting that we shouldn't consider the findings of science as being of value?

The answer to that is no; I am not saying that we shouldn't value what the scientific community is able to present. In fact, I think that the scientific method is amazing, and the results of scientific endeavors, in many ways, speak for themselves. Over the last 500 years, the discoveries that have been made and the outcomes of all these scientific discoveries are absolutely remarkable. However, here's the problem: it isn't...

An issue of the scientific method or the process of doing science is not the core problem. Rather, it is an issue of what I would call the a priori assumptions that many researchers make when they engage in scientific study.

What do I mean by that? Those terms may not be something you have heard before. When I talk about an a priori assumption, I am referring to where you begin your scientific study and what fixed assumptions you have before starting your research. The fixed assumption that many people who engage in scientific research today hold is simply this: there is no God. Without a shadow of a doubt, they will assert that there is no such thing as a superintending, superordinate creating being that we would call God.

If you begin your research by stating that this is not possible, that there is no place for a God hypothesis, then I would argue that you will always end up with skewed observations. If that is your starting point, you will have a biased outcome. Consequently, every time you reach a point in your scientific study that seems to suggest design or intent behind the things you are observing—whether in biology, astronomy, physics, mathematics, or any other field—you will default back to the assumption that there is no God.

This leads to a constant struggle to explain away why it appears that there is design in whatever you are studying. There are many instances in science where the study leads you to conclude that things look designed. However, those who start from the premise that there is no God must find a way to rationalize this appearance of design. Therefore, your conclusions will always be skewed.

I believe this is where we are at in 21st-century Western culture. It is important for well-meaning individuals to recognize these assumptions in their scientific endeavors.

Research to leave room in their studies for the possibility of a God hypothesis is essential. If you're interested in these things, I would highly recommend a book that just came out recently, within the last six months, by an author named Dr. Stephen Meyer. It's called "The Return of the God Hypothesis." It is a really good book on this point. He is a research scientist and a philosopher, and he digs into these important topics. He reveals some of what science in the last 25 years has uncovered that points back to the fact that there is a God.

I believe that it's important for us to always leave room in our studies for the possibility of the God hypothesis. As the Scriptures reveal, as I've pointed out pretty much every week over the last several weeks, the heavens declare the glory of God, and the earth shows forth God's handiwork (Psalm 19:1). This is general revelation; the heavens show us that there is a God.

In the New Testament book of Romans, Paul writes in Romans 1:20, "Since the creation of the world, God's invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even God's eternal power and Godhead, so that man is without excuse." Creation, consciousness, and conscience reveal to us that God exists. Not just that He exists, but that He is powerful and intelligent. Our awareness of ourselves through consciousness, and our awareness of our place in this universe, lead us to expect that there is a God who is good, true, loving, just, and desires a relationship with us.

As you begin to consider these things and look into the Scriptures, you find that this God has revealed Himself not just through general revelation, but also through special revelation. In the New Testament book of Hebrews, I mentioned this the last couple of weeks. Hebrews 1:1 states, "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has revealed Himself to us in intelligible ways so that we would know."

God revealed Himself to us so that we would know what He is like, His nature, and His will. Not only that, but we might also know Him relationally, allowing us to engage with Him in a relational way. The Bible describes not just the nature of God—what He is like—and the will of God—what He likes—but it also tells us the story of how God came to the earth as the man Jesus of Nazareth 2,000 years ago.

In Philippians chapter 2, verses 6 and 7, it says that Jesus, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God. Instead, He made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant and coming in the likeness of men.

Additionally, in the Gospel of John, chapter 1, we read the opening words: "In the beginning was the Word" (with a capital W), "and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." The term "Word" here is the Greek word "Logos." So, in the beginning was the Logos, and the Logos was with God, and the Logos was God. He was in the beginning with God, and all things were made through Him. This Logos is a person, personified as Him, and without Him, nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and this life was the light of men.

Skipping down to verse 14, the author of the Gospel of John states, "And the Word, the Logos, became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."

