Cornerstone Church Easter Sunday 4.20.14
“The Resurrection – What Now?”
Philippians 3:10-11
“It was the worst of times
and going to be the best of times!”
The early band of Followers (Christians) were devastated on Friday.
The one they thought was:
* The Messiah
* The Savior!
* Son of God
* Son of David
* Son of Man
Was crucified!
Crucified = beaten, stricken, mocked, pulverized beyond all recognition.
Then nailed to a cross to die hanging between heaven and earth!
Hope snuffed out like a candle!
* Peter denied the Lord the night before (weighted down by guilt)!
* Disciples are scattered (some hiding in the shadows).
* The ones who loved him greatly got permission to prepare the Body for burial and bury Jesus.
* The authorities seal and guard the tomb!
The Sabbath Begins!
Darkness Falls!
Silence!
THE RESURRECTION – DOUBTED
Example: Look at Mary Magdalene
John 20:13 NIV They (the Angeles) asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”
The Sabbath – Saturday the silence remained!
Jesus is dead! There is no doubt here! The Romans made sure he was dead!
Jesus is in the Tomb – stone covered the entrance!
* Wrapped for Burial
* His body is icy cold!
* Blood congealed!
* Rigor mortis fully set in!
Even though the Believers doubted the officials were not going to take chances!
The religious leaders listened to what Jesus said, but their dark hearts keep them from believing He was the Messiah!
“…the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”
“Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard. Matthew 27:62b-66
The Sabbath (Saturday) ended and darkness returns!
Everything is about to change!
THE RESURRECTION – BELIEVED
Jesus dead Body was resurrected!
* Imagine the power it took to bring someone to life that was dead going on three days!
* Jesus - God the Son had raised others from the dead including Lazarus after four days!
* Jesus is Risen!
o This is the real deal!
o Do not diminish the Glory of God the SON by some cheap dime store theory that in the coolness of the tomb Jesus regained consciousness and everyone only thought He was dead!
o He was dead: Romans, Religious Leaders, Jews, followers knew it!
I imagine it as this song declares:
“There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain:
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave he rose again!”
“In Christ Alone”
Words and Music by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend
Power greater than all of the energy and matter needed when God spoke to bring the Universe into existence raised Jesus to life!
The Big Bang was a mere firecracker next to Resurrection Power!
The Tomb was not opened to let Jesus out but to let people in to see it was empty!
Matt. 28:2-4 NIV There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
Joy filled the hearts of the Believers as they encountered the Risen Christ!
The message spread as they announced “He is Risen, just as He said” to other believers!
Matt. 28:8-10 NIV So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
Before His Ascension back to His Father Jesus appeared to nearly 600 Followers.
1Cor. 15:3-7 NIV For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
THE RESURRECTION – PROCLAIMED!
The timid and fearful Apostles after seeing the Resurrected Christ and were filled with the Holy Spirit shared the message of the Risen Christ fervently and fearlessly!
Acts 2:32 NIV God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact.
Acts 3:15 NIV You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.
Acts 4:10 NIV …then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.
Acts 4:33 NIV With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all.
Acts 5:30 NIV The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead—whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree.
You can almost hear the Religious Leaders saying, “Can anyone help?”
Who has the Body of Jesus?
* The Romans don’t have it!
* The Religious Leaders don’t have it!
Acts 5:28 NIV “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”
* The Religious Leaders bribe didn’t work (modern day politics)!
Matt. 28:12-15 NIV When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.
This isn’t funny any more!
* It is not! It brings us to our main portion of scripture this morning!
* The Resurrected Christ’s transformation of a life!
THE RESURRECTION – PERSECUTION
The early church was spreading like a wild fire!
* It was time to start putting out the unstoppable fire!
* Stephen (newly appointed Deacon) was proclaiming the Gospel and the people didn’t want to hear it any more and covered their ears and started screaming.
Acts 7:58 NIV “…dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.”
Saul - the hatchet man of the Pharisees (Chuck Colson)
* If you needed a job done, he’s your man!
* He has been rising through the ranks of the Pharisees!
* He is a patriot and zealous defender of the Jewish Faith
Saul – His Resume! - Look back to Philippians 3:5-6
Phil. 3:5-6 NIV “…circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.”
He made it into “Who’s Who in Israel!”
Now just send $135.00!
Acts 8:1-3 NIV And Saul was there, giving approval to his death. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.
Saul’s been dispatched!
* The wild fire kept on spreading! It was like hitting the fire with a shovel instead of shoveling dirt on the fire to suffocate it.
* Every time a sainted was persecuted or martyred the sparks from hitting the fire were dispersed in all directions starting more and more fires.
Saul is on his way to Damascus to persecute more saints and at the same time Philip has a Divine Appointment with the Ethiopian Eunuch!
* The Eunuch receives Christ and is baptized and returns with the gospel to Ethiopia.
* Guess what? Ethiopia still has a large number of Christians there 2,000 years later!
The Risen Christ who sees all and knows all has had enough!
The Resurrected Christ confronts Saul!
Acts 9:3-6 NIV As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
Saul is saved!
* He has been resurrected from the dead to life (transformed)
* His name is changed from Saul to Paul!
* He is discipled (taught) by God in the wilderness!
