To Walk In Newness

To walk in newness

Believers are walking dead people who are alive.

Romans 6:1-23

It makes sense to celebrate his birthday because it was already written what Jesus Christ would accomplish, so, it makes sense to celebrate his ascension, which ended his earthly journey, not in death the way everybody else’s earthly journey ends, but in simply transporting himself in full view of his followers into heaven. That celebration might be the greatest of all celebrations because when Jesus ascended into heaven, that was heaven’s affirmation that he had accomplished everything he had come to do.

Now, according to Ephesians 1:3, “We have been blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus,” right? And so, I think what happened here, I think the last thing Jesus said was blessing. He had given them the commission; that’s responsibility, that’s duty. But the final word is the word of blessing. What would he have said? “Everlasting grace is yours. Everlasting mercy is yours. Everlasting salvation is yours. Comfort is yours. Peace, everlasting peace is yours. I pledge to you my care, my love. I promise you all the things again that I have promised you all along. I am going to heaven to fulfil all my promises to you.”

It must have been an experience. It must have been beyond comprehension to have him now you know he is God incarnate. Now you know why he died and why he rose and that he is alive. And you understand the fulness of the Old Testament and all the prophesies fulfilled. And all your doubts are gone, and your faith is solid

He took his glorified humanity out of the grave. He lived for 40 days with those who loved him as a glorified God man. He then took his glorified manhood straight into heaven, all the way back to where he had come from in a completely different dimension than time and space. But he went back different than he had left. He had left as poor Spirit; he went back as pure Spirit and pure glorified humanity. No more just Spirit, but glorified humanity. And this is proof that heaven is a place which accommodates glorified humans, and it will accommodate us. “We will receive a body like unto his glorious body,” Philippians 3 says.

His ascension marked the start of his preparation for our heavenly home. In John 14, when they were all moaning and sorrowing over his leaving, he saw it so very differently. “Do not let your heart be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself that where I am there you may be also.” He is there preparing our heavenly home.

The ascension guarantees and secures his Second Coming. “He has been taken from you, but he will come in like manner as you have seen him go,” Acts 1:11.

He said that back in John. “I will not leave you orphans. I will come to you.” And he came in the form of the Holy Spirit who is pure Spirit and resides in us.

Wow. So, they did what anybody who loves him does, they exploded in worship, and praise.

Now they get it all. All the doubts are gone. All the fears are gone. All the questions have been answered, and they know he is the Messiah, the Son of God, the Saviour, the Redeemer, and they are ready now to preach the Gospel. If it costs them their lives, that is fine.

Now that to this day is the one thing that offends all people, to tell them that Jesus is God.

This is pure worship of the pure true God.

Let us turn our Bibles to the passage in Romans 6:4 'Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

To walk in newness of life is not only to live a Resurrected life, a Released life, and a Revived life. It also that we should have a Righteous life.

According to the apostle Paul, when we were saved, we became spiritually identified with Christ in His death, His burial, and His resurrection. It was then that we died to our old life of sin, and we were spiritually resurrected to the new life we now have in Christ. This must cause us now to walk in newness of life, to live out in our daily living, the results of our salvation from sin.