The Significance of the Resurrection - Part 1

Various Scriptures

April 12, 2009

I wanted to begin this morning

By simply reading one account of the resurrection.

Turn to: Luke 24:1-7

For just a few days it looked like the early symbol of Christianity

Was going to be a tomb.

TODAY: People go and decorate the graves of the deceased.

And so it was no surprise that early Sunday morning

These women were headed for the tomb.

WHAT THEY RECEIVED WAS A STARTLING TRUTH

“Why do you seek the living One among the dead?”

Jesus never intended for a tomb to be the symbol of Christianity.

His mission didn’t end in death, it ends in life.

That is why we don’t gather in a cemetery this morning,

For we don’t come to celebrate death, but to celebrate life.

THE RESURRECTION MAKES CHRISTIANITY UNIQUE

Men debate the sayings of Confucius, or the tranquility of Buddha,

Or the wisdom of Muhammad.

And just when this world wants to declare

“All religions equal as suitable ways to get to heaven,”

That is when we as followers of Jesus, stop the debate.

We offer to the masses something that no other religion can offer,

AND THAT IS A LIVING SAVIOR.

And YES, the resurrection of Jesus did occur.

Turn to: 1 Corinthians 15:3-8

500 Witnesses

Easier to prove that Jesus is alive,

Than to prove that most people are dead.

(If it was based on actual eye witnesses who could testify)

Boldness of the Apostles

No Body was ever produced

The resurrection did occur.

Jesus was dead, and He arose from the dead.

And this morning,

We are just going to talk about that truth for a little while.

(A Different type of sermon for me)

(One that cannot be completed in one service)

But this morning we will begin our look at

“The Significance of the Resurrection”

I want to be begin by revealing.

WHAT THE RESURRECTION REVEALS ABOUT JESUS

The person of Jesus is a highly debated topic.

Even Jesus knew He was a topic for debate:

Matthew 16:13-16 “Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" And they said, "Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

See, there were skeptics even in Jesus day.

John 7:5 “For not even His brothers were believing in Him.”

John 7:12 “There was much grumbling among the crowds concerning Him; some were saying, "He is a good man"; others were saying, "No, on the contrary, He leads the people astray."

John 7:40-44 “Some of the people therefore, when they heard these words, were saying, "This certainly is the Prophet." Others were saying, "This is the Christ." Still others were saying, "Surely the Christ is not going to come from Galilee, is He? "Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the descendants of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?" So a division occurred in the crowd because of Him. Some of them wanted to seize Him, but no one laid hands on Him.”

People couldn’t seem to decide who He was.

But the resurrection made things clear.

3 Things

1) HE IS GOD

In case you were unaware, Scripture DOES continually say

That Jesus is indeed God made flesh.

John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

Titus 2:11-13 “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,”

Colossians 1:15 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”

Colossians 2:9 “For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,”

Even the Old Testament said that God would come in the form of man.

Isaiah 9:6 “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.”

Furthermore, Jesus even continually claimed to be God.

Turn to: John 10:27-33

John 8:56-59 "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad." So the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?" Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am." Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple.”

John 14:8-11 “Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." Jesus said to him, "Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. "Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves.”

If time permitted

We could talk about how Jesus received prayer…

We could talk about how Jesus is worshiped…

We could talk about how Jesus forgave sin…

There is no doubt that

The writers of Scripture thought that Jesus was God.

Jesus thought that He was God.

Yet today, the topic is a hot debate.

Let a Jehovah’s Witness come to your door…

Let a Mormon come to your door…

Strike up a conversation with a Muslim…

Even today we have LIBERAL THEOLOGIANS…

Despite the word of God, and despite the claims of Jesus,

There are many who deny the fact that Jesus is God.

BUT YOU DON’T HAVE TO TAKE MY WORD FOR IT,

THERE IS PROOF THAT JESUS IS GOD

THE RESURRECTION

Romans 1:4 “who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,”

Listen to what Jesus said to His disciples.

John 14:19-20 "After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also. "In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.”

Furthermore listen to what one pessimist had to say after he saw the resurrected Lord.

John 20:26-28 “After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you." Then He said to Thomas, "Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing." Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!"

The point is that the resurrection proved

That we were dealing with no ordinary man.

The resurrection proved that Jesus was God made flesh

That is why the Pharisees fought so hard

To cover up the fact that He was raised.

Matthew 28:11-15 “Now while they were on their way, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had happened. And when they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, and said, "You are to say, 'His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.' "And if this should come to the governor's ears, we will win him over and keep you out of trouble." And they took the money and did as they had been instructed; and this story was widely spread among the Jews, and is to this day.”

You see the resurrection proved that they had crucified God in the flesh,

And they did not want to bear the blame.

