He Is Risen
Text: 1st Corinthians 15:1-22 (Read)
Introduction.
The modern observation of Easter comes by combining 3 traditions. The first is the Hebrew Passover, which is celebrated during Nisan, the 1st month of the Hebrew Lunar Calendar.
The 2nd tradition comes from the Christian world, as they commemorate the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The 3rd is from the Norse god, Ostara—or Eostra, from which the name, Easter, is derived. That was a pagan festival of Spring, which fell on the Vernal Equinox, March 21st. The symbols of the festival were rabbits and eggs colored for the returning sun and the Northern Lights.
When we focus on the Christian world and the fixing of the date for the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, it becomes even more complicated.
One group wanted the celebration held on Sunday since Jesus arose on the first day of the week. The opposition insisted the day be coordinated with the Jewish Passover, which might fall on any day of the week.
So, in A.D. 325, the Council of Nicaea determined it would be on the 1st Sunday after the full moon following the Vernal Equinox—unless the full moon fell on Sunday—which would cause the celebration to be postponed for a week.
So, Easter can fall at any time within the 35 day-period. It might fall on any Sunday between March 22nd through April 25th. This year it falls on April 20th—today!
A true Christian know that we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ everyday—and we have a remembrance of that every Sunday as the 1st Century Christians did (Acts 20:7). We call this remembrance the “love feast” or the Lord’s Supper—and we have done that this morning.
So, with all the history surrounding this day, I think it’s a good day to talk about the Lord’s resurrection, because it is on people’s minds. We can talk about the resurrection any day, but today is an especially good day. We read about Christ’s resurrection and what that means in the text we read this morning.
God Sends His Son.
God is concerned with the life of ordinary people. The Bible is not just a book of religious or moral principles—it contains the story of God’s involvement in the world…from Adam and Eve, up to the present.
The OT is full of men and women who experienced the joy of knowing Jehovah God and serving Him—and also those who experienced His wrath.
The NT is the story of God’s most dramatic action toward man. He sent Jesus into the world as a flesh and blood man.
John 1:1
---1---“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
---2---He was in the beginning with God.”
---4---“In Him was life, and the life was the light of man.”
---9---“There was the true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.”
Jesus walked the paths of man—He experienced our human joys and our sorrows—He expressed His compassion for the troubles of the human condition. And then, He offered Himself as the supreme sacrifice for our.
Jesus died a cruel death—a death which was, outwardly, full of shame. But, in reality, His death was a great triumph! There was triumph because Jesus of Nazareth—though buried like any other man—was not captured by death!
Jesus arose! He was alive! He was well! God chose the most dramatic—the most unexpected—way of displaying His reality, power, and love for mankind.
The prophecy of the OT foretold this would happen—if only they had listened to it. God chose that His only begotten Son would die on Calvary’s cross and on the 3rd day rise from the dead never to die again!
The history of the life of Christ while upon the earth closes with a miracle as great as that of His inception. He was born of a virgin, which proved He was the “Son of Man”. Christ died and was raised—never to die again—proving He was the “Son of God.
The World and the Resurrection.
Some people of the world will say, “I can accept that Jesus was a great Jewish prophet, a great teacher of the law, a good man who said some good things about life and how to live it. But to say His life did not end on the cross at Golgotha—to say He arose from the dead and is still alive 2,000 years later is just too much to accept.”
They might say they can’t accept that premise—they don’t really believe in a resurrection from the dead.
Question: What would it mean to us if there had not been a Resurrection?
Would that be a problem for those of us who call ourselves Christians today?
That would be a problem, wouldn’t it? A big problem! If those disciples of His who saw Him after His death were mistaken, then we, who also believe, are the most deluded and hopeless of men. What did Paul say in the text we read today?
1st Corinthians 15:14 and 19
---14---“…And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain.”
---19---“If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men, most to be pitied.”
· If Christ is not risen, the Church is ridiculous.
· If Christ is not risen, there is NO hope in this life or the next.
· If Christ is not risen, the Christian martyrs who gave up their lives for the cause of Christ Jesus, died foolishly and the Christian religion is no more valid than pagan religions.
