Sharing in His Death & Resurrection

Coming up next on Renewing Your Mind. When we embrace Christ crucified ruse then bought used by the spirit of God's providence and improved on our lives creates a kind of Russo of death and resurrection that leads to fruitfulness in our lives.

Renewing Your Mind on this Wednesday.

Dr. Sinclair Ferguson is leaving us in a study of art union with Christ.

That bond is not just the centerpiece of our lives as Christians it's the entirety of it and today were going to focus on them often neglected aspect of that reality. Our connection to Christ in his death and resurrection. Now we have come to our last study session on this great theme of union with Christ. I don't know if you feel the same.

I do often when I come to the end of a serious of messages in the book of the Bible on a theme I feel. I think we've warmed up sufficiently now to begin the series on I want to go back and start all over again and think maybe now that we are Randy will really be able to take a 10 but we met something about John in these studies together from thinking. First of all, about how important union with Christ is send the New Testament, especially in Paul that are somewhat over 160 locations when he uses the expression in Christ all in the large on him him so it's hugely significant and I think my one hope is that at least as we come to an end, we will never forget on those in Christ will simply come out of the page to us on the more and more as we think about what it means to be a Christian will realize the privileges that on hours, but Christ is a great Savior on but he has united himself to us. I notice I've said several times now with the Christian church in the past. We understand that he considers himself to be incomplete.

Five dollars. It's an amazing privilege doesn't. But Jesus would consider himself to be incomplete without me without us as brothers and sisters of the saints in every age and as we saw in the previous study, but Jesus Christ has done by his work on the cross is to bring together into one family, the family, but I'm sure in heaven on the family branch on so that we are united not only with believers in the church today believers in the church yesterday, but also become believers in the future, but we are united in the same family as the other branch of the family angels are called sons in the Old Testament Scriptures about other branch of the family. The angels who did not fall to China be the center theme those creatures that surround someone heaven will be long game of happy family and all of this because we are united under one head, Jesus Christ. Last session we were thinking about the way in which Jesus taught us about union with Christ unknow lease that notion, but he prunes's but that is an element in the Christian life that is sore for us and I want to close out our series by thinking about the way in which union with Christ has a double die mention to it biologically think about about union us and in our spiritual reality and so because we are united to Christ we put off sin and we grow in Christlike graces, but we are not simply spiritual beings we are physical beings.

Indeed, Paul says to the Corinthians in one Corinthians 6 but whoever is united to the Lord joins his body with the law because the spirit comes to indwell us.

Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit on someone to send this final session to think about the textile mill die mention supported means for us to be united to Christ we united to Christ in his death and resurrection. That works out inwardly and spiritually in the modification of sin and diversification of life. John Calvin, who emphasize this again and again also emphasize that there is a double modification what he called.Mark took the car to your duplex on that is a double vitrification visit for Conseil duplex. There is send in town. No modification, and verification, but that is also in the Christian life on next thermal modification and vitrification in this world, we will share in all kinds of different ways in the outworking of our union with Christ in his death and resurrection, and I want us to think about this in different ways Old Testament saints well united to Christ. Yes and promise, but they were united in the promise to the Christ, who would die and rise on the four videos we look at them in the Old Testament Scriptures. They put away sin and with the help of the spirit they put on graces that we recognize this Christlike graces, but they also shared and not in their life story. Josephus of any obvious illustration about this. By faith, united in the promise to Jesus Christ. What is the shape of Joseph's life.

The shape of Joseph's life is that he shares in the suffering of Christ.

He shares in the death of Christ.

He shares in the humiliation of Christ, and did so much about Joseph's life is like a backward echo of Jesus life. He is falsely accused is despised and then in the providence of God, he is raised up and exalted and brings what Genesis calls salvation physical salvation to the whole Mediterranean area.

He shares X family and the dying and rising of the Lord Jesus, you see the same thing and King David and many of the other Old Testament saints and you see it in the lives of believers in the pages of the New Testament. The most obvious illustration is the one with which we began and who is that first of all most clear, but the way of Christian fruitfulness. The sharing of union with the Lord Jesus Christ and that finds an expression of the whole of our lives.

Answer Stephen Stephen trusts into the leaves into union with Jesus Christ he puts in a way he puts on the graces of Christ, he becomes Christlike about is not just something N-terminal, but something next thermal Stephen becomes fruitful sharing in Christ's death.

