Resurrection Sunday 2020
Text: 1 Corinthians 15:1-8
Well… today is Easter Sunday, and I’ll just tell ya’ right up front, I don’t usually call it Easter Sunday, I call it Resurrection Sunday. Because that’s what today is all about. The resurrection of Jesus Christ. And I admit, that when I was a kid, I didn’t really understand what this holiday was all about… in-fact; it wasn’t until I became a Christian that I really understood it. But over the years, as I’ve grown in my faith, I’ve come to appreciate Resurrection Sunday more and more, but it was this one… this year… TODAY, that I’ve looked at it with probably more joy than I ever have before. And I’ll tell you why.
A few weeks ago, my dad passed away from cardiac arrest. I know that many of you have lost loved ones, and it’s hard. It’s always hard when someone you love passes away… but I have to say, it’s even harder when that someone is your childhood hero… your role model, and not only your dad, but one of your best friends in the whole world. Me and my dad had a great relationship. And one of the reasons it’s so hard is because you miss that person, and you realize that you won’t get to make new memories with them here on earth. But as we were approaching THIS DAY, Resurrection Sunday! I had a great feeling of peace, and comfort, and yes… even joy. Because I know that I will see my dad… and my mom (who passed away several years ago)… I know that I’ll see them again.
I know that, because of the promises given to us in God’s Word.
You see; God’s Word tells me that because my parents had been saved by the grace of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, that the moment they passed away, they were immediately ushered into the presence of the Lord. And God’s Word tells me, that because I too have been saved by the grace of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, that when I leave this world, I’ll see them again.
And the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the evidence and proof of that.
So what I want to do this morning is talk to you a little bit about that. I want to talk to you about how we can be sure that Jesus was raised up from the dead, and what His resurrection means for each one of us, who have put our faith and trust in Him as Lord and Savior.
So if you will, please turn in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 (READ).
Now this was the Apostle Paul writing to believers in the city of Corinth, and in this letter, he talks to them about all kinds of things. Things they needed to be doing, and things that the needed to stop doing, but when he gets to this section of the letter, he says to them, “Now guys, I’ve talked to you about a lot of things… But I want to remind you of the Gospel that I preached to you (the Good News I told you about)…” And then he says, “And here’s what’s most important: Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, He was buried, and He was raised on the third day, in accordance with the Scriptures.”
Here’s how it went down. Jesus went to the cross, and died on the cross on Friday. And Paul just told us why Jesus did that – to pay for our sins. All of us have sinned against God. We’ve rebelled against Him, we’ve disobeyed Him, we’ve ignored Him. We’ve lied, we’ve cheated, we’ve coveted, we’ve lusted, we’ve had hatred in our hearts. We all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. And the Bible tells us that there are none who are righteous, no not one. And so when God looked down upon humanity, we all stood guilty before Him. And God could’ve said, “They’re all guilty, I’m going to punish them all.” And that would have been just, and fair if He had said that, or done that. But instead, when God looked down upon humanity, and saw that all of mankind was guilty of sin, and as His justice demanded punishment for that sin, Jesus said, “Father, I’ll take the punishment.” And so Jesus comes into this world as a man, and He lives the life that we should have lived… a life without sin, and then He goes to the cross, where our sin is laid upon Him. And instead of God pouring His wrath out on us, He pours it out on His Son – Jesus. And Jesus takes our punishment, and then dies in our place. He was then placed in the tomb before the sun went down on that same Friday. He was in the tomb all day Saturday, and then early Sunday morning, He rose from the dead.
And people hear that, and they go, “I just can’t believe that. It’s too amazing. It’s too fantastic of a story. What’s your evidence?” So let me ask you… is there any evidence for our claim? Is there anything that we can point to and say – here’s some proof!
God’s Word tells us that we are to take this on faith, but that doesn’t mean that God didn’t give us any evidence on which to base our faith? So is there any evidence that Jesus did in-fact rise from the dead?
Well… how about this? The tomb was empty. No one could produce the body of Jesus. You know the religious leaders made up a lie and said, “Jesus’ disciples stole the body.” But they never went and arrested them for that, or charged them with any kind of crime. They sure didn’t want it going to trial… They just wanted it to fade away. But not only could no one produce the body… for more than one month, after Jesus had died and been buried, people kept on seeing Him, and talking to Him, and eating with Him, and meeting Him – ALIVE! And on one occasion, a group of more than 500 people saw Him all at the same time. Paul even mentions that in our text. It’s there in verse 6 where he writes, “Then He appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.” Even in our modern court rooms, if an attorney can produce 2 or 3, or 4 eye witnesses who all describe the exact same thing, it’s pretty much an open and shut case… But 500 eye witnesses! Man that’s a slam dunk, a hole in one, a grand slam, and a hat trick all in one, and a knock out to boot. And Paul goes on and says, “Most of those guys are still alive today, so go and ask them yourself.”
And then you’ve got these disciples… these 11 guys, who Scripture tells us, were all afraid when Jesus was arrested and taken to the cross… They were all afraid that they might be next, and they ran away, and hid themselves, and Peter even denied knowing Jesus. But after the resurrection, none of them were afraid to talk about Him, or preach about Him, or tell others about Him. None of them were afraid to stand up for Him, and profess their allegiance to Him. They were changed men. What caused that? Do you think that maybe seeing Jesus alive, and knowing that He has the power over death changed their outlook and their point of view, and their lives? Do you think that coming to realize and believe that Jesus is the Almighty, Sovereign, Lord God, who has power over all things, and who controls all things, and who has power over even death, changed them and gave them boldness? There’s no other explanation really. There’s also no other explanation as to why a bunch of devout Sabbath keepers suddenly started gathering on Sunday instead of Saturday. They began meeting and gathering for worship on Sunday… the Lord’s Day… because that’s the day Jesus rose from the dead.