· If Jesus is not truly resurrected, He is not the Son of God. Jesus would be a hoax.
· If Jesus is not the Son of God, there is no salvation—no forgiveness—no Holy Spirit. There is nothing!
The Truth of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is crucial to the Truth of the whole Bible!
We need to understand, if we have a dead Savior, the He might have been a good teacher of the law—maybe even a wonder-worker—and be remembered and loved by those who knew Him. But He would not be the Son of God. Only a risen, living Christ could be called Savior, the life and light of the world, the life giver—and as such, to be preached to all men.
Why Do We Believe In the Resurrection?
We believe in the resurrection because of the evidence. John writes, in John 20:31—
---31---“…but these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of god; and that believing, you may have life in His name.”
Christians believe there is overwhelming evidence to prove the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus of Nazareth—
· accused by the Jews
· tried before the Roman governor, Pilate
· crucified between 2 thieves at Golgotha
· buried in a tomb in a hillside, which was sealed with a huge stone and guarded by Roman centurions—
this Jesus arose from the dead early on the Sunday morning following His death—and He is still alive and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty….even today!
If I were a lawyer, I believe I could win this case in court, based on the evidence. Let’s examine the Truth of the resurrection more closely; as if we were in a court of law.
First Witness—Joseph of Arimathea.
The first witness I’d like to call to the stand is Joseph of Arimathea.
Question: “Joseph, what happened on that particular Friday afternoon?”
We can find Joseph’s testimony in Matthew 27:57-61.
Joseph: It was late Friday evening, and the Sabbath was nearly begun. I begged Pilate for the body of Jesus. With Nicodemus’ help, we washed the body with spices and wrapped it in a piece of fine linen. The Sabbath was near, so, we did not have time to finish preparing the body. We carried the body to the tomb, and rolled a rock across the entrance.
Question: “Was anyone else there?”
Joseph: Yes, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there that night.
Question: “Was that body Jesus of Nazareth?”
Joseph: Yes.
Question: “Was He dead?”
Joseph: Yes.
Next Witness—Mary Magdalene.
My next witness would be Mary Magdalene, whose testimony is recorded in John 20:1-18.
Question: Mary, what happened that weekend?
Mary: I was at the tomb, but it was late and the Sabbath was near. We prepared spices for anointing the body. Sunday morning, I went back to meet Mary, the mother of James, and Salome in order to prepare the body. The tomb was empty! I began to cry and I ran to tell Peter and John that some stole the body of Jesus.
I went back to the tomb and saw two angels, and they asked me, “Woman, why are you weeping?” I answered them and said, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” (John 20:13).
I turned around and someone—I thought the gardener—said, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Then He said, “Mary!” I knew who He was then and I replied in Hebrew, “Rabboni!”
Question: Was it Jesus of Nazareth you saw that morning?
Mary: Yes!
Question: Was He alive?
Mary: Yes!
Next Witness: The Apostle John.
My next witness will be the Apostle John—the one the Lord loved, and he records his own testimony in the Gospel of John.
Question: John, what did Mary tell you that Sunday morning?
John: She said the tomb was empty, so Peter and I ran to the tomb. I got there first, but I didn’t go in until Peter went in first. I saw the tomb was empty and the linen from the body was still there and the face napkin nearly folded.
It did not look like someone stole the body—it looked as if the body removed itself from the linen.
Question: John, at that point did you believe Jesus Christ had risen from the dead?
John: Yes!
Question: John, at a later time, did Jesus appear to you and other disciples proving He was alive and was the Son of God as He claimed?
John: Yes!
Question: John, were you at the cross when Jesus died?
John: Yes.
Question: Was Jesus dead?
John: Yes.
Question: When you saw Him later, was He alive?
John: Yes! He was resurrected from the dead!
Next Witness—The Apostle Thomas (also called Didymus).
My next witness would be the Apostle Thomas, which is also called “Didymus”. His testimony is recorded in John 20:19-25.
Question: Thomas, were you at the first meeting of the Apostles when they said Jesus appeared alive?
