The Message Of The Resurrection

THE MESSAGE OF THE RESURRECTION is the most important message in the Word of God.

Some of the clearest scripture concerning salvation, shows that belief in the resurrection of Christ is necessary if one is to be saved.

• Romans 10:9 states, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, THOU SHALT BE SAVED."

• Romans 4:25 says of Jesus, "Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification."

• 1 Cor. 15:3-4 says, "For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures."

The Bible teaches that everything we believe about Christ hinges on THE MESSAGE OF THE RESURRECTION.

• If He did not rise from the dead, we do not have a Savior, and we still remain in our sins.

• If He did not rise from the dead, He is the biggest deceiver that has ever existed in the history of mankind.

• If He did not rise from the dead, every nickel and dime we ever gave toward the spreading of the gospel was a waste.

• If He did not rise from the dead, every missionary that left his home to carry the gospel to the four corners of the earth, wasted his time.

• If He did not rise from the dead, every church building that has ever been built for the preaching of the Bible, and for worship, was a waste of time and money.

• If He did not rise from the dead, then every hour that ministers have spent studying God's Word, and preparing messages, was a waste of time.

The grand news is that Jesus DID die for our sins, and HE DID RISE FROM THE DEAD.

The Devil knows that if he can stop the teaching of the resurrection, everything this Bible says about Christ would make Him no more than an ordinary man.

Illus: The denial of the bodily resurrection is considered to be the first heresy of the early church. The devil knew the significance of the resurrection, and wasted no time in getting his prophets to deny that it ever happened.

Those who do not believe in the bodily resurrection of Christ, do not believe in the gospel of Christ.

You cannot believe in the gospel of Christ unless you believe that:

• HE CAME

• HE DIED

• HE WAS BURIED

• HE WAS RAISED TO LIFE AGAIN

All these things about the life of Christ are summarized in one word - GOSPEL.

Just what is it that makes the resurrection so important, that all over this nation there are churches like this one that are celebrating Easter?

It is the fact that the resurrection fulfills JESUS' CLAIM.

He said He was the Son of God, and that He had come to die in our place, for our sins, and then three days later be resurrected.

And, long before He said it here in person, it was prophesied.

He said in John 11:25-26, "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die..."

He made the promise to everyone who would believe in Him, that they would never die.

He said in John 14:19, "Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also."

Now, if He had died and remained in the grave, how could you and I place our faith in Him to do something for us that He could not do for Himself?

Since the gospel is the MOST IMPORTANT MESSAGE in the Bible, Paul tells us in Galatians 1:8-9 that any person who alters it in the slightest, is cursed.

Look what Paul told the Galatians, "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed."

These liberal preachers, and liberal churches, do not know what kind of trouble they are getting into when they preach and teach anything other than the DEATH, BURIAL AND RESURRECTION OF CHRIST JESUS.

It is the most important message in the Word of God, and we need to consider some things as we remember what Jesus did for us.

I. CONSIDER THE FACTS OF THE RESURRECTION

Let’s look at three facts concerning the resurrection. First-