What Does The Resurrection Mean? Series
Sunday March 24
What Did Jesus’ Resurrection Mean To The Religious Leaders?
Intro:
Did you know that when Jesus was here on earth that there were a group of people who did not like him & what he was doing? What many people don’t realize is that not only did Jesus come to save us from our sins but Jesus also came to show us a better way to live. He came to show us how we can have a personal relationship with the God of the universe. Let’s read Mark 11:18 (p.754) & Luke 19:47-48 (p.782)
The religous leaders of the time, the Pharisees, felt threatened by his words & his actions. They did not like the new spiritual movement that was happening among the people because of Jesus. The Pharisees desired to kill Jesus & stamp out the revival that was going on. They wanted to stay in control. One night Jesus was arrested, went through a mock trial, & was assasinated the next day. The Pharisees thought they had gotten rid of Jesus. Lets turn to Matthew & read what happened next: Matthew 28:1-15 (p.743)
What did Jesus’ Resurrection Mean To The Religious Leaders Of The Day?
*More Trouble*
They thought by getting rid of Jesus they would get rid of the problem & life would return to normal. They didn’t realize that God is bigger than any of them & what God wills, happens. Jesus’ death on the Cross was a conquering of sin in the world. Jesus’ resurrection was a conquering of death itself. No longer do we have to be afraid of death. When we die we will rise again into a new life. Paul wrote in
1 Cor 15:54-57 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
What did Jesus’ Resurrection Mean To The Religious Leaders of the day?
*Cover Up*
The religious leaders of the day did not like the report that they got from the soldiers from the tomb. They were supposed to make sure Jesus stayed in the tomb. What they did not realize is that no mere mortal can stop God. This story that the Pharisees had the guards tell has continued to this day. Many people who want to prove that Jesus did not rise from the dead point out this story in the Bible. It is difficult to believe isn’t? That a man can come back to life after 3 days. How many people do you know that came back to life after more than 5 minutes after being pronounced dead? What we fail to understand is that Jesus was not a mere man. Jesus is God in the flesh. It was God’s purpose for Jesus to be born of a young virgin girl; to grow up living like one of us; to start a new spiritual movement, teaching & ministering to people the love & holiness of God; to die a cruel death as a sacrifice for our sins; & to come back to life.
Contrary to popular opinion, there is more physical evidence proving the resurrection of Jesus Christ than there is against it.
1. We have an empty tomb.
2. We have a missing body.
3. We have over 500 testimonies of people who have seen the dead Jesus alive.
4. We have documented reports detailing the resurrection of Jesus.
5. We have documented reports of people willing to endure pain, torture, & death in the belief that Jesus indeed rose again. How many of you know people who are willing to die for a lie?
6. We have a movement that has crossed the globe for two thousand years & continues to grow.
The religious leaders of the day tried to cover up the fact that Jesus came back to life. But they couldn’t.
What did Jesus’ Resurrection mean to the religious leaders of the day?
*Embarrasement*
These pharisees went around claiming that they had the truth. They knew God & his will for the people. They had established a religious institution based on traditon & was claiming that to be the way to worship God. But along comes Jesus, a rebel rouser. Jesus comes & starts ministering to people, healing thier hurts, loving them as they are while telling them they can be even better. The pharisees of the time could not grasp the fact that they were wrong. They were sincere in thier beliefs but they were sincerely wrong.
These religious leaders were embarrassed that Jesus had proved them wrong by his resurrection. Has that ever happened to you? Has someone proved you wrong & now you feel embarrassed by the mistake?
Jesus’ Resurrection was trouble for the Pharisees. They tried to cover it up but couldn’t. The Pharisees were too embarrassed, too set in thier ways to acknowledge that Jesus is the Messiah. They lost out on what God was doing.
What can we learn from the Pharisees?
1. We shouldn’t be afraid to change.
2. We shouldn’t try to cover up the wrong that we do.
3. We shouldn’t ashamed or embarrassed of Jesus & what he can do in our lives.
4. We shouldn’t think of ourselves smarter & more powerful than God.
Conclusion
John 20:30-31 "Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name."
Don’t be like the Pharisees this morning. Believe in the Lord Jesus. Allow him to come into your life & change you for the better. Let’s stand & sing our inivitation hymn...
