We Believe: Jesus Rose Again On The Third Day Series

WE BELIEVE: HE ROSE FROM THE DEAD

Text: 1 Cor. 15:1-10

Introduction

1. I think that the reason many people take the Apostle’s Creed lightly is that there are things in it that are difficult to comprehend.

2. For example, we understand, I think, about the crucifixion and the resurrection, but what does it mean that He descended to the dead?

3. I mean, did Jesus descend to Hell? Did He go to heaven? Where did He go?

4. Let’s see if we can clear it up…and we’ll talk about His resurrection too!

5. Read 1 Cor. 15:1-10

Transition: Let’s talk a journey with Jesus…

I. On the Second and Third Day

A. We know from our church calendar that Jesus died on Friday and rose from the dead Sunday, but what happened on Saturday.

B. Now, I know what we do, all the ladies cook and bake getting ready for the Easter Breakfast. But what did Jesus do?

C. There is something that happened sometime between the cross and the empty tomb that is very important: the descent of Jesus to the place of the dead.

1. This line in the creed is often misunderstood or just ignored all together.

2. We can’t really comprehend what it means, so we just gloss over it. But it is vital that we understand what the creed is talking about.

3. We know that Jesus’ earthly body lied dead in the grave, but what about His spirit.

D. First of all, He didn’t go back to heaven.

1. We know this because in John 20:17 it says, “Don’t cling to me,” Jesus said, “for I haven’t yet ascended to the Father. But go find my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

2. He would later ascend to heaven, but that is still a way off.

E. However, He didn’t go to hell either, because hell didn’t exist yet.

1. In Rev. 20:14 we learn that at the end of all things, “Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death,” in other words, hell.

2. So, if Jesus didn’t go to heaven, and He didn’t go to hell, where did He go?

F. He went to a place called Hades (in Greek) or Sheol (in Hebrew), the waiting place for the dead.

1. Hades/Sheol was a place for people to wait as they awaited the judgment, but hell is the place of eternal punishment and separation from God.

2. They are two separate places. That’s why the creed says that Jesus “descended to the dead.”

G. So, what did He do there?

1. First, while He was there, He preached the good news of His victory on the cross to them.

2. “So he went and preached to the spirits in prison—20 those who disobeyed God long ago when God waited patiently while Noah was building his boat. Only eight people were saved from drowning in that terrible flood.” (1 Pet. 3:19-20).

H. Second, Jesus set the saints of old free from Hades and took them up to heaven with Him when He ascended into heaven.

1. “That is why the Scriptures say, “When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people.” (Eph. 4:8-10).

2. Jesus conquered death and liberates those imprisoned and led them to glory in heaven.

I. That was Saturday, but Sunday is coming! I’m not going to get into the historical aspects of the resurrection or the physical nature of Jesus’ body. That’s another sermon for another day. But let’s talk about the importance of the resurrection.

1. First, the resurrection proves who Jesus really is. The resurrection is definitive proof that Jesus is who He claimed to be, the Messiah, the Son of God. He wasn’t a false prophet, not a lunatic, or a martyr.

a. The resurrection is proof that Jesus is divine and been given all authority in heaven and on earth.

b. You can say that Jesus was a good man, good teacher, or a prophet, but those people never came back from the dead!

c. He was who He said He was, God’s Son and the Savior of the world.

2. Second, the resurrection shows that the new age has begun.

a. It proves that we have edged closer to its goal, the future has invaded the present, and the present age will not continue forever.

b. The resurrection proves that that God is involved in the affairs of the human race.

c. It is also proof that God would not just leave us to our own fate. He intervened and fixed what we did wrong.

3. Third, the resurrection is the catalyst of our salvation. All too often we focus so much on the cross but only mention the resurrection on Easter Sunday. However, I want to be clear, we are saved in, by, and through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.