Now What?
Living in Resurrection Identity
Key Texts:
Luke 24:1–12
Romans 6:4
2 Corinthians 5:17
Main Idea:
Because Jesus is risen, we no longer live as who we were — we live as who He has made us to be.
I. The Empty Tomb Redefines Who We Are
Luke 24:1–12
• The women came expecting death, decay, and the old story.
• The women came expecting death, decay, and the old story.
• The angel declares a new reality: “He is not here; He has risen.”
• The resurrection signals the end of the old identity and the beginning of a new one.
• God invites us to stop expecting the old life and start embracing the new.
II. We Are No Longer Defined by Sin, Shame, or the Old Life
2 Corinthians 5:17
• In Christ, we are a new creation — not improved but made new.
• In Christ, we are a new creation — not improved but made new.
• Sin may describe our past struggles, but it no longer defines our identity.
• Shame loses its authority because the resurrection rewrites our story.
• Our past becomes a testimony, not a prison.
III. Resurrection Is Not Symbolic — It Is Transformational
Romans 6:4
• Resurrection is not a metaphor; it is spiritual power.
• Resurrection is not a metaphor; it is spiritual power.
• We were buried with Christ and raised with Him into new life.
• Transformation is God’s work, not self-improvement or behavior modification.
• The same power that raised Jesus now works in us to reshape our lives.
IV. Identity Precedes Action
• We live out of who we believe we are.
• If we believe we are still the “old self,” we will live like it.
• The Christian life is not “trying harder” but “living truer” — living from our new identity.
• Jesus didn’t rise so we could stay the same; He rose so we could rise with Him.
V. Practical Application: Living in Resurrection Identity
1. Embrace Your New Identity in Christ
• Agree with what God says about you.
• Reject old labels and lies.
• Declare daily: “Because He lives, I live new.”
2. Stop Living Like the Old You Is Still Alive
• Romans 6:11 — “Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God.”
• Don’t feed or revisit what God has buried.
• Walk away from old patterns, mindsets, and identities.
3. Practice Daily “Resurrection Habits”
• Prayer — anchors your identity in God.
• Scripture — renews your mind with truth.
• Confession — keeps the old self buried.
• Community — surrounds you with people who speak life and truth.
Conclusion
• “Why do you look for the living among the dead?”
• Stop searching for identity in old places, old wounds, or old labels.
• The resurrection is not just Jesus’ victory — it is yours.
• He is risen… now live like it.
Posted in Sermon Notes