Overview

1. God meant for you to reign
2. Death came in because of sin
3. Jesus took your place
4. God considers you worthy
5. You can reign in life through Christ

God meant for you to reign

We celebrate Resurrection Sunday to remember how our Lord Jesus has triumphed over sin and death! His victory reveals how God sees death, not as something natural, but as an enemy. In fact, death was never part of God’s original plan for mankind.

In the beginning, God placed Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. It was a place where God had provided abundantly for them, given them dominion over the other creatures, and where they walked with God daily in close communion. They lacked nothing. There was no sickness, no decay, no fear.

God’s desire for us today is still the same and can be seen in 3 John 1:2:

God’s heart has always been for His people to live in freedom, health, and wholeness, not under fear, depression, or bondage to addictions. Man was never meant to be a slave to the very things he was created to rule over. So, what went wrong?

Death came in because of sin

When Adam sinned, man became separated from God, and death entered the world. Not just physical death, but also spiritual death. And from there, every other form of death followed. Sickness, poverty, fear, addiction, and destruction are all expressions of the death that came through sin.

Romans 6:23 tells us,

Sin always demands a payment. And because God is just, sin couldn’t simply be overlooked. But man, being sinfully bankrupt, had no way to pay the price himself.

This is why the world we live in today is nothing like what God had originally intended. Instead of walking in dominion, people struggle with sickness and disease, with depression and anxiety, and fall into darkness, addiction, and bondage.

So what did God do? In His great mercy and love, He made a way for us.

Jesus took your place

Romans 5:17 ESV continues with,

At the cross, our Lord Jesus—the perfect, sinless man—bore our sins in His own body and took the punishment we deserved. God’s judgment fell, not on us, but on Him. He paid the price for sin, and His resurrection is a declaration that our sins have been effectively put away (Rom. 4:25)! Today, there is no more punishment or condemnation for those who believe.

Now, this doesn’t mean that there are no consequences when we make mistakes or stumble, but it does mean that God Himself will not condemn us (Heb. 8:12). And because of our Lord’s finished work, an abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness have been made available to us—freely given, completely unearned, and undeserved. All we need to do is receive!

But being free to us doesn’t mean they came cheap. They cost the highest price: our Lord Jesus, the only begotten Son of the Father. And He didn’t just pay for our sins; He overpaid them. It’s like someone owed $1,000 but was given $1,000,000 to settle the debt—Jesus is an overpayment for every sin. And because of His finished work, we now stand before God fully forgiven, completely righteous, and deeply loved.

God considers you worthy

Child of God, your worth is not determined by what you’ve done (or not done) but by what Jesus has done for you. His sacrifice at the cross is the ultimate proof of how deeply you are valued by Him and the Father.

Imagine a $100 note. Even if it’s crumpled or stained, its value remains unchanged. In the same way, even though we’ve all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, our worth in His eyes has never changed.

And you’ll never truly grasp how much the Father loves you until you see how much He loves His Son—and yet, He gave up His beloved Son to redeem you and to bring you back to Himself. That’s how precious you are!

Beloved, know that you are unique. If the world loses you, it loses someone no one else can replace. You are more valuable than the birds of the air that your heavenly Father feeds (Matt. 6:26–34). He knows the number of hairs on your head (Luke 12:7). He sees every detail of your life—your struggles, your joys, your tears—and He cares deeply.

How can God pay such close attention to each of us? Because He is all-knowing and also all-powerful, and He is more than able to meet your every need. In fact, your heavenly Father’s love for you doesn’t stop at just caring for your needs. He wants you to reign in life!

You can reign in life through Christ

As a whole, Romans 5:17 ESV says,

It beautifully captures the gospel, the good news, in one verse. While sin brought death through one man, we now receive life and victory through another—our Lord Jesus Christ.

This verse declares that those who receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness will reign in life. Do you want to be among those who reign? It begins with receiving. As believers, we get to freely receive all that Jesus has paid for at the cross. This is our inheritance!

To reign in life is to live in the reality of who you are in Christ. It is walking with the consciousness that you no longer have to be under your circumstances, but above, seated with Christ in heavenly places (Eph. 2:6). Our Lord Jesus is the King of kings and the Lord of lords, and you have been raised with Him to reign.

You reign, not by your efforts, but by His finished work.

When you reign, sin and addictions don’t.
When you reign, fear doesn’t overwhelm you.
When you reign, you rise above your circumstances—you are no longer a victim of them.

You were raised with Christ to reign. Will you hold on to this truth and walk in victory today?

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These sermon notes were taken by volunteers during the service. They are not a verbatim representation of the sermon.