BUT JESUS DID RISE, AND IF YOU REJECT HIM,

YOU ARE REJECTING THE ONE AND ONLY TRUE GOD.

Acts 2:32-36 "This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. "Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear. "For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says: 'THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, "SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET."' "Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ — this Jesus whom you crucified."

We must all come to grips with the fact that, like it or not, Jesus is God

And one day every knee will bow to Him.

But that is not all that the resurrection proves about Him.

2) HE IS THE STANDARD OF JUDGMENT

By that I mean that Jesus is the standard by which men are judged.

He is the plumb line…

He is the level…

Isaiah 28:15-18 “Because you have said, "We have made a covenant with death, And with Sheol we have made a pact. The overwhelming scourge will not reach us when it passes by, For we have made falsehood our refuge and we have concealed ourselves with deception." Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, A costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed. "I will make justice the measuring line And righteousness the level; Then hail will sweep away the refuge of lies And the waters will overflow the secret place. "Your covenant with death will be canceled, And your pact with Sheol will not stand; When the overwhelming scourge passes through, Then you become its trampling place.”

Like it or not, there is a divine standard we must meet

In order to enter the presence of God.

Today people quickly forget that.

“I am a good person”

Of course Scripture vehemently disagrees:

Romans 3:10-12 “as it is written, "THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD; ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE."

Yet people still justify themselves as “good”

WHY?

Because you are better than “that guy” or “that girl”?

People who look at themselves and think that they are good

Are people who are using a faulty standard.

JESUS IS THE STANDARD.

That means that in order to go to heaven,

You have to be as good as Jesus.

HOW DO I KNOW THAT?

The resurrection.

Turn to: Acts 17:29-31

God will judge the world with righteousness

And the standard that is used is Jesus.

The fact that Jesus was raised,

Proved that He was acceptable to God.

There was no grounds by which death could hold Him.

He was innocent.

He was acceptable.

So getting to heaven is simple.

You simply have to be as good as Jesus.

And just to let you know what you are up against.

Hebrews 4:15 “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.”

If that concerns you, it should.

But don’t let it ruin the day, there is still one more thing the resurrection proves:

3) HE IS THE SAVIOR

Our world is full of “Saviors” who claim to be able to deliver.

And Jesus is One of them.

Matthew 11:28-30 "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

John 6:35 “Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.”

John 7:37-38 “Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'"

John 8:12 “Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life."

John 10:9 "I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.”

John 11:25-26 “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?"

John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

John 15:5 "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”

Jesus claimed to be the One who has everything you need.

· Rest for the weary…

· Food for the hungry…

· Drink for the thirsty…

· Hope for the hopeless…

· Life for the dying…

There is no doubt He claimed to be the Savior.

THE WRITERS OF SCRIPTURE CLAIMED THAT HE IS AS WELL.

1 John 2:1-2 “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.”

The most famous account of this is found in Isaiah 53.

Isaiah 53:4-6 “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.”

Peter spoke in reference to that passage when he said:

1 Peter 2:24 “and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.”

Both Jesus and His followers said that He is the Savior

BUT WHY SHOULD YOU BELIEVE THEIR CLAIMS?

-The Resurrection

If a man says He can save you from death, and then dies,

You are really left with a dilemma.

Can you really trust a dead man

To handle your death problem?

If they die and stay dead, then it is quite possible

That they had their own sin problem to deal with.

BUT THE RESURRECTION PROVES JESUS WAS SINLESS

(Death had no grounds, which made Him able to be a payment for us)

If it were not for the resurrection,

We would have no guarantee that Jesus was a successful Savior.

1 Corinthians 15:17 “and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.”

But Jesus did rise, and therefore proved that our salvation worked.

Turn to: Romans 4:23-25

THE POINT:

JESUS IS THE SAVIOR!

Acts 4:11-12 "He is the STONE WHICH WAS REJECTED by you, THE BUILDERS, but WHICH BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone. "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved."

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

The resurrection is a credential that only Jesus has.

It sets Him apart from every other religious personality.

Jesus is God

Jesus is the Standard for Judgment

Jesus is the Savior

If you go through life without submitting to Him,

You will miss life entirely.

That is why in order to be a follower of Jesus,

It is required that not only must you submit your life to Him,

But you also must believe that He really did rise from the dead.

Romans 10:9 “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;”

This morning I simply want you to know what the Bible teaches

And what the resurrection proves.

But your submission and your faith are up to you.

If you have never submitted your life to the Lord Jesus Christ,

Then I would ask you to do it.

Believe that He died for you, and rose from the dead.

Believe that He is God.

Believe that He is the Standard for Judgment

Believe that He is the only Savior from sin

AND PROVE YOU BELIEVE, BY FULLY SUBMITTING TO HIM