The evidence is there… mountains and mountains of it. Good, solid, credible evidence. But ultimately; to the unbeliever, it’s not about evidence. It’s about the fact that men love darkness rather than light. You see; if Jesus did actually rise from the dead, that means that He really is God. And that means that the Bible is true. And that means that we really are sinners, who stand guilty before God, and who deserve eternal wrath and judgment. Now of course, like I just said, God gives us the way of escape. His Word tells us what we must do to be saved from His just and holy wrath. It tells us to turn away from sin (to repent) and to turn instead TO Christ in faith, and to trust Him alone for salvation. And therein lies the problem… we don’t want to turn away from our sin. We love it. We love it too much to let it go. We’re like Gollum in Lord of the Rings – our sin is precious to us.
So please listen to me… if you’re hearing my voice this morning… whether your gathered here with us at this place, or you’re gathered with other believers at home, or someplace else… I want you to really listen to what I’m about to say. Sin only seems fun for a season. That thing… that sin… it might seem fun to you right now, but it’s only for a while. It might seem pleasing to you, or exciting, or even comforting. But it’s like the “Deep State” – it’s secretly, and tirelessly working to destroy you, and everything you hold dear. It will destroy your life, your hopes, your dreams, your family, your livelihood, all that you love and cherish. It will ultimately, and finally destroy you. That’s what that sin that you’re holding on to is doing. Right now it seems fun, but in 5, 10, maybe 20 years, your health could be gone… your marriage could be destroyed… your family could be ruined… your joy could be taken from you… whatever you’re elevating above God, and loving more than God, will ultimately grow so large it will crush you under its weight. That’s what sin does.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
It may be that God is showing you this morning – there’s another path you can go down. It may be that God is pressing upon you and speaking to your spirit and saying, “Look to Me and live.” And it may be that God is saying to this world RIGHT NOW, ON THIS DAY, “Look around and see that there is nothing in this world that is lasting. There is nothing in this world that is permanent. There is nothing in this world that is secure, and a ‘for sure’ thing. But I AM the Alpha and Omega – the Beginning and the End. I am the Lord God, and I am the same yesterday, today, and forever. I change not. I AM the only true security. I AM the only source of true and lasting peace, and comfort, and joy.” It may be that God is dealing with you concerning these things, or other things… and again, I hope He is. I hope and pray that God arrests each and every one of our hearts, and we would return to Him as nation, and as individuals. That He would bring repentance and revival to His creation. You know… when the governing authorities tell us that abortion clinics, and liquor stores are essential… That’s a pretty good sign that we need to repent! So I say let the “woke” Social Justice warriors video themselves singing John Lennon’s “Imagine” in their bathrooms. We who belong to Jesus Christ will go preach the Gospel, because we know that only the Gospel will change a man’s heart… We know that it’s the Gospel that is the power of God unto salvation. We will preach it, and we will show it, as we love our neighbor by providing for them, and caring for them, and helping them, during this time. If you have extra of something and your neighbor is in need, show the love of Christ and share it with them.
Church – today is the day that we celebrate Christ’s resurrection. It’s this day, around 2000 years ago, that changed everything! Today is the day that Christ conquered death.
Turn with me over to the Book of 2nd Timothy (2 Timothy 1:6-10 – READ).
Do you see that? God saved us and called us… NOT because of OUR WORKS, but because of HIS OWN PURPOSE and grace. So God did it… It was His own purpose and grace… and He gave it to us IN CHRIST JESUS – when? Before the ages began! How did it happen? Through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, Who ABOLISHED death and brought life and immortality… And not only did Jesus conquer death, and give us eternal life… He justified us before God as well. Paul lays that out for us in Romans chapters 4 & 5. Jesus is our propitiation and He has made atonement for us. What that means is that when Jesus went to the cross, He took our place and our punishment… but the way in which He did that is that He took our sin upon Himself. God was not going to pour out His wrath on His sinless son… and so Jesus took our sin upon Himself, and then paid for them on the cross. And He paid for them in full. He said, “It is finished!” But that’s not the entire process of salvation. When you are brought to saving faith, and you trust in Jesus as your Savior and Lord, God credits all of Christ’s righteousness to your account. So that now, you stand before God justified. We stand before Him as righteous.
That’s what 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that IN HIM we might become the righteousness of God.”
And this is what the resurrection is all about – It’s about Jesus who has saved us from the wrath we deserved because of our sin, and He has forgiven us of our sin. He has atoned for our sin. He has justified us before God, so that we now stand before Him in Christ as righteous and holy. And it’s because of all this that we have eternal life with Him. We stand in His presence, and have perfect fellowship with Him, FOREVER!
And that’s why Resurrection Sunday gives me so much joy… because as I was thinking on all of that, leading up to today, and as my thoughts turned to my dad, it struck me that he was experiencing all of this first hand – face to face! So my dad is getting to experience this thing that all of us, who are Christians, are looking forward to. And knowing that we’ll get to do that as well some-day, and knowing what God’s Word says, gives you a great sense of peace, and comfort, and joy, even in this messed up, crazy world that we live in.
CLOSING