These are, I believe, the basic things that every Christian needs to know. First things first, if we are going to stand upon a firm foundation of faith, we must start with these truths. What do we observe in general revelation through creation, consciousness, and conscience? What do we find when we look into the special revelation of Scripture? What do we learn when we begin to draw near to and get to know God through Jesus Christ? This is the basics; this is where we need to start.

We covered all of this last week and the week before, but as I closed last week, I shared with you that the proof point or the breaking point of this glorious story is something I will grant to the skeptic.

They seem to be fanciful. They seem to be like, "Well, that's a great myth; that's a great fiction." But how do we assure ourselves or come to an assurance that these things are true? We want assurance. The smart people of the Apostle Paul's day in the city of Athens, as described in Acts chapter 17, wanted some proof as well. Paul says in verse 31 of chapter 17 that God has given us assurance that these things are true—the things of Scripture, the special revelation of Scripture. He has given us assurance of all of this through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The proof point, or the breaking point, of this glorious story of God personally revealing Himself to us through the Gospel of Jesus Christ hangs upon the resurrection of Christ. How can we know? How can we be assured that this story, this excellent story about God coming down to us, is actually true and not just true because the Bible tells me so? For a long time, many Christians would simply say, "Well, I believe these things because the Bible tells me so."

What I've been driving home for the last several weeks is what we would call apologetics. The Apostle Peter, in one of his letters, says to sanctify the Lord God in your heart and always be ready to give a defense for the hope that is within you, with meekness and fear. That word "defense," to always be ready to give a defense, is the Greek word "apologia," and that is where we get this idea of apologetics.

So, what I'm doing here is giving you an apologetic for why we believe what we believe. We don't just say, "Well, I believe it because the Bible tells me so." There are many things that we know and believe because of what we find in Scripture, but how do we establish that this is valid and worth investing time in discovering what it has to say?

What I'm hoping to do in the time that I have remaining today, and it will be in a relatively brief way because I've been putting so much into this, is two things. First, I want to talk about the evidence for the resurrection. At the end of my message last time, I said that we would consider the evidence beyond simply saying, "Well, the Bible tells me so." What is the evidence that these things are true?

Are true because Paul said in Acts 17, verse 31, "God has given us assurance, evidence by raising Jesus from the dead." The first thing I want to do is consider the evidence for the resurrection. The second thing I want to do, in closing this message today and this series called "First Things First," is to return to where I started five weeks ago. That began with those verses in Revelation, chapter 3, verses 1 through 6, where Jesus says to the church at Sardis, "Strengthen the things which remain."

I feel that it is necessary for us who believe these things, if you are a believer in the Scriptures and a believer in Christ, to strengthen the things which remain and to be strengthened in our faith. We need to be able to move forward in our relationship and walk with Jesus. This good news, what we call the Gospel, the good news about Jesus coming to this world to bring salvation, requires a response on your part and action on my part.

But first, the evidence that I believe makes this faith in the resurrection reasonable. What is the evidence? For this, I want to recommend a book and an author who wrote this book to consider this important topic. The leading expert on the historic evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ is a man by the name of Gary Habermas.

Gary Habermas has an M.A. in philosophical theology and Christian thought from the University of Detroit, and he also has a Ph.D. in the history and philosophy of religion from Michigan State University. He is a distinguished professor and chair of the Department of Philosophy and Theology at Liberty University, and he is a true expert on the topic of the resurrection. He wrote a book several years ago called "The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus," in which he presents what he calls the minimal facts argument for the resurrection.

When, in 1976, Dr. Habermas presented and defended his doctoral thesis on a rational inquiry into the resurrection of Jesus, he was told by his advisors and those people he would have to sit before to defend his thesis that he would be discussing the resurrection of Jesus.

