This sermon was preached by Scotty L Killingsworth on Easter Sunday April 11, 2004
to the Evergreen Church.
The sermon title is - Resurrection, our greatest hope.
Biblical texts used in the sermon come from Job 14 and 19, John 5:24 – 28, Romans 10:17 and Luke 24
Scotty sings
Who taught the sun where to stand in the morning? Who taught the ocean you can only come this far? And who showed the moon where to hide till evening
Whose words alone can catch a falling star?
Congregation sings along
Well I know my redeemer lives. I know my Redeemer lives
All of creation testifies there’s life within the Christ
I know my Redeemer lives – Yeah –
Scotty sings
The very same God that spins things in orbit
Runs to the weary the worn and the weak
And the same gentle hands that hold me when I’m broken
They conquer death to bring me victory
Congregation sings along
I know My Redeemer lives. I know my Redeemer lives
Let all creation testify that there’s life within the Christ
I know my Redeemer lives.
Scotty reads from John 5:24
“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned;
The Congregation reads from John 5:24
He has crossed over from death to life.
Scotty reads from John 5:25
I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.
The Congregation reads John 5:28
“Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out
Scotty asks - Job 14:14
If a man dies, will he live again?
The Congregation answers from Job 19:25
I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.
And after my skin has been destroyed, Yet in my flesh I will see God. I myself will see
Him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!
Ladies and Gentlemen, Jesus is alive. You may now celebrate!
The Congregation sings:
In that great getting-up-mornin’ fare thee well; fare thee well
In that great getting-up-mornin’ fare thee well; fare thee well
Up from the grave He arose with a mighty triumph o’er his foes
He arose the victor from the dark domain and He lives forever with saints to reign
He arose. He arose. Hallelujah Christ arose!
Oh, victory in Jesus my Savior forever
He sought me and bought me with His redeeming blood
He loved me e’re I knew Him, and all my love is due Him
He plunged me to victory beneath his cleansing blood.
Because He lives I can face tomorrow. Because He lives all fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future my life is worth living just because He lives.
Around the year 110 A.D. Ignatius of Antioch was condemned to die in the gladiator games. The elder Ignatius sent a message to his friends: ‘My birth pangs are at hand. Bear with me, my brothers. Do not hinder me from living; do not wish for my death . . . Allow me to receive the pure light; when I arrive there I shall be a real man’. There is no doubt that, ‘If a man dies, he will live again!’
There are times it is hard for us to understand and even believe in life after death. But the universal question rings in every heart, if this is all there is life is a cruel joke.
What does the Bible really say about resurrection?
There were three resurrections recorded in the Old Testament
*The widow’s son by Elijah (1 Kings 17:17-24)
*The Shunammite’s son by Elisha (2 Kings 4:32-35).
*A man whose body had been placed in Elisha’s tomb (2 Kings 13:21).
There were many resurrections recorded in the New Testament
*Lazarus by Jesus Christ (John 11:43-44).
*Jairus’ daughter by Jesus Christ (Matthew 9:23-26).
*A number of people at the moment of the death of Jesus Christ (Matthew 27:51-53)
*Eutychus raised back to life through Paul after he fell out of a third-floor window
Acts 20:9-10.
*Tabitha (Greek name Dorcas) by Peter (Acts 9:36-43)
The resurrection of Jesus
Luke 24 from the Message
At the crack of dawn on Sunday, the women came to the tomb carrying the burial spices they had prepared. They found the entrance stone rolled back from the tomb, so they walked in. But once inside, they couldn’t find the body of the Master Jesus. They were puzzled, wondering what to make of this. Then, out of nowhere it seemed, two men, light cascading over them, stood there. The women were awestruck and bowed down in worship. The men said, “Why are you looking for the Living One in a cemetery? He is not here, but raised up. Remember how he told you when you were still back in Galilee that he had to be handed over to sinners, be killed on a cross, and in three days rise up?” Then they remembered Jesus’ words. They left the tomb and broke the news of all this to the Eleven and the rest. Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them kept telling these things to the apostles, but the apostles didn’t believe a word of it, thought they were making it all up. But Peter jumped to his feet and ran to the tomb. He stooped to look in and saw a few grave clothes, that’s all. He walked away puzzled, shaking his head.
