Reflections on the Resurrection-1

So, Nathan, Paul Elliot and I went to the GA Assemblies of God Men’s conference in Warner Robins, GA.

We had a great time of fellowship, good food, but most of all great worship and ministry of the Word.

The last speaker we heard was Pastor Matt Hoole of Mechanicsville Christian Center in Virginia.

I mention him in particular, because he expressed something I have always believed. He said…

Note-takers are world changers.

They get 4 times as much from a sermon because they take notes.

I looked it up online and also saw…

Taking notes during sermons has several other benefits:

Helps you stay focused and engaged with the message

Allows you to reflect on the message throughout the week

Creates a record of your spiritual growth

Shows respect for the pastor and the message

Engages your mind actively with the sermon content

Provides practical guidance for living out your faith

Helps with focus and retention

Allows personal reflection

Deliberately creates a space for the Word of God to penetrate your heart and mind.

On the back of the bulletin is a place to take notes, but keeping track of multiple scraps of paper is hard.

I use a small notebook.

Something for you to consider.

Lent

Wednesday before last was Ash Wednesday — the start of Lent.

We are not a liturgical church, so most of us do not put a lot of emphasis on, or even any thought about Lent.

But among liturgical churches Lent is a forty-day period on the Christian calendar that precedes Easter, beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending on Easter Sunday (excluding Sundays).

It is supposed to be a time of spiritual preparation, reflection, and renewal, often characterized by prayer, fasting, and self-examination.

I’m not sure how much even liturgical churches actually do anything more than get ashes on their forehead and eat fish on Fridays (neither is a Biblical mandate).

Whereas we may not be a liturgical church I believe there is value in preparing for the celebration of the Resurrection on Resurrection Sunday which is April 20th this year.

And I believe in rejoicing over the resurrection of Jesus.

It is at least, if not more, important than the birth of Jesus (although Jesus could not have died and rose again if He had not been born).

So every year, I look forward to rejoicing that God’s NOT dead, NO! He is alive!

To that end, this year, I am beginning a series of sermons leading up to Easter where we focus on the resurrection.

We will also have a time of prayer and fasting the week before Resurrection Sunday.

You’ll notice I don’t often use the word Easter because I don’t want any confusion with culture’s twisting of the Resurrection of Jesus into a spring holiday with chocolate, rabbits and eggs.

With eggs and chocolate both being higher in price, maybe there will be a turn towards the REAL meaning of what we celebrate on April 20th of this year.

But I must admit, I’m NOT holding my breath.

The Importance of the Resurrection

So, let’s begin to reflect and meditate on the importance of the Resurrection.

It is THE cornerstone doctrine that make us different from all other religions.

No other religion has an empty grave and a bodily resurrected Savior.

Rev. John Rice said:

To deny the resurrection of Christ is to deny His deity. To deny the resurrection of Christ is to deny historic Christianity. To deny the resurrection of Christ is to deny the Bible. To deny the resurrection is to place oneself beside infidels and scoffers. … Those who deny the resurrection of Jesus Christ deny Christ and Christianity.

While I am emphasizing the resurrection, please understand I am NOT de-emphasizing the crucifixion.

The crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ are both fundamental and interconnected events in Christian theology.

The crucifixion is seen as integral to God's engagement with the world, conveying divine love and shaping genuine faith.

It also helps us understand what it means for believer to die to their old life.

Jesus’ crucifixion helps us understand Galatians 5:24 (NLT) Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to His cross and crucified them there.

The resurrection, on the other hand, proves that Christ's death was a victory, not a defeat.

It validates Christ's claims of divinity and transforms the apparent failure of the crucifixion into a triumph.

Some theologians argue for the primacy of one event over the other, but the New Testament consistently presents them as a unified saving act of God.

Together, they form a theological foundation for Christian missions and provide a model for Christian life, with believers called to participate in Christ's sufferings.

Both events are considered crucial for salvation, with the resurrection affirming the efficacy of the crucifixion.

