A Resurrection Religion
1 Cor 15:12-22
12 But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.
14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.
15 More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised.
16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either.
17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.
18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost.
19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.
20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.
22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
MAX LUCADO, in his book, Six Hours One Friday, tells the story of a missionary in Brazil who discovered a tribe of Indians in a remote part of the jungle. They lived near a large river. The tribe was in need of medical attention. A contagious disease was ravaging the population. People were dying daily.
A hospital was not too terribly far away—across the river, but the Indians would not cross it because they believed it was inhabited by evil spirits. To enter the water would mean certain death. The missionary explained how he had crossed the river and was unharmed. They were not impressed. He then took them to the bank and placed his hand in the water. They still wouldn’t go in. He walked into the water up to his waist and splashed water on his face. It didn’t matter. They were still afraid to enter the river. Finally, he dove into the river, swam beneath the surface until he emerged on the other side. He punched a triumphant fist into the air. He had entered the water and escaped. It was then that the Indians broke out into a cheer and followed him across.
That’s exactly what Jesus did! He told the people of His day that they need not fear the river of death, but they wouldn’t believe. He touched a dead boy and called him back to life. They still didn’t believe. He whispered life into the body of a dead girl and got the same result. He let a dead man spend 4 days in a tomb and then called him out and the people still didn’t believe Him. Finally, He entered the river of death and came out on the other side. No wonder we celebrate the Resurrection!
CHRISTIANITY IS A RESURRECTION RELIGION!
Vance Havner, a well-known preacher was once asked to go to the Holy Land. He said, “No thanks.” When asked why, he answered, “I don’t want to go where Jesus was; I just want to stay right where He is!”
CHRISTIANITY IS A RESURRECTION RELIGION!!
The New Testament speaks of at least four separate resurrections.
1. The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ
About 36 hours after His death, Jesus’ soul (which had been in Hades, the abode of the dead) and His body (which had lain on a stone in the tomb) were reunited.
At one and the same time, His body and soul were “raised.” That is to say, it was transformed into what Paul calls, “the body of his glory{ (Phil.3:21).
In this resurrection body Christ burst forth from the tomb, passed through closed doors, appeared to His disciples, and disappeared. Then, finally, in defiance of the law of gravity, He ascended out of sight into a cloud (Acts 1:8).
Illus.: “Where Was the Key?”
A father and his little girl were staying in a hotel. During the night the girl became very ill and without warning she died. The father was heart-broken. He had already lost his wife and now his precious little girl was gone. Only two people followed the body to the cemetery—the father and a minister. The father’s grief was great. At the grave he took from his pocket a key, unlocked the casket and looked on the face of his child once more, the silently closed the casket and handed the key to the keeper of the cemetery. On the way back to the city, the minister quoted Rev.1:18: “I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and hades.” “But what is that about the keys?” asked the grieving man. “It means this,” said the minister. “You think the key to your little girl’s casket is in the hands of the keeper of the cemetery. But let me tell you something. Its not true! The key to your little girl’s grave hangs at the side of the Son of God. And He will come some morning and use it to open that casket! Then the light broke through the man’s tears and he saw the glory of the resurrection.
CHRISTIANITY IS A RESURRECTION RELIGION!
2. The Resurrection of Believer’s Bodies
The Scriptures tells us that the resurrection of Jesus from the dead supplies both the proof and the pattern of the resurrection of our body at the second coming of Christ. As He arose, so we shall rise—in fact and in manner.
I Cor.15:49: “Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust (Adam), we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven (Christ).
Phil.3:21: “…He will change our lowly body to be like His glorious body.”
In one of his lighter moments, Benjamin Franklin penned his own epitaph.:
The Body of B. Franklin, Printer
Like the Cover of an old Book
Its contents torn out,
And stript of its Lettering and Guilding,
Lies here, Food for Worms,
But the Work shall not be wholly lost:
For it will, as he believ’d,
Appear once more
In a new & more perfect Edition,
Corrected and amended by the Author.
CHRISTIANITY IS A RESURRECTION RELIGION!
