Walk in Victory
Raised in Power
Terry R. Baughman

“Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:54-57 NLT).

In the most violent and evil culture prevailing prior to worldwide judgment of The Flood, God noted there was a man named Noah who walked with God faithfully. Scripture recorded, “Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God” (Genesis 6:9 NIV). Against the backdrop of his peers there was a sharp contrast between this man and the accepted norm of everyone else. That is the distinction of a transformed life in contemporary culture.
 
Paul challenged believers, “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16 NKJ). When we follow after God it will change our walk. He also wrote, “You once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2 NKJ). After the life-altering encounter with Christ we walk a new path. Paul said, “Those who are in Christ Jesus, … do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:1 NKJ).

The born-again experience draws us onto a new path, the opportunity to walk in victory! When we are baptized in Jesus we are buried with Him, and just as He arose victorious we are also raised to live a new life, “We have been co-resurrected with him so that we could be empowered to walk in the freshness of new life” (Romans 6:4 TPT). 

The life Jesus promised was more than recycled experience of the same trouble-ridden existence. He does not condemn us to reincarnation as another life form, to go through another mundane existence in a vain effort to improve our chances. His life is transformative. It is full of glory. The resurrected life is beyond expression. As a result of our faith Peter said, “You rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory” (1 Peter 1:8 NKJ).

This Gospel is full of power. It is life-changing. Jesus didn’t just offer an ultimate reward of a heavenly home, though that is also included in the package, He calls us to radical change in the here and now. The life we are promised through the Holy Spirit will make a noticeable change in our direction, our life choices, and our focus. Our whole outlook on life takes on new meaning. We are given a new hope and the opportunity to make a positive impact on those around us. 

The Spirit-led life is in sharp contrast to a world obsessed with sin, seeking meaning through endless entertainment, with senses dulled by drugs and alcohol. The reality of this new life brings clarity to our minds, and purity in our hearts. His righteousness fills us and gives us more than we deserve and more than we can ever imagine. 

Experience the new life in Christ. Identify with His death, burial and resurrection. It’s the only way to life and the opportunity to walk in victory!
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Theme passage:
“We were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4 NKJ).

Promise of the Father
Raised in Power
Terry R. Baughman
“Repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things. Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city [m]of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:47–49 NKJ).
Jesus left the followers with a promise! Prior to His ascension He assured the disciples and other believers that they would be the recipients of the Father’s promise. It would be a powerful promise, as Jesus declared, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you” (Acts 1:8 NKJ). 
The reception of the Spirit was vital for His followers to accomplish the commission with which He charged them. “He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father,” and Jesus declared, “You shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now” (Acts 1:4–5 NKJ). So, the promise of the Father was both a gift and an essential endowment of power. 
The gift and promise was intended for more than the twelve disciples or the 120 gathered in the Upper Room at Pentecost. This was evidenced in the overflow of the Spirit that filled 3,000 that gathered around Solomon’s porch to witness the dramatic display of the Holy Spirit upon those who were the first recipients of the promise. Acts 2 describes the scene, “Suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:2–4 NKJ).
The critics gathered as well as the curious. Some mocked them as drunks and disorderly. Others were amazed and questioned, “Whatever could this mean?” Acts 2:12). Peter provided the response for their questions and observations. He referenced the prophet Joel to explain the phenomenon, “And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh” (Acts 1:17). He also quoted David from the prophecies of the Psalms to declare the resurrection and exaltation of the Lord Jesus Christ, “This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear” (Acts 2:32–33).
The Spirit of Pentecost was the Holy Spirit of God, the one Spirit which had been prefaced as the promise of the Father. Peter went on to outline what our response should be to the Gospel story and the revelation of the resurrection. He said, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). The gift and the promise was for all who attended to the message of truth and responded in faith to this revealed Word. Peter observed, “The promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:39). 
The voice of the Spirit is still calling. The message delivered on the Day of Pentecost reverberates through the centuries to the present. People are still receiving and responding to this powerful promise. 


Theme passage:
“We were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4 NKJ).

