The Resurrection: It’s Still Alive
By: Joe M. Cherry
I. Introduction
A. The Back Story
1. True story that happened in 1996
a. On Good Friday, a young man was killed in a tragic accident.
b. His memorial service was held on Easter Sunday.
c. It was evident that his father was a religious person as he began the eulogy he had prepared for his son’s service.
d. Easter was mostly about bunny rabbits, coloring/hiding eggs, and candy.
e. He said, “Today, Easter is…
i. An anchor in a fierce storm
ii. A rock on which to stand
iii. A hope that raises you above despair and keeps you going.
iv. There is hope even in death. This day reminds us of this fact.
2. The Passion of Christ reminded us of His cruel death on the cross.
a. It brought to life the words we read in scripture. Hard to watch
b. They scourged Him.
c. They humiliated Him by stripping Him and spitting on Him.
d. Drove nails in His wrists and feet.
e. They pierced His side.
i. Because He was already dead.
ii. No bones of the Passover lamb were ever to be broken.
3. But this is Easter!
a. Without the death there’d be no Easter.
b. So, it is with the physical and spiritual life of every person. We must die to self so we can walk in the newness of life Christians are promised and likewise must physically die to receive the incorruptible body to which Paul refers in I Cor. 15.
B. Sin Required Blood Sacrifices
1. Death was necessary because sin requires a blood sacrifice.
a. Heb. 10:4 – “It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin.”
b. Throughout the Old Testament sacrifices were offered for a variety of things on a regular basis; sin always required blood.
2. Rev. 13:8 – Jesus is referenced as “the Lamb slain before the creation of the world.” Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection were not afterthoughts!
a. God made provisions for this final sacrifice before the world was formed.
b. The implications of Christ’s death impacted the world from its beginning and will continue to impact the world until Jesus’ second coming.
II. Body – No way to exhaust the Resurrection in one sermon. Like eating a cow, you got to pick a part and eat at it, then move on to the next part to get the job done!
A. The Glorious Day – People were told it was coming but they couldn’t conceive it.
1. On the third day, He arose just as He foretold His disciples in Mk. 8:31.
2. An angel proclaimed to those who came to the tomb, “He is not here, He is risen just as He said.” Mt. 28:1-5
3. Young man (another angel) tells them, “Do not be alarmed, He is risen.” Mk 16:6
4. In Jo. 20:10-17 – Peter and John run up to the empty tomb and leave but Mary stays behind. As Mary looks in the empty tomb, she sees two angels and is asked, “why are you crying?” Jesus reveals Himself to Mary.
5. Read Luke 24:5 – The two men (angels) asked the women, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?”
6. After Jesus was resurrected, He walked the earth for 40 days (Acts 1:3) and appeared to over 500 people during this time. (I Cor 15:1-9).
7. Reading the resurrection story from the viewpoint of all four gospel writers gives us greater grasp of what went on and who all was present.
B. What Does the Resurrection Prove?
a.
1. It proves there is power greater than us.
a. It originated from the Godhead
i. I Pet 1:21 tells us God raised Him from the dead.
ii. Rom 8:11 – The Spirit that raised Christ from the dead is living in us.
iii. Jo 10:18 He had a part in His resurrection – Speaking of His life He says, “I have the authority to lay it down and the authority to take it back up.”
b. Phil. 3:10 Paul refers to the power of the resurrection and his wanting it.
i. Power – Gr. “dunamis” – miraculous power, it is supernatural, explosive, and violent - word origin for the English word dynamite. Like none other!
ii. It is a life changing power available to us today It doesn’t make us do crazy things. Christ didn’t do crazy things.
2. It proves that Jesus was Who He said He was. At least twice, Jesus was asked for a sign by the Jewish leaders and the Jewish people.
a. Mt 12:40 – Jesus said, “Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale for three days and nights, so will the Son of Man be three days and nights in the heart of the earth.”
b. Jo 2:19 – “Destroy the temple and I will raise it again in three days.” They
scoffed at Jesus because it took 46 years to build it.
3. Rom. 4:25 – It proves that Jesus’ earthly mission was complete.
a. If Christ had not been raised from the dead, He would have simply been just another sacrifice.
b. His resurrection proved that God accepted the sacrifice once and for all and no other would ever be required.
4. Heb.2:14 tells us that
a. Death and Satan were conquered but not destroyed.
b. I Cor. 15:26 – At the 2nd coming, the final enemy (death) will be destroyed.
c. Death was not cheated; Christ beat it fair and square. Cheating implies it wasn’t supposed to happen.
C. We must realize that the Resurrection is more than a story!
1. It’s an event and a powerful one at that.
a. It isn’t a biblical parable like the Prodigal Son or The rich man and Lazarus.
b. We read stories like parables and glean biblical lessons, but we live and relive events.
c. In ’79 my brother and I were in a terrible traffic accident.
i. Up to that time, I had read 100’s of newspaper reports of accidents (many of which involved fatalities), quickly ponder how bad they were, and my heart rate never changed.
ii. After our accident, I relived the initial impact at least 100 times and I involuntarily cringed at the mere thought of it. It affected me for months.
2. We must realize that the scripture is the “living” word of God. Heb 4:12
a. The Bible is just words on a page if we don’t give them life.
b. Intellectual acceptance alone of the resurrection renders no power. i.e., I can know medicine will cure me but if I don’t take it, I’ll not get well.
3. As Christians, we must draw these words off the pages and make them a part of our lives. They need to exude from our being in a way that draws others to us and ultimately to the gospel. We each have a resurrection to witness.
4. How do we keep it alive and relevant today?
a. The Lord’s Supper that we observe every week as scripture commands us to do is our way of keeping it real and present in our lives. We remember His death, burial, and resurrection while examining our lives under the auspices of these great events.
b. We must never let ourselves forget the price of sin (Christ’s death) or the joy of our salvation that the resurrection brings!
III. Closing
A. How can we benefit from it today after we’ve become a Christian?
1. The resurrection gives us faith in God that He will raise us also in that last day. I Pet. 1:3 We have a “living” hope in the resurrected Christ. Rom 5 tells us that as death came through Adam eternal life comes through Jesus Christ.
2. Jesus now sits at the right hand of God, His blood covers our sins, and He sits as the intercessor (advocate) between God and us. I Jo 2:1
3. At baptism, we are brought out of our sins, and we walk in a newness of life. We walk in newness of life every time we ask for forgiveness.
a. Every morning, I ask God to flush my soul, my heart, and my mind and ask Him to fill the voids that were let when the sins were removed (forgiven).
b. I experience a resurrection every time I do this. Life starts over each day forgiven and full of hope.
B. Remember the father’s words in the opening story.
1. The resurrection power truly is
a. An anchor in fierce times
b. A rock on which to stand
c. A hope that raises us up above the hopeless and despair
2. It will ultimately bring us home to heaven.
C. Keeping the resurrection alive is the duty of all Christians. Our challenge is:
1 Mk 16:15 – Go ye into the world preach the gospel to the whole creation.
a. Don’t just go reading words!
b. The story itself needs no embellishment.
c. But bring it to life with how the resurrection has affected you.
2. Tell them the gospel is this.
a. Jesus died for our sins.
b. He is risen,
c. He loves us,
d. He wants us in heaven!
