1 Corinthians 15:3-8 – TA-DA!
A Sunday School teacher had just finished telling her third graders about how Jesus was crucified and placed in a tomb with a great stone sealing the opening. Then, wanting to share the excitement of the resurrection, she asked: "And what do you think were Jesus’ first words when He came bursting out of that tomb alive?" A little girl’s hand shot up into the air from the rear of the classroom. Leaping out of her chair she shouted out excitedly, "I know, I know!" "Good," said the teacher. "Tell us, what were Jesus first words?" And waving her arms high in the air she said: "TA-DA!"
What a day of victory for the Lord and for us. The day that Christ rose from the grave. It changed our world, and it changed our eternity. It brought life from death, light from darkness, joy from despair, and healing from pain. It redeems the past, makes sense of the present, and secures the future. It gives hope, purpose and meaning to everyday life. It lifts us up, builds us up, and keeps us up. Arguably, Resurrection Day is the single most important day in the history of the world.
But, in case you hadn’t noticed, most of the world misses that. The holiday doesn’t carry as much commercial value as Christmas, so it gets overlooked. Years of tradition don’t usually go into Easter plans. Yet, it contains a promise that believers have clung to since the dawn of the church: Things will be better!
The Resurrection is the cornerstone doctrine of the church. Josh McDowell said this about what makes Christianity different: “All but four of the major world religions are based on mere philosophical propositions. Of the four that are based on personalities rather than philosophies, only Christianity claims an empty tomb for its founder.
In 1900 B.C. Judaism’s Father Abraham died. In 483 B.C. Buddhist writings say Buddha died “with that utter passing away in which nothing whatever remains behind.” On June 6, 632 Mohammed died.
In 33 A.D. Jesus died but came back to life appearing to 500 people over a period of 40 days.”
But the world is not ready to believe that. So, it tries to shoot the Resurrection down. Cartoonist Joe McKeever once drew a group of tourists looking at the Garden tomb in Jerusalem. It’s an open tomb where the stone door has been rolled away. Their guide says, "The angel moved the stone to reveal an empty tomb and a risen Christ. Ever since, man has been trying to roll that stone back!"
The world makes different arguments. “Miracles are not scientific.” “It was a spiritual, not a physical, resurrection.” “The biblical accounts are too contradictory.” “The historical accounts aren’t trustworthy.” “Jesus didn’t really die, so he really didn’t rise from the dead.” “It was all hallucinations.” “The woman went to the wrong tomb.” And so on. And so on. And these arguments are all meant to prove that if the Resurrection didn’t really happen, then we are wrong. And ultimately, they want to prove our faith is misplaced. At best, anyway, they don’t have to accept it. It’s like what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:14: “And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.”
I do know that the early church was built around the doctrine of Jesus rising from the dead. On Pentecost, 50 days after the Resurrection, Peter preached these words: “Seeing what was ahead, he [that is, David] spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact.” The very first Christian sermon preached revolved around who Jesus was and what He had done.
Another time shortly after, Peter managed to preach a sermon on the street. He said this, from Acts 3:15: “You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.” This, and the miracle healing, irked the Jewish officials that they had Peter and John arrested. So Peter came back with these words from Acts 4: “If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. He is the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
Over and over again, the resurrection of Jesus is emphasized. The early church was built upon it. The message of the early church was not, “Follow Him and do your best.” No, it was, “Because Jesus was raised from the dead, this is how you should live.” If you took out every reference to the resurrection from the NT, you would only be left 10 out of 27 books. And even then, the theology contained in the remaining books assume that Jesus was alive and died. And some mention His coming again. I would say that to assume Jesus never lived or never died or is not coming back – every single book of the NT would argue with you. The only thing that ties it all together is the resurrection.
The Cambridge scholar N.T. Wright says this "Why did Christianity arise, and why did it take the shape it did? The early Christians themselves reply: We exist because of Jesus’ resurrection. There is no evidence for a form of early Christianity in which the resurrection was not a central belief. Nor was this belief, as it were, bolted on to Christianity at the edge. It was the central driving force, informing the whole movement."
The early Christians were willing to face persecution, torture, even death, for their belief in the Resurrection. It was not simply a pleasant thought. It was what drove them on. It fueled their fire, and fed their faithfulness. Why? What did it matter to them? For the same reasons it matters to us today.
You can look at it from a theological view. Author J.I.Packer says this, and this is what a thinking person would look at the Resurrection would say: "The Easter event demonstrated Jesus’ deity; validated his teaching; attested the completion of his work of atonement for sin; confirms his present cosmic dominion and his coming reappearance as Judge; assures us that his personal pardon, presence, and power in people’s lives today is fact; and guarantees each believer’s own re-embodiment by Resurrection in the world to come."
Or, you can look at it from more of a personal angle. Author C.H. Mackintosh wrote: “There is power in the presence of a risen Savior to solve our difficulties, remove our perplexities, calm our fears, ease our burdens, dry our tears, meet our every need, tranquilize our minds and satisfy every craving of our hearts.”
In short, the fact that Jesus died and rose again brings hope to this life and the next. We can walk with Jesus in forgiveness and power in this life, and then be assured that we will see Him in the next. The Resurrection shows that placing trust in Jesus to give us eternal life is not a false hope or blind faith. If He defeated death, so too will anyone who trusts in Him. There is no stone, no obstacle, no challenge you face that is too great for Jesus to move. There is no fear too large that Jesus can’t dissolve. There is no enemy you encounter that Jesus can’t defeat. And there is no grave that Jesus can’t empty. That is the reality of the Resurrection.
You see, with the Resurrection of the perfect Jesus, we have everything that we need. But without it, we are a sad bunch. Paul said this: “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.” To go through what we sometimes go through without the hope of a eternal perfection is foolish.
Now, I know that some of you never wrestle with the questions: “But what if it didn’t happen? What if the skeptics are right? What if it’s all some story just made up for the weak-minded?” For some, the issue is as simple as this poem by an unknown author, called “How Do I Know He Lives?” How do I know that Christ has risen? What proof have I to give? He touched my life one blessed day, and I began to live. How do I know he left the tomb that morning long ago? I met Him just this morning, and my heart is still aglow. How do I know the endless life He gained for me that day? His life within is proof enough
of Immorality. How do I know that Christ still lives, rich blessings to impart? He walks with me along the way and He lives within my heart.
Well, I must confess, my faith hasn’t always been that simple. I’ll tell you, I used to struggle with those questions, at times worse than others. I used to wonder how we could be right and everybody else be wrong. I mean, after all, the Resurrection is proof that Jesus is unique. Romans 1:4 says that Jesus “was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead.” The Resurrection shows that Jesus is the only way. So, people trying to say that it really didn’t happen also undermine our belief that Jesus is the only way to heaven. There is a lot riding in our faith on whether or not the Resurrection happened.
So for the next few weeks, we’re going to look at proof of the Resurrection. I’m going thru the little book by Hank Hanegraaf called The Third Day. In it the author outlines 4 reasons we can believe in the greatest feat of all. F-E-A-T will take us through till April. 1 - Fatal Torment. The fact that Jesus really died. 2 – Empty Tomb. The body was there and then it wasn’t – what happened? 3 – Appearances of Christ. Our scripture today mentioned many of those early witnesses who saw Him. And 4 – Transformed Lives. People were different. Worship was different. Obviously something happened.
And that something was God raising Jesus from the dead. So hang on as we investigate the truths of the Gospels. And my prayer is that you will be encouraged to stand strong, immovable in the faith, unflinching in the face of difficulties, because you know that the living Christ, who defeated death, can give you strength as well.
