The Resurrection
Does it really matter?
Read: I Co 15:1-11
Introduction. On Easter Sunday in almost every pulpit a sermon on the resurrection is preached. We are no exception. It is very likely that a Sunday like today, nearly 2000 years ago Jesus Christ rose from the dead.
The Resurrection of Christ was the launching pad of apostolic preaching Acts 2:22-ff "Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know-- 23 this Man, delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. 24 "And God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.
Peter, John and the lame man at the temple… Acts 4:12 "Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this, or why do you gaze at us, as if by our own power or piety we had made him walk? 13 "The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus, the one whom you delivered up, and disowned in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release Him. 14 "But you disowned the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 but put to death the Prince of life, the one whom God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are witnesses. 16 "And on the basis of faith in His name, it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all.
Thesis: the Resurrection of Jesus Christ: does it really matter?
1.Is it a myth or a fact?
2.The Doctrinal Implications of the Resurrection
3.Some Practical Expectations derived from the Resurrection
I – MYTH OR FACT?
The Resurrection of Christ meets all of the necessary conditions to have been disproved as a passing fad or a myth
Mt 27:62-66 Now on the next day, which is the one after the preparation,
the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered together with Pilate, 63 and said, "Sir, we remember that when He was still alive that deceiver said, ’After three days I am to rise again.’ 64 "Therefore, give orders for the grave to be made secure until the third day, lest the disciples come and steal Him away and say to the people, ’ He has risen from the dead, ’and the last deception will be worse than the first."65 Pilate said to them, "You have a guard; go, make it as secure as you know how." 66 And they went and made the grave secure, and along with the guard they set a seal on the stone.
Stealing Jesus’ body would have been a daunting task for the disciples; however his tomb is empty and the body was not found
Nicodemus had provided 100 pounds of spices to anoint the body
Jesus had been buried in a newly hewn tomb sealed with a 2 ton stone covering it
The women wondered who could roll the stone for them
The tomb was secured with a Roman seal and guard. The seal consisted in chords around the stone representing Roman authority and the guard prevented any attempt to steal the body
Had the guards fallen asleep, they would have been burned alive
The disciples had run, they were in the hiding and afraid
There were many hostile witnesses to disprove any resurrection theory: The multitude had requested for Jesus to be crucified, the Pharisees hated Him and the Romans despised the Jews
Now here’s an amazing fact. Thirty years after the resurrection Paul who initially belonged to the hostile witnesses, wrote the following:
1 Corinthians 15:3…3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have died; 7 then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; 8 and last of all, as it were to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.
A missing body
An empty tomb
Corroborating witnesses who could attest to the fact for a generation
Hostile witnesses who could not deny the fact
2000 years evidencing its power and reality in transformed lives
Had the Resurrection of Christ been a myth, it would have been an impossible to sustain hoax!
2. The Doctrinal Implications of the Resurrection
The resurrection of the Lord is a cardinal doctrine of the Scriptures. It is one of the non-negotiable tenets of Christian orthodoxy. We cannot compromise an inch in this point.
The resurrection of Christ, provided the base for Peter’s argument to demonstrate the Divinity and Sinlessness of Jesus of Nazareth as Messiah Acts 2:30-32
It was the power of the resurrected Christ who caused the lame man to walk and all of the signs of the apostles Acts 4:12, Heb 2:4
The resurrection of Christ soaked the apostles preaching, so much so that because of it they were thrown into prison by the religious leaders. Acts 4:3
The entire book of Acts is a demonstration of the resurrection.
Paul wrote in Ro. 1:5. that Jesus was “declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.”
The resurrection was the seal of our justification as it proves that Christ died in the place of sinners, and not on account of any sin He might have committed Ro. 4:25
The Cardinal Doctrines of the NT hub around the reality of a resurrected Christ extending His Kingdom on earth through the church.
It is the power of the resurrected Christ who causes people to believe
It is the power of the resurrected Christ who frees believers from slavery to sin
It is the power of the resurrected Christ who causes the church to grow and expand Cf. Mt 16:18-ff, Eph. 4:6-14.
How crucial is the doctrine of the resurrection of Christ?
Let Scripture answer this: I Cor. 15:13-14, 17-19, 32b)
13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen.
14 And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. 17 “…if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!
18 Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable
32 If the dead do not rise, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!"
Note: The resurrection is one of the stumbling blocks to believe the Gospel
Remember Paul’s experience in Mars Hill: Acts 17:32-33
32 And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked…
He had a similar experience with Felix: Acts 25:24-25
“…25 Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, "Go away for now…
And also with Festus and king Aggripa: Acts 26:23-25
23 "that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead … 24 Now as he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, "Paul, you are beside yourself! Much learning is driving you mad!"
For the Greeks: the resurrection of the dead and the final judgment was madness. For the Jews: that Jesus of Nazareth rose from the dead, because He was the Son of God, was the stumbling block of blasphemy.
Thesis: the Resurrection of Jesus Christ: does it really matter?
1.Is it a myth or a fact?
2.The Doctrinal Implications of the Resurrection
3.Practical Expectations derived from the Resurrection
Doctrine in the Bible is not left for mere abstractions and theologizing but to influence the way Christians should think, feel and act.
Paul gave objective reasons of the resurrection against the skeptics, but he moved on to deal with the impact of this doctrine on God’s people.
Example: I Corinthians 15
a) Christ’s resurrection is the token that assures ours I Co 15:20-22
20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. 21 For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive.23 But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming.” A bodily resurrection was a shocking statement to the Greek thought!
“How can people be stirred to flee sin and pursue holiness? By directing their attention to the day of judgment. How can they be guided in making daily decisions and setting earthly priorities?… How can [we] enable those who are grief stricken, suffering and discouraged to endure and even to rejoice? By reminding them of the unfading inheritance which is awaiting for them in glory.” Peter, Eye Witness of His Majesty, Ted Donnelly, p. 133
{Home} - How often do we ponder in these truths? I Cor. 15:51-53
51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.
Ladies, consider the resurrection this when you look in the mirror the fading of a passing youth. Phil. 3:20-21 … the Lord Jesus Christ, will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, Comp I Jn. 3:2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
The saints in the OT rejoiced in this hope.
Job 19:25-27 For I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth; 26 And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, That in my flesh I shall see God, 27 Whom I shall see for myself, And my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!
Ps. 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.
Ps. 17:15 15 As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.
Where is your portion? Where is your “stuff”?
If you are in Christ, there is a much better portion than what this life offers awaiting for you. A world whose glory surpasses far beyond any stretch of the imagination, has been secured by the resurrection of Christ. God Himself will dwell in it and His children will be able to serve Him in a perfect and glorious body in the likeness of Christ. Somebody immersed in this reality will have a radically different outlook about life and the future.
Secondly,
b) Christ’s resurrection is our motivation to persevere in good works
I Co 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.
The “work of the Lord”: the first thing is precisely that it is “of the Lord“… these are not works that merit salvation, but the works of the saved
Calvin said it is “doing good”.
This is the work of the church which has places and tasks for everyone of us”. Lenski.
“These are works done by us at the command of Christ and for His Glory”. M. Poole
“…it is the work which the Lord has given us to do as parents, as children, as husbands and wives, as ministers and Christians”. Charles Hodge
“What a word for thousands who work, pray, give and suffer as little as possible!...Because of the wealth of our heavenly riches and our eternal victory in Christ, we can afford to abound. We are not called to idleness and mere enjoyment but to diligent effort in the work of the Lord”. – Lenski -
Abounding in the work of the Lord = working copiously!
c) Christ’s resurrection is our motivation to consider God’s reward
Col. 3:22-25 Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. 23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.
Heb. 6:9-12 But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner. 10 For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. 11 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Perhaps at times you feel like the prophet Isaiah in 49:4 But I said, "I have toiled in vain, I have spent My strength for nothing and vanity; The verse did not end there, he finished up saying: Yet surely the justice due to Me is with the LORD, And My reward with My God." Without the resurrection of Christ, then Christianity is reduced to moralizing fables and empty chatter. Herein hangs true saving faith, whether or not you not only believe, but live in the power of the Resurrected Christ Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.
