Intro: A masterpiece is the greatest work of an artist, or something superlative (the best of) its kind. Michelangelo had his Sistine chapel, Leonardo DaVinchi had the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper, and Van Gogh had his self portrait.
There is no work of art that compares to God’s masterpiece the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. No other religion can lay claim to its like. The only true masterpiece of man is sin, God’s masterpiece uses the centerpiece (the cross) to paint over the ugly and unacceptable work of man. God’s masterpiece is still the good news. It is still the greatest story ever told.
We will see in God’s masterpiece the truth of the resurrection, the triumph of the resurrection, the trust of the resurrection.
1 Corinthians 15.20a “But now Christ has been raised from the dead.”
I. The Truth of the Resurrection
A) His burial
1) The testimony of the centurions
Mark 15.42-47
a) The unbroken legs
John 19.33-34
Roman soldiers trained to be the best at killing
19.33 “when they saw he was already dead”
19.34 “But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water spilled out.
b) The water and the blood
Jesus was indeed dead for the water and the blood give witness that He died of heart failure a broken heart over the sins of man.
c) The request of Joseph of Arimathea
Matthew 27.57-58, Mark 15.43, Luke 23.50-52, John 19.38
Joseph requested Jesus’ body!!!
2) The tomb secure
Matthew 27.62-66
a) Three times the word secure is used in verse 64-66
**The grave was secured by professional Roman Soldiers
b) The tomb was sealed
Matthew 27.66
i) The seal would make grave robbing a punishable offense.
ii) The punishment crucifixion upside down.
3) The tomb surrounded
Matthew 27.62-66 a guard was set to watch the tomb
A) His disciples
1) Mary Magdalene
Matthew 28.1 “Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave.”
Mark 16.1 “When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, an Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might come and anoint Him.”
(today put flowers on the grave)
a) They expected to find the body of Jesus (What do you expect as you look in the empty tomb today?)
b) They found an empty tomb and a Risen Lord
2) Peter And John
B) His enemies
Matthew 28.11-13 11 “Now while they were on their way, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief preists all that had happened. 12 and when they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, 13 and said, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.’”
1) The Religious leaders
a) Did everything they could to cover it up
b) Did everything they could to cast doubt Jesus’ resurrection
Devil is still today using the religious to cover up the resurrection of Jesus.
2) The Religious persecutor Paul
A couple of years ago I exchanged discussion with someone I believe to be an orthodox Jew. His statement about Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus was, “Paul fell off His horse and hit his head.” Now think with me, Paul according to the Bible and his own testimony pulled Christians out of their home to either place them in jail or execute them. (Stephen Acts 7.60-8.3, 22.4 persecuted the way)
I submit to you it was not the hard ground that changed Paul. A simple blow to the head does not transform one from a persecutor into a preacher. It was the hammer of God’s grace in the hands of Jesus the Risen Savior. The hammer was not meant to harm Paul but awaken him to God’s love.
Personal Question: Have you yet been hit by God’s hammer of grace? Has it totally transformed you as it did Paul?
C) His appearances
1 Corinthians 15.19 “If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.”
Paul says if Jesus is not risen then we are most miserable, but verse 20 He has risen indeed!!!
1) Then
The testimony of His risen body
a) Undisputed facts
E. M. Blaiklock: Professor of Classics, Auckland University
“I claim to be an historian. My approach to Classics is historical. And I tell you that the evidence for the life, the death, and the resurrection of Christ is better authenticated than most of the facts of ancient history . . . “
b) Undiscovered faith
Pastor’s opinion it is not that more facts about the resurrection need to be found, many simply need to place their lives in Jesus nail scarred hands.
2) Now
The Church the testimony of His living body
If you are a member of the body of Christ today we have the responsibility
through the seal and the strength of the Holy Spirit to be the truth of the resurrection!!!
It is the truth of Jesus that leads us to the triumph of the resurrection.
II. The Triumph of the Resurrection
A) Victory over death
That fateful Sunday morning when Jesus got up from the grave signaled the complete victory of God the Son over the scourge of His creation, sin and death
1) It tells us don’t be down the best is yet to come.
Even though there is still sickness we have the promise that through His stripes we are healed. Even though there is still death we have the promise of Life in Christ. Even though loved ones die and depart from this world before us. This is not the end. Knowing the sure victory we have in Jesus over death gives us relief from the fears of an uncertain life.
The best is yet to come!!!!!!
2) It tells us don’t give up the grave couldn’t hold Him.
What can possibly stop or permanently harm a child of God?
Jesus the Son of God could not be stopped by death, and the grave couldn’t hold him.
Important Question: If the grave couldn’t hold Him, what dear friend is holding you back from accepting Him as Lord and savior?
B) Victory over sin
If death is defeated then sin must be defeated, because sin opened the door to death, disease, and the dysfunction of God’s creation.
1) Cause of all modern day problems is sin
Romans 5.12 “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men.”
What is the ultimate cause of death?
Answer sin.
2) Cure of all modern day problems Christ’s death and resurrection
Sin like a thorny vine strangles the abundant life God planned for us from the beginning of creation.
Sin steals the joy of life that can be ours if we surrender to life in Christ instead of a life of sin
Sins was defeated and its debt paid don’t let it steal God’s best from you.
C) Victory of God’s word over the world
Philippians 3.10 -11 “That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, in order that I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”
1) “That I may know Him”
Paul desired to know Jesus in a practical every day way. Paul wanted to walk like Jesus, talk like Jesus, love like Jesus, live like Jesus, die like Jesus.
My what a change in communities, cities, states and countries if more people wanted to know the risen Jesus this way!
2) “That I may know the power of His resurrection”
The resurrection power of Jesus is not just for life after death. It is for every day living.
My prayer after the Weekend to remember marriage conference is that I would love my wife emotionally, mentally, physcologically, and spiritually, not just physically.
That takes resurrection power. It is not natural for a man to desire to do the things that are most satisfying to his wife it is supernatural.
It is not natural for a man to say to his wife "Honey come over here I just want to listen to you for 20 minutes."
That takes supernatural power.
It takes supernatural resurrection power to go to a job day in and day out and love people that make fun of you to your back.
The great thing about the triumph of the resurrection is to have victory you just have to trust in Jesus!!
III. The Trust of the Resurrection
A) Trust in the truth of the resurrection
Romans 10.9
“and believe in your heart God raised Him (Jesus from the dead) you will be saved.”
1) Truly trusting Jesus will result in a radical transformation of your life
Example Paul, Peter,
2) Truly trusting Jesus will result in a remarkable joy in your life
B) Trust in the Triumph of the resurrection
Romans 10.9
“that if you confess with you mouth Jesus as Lord.”
It is the echo of the words of Job from the oldest book in the Bible.
Job 19.25 “As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, And at the last He will take His stand on the earth.”
C) Turn your eyes upon Jesus
SIMONE WEIL
Sin is not a distance, it is a turning of our gaze in the wrong direction.
Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of His glory and grace.
The cross was a public and permanent announcement of God’s love for man.
The resurrection is an invitation to celebration of life with God now and in eternity
Conclusion: How does God show off His masterpiece today?
The simple question to the answer is you. If you believe that God raised Jesus from the dead and have confessed Him as Lord and Savior you are His masterpiece showroom. You are to be a new creation, a new creature. Old things have passed away new things come.
When you believe God raised Jesus from the dead and confess Him as Lord you become the masterpiece of God’s love.
(2 Corinthians 3)