Dr. Habermas set out to research the resurrection of Jesus from sources outside of the Bible. His goal was to receive his PhD, focusing on how we can establish that the resurrection happened beyond a reasonable doubt, according to evidence beyond what the Bible has to say. If you're interested in this topic, you can actually download all 350-plus pages of his doctoral thesis from 1976 online for free. It is available as a PDF, or you can send me an email, and I will send it to you if you want to read all 350 pages.

However, his book, which he wrote within the last decade and a half, titled "The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus," is much more accessible than the thesis. The thesis is written in very academic language and is heavily footnoted, while the book is easier to read and can be found online wherever books are sold.

Dr. Habermas presents what he calls the "four plus one" minimal facts of the resurrection, or five facts that he provides as evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which are strongly attested in history. He notes that these facts are granted by virtually all scholars on the subject, even those who are skeptical of the resurrection. This means that even skeptical scholars and historians agree on these five facts.

I want to share these five facts from Dr. Habermas, which he refers to as the minimal facts for the resurrection. You can read more about this in his book, "The Case for the Resurrection."

The very first fact is that Jesus of Nazareth was a real individual in history who died by crucifixion. This is important because some people question whether there was a real Jesus of Nazareth who actually died by crucifixion 2,000 years ago. However, there is a record of this event, which is documented in all four New Testament Gospels as well as by a number of non-Christian, extra-biblical sources. Thus, it is established that Jesus of Nazareth was indeed a real individual in history who died by crucifixion.

The second fact that Dr. Habermas puts forward, which even skeptical historians will recognize and grant as true, is that Jesus's disciples believed that Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to them alive again. I am just giving you these brief points on the minimal facts. If you want a deeper research of this, get the book or read the PDF thesis from Dr. Habermas online. This is really important: Jesus was a real man who lived 2,000 years ago and died by Roman crucifixion in Jerusalem.

The second fact is that Jesus's disciples believed that He rose from the dead and had appeared to them alive. The third point is that a church persecutor and skeptic of the resurrection himself, Saul of Tarsus, reversed his skeptical position after he had an encounter with the resurrected Jesus. He was radically transformed to become one of the greatest preachers of Christ in the first century and is known in history as the Apostle Paul.

Saul of Tarsus was a skeptic of Christ, a skeptic of the resurrection, and a persecutor of followers of Jesus. Then he had his own personal encounter with the resurrected Jesus. This skeptic, Saul of Tarsus, turned Apostle Paul, became one of the greatest preachers. Everywhere he went, he provided evidence for his transformation and for the Christian faith, always putting forward the resurrection of Jesus.

To summarize the minimal facts: First, Jesus of Nazareth was a real man who was crucified 2,000 years ago by the Romans. Second, the followers of Jesus all believed and taught that He had risen from the dead and appeared to them alive. Third, one of the great skeptics and early persecutors of followers of Jesus became a believer and preacher of Jesus after he had an encounter with Him.

The fourth fact is that another skeptic, the half-brother of Jesus, a man named James, was radically changed by an encounter with the resurrected Jesus. Jesus's own family, including His mother Mary, had brothers and sisters, but one of His brothers, James, became a follower. They all were concerned that their beliefs were being challenged, but James was an outspoken skeptic.

Brother Jesus might seem crazy, and you can see that in the Gospels. However, Jesus rose from the dead, and James became a follower. The fifth and final fact that scholars agree upon is that the tomb was empty.

Now, this is one of those things that if the Jews wanted to disprove the resurrection of Jesus, or if the Romans wanted to disprove it in the first century, all they had to do was produce the tomb with the body of Jesus. They couldn't, because the tomb was empty.

These five facts are the minimal facts we can see from history. There is a lot more to this than just these things, but these five points are significant: Jesus was a real individual who lived 2,000 years ago and was crucified by the Romans outside of Jerusalem. His disciples believed that He rose from the dead; they went to their deaths proclaiming that He rose from the dead and appeared to them alive. The skeptic Paul, also known as Saul of Tarsus, became a believer after he encountered the resurrected Jesus. James, the half-brother of Jesus, was a skeptic who also became a believer after he encountered the resurrected Jesus. Finally, the tomb was empty.