Thomas: No, and I told them I wouldn’t believe, “unless I shall see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe!” (John 20:25)
Question: Thomas, after eight days, when the disciples met again and Jesus again appeared, were you there?
Thomas: Yes. Jesus came in and said, “Peace be with you.” Then He said to me, “Reach here you finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand, and put it into My side; and be not unbelieving, but believing.” (John 20:27).
Question: Was it Him?
Thomas: Yes.
Question: What did you say?
Thomas: I said, “My Lord and My God.” Then Jesus said to me, “Because you have seen me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.” (John 20:29).
Time Is A Problem.
This morning, time will not allow me to call every witness I’d like to; but, if I had the time, I would have called the Mother of James and also Salome, who were at the tomb that Sunday morning.
They were asked, “Why do you seek the living one among the dead? He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.” (Luke 24:5-7).
I would also love to question those Roman guards who were assigned to guard the tomb in order to make sure no one stole the body of Jesus. Those guards were paid to lie. However, we know if the body of Jesus had been stolen from right under their noses, they could have settled the whole issue by simply producing the body. But, they couldn’t, because the body of Jesus had not been stolen—He had been resurrected!
I would also love to call Cleopus as a witness. His testimony was given in Juke 24:13-33, as he and another disciple were walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus later that day.
A stranger approached them whom they didn’t recognize at first. They told Him about the events of the day and what people were saying about Jesus having been resurrected from the dead.
They would later report the stranger was Jesus of Nazareth, and that He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all the prophets have spoken.” The Stranger began with Moses and all the prophets and explained the things concerning Himself.
And what about the Apostle Peter and what he would testify? I believe he summed it all up on the Day of Pentecost when he spoke to the people who put Jesus to death.
Acts 2:36
---36---“Therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
Then I could do something no Judge in a Court of Law would ever really permit me to do. I could call as many as 500 people as witness—500 people who saw the risen Lord after the crucifixion (as recorded in 1st Corinthians, chapter 15). I could march each one into the court room to stand and give their testimony!
If given the time, I would like to question each apostle about how they viewed life before and after the resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord.
On the night Jesus was betrayed, the apostles were a scared bunch who broke and ran. The Apostle Peter is the best example as he denied the Lord 3 times as Jesus had predicted he would.
The apostles were afraid of the Jews and the Romans—and they had good reason to be! But a short time after Jesus’ resurrection, on the Day of Pentecost, they were in Jerusalem—preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Nation of Israel!
Question: What caused this group of people to go from a scared disorganized bunch of men to a group that would carry the Gospel of Christ to the whole world?
Question: What caused these men to turn into a group willing to suffer greatly—even unto the point of death—to serve a risen Christ?
Question: Would they do this simply to perpetuate a hoax on the world? Would they live lives of suffering and death just to lie to the world?
NO! They served the cause of Christ because they knew He was truly the risen Savior!
Why Is The Truth of The Resurrection Important?
Question: Why is the Truth of the resurrection important?
It is the resurrection of Jesus Christ upon which we Christians stake our lives!
· Because He is risen, we are brought from death into life—from darkness into the light.
· Because He is risen, we believe in the goodness and wisdom and power of God.
· Because He is risen, we know He lives today and rules today as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and all things—no matter how bleak and hopeless they may seem—work together for good for those who love Him.
Because He is risen, we worship a living being rather than believing the story of an unusual man. We do not worship the legend of a suffering servant. Certainly, we do not worship an object of wood or stone. We worship a living person who is with us as we trust Him.
Being assured of the resurrection, we are filled with glorious hope. Our Faith is not just wishful thinking, because the evidence of the resurrection is convincing. It gives us our reason to believe!
Throughout history and in the world today, different religions have competed for the minds of men. They have put forth religious figures and people as “gods”. None of these people can make the claim that Jesus of Nazareth can make.
They would all have to say, “I was alive, but now I’m dead.”
Only Jesus can say, “I was dead, but now I am alive!”
The Lord has risen, indeed!
Invitation.
