OUTLINE
WHAT THAT RESURRECTION MEANS
Dr. Tom Bartlett, Steele Creek Church Eastfield Campus
Resurrection Sunday - April 12, 2020
And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:14 (ESV)
TWO RESURRECTION MIRACLES
• EMPTY TOMB - THE GREATEST MIRACLE IN HUMAN HISTORY - The tomb in which Jesus was buried was discovered empty by a group of women on the Sunday following the crucifixion.
• FEARLESS FOLLOWERS - THE SECOND GREATEST MIRACLE IN HUMAN HISTORY - The sudden change in attitude and amazing transformation in the lives of the disciples who followed Jesus. All within about 72 hours.
On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. John 20:19-20 (ESV)
“These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also. . .” Acts 17:6 (ESV)
THE RESURRECTION MEANS
I CAN KNOW
Forgiveness from God
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (ESV)
But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the
chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5 (ESV)
Relationship with God
. . . and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15: 5-8 (ESV)
The Five Types of People Jesus Appears to
• Betrayer - (Peter)
• Disheartened - (Disciples)
• Seekers - (The 500)
• Skeptic - (James, Jesus brother)
• Denier - (Saul)
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. Titus 2:11-13 (ESV)
THE POINT - In history, Jesus died once for you, so that in eternity, you can live with Him forever
MANUSCRIPT
WHAT THE RESURRECTION MEANS
Dr. Tom Bartlett, Steele Creek, Eastfield Campus
Resurrection Sunday - April 12, 2020
It’s a great morning! Welcome to Steele Creek Church, Eastfield Campus. My name is Tom Bartlett and I’m delighted to be able to bring to you today the greatest news that has ever been told.
In the world of COVID-19, good news is hard to come by. I was conversing with one of our members this past Thursday and he asked how I was coping with it all. I shared with him what our family was doing to make the most of it all. He responded with, “it’s nice to hear some good news. All I’m hearing from people is how bad it is.”
Well, COVID-19 will soon be gone, but what I’m going to share with you is not a passing thing.
• What if today, the words that I’m about to share could completely transform your life?
• What if they could send you on a path that last beyond this life and into forever?
• What if today is the day that you look back on as the first day of the new you?
You see, no matter where you are on your journey in life, today is always the first day of the rest of your life if you want it to be.
Have you ever wondered why so many Christians make such a big deal about this particular weekend? Well let me share with you briefly.
Imagine a perfect world where the weather was amazing and that the air was so clean that every single breath was like your first. Your body is in perfect harmony with your surroundings and everything you need physically, emotionally, and spiritually is right there with you. You wouldn’t know hunger for food is readily available. You wouldn’t know loneliness because companionship and love are yours without question or hesitation. And the sense of purpose and fulfillment is yours too. It’s a perfect place.
Now imagine that you lost that perfection, you let it slip away with a poor choice. You had the choice to stay or to go and you chose to go from this place. You find yourself outside of what you truly long for, to be back in that perfect spot enjoying life the way God intended it to be lived.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO TO GET BACK THERE? OF COURSE, ANYTHING, BUT WHAT IF THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO WAY? DEPRESSING.
Now imagine that the God who created it all for you comes and says, “I will make a way, but you must do what I say.” Would you do it?
Because of your poor choice, you allowed the evil disease of sin to enter into the world affecting all of creation. And, because God is a holy and righteous God, He cannot allow this sin, this imperfection in His presence. He sets in place a sacrificial system of the killing of innocent animals as a covering for your poor choices, your sin. SIN ALWAYS HAS A COST.
Now, you have to choose to get back in, but it’s not automatic.
The system of sacrifices would point to a perfect sacrifice that God would send, in reality the sacrifice would be God for you.
The sacrificial system mirrors what Jesus would eventually do. It is in place right up to the point where Jesus dies. On that same weekend, in that same city, in a similar manner, Jesus dies just as the sacrificial lamb for the nation was being offered too by the high priest. Jesus becomes God’s ultimate sacrifice for all of your sins and He becomes the key to open back up the door to the paradise lost by us so long ago.