Josh McDowell said” After more than 700 hours of studying this subject, I have come to the conclusion that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is either one of the most wicked, vicious, heartless hoaxes ever foisted on the minds of human beings--or it is the most remarkable fact of history.
Josh McDowell holds the following arguments for the resurrection:
#1 A Broken Roman Seal
#2 An Empty Tomb
#3 A Large Stone Moved
#4 Roman Guard Goes AWOL
#5 Grave Clothes Tell a Tale
#6 Jesus’ Appearances Confirmed
Professor Thomas Arnold, for 14 years a headmaster of Rugby, author of the famous, History of Rome, and appointed to the chair of modern history at Oxford, was well acquainted with the value of evidence in determining historical facts. This great scholar said: "I have been used for many years to study the histories of other times, and to examine and weigh the evidence of those who have written about them, and I know of no one fact in the history of mankind which is proved by better and fuller evidence of every sort, to the understanding of a fair inquirer, than the great sign which God bath given us that Christ died and rose again from the dead."
Probably the greatest proof is found in the changed lives of the disciples. Each died a martyr’s death without ever even one of them recanting their faith. Thomas the doubter said, “My Lord and My God”, after touching Jesus. Peter preached the sermon on the day of Pentecost and for the rest of his life preached Christ. If one follows the lives of the disciples one will see that they believed he rose from the dead by the way they lived and died.
What do you say about the Resurrection?
It would not really matter what we believe if all resurrections were in the past and did not impact us in the future.
There are more resurrections coming
The next resurrection is for those who believe
This great-getting-up-morning occurs when Jesus comes back to earth for the second time. This event is called “The Last Trump” or the Seventh Trumpet in Rev. 11:15, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52
Those in the first resurrection will be raised to a glorified immortal spirit body. They will be like the resurrected, glorified Jesus Christ!
1 John 3:2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
Philippians 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
The last resurrection is for those who won’t believe
The final resurrection is called The Great White Throne Judgment."
Revelation 20:11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
How can I come to believe in the resurrection?
Romans 10:17 “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.”
This means that having heard the Word of Christ today a spark of faith may have been born in your heart. Here is how that faith burned in some first Century men’s heart when they encountered the risen Jesus on the road to Emmaus.
Luke 24:13 From the Message
That same day two of them were walking to the village Emmaus, about seven miles out of Jerusalem. They were deep in conversation, going over all these things that had happened. In the middle of their talk and questions, Jesus came up and walked along with them. But they were not able to recognize who he was. He asked, “What’s this you’re discussing so intently as you walk along?” They just stood there, long-faced, like they had lost their best friend. Then one of them, his name was Cleopas, said, “Are you the only one in Jerusalem who hasn’t heard what’s happened during the last few days?” He said, “What has happened?” They said, “The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene. He was a man of God, a prophet, dynamic in work and word, blessed by both God and all the people. Then our high priests and leaders betrayed him, got him sentenced to death, and crucified him. And we had our hopes up that he was the One, the One about to deliver Israel. And it is now the third day since it happened. But now some of our women have completely confused us. Early this morning they were at the tomb and couldn’t find his body. They came back with the story that they had seen a vision of angels who said he was alive. Some of our friends went off to the tomb to check and found it empty just as the women said, but they didn’t see Jesus.” Then he said to them, “So thick-headed! So slow-hearted! Why can’t you simply believe all that the prophets said? Don’t you see that these things had to happen, that the Messiah had to suffer and only then enter into his glory?” Then he started at the beginning, with the Books of Moses, and went on through all the Prophets, pointing out everything in the Scriptures that referred to him.
They came to the edge of the village where they were headed. He acted as if he were going on but they pressed him: “Stay and have supper with us. It’s nearly evening; the day is done.” So he went in with them. And here is what happened: He sat down at the table with them. Taking the bread, he blessed and broke and gave it to them. At that moment, open-eyed, wide-eyed, they recognized him. And then he disappeared.
Back and forth they talked. “Didn’t we feel on fire as he conversed with us on the road, as he opened up the Scriptures for us?”
Now it is your turn to decide
Do you feel a fire inside you from the story of Jesus’ resurrection? Do you feel the drawing power of God asking you to step up and believe? Don’t be thick-headed and slow hearted. Believe!
When you invite him into your home he will show himself to you too.
He said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me shall never die.”
