BECAUSE I LIVE

TEXT: John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
John 14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
John 14:18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
John 14:19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.
John 14:20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
John 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

Introduction; When the church made her first steps toward carrying out the commission to evangelize the world, she did so with great excitement about the fact that, HE LIVES! HE IS NO LESS ALIVE TODAY!!!

She met on the first day of each week to commemorate the empty tomb. We can only wonder at the times they must have repeated, in great exultation, the words of the angel,” Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, he is risen!" He is still not to be found in praying among the dead but in witnessing among the living.
As the annual Jewish Passover came, it took on a new meaning to those who saw in Christ, the fulfillment of the types. It was during the celebration of the Passover on a special jubilee year that Christ had died and risen again.

In Acts 12:4 (And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.) it is recorded that Herod intended to turn Peter over to the people after Pascha.(Pascha is translated 'easter' in the King James version, but should have been translated Passover.)

How sadly and soon, truth becomes hidden as man seeks his own desires. Instead of a weekly commemoration of the living Christ, the world soon celebrates an annual observance of bunnies, eggs and hot cross buns! All the trappings of the worship of Eostre, a Teutonic goddess also known at other times and in other places as Ishtar and Astarte. When her name is given to the day, man is only continuing to do what he set out to do on the morning of the resurrection; Deny or at least obscure the fact of the living, risen Christ!.

But I shall not waste time on these negative things because the positive is too important and too exciting!” Because I live, ye shall live also!"

I. The Grammar of the Text.
A. I LIVE! (present indicative active) Jesus states the FACT of his eternal I AM in a way that is relevant to living beings.
B. Ye shall live also. [future ind. middle] Subject [Jesus] acts with reference to himself. What does all this mean?
1. It means that HE IS LIFE.
a. HE was the giver of life in Eden.
b. He is the savior of life.
Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
c. He is the sustainer of life.
Psa. 121:8 The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.
d. He IS life.
John 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
e. Peter declared him to be the Prince, author, and source.
Acts 3:15 And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.

All this is important to us because;
1. In Adam all died.
1 Cor 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
2. We were dead in trespasses and sins.
Eph 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins:
Eph 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

Col 2:13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
3. Only in Christ can we really be made to live!
John 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
John 5:40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.

John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
4. Only a living Head could empower a house of living stones! As his body, his church will live as long as he lives.
John 14:19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.

Christ provides the possibility and the power!
But it is up to us to act in our own self interest;
1. We inherit eternal life when we receive Christ.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
2.We live and serve through him.
2 Cor 13:4 For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you.

John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
3.In the resurrection.
Col 3:4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

Since we are already living the same life which is ours eternally, let us live worthily of it!
1 Th 2:12 That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.

Eph 4:1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,

Col 1:10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
Col 1:11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;
Col 1:12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
Col 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
Col 1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: