The Significance of The Resurrection
Introduction:
Sadly, as people think about the season the world calls “Easter”, the thoughts of people are going to be more upon an Easter Bunny, Easter Eggs, and an Easter Basket than upon the resurrected Lord that we set this day apart to remember.
Throughout the Bible you can read of several occasions where someone was raised from the dead. You may remember the story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath’s son. You may remember those that Jesus raised from the dead like Lazarus. You may remember Peter raising Tabitha from the dead or Paul raisin Eutychus. There is one thing though about all there people, they all rose to life, but it was just temporary. All of them would one day die again. Also, the resurrection of Jesus is unique from all the other Bible accounts of someone being raised from the dead because Jesus’ was the only one done to prove that He was God in the flesh. Jesus’ resurrection was unique because no one had to raise him; He rose on His own power.
In a recent documentary titled, “The Lost Tomb of Jesus” it is asserted that the bones of Jesus and his family have been discovered. The critics of Christianity are attempting to attack every aspect of our faith. They know that if they can disprove the resurrection of Christ than they have destroyed Christianity from it’s roots. It is the resurrection of Jesus that sets us apart from all other religions. I believe I am speaking to a people this morning that believe that Jesus really did rise from the grave. It is that event which is the most important event in all of history. Today followers of the Islamic faith can visit the tomb of their leader Mohammed. Today followers of the Buddhist religion can go to the grave of their founder, Buddha. You can visit the graves of past presidents and historical figures, you can visit the graves of past loved ones, but you cannot visit the burial place of the greatest man that ever lived, Jesus Christ, because he rose from the dead and lives even today at the right hand of the throne of God himself.
A little less than two thousand years ago today, Jesus walked into Jerusalem greeted warmly by the people of the city. They laid palm branches down as He entered the city and shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest.” This is the day called the triumphal entry or what we now call Palm Sunday. Jesus was greeted like a king and then within a week of that time, he was arrested, put on trial for a crime he did not commit, beaten, whipped, mocked, laughed at, nailed to a cross, hung naked and left to die. This is not the end of the story; there is a happy ending, after three days in the tomb Christ arose from the tomb.
During this time of the year Christians all around the world turn their focus towards Jesus’ resurrection. The resurrection is the single greatest event in history, and should be remembered more than just one time a year.
The resurrection is not some fairy tale Bible story, it is not some made up Christian belief, but it is a historical fact. The history books cannot deny the fact that Jesus rose from the dead. To non-Christians the resurrection in the most baffling and most difficult aspect of Christianity to understand, and to Christians the resurrection is the climax of the life of Jesus and a pillar of our hope.
Jesus performed many wonderful miracles throughout his life. He raised the dead back to life, he healed the sick. Cast out demons and returned sight to the blind. Over the course of history God has done many magnificent things, but the greatest miracle in history is the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, and the second greatest miracle is when we arise out of the watery grave of baptism, symbolizing the resurrection of Christ. We arose with Christ to die no more.
Text: I Corinthians 15:1-12
If Jesus Never Rose From the Dead…
The consequences of a Jesus who never rose from the dead could be infinite. I believe that nothing shows the power of our God more than the resurrection and if people deny the resurrection they are attempting to weaken our God and place Jesus on the level of any other mortal man.
I Corinthians 15:13-19
1. He Would Have Been A Liar
We cannot forget that Jesus is who He claimed to be. Many people, including skeptics, scholars, philosophers, and followers of other religions are willing to concede that a man named Jesus really did live, and that he was a good moral teacher. However, if Jesus did not rise from the dead than he certainly was not a good moral teacher. He would have been a liar. He promised that, “if they tear down his Temple he would rebuild it in three days” and he was speaking of his resurrection. Jesus cannot be a good moral teacher. Don’t demote Jesus to that level. He is either who he said he was or he was a total liar and an immoral person. I choose to believe he was who he claimed to be. However, if He did not rise from the dead than He would have been a liar. Our faith hinges on the resurrection.
