There’s a question worth sitting with this morning: What comes to mind when you think of power?
Maybe it’s a nuclear blast — immense, incomprehensible. Maybe it’s a fast car, that push back in your seat when the accelerator hits. Or maybe — if you’re like me and couldn’t bench press much in high school — you think of something more relatable: the power to change, to overcome, to live differently than you currently are.
That’s exactly what Paul is writing about in Philippians 3. After giving up everything in his past — his credentials, his religious résumé, his legalistic standing — he says there’s something better he found. Three things, actually: the power of resurrection, participation in Christ’s sufferings, and the hope of resurrection from the dead.
Today, let’s focus on just the first: the power of the resurrection.
The Power Behind the Gospel
Paul says he traded his former life for something far better. But here’s what’s striking — he didn’t just trade his sins for salvation. He didn’t simply swap his bad habits for good ones. He gained access to resurrection power. The same power God used to raise Jesus from the grave is the power available to every believer.
In Acts 1:7-8, Jesus tells His disciples: “It is not for you to know the times or seasons… but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses.”
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
— Acts 1:7-8
That power isn’t just for the apostles. It’s for us. And the first place we experience it? When we share the gospel.
When We Share the Gospel
Pastor Josh shared a story from his days as a camp counselor. He was sitting on a bunk bed with a kid named Tony — sharing the simple message of Jesus’ death and resurrection. He asked Tony if he’d ever accepted Christ. Tony said no. They prayed together. And then Tony ran out of the cabin.
It hit Josh in that moment: something powerful just happened. Tony passed from death to life. And Josh was just the messenger.
That’s what the gospel does. Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 1:17 capture it perfectly:
“For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.”
— 1 Corinthians 1:17
You don’t need to be eloquent. You don’t need a theological degree. You just need to be clear — because the message itself carries power. It has the power to save.
When We Pursue Godliness
But there’s a second time we experience resurrection power: when we pursue the life God has called us to live. Second Peter 1:3 says:
“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.”
— 2 Peter 1:3
Think about that. God’s power is actively working in our lives — not just to save us, but to live this new life. To resist temptation. To love when it’s hard. To serve when we’re tired. To speak truth when it’s uncomfortable.
Romans 6 picks this up beautifully. Paul writes that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives (Romans 6:4).
We died with Christ. We were buried with Him in baptism. And we are raised with Him — identified with His resurrection — so that we can walk in newness of life.
“We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the sinful body might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin… So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God through Jesus Christ.”
— Romans 6:6, 11
So What?
If you’re a believer, resurrection power isn’t just something you read about — it’s something you have access to right now. The question is: are you using it?
Think about the people in your life. Is there someone who needs to hear the gospel? Someone whose eternity depends on someone being brave enough to share? The message you carry has power. Use it.
And think about your own daily walk. Are you trying to live the Christian life in your own strength — running on empty, losing battles over and over? God says His power is available. Stop relying on yourself. Depend on Him.
Resurrection power isn’t just for the future — when we finally get to heaven. It’s for right now. For sharing Christ. For living like Christ. For becoming more like Christ.
That’s the power we have. That’s the power we can use.
Scripture References
- Philippians 3:10-11 — Knowing Christ and the power of His resurrection
- Acts 1:7-8 — Power to be witnesses
- 1 Corinthians 1:17 — The gospel is the power of God
- 2 Timothy 1:6-8 — A spirit of power, love, and self-control
- 2 Peter 1:3 — Divine power grants life and godliness
- Romans 6:3-11 — Raised to new life with Christ