* Began preaching and teaching (three missionary journeys)
* Wrote 13 Books of the New Testament (14 if he wrote Hebrews)
* Persecuted, suffered and was martyred.
THE RESURRECTION – PURSUED
This is why the Resurrection is important for us today!
It answers the question: “The Resurrection – What Now?”
Paul has walked with the LORD for 30 years! He writes these words in Philippians:
I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Phil. 3:10-11
“I want to know Christ…”
Is Paul saying he needs to needs to enroll in another Bible Study?
* The one who was used by God to teach us all these great truths in 13 or 14 books?
* Was he trying to learn about God like Calculus or Geometry?
* No!
He wanted to draw near and near and closer to Christ!
He wanted more intimacy with Christ!
He was pursuing deeper fellowship with Christ!
Know = Intimate knowledge (like Adam knew Eve)
experiential knowledge (I just don’t know about God – I know God personally)!
It is here that we need to be very careful!
If we are not careful we can think that growing and becoming more like Christ is merely the pursuit of more intellectual information or other religious rituals.
“…A man who claimed to love a girl he never met, but had only read letters she had written, would earn our pity. We are not promised a relationship with a book but with a person.”
Adrian Warnock, “How the Resurrection Changes Everything”, pg. 196
I’m not saying that we don’t have to spend time reading the Bible.
* We learn of Him through His Word!
* We draw closer through prayer and meditation.
* We develop a relationship with Him!
The difference between Cultural Christianity, which is like any other false religion in our world, and Biblical Christianity is knowing God!
Not knowing about God! Knowing God!
“…and the power of his resurrection…”
Why is this so important?
* The power of the resurrection is the power that transformed us from Death to Life! We were spiritual dead now alive!
* The power of the resurrection is available to us daily to help us with our sanctification (becoming more like Christ).
o Defeating temptation
o Empowered for service
o Enabled to witness
o Produces the Fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives
o Fills us with joy
* The power of the resurrection will one day raise our loved ones who have gone before us in death and raise us up at the last day should we die in Christ before His return!
* It is the power of the resurrection that will give us a glorified body!
* It is the power of the resurrection that sets others free as we share the gospel!
“…and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings,
becoming like him in his death,”
Because we are connected to Christ and a part of the Body of Christ, when we suffer or when saints locally and globally are persecuted and martyred all of us fellowship in His sufferings and become more like Him in His death!
Remember, we are Living Sacrifices for Christ!
THE RESURRECTION – PROVED!
“…and so, somehow, to attain
to the resurrection from the dead.”
This is a tricky phrase!
Different word from resurrection in Philippians 3:10
Preposition comes before the word (out / stand up)
Literally = “The out resurrection from among the corpses!”
This is how it is translated in the Amplified Bible:
Phil 3:11 AMP That if possible I may attain to the [spiritual and moral] resurrection [that lifts me] out from among the dead [even while in the body].
Dr. Ralph Kuiper illustrates it like this:
“As I walk your streets, as I walk into your homes, as I walk into your stores, as I walk into your offices, as I mingle among the sons of men, I want to be so living for Christ, so outstanding for Him that you can see that I am a living one among the dead ones.”
Dr. Ralph Kuiper, Eternity Magazine, March 1961
This was Paul’s desire and cry of his heart!
* As Paul pursued Christ he wanted people to see him as a resurrected person (alive and filled with the Holy Spirit) so by observing his life those who did not know Christ (spiritually dead) would want to know Christ too!
* Christian writer, Ali Kennedy on her blog said that he pastor taught her we are “Easter People!”
“Christ was resurrected from the dead so that
we can have eternal life with God and
resurrection life here on earth.”
Ali Kennedy
This passion set ablaze by the power of the resurrected living in us by the Holy Spirit is seen in this verse:
This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?”
Romans 8:15 The Message
When the power of the resurrected Christ has altered your life and seeking to know Him forms the core and center of your life your life will be transformed!
This whole section of Philippians 3 contains Paul’s message that you cannot live as a Christian in the power of the flesh!
Remember his religious resume?
All those fleshly achievements he counts as loss / refuse / dung!
Phil. 3:7 The Message The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I’m tearing up and throwing out with the trash—along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ.
The Resurrected Christ in us revolutionizes:
* Priorities
* Purpose
* Marriage
* Parenting
* Goals
* What we value
* Worship
Jesus made us ALIVE!
* We were horrible people
* We were dead people
* We were and are sinful people
We didn’t start the fire but Jesus did!
* The believers then lived for Christ and passionately shared Christ.
* Those that were reached and discipled reached others!
* This continued until we are here this morning worshipping the Risen Christ!
We must continue to share this message with others who will share this message until Jesus Returns.
If Christ is not resurrected or you don’t believe He is real there is no other hope!
I am here to tell you that Jesus is Risen!
Jesus has been transforming and setting people like Saul who became Paul and multitudes of others for over 2,000 years.
The Risen Christ has given the most compelling reason for you to trust in Him as your Savior and to trust the message of the Bible.
* All the other religious leaders and guru’s are still in their graves!
* The resurrection of Jesus Christ means His grave is empty!
* The resurrection of Jesus Christ confirms for all – Jesus is GOD!
The message resurrected Christ in living in the hearts
of Born-Again Christians is unstoppable!
No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath.
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand.
“In Christ Alone” Words and Music by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend
