{"id":2617,"date":"2007-04-22T10:38:00","date_gmt":"2007-04-22T10:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/adrianwarnock.com\/2007\/04\/the-resurrection-empowered-life-gazing-on-jesus\/"},"modified":"2017-09-16T18:28:15","modified_gmt":"2017-09-16T17:28:15","slug":"the-resurrection-empowered-life-gazing-on-jesus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/adrianwarnock\/2007\/04\/the-resurrection-empowered-life-gazing-on-jesus\/","title":{"rendered":"The Resurrection Empowered Life – Gazing on Jesus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

As I explained last Sunday<\/a>, I am determined, at least whilst spending the rest of the week blogging about the atonement, to spend Sundays on a journey exploring the implications of the resurrection of Jesus.<\/p>\n

\"\"I am writing this post one week before you will read it. These days I like to try and get ahead of myself in my blogging as much as possible. This morning I awoke earlier than usual. The house was quiet, and I felt God drawing me to meet Him in His Word in a similar way to that John Piper described so eloquently<\/a>. I slipped downstairs whilst the rest of the family slept. I opened my Bible and began reading Revelation 1-3. As I was reading, I realised it had been some time since I had read this last book of the Bible. I got as far as verse 3 before I stopped. <\/p>\n

\u201cBlessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.\u201d (Revelation 1:3)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I hadn\u2019t noticed that line \u201cread aloud\u201d before \u2014 it isn\u2019t translated like that in the NIV. I am not a Greek expert, so I am not sure exactly why the ESV scholars translated it in that way. But, I thought to myself, why not obey that injunction? I went back and proceeded to read the whole of those first three chapters aloud to myself. There is definitely a power in listening to the Word read \u2014 even if the one reading it is yourself.<\/p>\n

I was confronted again with just how Trinitarian the first chapter of Revelation is, but what struck me even more than that was the following words: <\/p>\n

\u201cGrace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.<\/p>\n

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.\u201d (Revelation 1:4-7)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

We see here once again, as so frequently in the Scriptures, the death of Jesus linked with His resurrection. It struck me that \u201ceven those who pierced him\u201d will see Jesus. Then it hit me \u2014 how will they see Jesus? How do we<\/em> see Jesus now? If I say the name Jesus, what image fills my mind? If you are like me, it is probably an image of the cross. Now it is not wrong for us to gaze upon the cross in our mind\u2019s eye. But I would put it to you that it is not that image alone that will transform us. For we will not see Jesus again on a cross. Instead, we will see Him in all His glory.<\/p>\n

I also turned this morning to the book of 2 Corinthians, which I am more and more convinced is critical for us to read and understand when considering these twin themes of the atonement and the resurrection of our Lord Jesus. I cannot encourage you enough to read it through from beginning to end. Consider in particular these four verses carefully: <\/p>\n