Ultimately, the cross and empty tomb are seen as inseparable in constituting Christ's atoning work.

Dry Bones Raised to Life

As we begin to think about the resurrection of Jesus, I believe it is valuable to think about an Old Testament account of resurrection:

Ezekiel 37:1–14 (NASB95) The hand of the LORD was upon me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; and it was full of bones. 2 He caused me to pass among them round about, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley; and lo, they were very dry. 3 He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord GOD, You know.” 4 Again He said to me, “Prophesy over these bones and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.’ 5 “Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones, ‘Behold, I will cause breath to enter you that you may come to life. 6 ‘I will put sinews on you, make flesh grow back on you, cover you with skin and put breath in you that you may come alive; and you will know that I am the LORD.’ ” 7 So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8 And I looked, and behold, sinews were on them, and flesh grew and skin covered them; but there was no breath in them. 9 Then He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they come to life.” ’ ” 10 So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army. 11 Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel; behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope has perished. We are completely cut off.’ 12 “Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, My people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel. 13 “Then you will know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves and caused you to come up out of your graves, My people. 14 “I will put My [Holy] Spirit within you and you will come to life, and I will place you on your own land. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken and done it,” declares the LORD.’ ”

From: Resurrection: Living As People of the Risen Lord

Ezekiel 37:1–14 is just one of several key Old Testament passages that began to cultivate a hope for resurrection among the people of Israel.

This passage portrays one of several images that God uses to communicate His promises to His people.

These OT images and OT promises of the resurrection find their fulfillment in Jesus.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ changed everything.

When dawn broke on that first Easter morning, the sun rose on an entirely new world.

The very fabric of creation had been transformed.

The direction of history had been altered.

The power of death had been broken.

Life was victorious.

So, how are we to live in the light of that glorious day?

How does Christ’s great victory play out in our everyday lives?

As people of the risen Lord, our identity and calling are rooted in the resurrection.

We are the people of God’s new creation living in the midst of a world still reeling from the longstanding effects of sin and death.

As we receive healing and experience our own transformation in Christ, we show forth His risen life to others.

Our renewed lives proclaim His resurrection, and those around us are drawn to the ever-living source of that warmth and light.

Even in His Day, the people who heard Jesus and even the ones who followed Him had erroneous thoughts about resurrection.

Mark 12:18 (NASB95) Some Sadducees (who say that there is no resurrection) came to Jesus, and began questioning Him, [They were trying to trip Him up with a theoretical resurrection problem about 7 brothers, each of whom married the same woman, one at a time, after each died — the oldest married, died and the next oldest married her, then died, etc.]

Mark 12:23–27 (NASB95) “In the resurrection, when they rise again, which one’s wife will she be? For all seven had married her.” 24 Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are mistaken, that you do not understand the Scriptures or the power of God? 25 “For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 26 “But regarding the fact that the dead rise again, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the burning bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, and the God of Jacob’? 27 “He is not the God of the dead, but of the living; you are greatly mistaken.”

That’s the primary thing I want us to hear this morning:

God is God of the living.

There is no passing from this life into oblivion — into nothingness.

We either reject salvation in Jesus in this life and go to hell (not the final destination), and then be thrown into the Lake of Fire

or

We repent of our sins, surrender to Jesus and then when we leave this life we enter heaven to be in the presence of the Lord (also not our final destination) — we will inhabit the New Jerusalem that comes down out of heaven into a new heavens and a new earth.

Let’s think about the power of this God of the living, by looking at Ezekiel 37

Despair in the Valley

Ezekiel 37:1-3

In the first 3 verses we see an image of despair and hopelessness.

The valley seems to picture a great battle where Israel was defeated.

Defeated so thoroughly there was no one left to bury the bodies.

The bodies lay in the sun.

The scavengers came and feasted on them.

In the process body parts were scattered everywhere.

A hopeless valley of puzzle pieces with no clue as to where the pieces belonged.