These are the facts that you can focus on. Dr. Habermas, as well as other apologists, have spoken extensively on this topic over the last quarter-century, especially. You can find numerous talks and resources online.

When you consider the facts, I believe it is rational and reasonable to conclude this important point: the evidence supports the claim that Jesus of Nazareth died by crucifixion and rose from the dead. It is reasonable to believe, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the evidence supports this claim.

If you want to examine the evidence on your own, I encourage you to do so, especially if you are skeptical. The evidence is available; you can check it out online, whether through reading, watching, or listening. Gary Habermas's research is a great place to start. Another excellent resource is Lee Strobel, who has written several books, including "The Case for Christianity," "The Case for Faith," and "The Case for the Resurrection." He delves into some of these minimal facts arguments. There is a lot of material out there. Josh McDowell's book, "The Evidence That Demands a Verdict," is considered a classic, and his son, Sean McDowell, is also involved in this field.

Also, an apologist who writes extensively on these topics is Jay Warner Wallace. He has a great book called "Cold Case Christianity," which I would highly recommend. All of these resources are excellent starting points and are very accessible. They are easy to understand and do not use super deep theological language; they are presented at a popular level. If you're interested in this, check out these resources. We will have some links below in the show notes where you can find out more about these topics.

There are numerous YouTube videos and podcasts available that discuss these matters. As I mentioned, I think it is reasonable and rational to conclude that the evidence supports the claim that Jesus of Nazareth died by crucifixion and rose from the dead. But then what? The evidence demands a response. Just as Josh McDowell's book states, the evidence demands a verdict. I want to emphasize that the evidence demands a response. In light of all these things, how shall we then live? Ideas have consequences.

The ideas of Friedrich Nietzsche have had significant reverberations for the last 150 years, and we are witnessing those effects continue today. If it is true that there is no God, as Nietzsche claimed when he said "God is dead," what does that mean? What are the effects of that belief? In the 19th century, we saw a significant call for this idea, and during the same period, Charles Darwin's book "The Origin of Species" was published, which further fueled this movement. There was a kind of tumbling snowball effect with various scientific developments, leading people to question the existence of God. However, they were not very open to the evidence for God's existence.

Fast forward 150 to 170 years from the mid-19th century to now, and we can observe the consequences of these views. Here are some things to consider: we are currently experiencing a meaning crisis in the West. There is also a crisis of morality; our culture is filled with questions about whether objective morality exists. No one can definitively say what is right or wrong, and in fact, people will emphatically assert that there is no absolute truth.

It's wrong to say anything is wrong, even though they don't recognize the self-defeating argument that they're giving. The consequences of this "no God" sort of thinking, or the "death of God," lead to no meaning, no morality, no objective truth. That's exactly what post-modern thought is all about: no objective truth, no objective standards, no ultimate purpose, no hope.

If there is no resurrection, then this is where we come to. If there is no God, there's no meaning, there's no morality, there's no objective truth, no ultimate purpose, and no hope. But if the resurrection is true, what does that mean? It means that what Jesus said about Himself is true. It means that there is a God who is our Father. It means that God created you and me for a purpose. It means that life has meaning. It means that there is objective truth, goodness, beauty, and morality. It means that there is hope for life beyond this life.

Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he were dead, yet he shall live." If all of these things are true, then the fact of the resurrection should radically transform everything about our lives and the way that we live. That transformation, if it is true and you have trusted in Him, ought to be evident in us in an evidently powerful way.

This is where I began five weeks ago. I have been grieved as I have shared over the last 17 months of chaos: political chaos, racial chaos, medical chaos, world chaos, division, anger, anxiety, fear, uncertainty, and doubt. I have been grieved because the transforming power of the resurrection should be far more evident in us who believe. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. All the old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."

The transforming power of the resurrection needs to be seen in a living church by a dying world. Let me say that again; this is so important: the transforming power of the resurrection.