3. The Resurrection of Sinners
Between the past resurrection of Christ and the future resurrection of the body, another resurrection IS taking place. It is spiritual in nature, but also supernatural—and also no less real.
Jesus spoke of it often, as in John 5:24,25: “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me, has eternal life; he does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. Truly, truly, I say to you, the hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.”
This spiritual resurrection is as great a miracle as the raising of a body—perhaps even greater, in a way, due to the power of the human will. Paul spoke of it when he wrote to the Ephesians, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world…But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved” (Eph.2:1,4,5).
CHRISTIANITY IS A RESURRECTION RELIGION!
Dead folks do not see, hear, or feel. That’s true of people who are dead spiritually. They are dead to the things of God. They don’t see Him, hear Him or feel Him. They are dead! They can’t resurrect themselves. Only God can do it—and then only if they want new life.
If you are a Christian, you have been raised from the dead! You have been made alive in Christ.
MRS. CORDRAY, a widow from Canton, Ohio, had been under the care of a physician for Parkinson’s disease. She was declared dead and her body was sent to a funeral home. A mortician began making preparations for embalming when he thought he saw her tongue move. A moment later she took a breath. She recovered from that ordeal and lived several more years.
Do you suppose she knew that she was still alive all those years. I imagine so. So it is with the Christian who has received new life in Christ. The believer takes his pulse from time to time—forgiven, possesses peace and joy hitherto unknown—a life filled with new goals, new desires, and a new destination.
Illus.: “Drink His Water and Live!”
A preacher was speaking on the subject, “Jesus, the Water of Life.” A Moslem interrupted him and said, “Your religion is like this little stream of water, but Islam is like a great ocean!” “Yes,” said the preacher, “but there is this difference: when men drink ocean water they die! But when they drink the water of life which Christ gives they live forever!”
CHRISTIANITY IS A RESURRECTION RELIGION!
4. The Resurrection of the Saint
This is the work of the Holy Spirit. He is the One who breathes new life into one who has grown cold toward God. He is the One who can take dry bones and make them live again.
God wants us to give Him our best. It will take all the energy and vitality that we possess. We must come alive to Him!
Many Christians today are dead (dormant) to :
Opportunities
Power that’s available to them
Responsibilities
Holy living
Romans 6:11 (LB): “So look upon your old sin nature as dead and unresponsive to sin, and instead be alive to God, alert to Him, through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Illus.: John Sung’s Dream”
John Sung came to America in 1920 to work on his doctorate in chemistry. He excelled in his studies. Attractive offers of jobs came to him. At the same time, he felt the call of Christ to serve Him. He faced a dilemma. After a period of great spiritual struggle, he dedicated himself utterly to God. Soon afterward, he had a most unusual dream in which he saw himself in a casket. God seemed to say to him, “John Sung is dead—dead to self, but alive to Christ!” Then it seemed that the corpse began to stir. Angels began to weep. John said, “Don’t weep, angels. I will remain dead to the world and live only for Christ!” He became a mighty preacher of the Gospel. For 15 years he was a “burning and shining light” in China and Southeast Asia. In fact, he was acclaimed China’s greatest evangelist.
CHRISTIANITY IS A RESURRECTION RELIGION!
Four resurrections! Tow external and two internal. Two having to do with the physical and two having to do with the spiritual.
Louis Stokes penned these lines:
Before the tomb Christ stood one day,
And dried the people’s tears away
As He spoke forth in mighty voice
That made Judeas’ hills rejoice,
“Come forth!”
Inside the tomb Christ lay one morn,
Defeated seemed salvation’s horn,
But God the Father spoke the word,
And this He said, tho no man heard,
“Come forth!”
Inside the tomb of sin I lay,
The price of sin I had to pay;
But Christ the Raiser of the dead
Spoke to my poor, bound soul and said,
“Come forth!”
And when the great and final sound
Shall raise our loved ones from the ground,
‘Twill be the last time we shall hear
That glorious sound upon our ear,
“Come forth!”