The bones are very dry — indicating that whatever event that placed them there had happened long ago.

In the natural there was no hope for life in this valley of bones — VERY DRY bones

But don’t despair!

God asks Ezekiel, “Can these bones live?”

But it is a rhetorical question.

The God of resurrection KNOWS they can and will live again.

He has the power to transform very dry bones into a living, breathing army.

Declaration of Life

Ezekiel 37:4-6

In the next 3 verses we hear God ask Ezekiel to take a leap of faith.

That’s what resurrection was for Ezekiel.

In Ezekiel’s day Jesus had not yet defeated death.

Ezekiel may have heard unsubstatated rumors of resurrection.

Like when a body was thrown into Elisha’s grave and it came back to life.

2 Kings 13:21 (NASB95) As [some people] were burying a man, behold, they saw a marauding band; and they cast the man into the grave of Elisha. And when the man touched the bones of Elisha he revived and stood up on his feet.

But he probably wasn’t real sure about that

So God tells Ezekiel to take a leap of faith by prophesying to the valley of dry bones…

God commands Ezekiel to speak a process to the bones, illustrating the power of His word to create life.

Putting sinews and flesh.

Why?

Vs. 6 so you will know I am the Lord.

There are times when we too will need to make a leap of faith.

Believing in God’s resurrection power for our lives and our circumstances.

In obedience speaking God's Word over situations of hopelessness.

If the Holy Spirit gives us the exact words to speak, then like Ezekiel let’s do so.

But if He doesn’t what will we do?

Pray in the Spirit — pray in tongues.

Romans 8:26–27 (NASB95) In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; 27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

As we pray for impossible situations remember this passage of scripture.

Remember what God did in response to Ezekiel’s obedience.

Trust in God's promises and the power of His Word, even when evidence of change seems absent.

As we speak God’s word over situations we remember that God's Word is active and alive, ready to transform our circumstances.

Dynamics of Transformation

Ezekiel 37:7-10

And then, in the next 4 verses, we see images that absolutely astound, while at the same time they give us hope in multiple aspects of resurrection power.

First, God knows how to put the pieces back together again.

Yes, in the resurrection.

We don’t have to worry about those buried at sea, those cremated, those who died in the jungle or forest and the parts were scattered.

God is more than able to put the pieces back together again. He’s more than able to breath life into dead bodies.

We also need to be encouraged about our lives.

When we repent of our sins Jesus breathes HIS life into us, transforming us spiritually and bringing us from death into life.

May God grant us faith and patience in His process.

Resurrection and revival is both a promise and a progression.

Destiny of Resurrection

Ezekiel 37:11-14

In the last 4 verses of this passage we hear God explaining the images that Ezekiel has witnessed.

Israel was in a valley of dry bones — a place of hopelessness — and God saw them.

He promised Israel that He wouldn’t leave them in that condition.

He said in vs. 12:” I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves.”

What God promised to Israel He promises to us — the followers of Jesus…

Because we have been grafted, spliced into the promises.

The promises to Israel are God’s promises to us.

Like Israel, here in Ezekiel 37 we have a hope and and a future through the Holy Spirit.

As the Worship Team comes to the platform…

God is still working in us according to His resurrection power.

Romans 8:11 (NASB95) But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

Do you have an impossible situation in your life today?

A valley of VERY dry bones?

No matter how dire the situation seems, God’s Spirit can renew and revitalize.

Hold on to God's promise of resurrection and rejuvenation, trusting in His ultimate plan and purpose.

Maybe, like Ezekiel, you want to take a leap of faith.

You want to speak life to that impossible situation — be it a need of healing, your finances, a relationship problem, a work situation — whatever.

If you will come forward we will join with you in prayers of agreement.

As the Holy Spirit leads we will speak life into dry bones.

We will prophesy breath into death so that there is life.

As the Worship Team reminds us: Jesus is Here right now to meet your need.