Needs to be seen in a living church by a dying world. That's what this world desperately needs to see. They need to witness the transforming power of the resurrection in my life and in your life. What has grieved me so much as I look at the church—not just this church, because I really do believe that God is doing a great work here at Cross Connection Church—even if the last 17 months have been a time of great pruning. There is beautiful fruit happening here at this church. In fact, right now, as I am in this room recording, we have tables set up because we are doing an outreach just before this airs on Saturday. Nearly half of the people who have been coming here on Sunday mornings are coming to help with this outreach. That is great fruit of what God is doing.

However, as I look at the church as a whole in the West, the big C Church, it seems like the power of the resurrection has been overshadowed by all the chaos that has occurred in our world over the last 17 months. The effects of this chaos have only inflamed people's flesh—their impatience, their anger, their unkindness, and their unwillingness to forgive. There is a crazy time that we have been going through, and so the power of the resurrection, the transforming power of it, needs to be seen in a living church by a dying world.

In what ways? There are so many different ways I could spend weeks talking about this, but I don't have weeks; I have minutes. In fact, I've been going for quite a while now, so I need to wrap this up. I want to talk about one necessary way in which the transforming power of the resurrection should be evident in you and in me. If we believe these things in the church, how should this transforming power be seen?

As I mentioned, over the last 17 months, this transforming power has been overshadowed by our flesh due to all the things that have inflamed it. In a very sad and bad way, it has been overshadowed. I want to show from the Scriptures one very necessary way that this power of the resurrection should be seen in us, and it is found in Philippians chapter two. If you're following along in a Bible, you can open to Philippians chapter two. I have already talked about this today and in previous weeks.

I've referenced this passage of Scripture because in Philippians chapter two, Paul is writing about the humility and exaltation of Jesus. He says this in Philippians chapter 2, beginning at verse 6: "Jesus, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross."

We have already touched on this passage today, but I want to close this message with what Paul says just before he comes to those words. Those words were probably one of the earliest Christian hymns. Why does Paul include this Christian hymn, one of the earliest and probably well-known Christian hymns of his time, in this letter to the church in Philippi?

When you dig a little deeper into this letter, I believe the reason becomes clear. The church at Philippi was a church that was near to Paul's heart; he loved the people in the city of Philippi. However, when Paul wrote this letter to them, they were a divided church. Does that sound familiar? Division in the church is not new; it is something you find all the way back in the early church in the New Testament. One of the effects of division is always a tarnishing of the work and witness of the church.

So, when Paul writes this letter to the church at Philippi, he is trying to get them to fix the division problem. He uses this hymn about the coming of Christ, Christ's advent, to talk about Christ's kenosis—what theologians call Christ's kenosis—as an example for what he wanted the Philippian Christians to do. What does he want them to do?

Let me read to you the larger context of where this passage is found, and we will look very briefly at what it was that Paul wanted the Philippians to do. Beginning at Philippians chapter one, look at verse 27. There, Paul says to the church at Philippi, "Only let your..."

Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come to you and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel. Paul says, "I want you to be united, united together with one spirit and one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel." You're a divided church; I want you to be joined together.

In verse 28, he continues, "And not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God." For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ not only to believe in Him but also to suffer for His sake, having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me.

Therefore, if there is any consolation, as stated in Philippians chapter 2, verse 1, "If there is any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, united together." This was a divided church. He says, "Make me happy by being united together, by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind." He keeps hammering this home; I want you to be joined together, like-minded, joined together as one, of one accord, of one mind.

In verse 3, he instructs, "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests but also for the interests of others."

Let this mind

The transforming power of the resurrection should be evident in our lives by the way that we love and by the way that we lay our lives down for others. That's what we see in this text. The transforming power of the resurrection should be evident in our lives by the way that we love and the way that we lay our lives down for others.

When you think about that, isn't that exactly what we see in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus? He loved us and he laid his life down for us. Jesus said on the night that he would be betrayed, as he was with his disciples and washed their feet, "I have given you an example that you should do as I have done for you."