But the cross was not all there was to this, you see until Jesus came back to life, there would be no real defeat of the enemy and the grave. IF HE DIDN’T RISE FROM THE DEAD THERE WOULD BE NO NEED FOR US TO BE HERE.
And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:14 (ESV)
So, the resurrection is everything to us because it proves that if Jesus can rise from the dead, He can do anything including make a way for you to live like man was intended.
Now before I get to the life-altering elements for you, let me just back up some of this first. On that Resurrection morning some 2,000 years ago two miracles were set in place.
TWO RESURRECTION MIRACLES
• EMPTY TOMB - THE GREATEST MIRACLE IN HUMAN HISTORY - The tomb in which Jesus was buried was discovered empty by a group of women on the Sunday following the crucifixion.
One of the evidences we have of the resurrection is not just the empty tomb, but also the fact that woman found it. You see, if this were a hoax, the planners would never have sent woman since there status in that society was not the same as a man. Roman law accepted that a woman’s testimony was not credible, and the Jewish Talmud said, "Any evidence which a woman [gives] is not valid”. If it were planned, they would have sent men to have a credible story, but God chose woman to find the empty tomb.
Jesus’ Resurrection proved that he really was who he claimed to be! It validated his identity. Fact: A lot of people have claimed to be God -but only 1 proved it by bringing himself back to life and walking around Jerusalem for 40 more days before he went back to heaven! That means we can trust his promises! It’s why 2.3 billion Christian believers are celebrating His resurrection this week. It is also why history is split into BC & AD. The resurrection is the defining pivotal point in history and everything else is dated in relationship to it - including your own birthday!
• FEARLESS FOLLOWERS - THE SECOND GREATEST MIRACLE IN HUMAN HISTORY - Now the second greatest miracle besides the resurrection was the sudden change in attitude and amazing transformation in the lives of the disciples who followed Jesus. All within about 72 hours.
“Some sort of powerful, trans-formative experience is required to generate the sort of movement earliest Christianity was.” N. T. Wright, an eminent British scholar, concludes, “That is why, as an historian, I cannot explain the rise of early Christianity unless Jesus rose again, leaving an empty tomb behind him.”
On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. John 20:19-20 (ESV)
As a result of seeing the resurrected Christ, these disciples, gave their lives and turned the world upside down within a few years.
“These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also. . .” Acts 17:6 (ESV)
The disciples all died when they could have recanted their stories of persona encounters with Jesus after death and resurrection. They could have simply said that the resurrection was all made up, false.
Now, we’ve seen many people die for good causes, but I’m not aware of anyone giving their life for a known lie, let alone a dozen or so people doing that for the same lie.
So, what does this mean to me today? Well, it’s good news.
ILLUSTRATION: Once a man said to another, “I don’t see why we call it ‘Good Friday’”. The other man says, “If you’re about to die and someone comes and takes your place what would you call that?” the man replies, “good.”
On Friday, Jesus took your place,
On Sunday, He finished his race!
THE RESURRECTION MEANS
I CAN KNOW
Forgiveness from God
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (ESV)
In the ancient Roman world, it was believed that death swallowed up life and that life after death was simply not
possible. The thought of a bodily resurrection was out of the question not a possibility. In response to a letter the Corinthians wrote to Paul seeking clarity, he wrote these words.
Now, Paul states the reason for the death of Christ – “our sins”.
That decision by or first parents ushered us from God’s presence. Christ’s death reopens the lost path.
All of Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection were foretold hundreds and in some cases thousands of years before they happened.
DID YOU KNOW THAT FOR MANY JEWS, THEY ARE STILL HOLDING TO THOSE OT SCRIPTURES THAT SAY THE MESSIAH WILL COME AND SUFFER FOR THE NATION NOT KNOWING THAT IT WAS JESUS WHO IS THE MESSIAH AND ALREADY CAME?