2. His Disciples Would Have Been Unreliable
One of the main messages of the disciples of Jesus was the truth of the resurrection. Peter in Acts 2 focused heavily on the resurrection, proclaiming that God raised Jesus back from the dead. If the disciples preached that message and it was untrue than they too were liars. If anyone had known the truth behind the resurrection it would have been that band of twelve men who followed him. The Scriptures tell us that Jesus appeared after he rose from the dead to not only the 12, but to more than 500 people. In nearly 50 places New Testament writers testify to the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. The resurrection of Jesus is not some thing concocted in our minds to make us feel good about ourselves, but it was told with eyewitness accounts. In fact, while Paul was on trial before King Agrippa he assured him that all that he has been preaching was not done secretly or in a corner. If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead the disciples would have known that and they would have been dishonest people. I have a hard time thinking that such dishonest people would preach a message like they did calling people to a life of honesty and integrity. It is one thing to lie to people about something. It becomes crazy when those people are willing to uphold a lie when their lives are on the line. Eleven out of the twelve disciples died for what they were preaching. If I was them, and if I was lying and knew I was lying about the message of Jesus I would have stopped that lie when the persecution came. However, they did not because they were not lying, they knew Jesus did rise from the grave. One of the main theories that skeptics use regarding the resurrection is that the disciples must have stolen the body. That sounds silly to me that they would have endured such opposition and torture for something they knew was a lie. More than that how would they have gotten past the Roman guards who guarded the tomb of Jesus? If the guards had allowed someone to get by them they would have lost their lives, so it is not likely that the disciples stole the body of Jesus, because He rose from the grave.
3. We Would Be Without Hope
Not only does it say that we would be without hope, but Paul says that if the resurrection of Jesus did not happen than our message and our faith are all useless, and we are still in our sins, and more than that we should be pities above all men. We cannot have Christianity without the resurrection of Jesus. It is our hope, our power, and it is what separates us from all other religions in the world. If there was no resurrection of Jesus than we are without any hope of an assurance of Heaven. Our options would either be that God does not exist or that we should go back under the Law, however Jesus has been raised from the dead and we are not without hope.
I. It Proves His Message
In 1957, Lieutenant David Steeves walked out of the California Sierras 54 days after his Air Force trainer jet had disappeared. He related an unbelievable tale of how he had lived in a snowy wilderness after parachuting from his disabled plane. By the time he showed up alive, he had already been declared officially dead. When further search failed to turn up the wreckage, a hoax was suspected and Steeves was forced to resign under a cloud of doubt. His story was confirmed, however, more than 20 years later when a troop of Boy Scouts discovered the wreckage of his plane.
Another “survival story” from centuries ago is still controversial. A man by the name of Jesus Christ walked out of the wilderness making claims a lot of people found difficult to believe. he was later executed and pronounced dead. But 3 days later, He showed up alive. And there have been skeptics ever since.
If there was ever an event that validated all that Jesus ever said and did it was His resurrection from the dead. Skeptics have tried in every way possible to tear apart Christianity. No matter how hard they try they cannot give a good or logical answer for the empty tomb.
a. Who He Claimed To Be
Jesus made many claims about whom he really was. He claimed to be greater than Abraham, he claimed to be the Son of God and the Son of Man, and He claimed to be one with the Father. The reality is either he is right or he is wrong. There cannot be an in between. Either he really was who he claimed to be or he wasn’t. The Bible records more than 300 prophecies concerning Jesus Christ in the Old Testament. All these prophecies were fulfilled through his life, death and resurrection. Statisticians have come to the conclusion that the chances of one person fulfilling 8 of these prophecies are 1 in 1 followed by 17 zeroes. And the resurrection further proves that Jesus really is who he claimed to be. The resurrection proves to me that Jesus was not just another man, he was not just a good moral teacher or example for people to follow, but it proves to me that he was the Song of God. It proves He was God Immanuel, God with us. It proves he has power over life and death.
b. The Powers He Claimed To Have
Either the things Jesus did happened or they didn’t. To me his resurrection validates all that the Gospel writers claim that he did. We can know with certainty that the miracles and the powers that Jesus claimed to have were not just tricks, they were not just stories or fables made up by mad, but we can know that they really happened because He really did rise from the dead.
c. The Promises He Made
Jesus made many promises and if He really is who He claimed to be than we can claim those promises ourselves. His resurrection puts some authority behind those promises. We can trust that He is true to His Word. We can trust that He has the power and ability to come through and provide for us because He rose from the dead. If He could rise from the dead then He has no trouble taking care of us. There is no promise, no thing that he cannot handle because He is who he claimed to be.
II. It Saves Us
I heard a story about a missionary who was preaching and as he closed, a Muslim gentleman came up and said, "You must admit we have one thing you have not, and it is better than anything you have."
The missionary smiled and said, "I should be pleased to hear what it is."
The Muslim said, "You know when we go to Mecca we at least find a coffin. But when you Christians go to Jerusalem, which is your Mecca, you find nothing but an empty grave."
It is that empty tomb which makes Christianity unique. Muhammad is dead and buried and in his tomb, but there is saving power in the empty tomb of Jesus.