Aside from all the other things that the gospel and the power of the resurrection ought to do in our lives, one of the things it should compel us to do is to love other people, both those within the body of Christ and those outside, and to lay our lives down for others. That's exactly what Jesus did for us.

In this moment, amidst all the chaos that is happening, I keep telling my kids that we are living through things right now that, if the Lord doesn't return soon, will be talked about and written about for hundreds of years. We are living through historic times. Sometimes you get to live in times where not a lot of history is happening, and things are pretty good. It has not been like that for the last 17 months, and it doesn't seem like it's going to change in the near future.

For people who are Christians, whose lives have been transformed by the resurrecting power of Jesus Christ, we need to be those in whom this transformation is evident. One of the ways it will be evident is in the way that we love other people and lay our lives down for them. In the very same passage where Jesus said, "I have given you an example that you should do as I have done to you," he also said, "By this will all people know that you are my followers."

By this, all people will know that you have been radically transformed by the resurrection of Jesus Christ and that you love one another. May it be that God does that work in us to the point where we realize that we should let nothing be done by selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind, we esteem others better than ourselves. Let each of you look out not only for your own interests but also for the interests of others, because this is exactly what Jesus did when he came to the world.

Father God, I pray as we close out this series.

Considered the general revelation, the heavens declare the glory of God. As we consider the special revelation, You, through prophets, have revealed what You are like, Lord. As You have revealed Yourself, Jesus, You came to the earth that we might know You. All of these things are proven by the resurrection, and there is evidence that the resurrection happened. It is reasonable for us to believe that these things occurred.

If we believe that it is true, and if it is true, it ought to change us in a very powerful way. I pray for myself, I pray for this church, and I pray for the church at large in America and in the world. I ask that You would do a work in us by the transforming power of the resurrection, and that we would shine brightly in such a way that people would look at us and say, "Those people love like Christ and they lay down their life like Christ." God, do work in Your church, we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.

How wonderful! What a powerful name it is!

The name of Jesus! What a powerful name it is. Nothing can stand against it. What a powerful name it is, the name of Jesus Christ, my King.

Thank you for joining us today. As we close, we would love to invite you to our campus here at Cross Connection Church, where we gather at 10:30 a.m. every Sunday. If you'd like more information about Cross Connection Church, make sure you check us out online at lifeandconnection.com.

Hey neighbor, can I borrow an axe? Hey, Cross Connection, do you love the...

The great outdoors! If you enjoy nature and would like to join us on our next church camping trip, it's coming up on September 17th through the 19th. This will be a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at Herky Creek, which is just outside of Idyllwild and right next to Lake Hemet. There will be hiking, camping, fishing, and all kinds of fun activities at the campsite. Most importantly, you will have the opportunity to spend time with fellow believers here at Cross Connection Church. It's going to be an awesome time!

If you want to come, please sign up on our website at events.lifeinconnection.com. The cost is twenty dollars per person, or forty dollars for a family, which is the maximum you'll spend for your whole family. It's a great deal! If you have an RV or trailer that you'd like to bring, you're welcome to do so. We have spots available in our group site, and it’s still only forty dollars. We would love to see you out there!

Our second announcement today is that we will be adding a second service on September 12th at 8:30 AM on Sunday morning. I know all you early birds are excited, and I hope to see you there! If you can make it to the 8:30 service and are interested in serving, we will also have children's ministry during that time. Please sign up at serve.lifeinconnection.com. We would love to have you join our service team here at Cross Connection Church to accommodate this new service.

Lastly, if you are a parent of a junior high or high school student, Pastor Nick Brauer and I would love to meet with you after service today. Around noon, as soon as you exit the main sanctuary, please head over to the youth room. We would like to share some of the things happening in the youth group, what we are teaching, and how we can better help you connect with your students spiritually. We want to help them grow and be followers of Jesus. We will also share a little about our hearts for upcoming events. We hope to see you there!