But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5 (ESV)
The reason He died was for you to have the curse of sin lifted. To have the sins of your life, placed on Him as the ultimate sacrifice for sins.
Paul continues his teaching to the Corinthians.
THE RESURRECTION MEANS
I CAN KNOW
Relationship with God
. . . and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:5-8 (ESV)
Now Paul sates, the result of our sins was a lost relationship with a holy and righteous creator.
That’s why Jesus came, our sins resulted in a hole in God’s heart so to speak. He loves you and wants a relationship with you. For you to know the Creator here and now and to enjoy Him forever.
I want you to notice the types of people that Jesus comes to. You see these five groups can be looked at as categories. These appearances happened over a 40-day period.
You see, Jesus appeared to the 12 who all gave their lives for the truth of His resurrection, but he also appeared to all types of people.
The Five Types of People Jesus Appears to
• Betrayer - (Peter)
Peter walked with Jesus as a close follower but when things got heavy and Jesus was arrested, he denied three times even knowing Jesus. Out of love Jesus appeared to him.
Do you fall in that category? Once walking with Jesus, now distant? Once a believer, now a betrayer by your actions? JESUS APPEARS TO YOU TODAY, OUT OF LOVE.
• Disheartened - (Disciples)
This band of brothers thought for sure they knew what God was going to do. That in the last-minute God would step in and save Jesus from the cross and the apparent defeat, but God didn’t stop the execution, He didn’t do as they thought He should, they became disheartened and walked away for a time period. Out of love Jesus appeared to him.
Is that you? Someone died who you loved and God didn’t do as you thought He should? Lost your job or a relationship and you’re mad at God? JESUS APPEARS TO YOU TODAY, OUT OF LOVE.
• Seekers - (The 500)
Many people had crowded around to see if Jesus had actually resurrected. They were seeking the truth about it all. They didn’t deny, they just weren’t sure. Out of love Jesus appeared to him.
Is that you? You’re watching today because you want to know but you’re not sure? JESUS APPEARS TO YOU TODAY, OUT OF LOVE.
• Skeptic - (James, Jesus brother)
James here is the biological half-brother of Jesus. He knew Jesus, but was skeptical that his own brother truly was the Messiah. His skepticism led to a personal appearance of Jesus to him. Out of love Jesus appeared to him.
Are you skeptical of all this, wondering how this could be? JESUS APPEARS TO YOU TODAY, OUT OF LOVE.
• Denier - (Saul)
Saul was a powerful force against Jesus in the early days of the church. He denied that Jesus was the Messiah and that God had sent Him. He worked hard to stop this growing infestation of believers in the first century, all until Jesus appeared to him. This driving force against Jesus became the driving force for Him in the first century. God could have left this man to himself, but out of love Jesus appeared to him.
Is that you? Do you deny the events and the reality of God’s love? Do you say, it didn’t happen, I won’t believe? JESUS APPEARS TO YOU TODAY, OUT OF LOVE.
The bible is clear about God’s love for you.
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. Titus 2:11-13 (ESV)
Jesus is appearing to you right now, in your mind and in your heart because He loves you.
Here’s the point
In history, Jesus died once for you, so that in eternity, you can live with Him forever
One day soon the virus that is affecting our world will be over, but other natural and world disasters will occur. This life is not all there is. God wants to transform you to represent His love for others here and be wit Him for eternity there.
AS A HUMAN RACE WE ONCE CHOSE TO LEAVE THE PRESENCE OF GOD, NOW, WE HAVE A CHOICE TO RE-ENTER IT. WHAT WILL YOU CHOOSE?
Resurrection salvation prayer
Dear God, I want my sins forgiven and a relationship with You. I believe in You and I accept your payment for my sins. Save me, my life is Yours. In Jesus’ name A-men.