Stephen becomes fruitful sharing in the fruit of Christ's resurrection and the young man called Saul of Tarsus abandon a multitude ultimately but no man can number and I rather think let us Saul of Tarsus transitions into the apostle Paul and reflects on the inner significance of his meeting with Christ on the Damascus Road on the connection between what Jesus said to him and what he saw and Stephen on that seed idea but Jesus and Stephen were united to one another so that to persecute Stephen was to persecute the Lord Jesus. I think it was out of the womb that much of Paul's own understanding of his own life and ministry the marriage, and he began to see, but that is this pattern, but just in time away, but in the whole of our Christian lives.

When we see those Christian lives through lenses that have been crafted to the prescription of union with Christ in his death and resurrection union with Christ in his sorrow and joy union with Christ in his pain, and in his fruitfulness on this a look at a few verses square call brings this out one of them. Of course, is what he says in Colossians chapter 1. I wonder if you're familiar with these words, there is he speaking about his own ministry. He makes a rather astonishing statement, but that some will find difficult to interpret. He says I rejoice in my sufferings. Verse 24 of chapter 1. I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake is an interesting statement of Paul doesn't see himself as suffering for his own sake. We usually see ourselves as suffering for our own sakes, nobody else's suffering will go once or suffering. But Paul sees all of his suffering as being part of his ministry for the church. I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, the church, what can he mean by this. I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of the church. Perhaps it will be helpful if I change the bar.

Barbara, for the sake of the charge, since Paul I filling up what is lacking of the sufferings of Christ in me. He is not saying that is nothing latching in the suffering of Christ. This couldn't possibly say about if there's something lacking in the sufferings of Christ. Christ is not yet done what needs to be done to save us. There is nothing latching in the sufferings of Christ to what is Paul talking about is talking about the fact but in union with Christ. The outworking of that has not come to its completion in him that is more in the film is being filled out 40 he is yet to experience of sharing in the sufferings of Christ, in order, but in Christ he may be fruitful in the church.

Actually, we saw that in another passage that we looked at but didn't mention this in Philippians chapter 3 you remember. He says I want to know Christ, I want to share in the fellowship of his sufferings and be like him in his day so that I may have to to the resurrection from the dead. An interesting thing say I want to share. I want to fellowship in the sufferings of Christ and why does he say no because he is a masochist. He doesn't enjoy. Actually what he enjoys is having Dr. Luke Weston.

He tells Timothy don't go on with this stomach pain you're having Timothy take a little wine for your stomach sick. He doesn't enjoy suffering and pain, but he does see, but that's something he goes through is something God uses makes him productive through because it's the outworking of his union and communion with the crucified Savior. Perhaps I can put it this way you can live face-to-face with the Lord Jesus, you can't live in union and communion with the Lord Jesus without being read like the Lord Jesus and you can have just the resurrected Christ because of the whole Christ.

So when we when we embrace Christ crucified and risen, then that that leaves by the spirit and in God's providence and imprint on our lives creates a kind of risk from of death and resurrection, but leads to fruitfulness in our lives. But of course it's important for us to see.

This is entirely in the Lord times we are not in the business of choosing the amount of lists that were going to experience. We don't know how to vote. We don't need to go out of our way to find this is entirely in the sovereign providence of God, but I think Paul is saying that if we are united to Christ. This will be our law in all different kinds of ways and we all experience the stone but the point of knowing it is we go through tough days we we do suffer, we experience affliction and all kinds of ways but because we are united to Jesus Christ the Lord means to employ all that to make is useful and fruitful in his kingdom, and I can be everything from the losses that create sorrow in our lives to the troubles we have because people we work with persecutors are demeanors as Christians. Paul doesn't set a kind of natural limit on what he's talking about here, but he does want us to see.

But if we are united to Christ, we will share in his sufferings, but as we share in his sufferings. We will also share in glorious fruitfulness of his resurrection power. Understanding Colossae and senders. They are in Philippians and it's also bear in Corinthians, I want us to come back to the second letter to the Corinthians, so that we can see together how powerfully Paul presents this and if I may do something rather unusual. I'd like to be in Corinthians, backwards source three places in Corinthians, I want us to look up first of all rights of the Betty and in second Corinthians chapter 13 in verses three and four pulses since you are seeking proof that Christ is speaking in me. I want to say this to you, he is not weak in dealing with you but is powerful among your far, he was crucified in weakness and lives by the power of God knows the next sentence I want you to focus on. I'm really to taken what he's saying.

For we also week in him, but in dealing with you, we will live with him by the power of God reversing the optical illusion Paris in the spring. People can read that on yet not read it.

This kind of optical illusion and the stars.

My guess is that large numbers of Christians when they read what Paul is saying here actually read this, we are weak in ourselves, but in dealing with you. We will be powerful and of course Paul says to the Philippians.

I am we can myself but I can do everything in Christ.

But I want you to notice what he saying here is saying in Christ, we are weak or put it the other way around. We are weak in Christ, see what you say he is saying. This weakness becomes the contents is as a guy came in weakness and fear in much trembling and people might see you silly man. You put them on. See what he saying here is saying that weakness that I experienced was the fruit of my union with Christ, who was weakened in crucifixion, it's radically different from our ordinary intuition. We need to be in Christ, we need to be strong and promising. Actually, if you're in Christ you're going to experience great weakness great weakness because it's out of great weakness in Christ, but you will experience great fruitfulness in Christ come back a few chapters to second Corinthians chapter 4 in second Corinthians chapter 4 and especially versus 10, 11, 12 he speaking about the sufferings he goes through with persecutors, but not forsaken, struck down, but not destroyed. And then think about this description of him on this description of you. We are always carrying in the body literally the dying of Jesus, and it is your support – use words dying were always carting around in our body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body scribble to get back from he got that from Steve didn't Steven and his dad is Christlike. Caddying in his body, his union and communion with the crucified Savior always carting in the body the dying of Jesus, and the result the life of Jesus being manifested in his body thought we who live are always being given over to dad for Jesus sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So here is the explanation death in union with Christ, my sufferings the persecution I experience the afflictions I go through death is at work in August in order that life may be at work in Uganda through Stephen Putnam. It was the characteristic feature of the whole of his Christian life. No friends this could be a very discouraging word to assuming that's what I'm going to experience in the Christian life don't have something more cheerful to say to me while I have something really cheerful to say to I should carting around in your mortal body the dying of Jesus, the life of Jesus will be manifested in your why doesn't God do it this way because this is the way she did it in Jesus's intent. It was through his suffering, dying, but he bore fruit and is transforming us into his likeness to bear fruit, and so he's going to use the same pattern. He doesn't have a better passion. That's the path if I put it this way.

That's the pattern that works to transform us into the likeness of Christ. God uses the pattern, but he used with Christ. So we embrace him. As we embrace him.

It is as though some of his blood will come upon our clothing on the part of the resurrection will be seen in our lives and these are lenses when we when we view the whole of our Christian lives through these lenses we will see that pattern working out sometimes in very small ways every minute ways we will need well-crafted lenses to see that pattern we may not understand fully quail and plan to apply, but if we are united to Christ.

This will begin to work out in our lives and then continuing to read backwards to the beginning of second Corinthians is these two passages that help us to understand what he says in chapter 1 in chapter 1 verse five he says well let's go back to verse four, or even verse three. He's praising God to comfort same in all his affliction, so that he may come for others without the comfort of God experienced in his affliction he doesn't have any comfort to comfort others. But you see he's tasted something in his affliction, but he did not taste in his comfort, and then he puts it this way, as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort to if we are afflicted. It is for your comfort and salvation. And if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you will experience it some fairly powerful portrayal of how comprehensive our union with Christ is that it's not just that it's something that we experience inwardly and privately, and spiritually. It's the reality that we are caught up into by the power of the Holy Spirit, and it creates this rhythm in our lives.

But as we share in Christ – we also share in his resurrection, and as we share in his sufferings.

We will also share in his fruitfulness on the reason because ultimately he wants to make us like Jesus and that's the center of our Jesus Christ. That's Dr. Sinclair Ferguson from his latest teaching series union with Christ in 12 messages. He explains what it means to be a new creation. What baptism in the Christ means power hidden in Christ and as we learned today what it means to share in his sufferings will be encouraged and challenged by this in-depth study and we invite you to request it with your donation of any amount to look in her ministries. There are 12 messages on two DVDs you can make your request online@renewingyourmind.org or you can call us at 800-435-4343. The phrase in Christ is used throughout the New Testament, but it's easy to skip past it without fully understanding what it means if you run across a phrase or a concept that doesn't make sense. We hope you'll take advantage of our online service called ask Ligon near trained staff members are available 24 hours a day, Monday through Saturday to answer your theological questions to connect with us just go to ask would near.org tomorrow will be joined by another of our regular teaching fellows Dr. Gary Thomas will look at what he calls the greatest chapter in the Bible. That's quite a claim that we consider that all of Scripture is breathed out by God, but he'll explain why he makes that claim. So I hope you'll join us Thursday for Renewing Your Mind