OBJECTIVES:
1. Audience will be assured that Jesus did in fact rise from the dead.
2. Audience will be challenged to answer the question “Are you ready for life after death?”
INTRO:
One of my favorite movies of all time is “Planes Trains and Automobiles” featuring Steve Martin and John Candy as strangers whose lives get intertwined trying to get home for Christmas during a snowstorm. There are two really memorable moments for me from this film. One sounds like this (play “pillow.wav” – Where’s your hand? Between two pillows. Those aren’t pillows!)
The other one is a line me and my buddies said to each other over and over throughout high school and college. (Play “point.wav” when you tell a story, have a point! It makes it so much more interesting for the listener!)
Have a point! In today’s hectic world, none of us have time for listening to stories that have no point or for being involved in things that have no point. If it is not relevant, we want to move on to more important things.
We’re here today to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. But what is the point? But who cares? What difference does it make? I’ve got these kids to care for. I’ve got ends to meet. I’ve got deadlines to beat. I’ve got appointments to keep!
Why is the fact that a Jewish teacher came back to life after being wrongfully put to death RELEVANT today?
I’d like to share with you 2 reasons why I not only consider the resurrection of Jesus Christ RELEVANT for today – but of utmost importance for everyday of your life!
1. The Resurrection is relevant because it confirms Jesus’ identity as the Son of God. (Rom. 1:4)
There are those who are willing to call Jesus a great teacher or a prophet but who are not willing to agree that he actually physically rose from the dead. They say things like “The Resurrection of Jesus Christ happened in the hearts of his followers as they recalled his teachings.” That sounds real nice, doesn’t it?
The problem is, Jesus claimed to be the Son of God. Not only that, he predicted on numerous occasions that he would be put to death and would rise again on the 3rd day.
Perhaps someone with a martyr complex could arrange for their own death by saying the types of things Jesus said which angered the religious establishment of his day. But when you see that he actually predicted his resurrection, he goes beyond what a simple “teacher” or “prophet” had the power to accomplish.
The Jewish authorities understood that he had claimed he would return again, and that’s why they asked Pilate to set a guard around the tomb. This prediction was no secret. That’s why it is so important that it actually happened! Romans 1:4 tells us plainly why the resurrection is relevant.
Romans 1:4 (NIV) [Jesus] was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead.
He was not just another teacher. He was not simply a prophet sent by God. Every teacher and prophet that has ever lived died and stayed dead. And unless they were crazy they didn’t predict a resurrection.
Jesus’ resurrection from the dead confirms for everyone in a powerful way that he really was who he claimed to be: the Son of God.
And here’s why that is so important. Because he was the Son of God, he was worthy to satisfy God’s requirement of a blood sacrifice to pay for sins. There never was, and will never again be, anyone else who is worthy to pay the penalty of the sins of the world.
And because of this I want to share with you something so foundational you might just miss it if you don’t slow down and listen: Because of the Resurrection, we know that Jesus definitely is the Son of God. And if we know that He is the Son of God – we can trust Him.
Application: Because Jesus is the Son of God, we can trust Him.
When he says “I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but by me.” We can trust he is speaking the truth.
When he says “Come to me all you who labor and are heavy burdened, and I will give you rest” you can trust him.
When he says “Surely I will never leave you, even to the end of the age,” you can trust him.
No matter what happens in your life or how confusing you might find your circumstances, remember this: the Son of God came to our world, laid down his life for you, and has now opened the way for you to have a relationship with God. And you can trust him!
TRANS: So why is the Resurrection relevant? First because it confirms Jesus’ identity as the Son of God. But there is one more reason I want to talk about.
2. The Resurrection is relevant because it proves there is life after death. (1 Cor. 15:1-20)
The idea that Jesus’ resurrection was simply a “spiritual” one rather than a real, physical resurrection is not a new idea. In Paul’s letter to the Christian church in Corinth, it is apparent that some there were ready to follow Jesus as a great moral teacher but did not believe in any sort of life after death.
Let me read a bit from the 15th chapter of 1 Corinthians, so you can see how relevant the resurrection of Jesus Christ was to Paul.
1 Corinthians 15 (NIV)
1Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
3For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 6After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born….
13If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15More 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. …. 17And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.
OK OK Paul we get it we get it! Or do we? What Paul is saying is that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the central component of the gospel. It is the foundation of Christianity. You cannot have Christianity without the bodily resurrection of Christ! There would in fact be NO CHRISTIANITY today if Jesus did not raise from the dead!
Why would the disciples, cowering in fear for their lives following the execution of their leader, suddenly go around telling everyone he was alive? Why would they willingly suffer phyical harm even to the point of death unless the message they were proclaiming was so absolutely TRUE that they could not stop talking about it: Jesus Christ was dead – but as the Son of God sent to save the world from its sins – he was alive again!
But let’s get back to our central theme - why is this relevant to us? So what if Jesus came back from the dead – what difference does it make? Again: It proves there is life after death. As Paul writes in 1 Cor. 15:20…
20But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
What is a “firstfruit”? A firstfruit was an offering brought by pious Jews to the temple when their crops first started coming in. They offered the firstfruits because they were a sign that there was more coming. Lots more!
So Paul says Jesus was the “firstfruits” of those who have died.
He died and came back again. The grave is not the end of any human’s experience. There is life after death!
If there is no life after death, if this life is all there is, then it would be incredibly foolish to do anything that is not in your own best interest. If this life is all there is, as so many people believe, then there is really no reason to be ‘good’ at all. Do what you want to do, when you want to do it. Eat, drink, and be merry.
But IF, as the resurrection of Jesus Christ proves, there IS life after death – then it changes everything.
Instead of fearing death, we can begin to live in preparation for what comes after death.
Application: You need not fear death.
It was Easter Day 1973 . Uganda groaned under the terror of Idi Amin. Still fresh in Pastor Kefa Sempangi’s memory was a face burned beyond recognition, the sight of soldiers cruelly beating a man, and the horrible sound of boots crushing bones, all for the crime of being Christian.
But that Easter of 1973 Sempangi bravely and openly preached on the Risen Lord in his town’s football stadium to over 7,000 people. After the service, five of Idi Amin’s Secret Police followed Sempangi back to his little church and closed the door behind them. Five rifles pointed at Sempangi’ s face.
“We are going to kill you for disobeying Amin’s orders” said the captain. “If you have something to say, say it now before you die.” Sempangi, thinking of his wife and little girl, began to shake.
But the risen Lord living in his heart gave him the courage to speak. “Do what you must, “ he said, “The Word of God says that in Christ I am already dead, and that my real life is hidden with Him in God. It is not my life that is danger my friends, but yours. I am alive in the risen Lord, but you are still dead in your sins. May He spare you from eternal destruction.”
The leader looked at Sempangi for a long time. Then he lowered his gun and the other guns followed, “Will you pray for us?” he asked. Sempangi did, and from that day those five officers, now converted through the witness of Sempangi’s bravery, protected the pastor with their very lives.”
(Rev. Dr. Robert Bryan from “The ABC’s of the Resurrection)
CONCLUSION:
Pastor Sempangi was prepared for death because he was ready for what is guaranteed to follow. The resurrection of Jesus Christ proves that there is life after death. The big question is, are you ready for it?
As I’ve already quoted today, Jesus said “I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the father but through me.” That’s because he paid the penalty on the cross for your sins. Apart from Christ, as Sempangi quoted from the book of Ephesians, “you are still dead in your sins”. And if you want to enjoy the glory of your own personal resurrection some day, then you must take the step of receiving the gift of salvation Jesus purchased for you at the cross. And you must begin living for Jesus Christ and the furthering of His Kingdom today!
On Easter Day 1979 as a ten year-old boy I did just that. More than 25 years later I can tell you it was the best decision I’ve ever made. The resurrection of Jesus Christ has given me a purpose for my life that never fades. The resurrection of Jesus is the most relevant fact of history for my life. It continues to shape my actions today and will until the day I see Him face to face.
Today if you understand the relevance of the resurrection and you want to be ready for life after death I invite you to pray with me right now.
Lord Jesus, I believe in you. I believe you died, were buried, and then rose again on the 3rd day. I believe you paid for all my sins, and I want you to know I am sorry, so sorry, that my sins caused you to suffer. I repent of my sins and I now turn to you as the Lord and Master of my life. I choose to become your disciple right now and will do everything I can to bring honor and glory to your kingdom from this day forth. Amen.
1 Peter 1:3 (NIV) Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…