For us the resurrection of Jesus Christ may be the most important event in all of history. It is because of the resurrection that we are able to be saved. The death of Jesus on the cross was important, but it is His resurrection, which brings about our justification
Romans 4:25
You see, it is the resurrection, which brings about our justification, or it makes it so God sees us just as if we hadn’t sinned. There is saving power for us in Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.
I Peter 3:21
The reason why we are enabled to come to Christ and find that saving power at our baptism is because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
III. It Conquers Death It is said that on the evening of June 18, 1815 a man stood in the tower of England’s Winchester Cathedral gazing anxiously out to sea. At last he found what he was looking for - a ship sending a signal by use of lights. He strained to see the message. All of England held its breath with him, wanting to know the outcome of the war between their military leader, the Duke of Wellington, and the French dictator Napoleon Bonaparte. Bonaparte, who had once ruled all of Europe bar England remained a threat, and now the decisive Battle of Waterloo had been fought. So, as he stood in the tower of Winchester Cathedral our man waited to relay the news that would determine England’s future. The signal came just as a heavy fog was rolling in. It only just got through, but how he wished it hadn’t, for the signal read: "Wellington defeated” The man signaled to other stations and the news spread across the countryside, bringing great gloom and sadness. But then a great reversal. The fog lifted, and the message was sent again, this time in full: "Wellington defeated the enemy"
At first, everyone thought Christ was defeated. The world of Jesus’ day rejoiced that this guy who claimed to be the Son of God now was dead. They thought they had lost, but then after three days the message became more clear, and that was that death could not hold Jesus in. He arose. Jesus conquered death
Romans 6:9
Like it or not we are all going to die at some point in time. Death has a sort of mastery over us, however, because Jesus rose from the dead, death cannot hold us in either. One day when Jesus returns, the tombs are going to open and the dead in Christ will rise to meet the Lord in the air. Jesus’ resurrection from the dead was a victory. Earlier in Romans 6 we learn that in our baptism we died with Christ, and we are assured that if we have been united with him in His death we will also be united with him in His resurrection. The Bibles assures us that our physical death from this life is not our end, we too will rise again.
I Corinthians 15:51-57
IV. It Assures Our Future
Romans 8:11
Whether we like it or not we all have an eternal destiny somewhere. We are going to spend eternity somewhere. Jesus’ resurrection seals the deal for the Christian, it assures our future.
In a cemetery in Hanover, Germany, is a grave on which were placed huge slabs of granite and marble cemented together and fastened with heavy steel clasps. It belongs to a woman who did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. Yet strangely, she directed in her will that her grave be made so secure that if there were a resurrection, it could not reach her. On the marker were inscribed these words: "This burial place must never be opened
Well…one day all graves will open and those who are in Christ have an assured future in Heaven with the Father. After Jesus rose from the dead, and left his disciples, and ascended into Heaven the disciples stood gazing into the Heavens. As they did that, an angel appeared to them and assured them that this same Jesus who they saw rise into the Heavens, will come in a like way. For those of us who believe in a resurrected Lord, we anticipate his return. If he did not really rise from the dead than we are waiting in vain, however, we look forward to His coming because our future in assured. Sometimes we can get tired and weary, but do not loose heart he is coming, and we wait for a rise savior to return.
During the Second World War the US Army was forced to retreat from the Philippines. Some of their soldiers were left behind, and became prisoners of the Japanese. The men called themselves "ghosts", souls unseen by their nation, and were forced on the infamous Bhutan Death March, forced to walk over 70 miles, knowing that those who were slow or weak would be bayoneted by their captors or die from dysentery and lack of water. Those who made it through the march spent the next three years in a prisoner-of-war camp. By early 1945, 513 men were still alive at the Cabanatuan prison camp, but they were giving up hope. The US Army was on its way back, but the POW’s had heard the frightening news that prisoners were being executed as the Japanese retreated from the advancing U.S. Army. Their wavering hope was however met by one of the most magnificent rescues of wartime history. In an astonishing feat 120 US Army soldiers and 200 Filipino guerrillas outflanked 8000 Japanese soldiers to rescue the POW’s. Alvie Robbins was one of the rescuers. He describes how he found a prisoner muttering in a darkened corner of his barracks, tears coursing down his face. "I thought we’d been forgotten," the prisoner said. "No, you’re not forgotten," Robbins said softly. "You’re heroes. We’ve come for you." Often in life we can start to give up hope, to feel that God has forgotten us, abandoned us to dark and hurtful experiences, but the cross of Christ reminds us, "No, you’re not forgotten" and the resurrection gives us the assurance that some day we too will see our rescuer face to face and be liberated from the distresses of this life. When he returns we too will hear him say, "I’ve come for you."
What’s Your Response to the Resurrected Lord?
