Whosoever Will Save His Life Shall Lose It
The sermon emphasizes the power of Christianity to bring resurrection life and enable us to follow the higher ideal, resulting in eternal life and the crown of glory.
A.B. Simpson emphasizes that Christ teaches the essence of resurrection and life, highlighting that true Christianity offers not just moral guidance but the transformative power of resurrection life. This life begins with a definitive moment of crisis where believers die to sin and are reborn to live for God, marking a clear transition akin to the dawn of a new day. Simpson encourages believers to recognize their identity in Christ, asserting that death is merely a passage to eternal life, with the cross leading to everlasting glory.
Text
First and foremost Christ teaches resurrection and life. The power of Christianity is life. It brings us not merely law, duty, example, with high and holy teaching and admonition; it brings us the power to follow the higher ideal and the life that spontaneously does the things commanded. And it is not only life, but resurrection life. It begins with a real crisis, a definite transaction, a point of time as clear as the morning dawn. It is not an everlasting dying and an eternal struggle to live. But it is all expressed in a tense that denotes definiteness, fixedness and finality. We actually died at a certain point and as actually began to live the resurrection life.
Let us reckon ourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ (Romans 6:11).
And death is only the pathway and portal To the life that shall die nevermore; And the cross leadeth up to the crown everlasting, The Jordan to Canaan's bright shore.
Sermon Outline
- I. The Power of Christianity
- A. Brings life and resurrection power
- B. Enables us to follow the higher ideal
- II. The Nature of Resurrection Life
- A. Begins with a crisis and a transaction
- B. Denotes definiteness, fixedness, and finality
- III. Our Identity in Christ
- A. We are dead to sin and alive to God
- B. Through Jesus Christ (Romans 6:11)
Key Quotes
“And death is only the pathway and portal To the life that shall die nevermore;” — A.B. Simpson
“The cross leadeth up to the crown everlasting, The Jordan to Canaan's bright shore.” — A.B. Simpson
Application Points
- We must reckon ourselves to be dead to sin and alive to God through Jesus Christ.
- We must understand that death is only the pathway and portal to eternal life.
- We must trust in the power of Christianity to bring us resurrection life and enable us to follow the higher ideal.