Buried with Christ
Raised in Power
Terry R. Baughman
“Buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.” (Colossians 2:12 NKJ).
The simple explanation of the Gospel is that it is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ applied to our lives. It is good news that Jesus Christ provided a way of salvation to free us from the grip of sin and bring us into a right relationship with God. For that reason the gospel is frequently related as good news.
In the application of the Gospel, identification with Christ is front and center. In repentance we are identified with His death. Our grace-inspired initiative to turn away from sin and surrender our lives to God is a sign of death to the old desires of the flesh and a commitment to follow Jesus and become His disciple. Our identification continues in our obedience to water baptism, “In the Name of Jesus Christ!” Baptism is a most meaningful experience, especially when identified with the burial of Jesus. The blood of Jesus Christ was shed on the cross for our sins, and our identity with Him in baptism provides remission of our sins as we acknowledge the blood of Jesus Christ and its personal atonement for us. 
Luke recorded his version of the commission when Jesus said, “Repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (Luke 24:47 NKJ). Luke’s narrative continues in the Book of Acts where he quoted Peter on the Day of Pentecost giving the command, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38 NKJ). There is an apparent connection of remission with baptism in the name of Jesus. Faith is essential to all our spiritual experience, but obedience to the Word is evidence of our faith in Christ. When we come to faith we will embrace the teaching of the Scripture and follow in obedience to the words of Christ. 
The personal identity with Christ is a powerful expression of the Gospel. After identifying with His death (through repentance) and burial (through baptism) then comes the identity with His authority. We are to rise in newness of life! The resurrection of Jesus Christ gives us life and is promised to those who put their trust in Him. The Holy Spirit is the resurrection power that fills our lives. 
Faith in Christ is inspired and enabled by grace. Paul said, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8 NKJ). That grace leads us to repentance. (See Romans 2:4.) Grace enables a willing heart to obey the invitation to baptism and surrenders to the path of discipleship. 
We are buried with Him that we might live with Him. We are identified with His death so that we might experience His resurrection. There’s nothing like it. God has given us His life-giving power. Paul wrote of the power of the resurrection when he said, “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:54–57 NKJ).
We are victorious in Christ. We were buried with Him, and now we live the victorious life through Him!


Theme passage:
“We were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4 NKJ).

Sown in Weakness
Raised in Power
Terry R. Baughman

“So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body” (1 Corinthians 15:42–44 NIV).

Before a resurrection there must be a death. Before a new beginning must be an ending. Even the Good News began with a tragic story. In the midst of the narrative one must trust the Author and the Finisher to plan the plot and write the conclusion of the sacred drama. 

The Cross of Christ is the symbol of suffering as well as the celebration of victory over sin and death. Jesus humbled Himself to the role of a servant as He surrendered to death and poured out His life. (See Philippians 2:7–8.) Jesus saw the ultimate positive outcome of such a humiliating death and willingly submitted to its painful suffering. The writer of Hebrews said, “For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1 NIV). The joy of the cross was not its pain, but rather the victory that would be achieved by His sacrifice. He knows the end from the beginning and the conclusion of every story. 

The Gospel is more than a tale of sorrow and the ability to prevail and rise above the suffering; it is a story of redemption from the curse of sin, of the power of the blood of Christ to cleanse from every iniquity, and the hope of everlasting life given to all who put their trust in Jesus. The Gospel is the good news of salvation for the lost world and the promise of a born again experience. Christ’s promise is more than life hereafter, it is the promise of new life in the here and now!

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not just a historical tale, it is a reality to every believer who finds the source of power in a message of sacrifice. It is more than believing that Jesus died, was buried, and in three days He rose again to life. It is a tale of application. We too are challenged to follow in His steps. We identify with Christ in every way. We die to sin as we repent of our error and surrender our lives to follow the Master. Our baptism is a personal identification with the burial of Jesus as we call on His name in baptism. We rise to walk in new life through the power of the resurrection as we receive His Holy Spirit!

Recognizing our sins and our failure is an important step to being reconciled to God. Luke said, “Repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (Luke 24:47 NKJ). That was also the conclusion of Peter’s message on the Day of Pentecost, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38 NKJ). Strength comes from weakness, and forgiveness follows repentance.

Paul wrote about the resurrection power and likened the process to a seed that is sown in the ground. As the seed dies new life springs forth and the miracle of growth stems from the burial of a dry seed. Our bodies are sown unto a more glorious eternal resurrection, “The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. … it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power” (1 Corinthians 15:42–43 NKJ).
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Theme passage:
“We were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4 NKJ).