The Triumph of the Resurrection

Introduction

English Standard Version Chapter 15

The Resurrection of Christ

15 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

The Resurrection of the Dead

12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.

Each year the church calendar sets aside a day, called Easter, to celebrate the resurrection of Christ. On one hand, this might seem unnecessary to some of us, since every Lord’s Day, the first day of each week, we remember our Lord’s resurrection, but on the other hand, it forces us to pay special attention, each year, to this particular doctrine, the doctrine of the resurrection. This is one of the benefits of the church calendar, it ensures that we focus on many of the events and doctrines central to the Christ faith each year. And the resurrection is particularly important, because, as we’ll see this morning, Jesus’ resurrection is essential to Christianity. In fact, without the resurrection of Christ there is no Christianity. Jesus’ ministry would have simply ended with his death, and with his disciples scattered and returning to their ordinary lives, but that’s not what happened.

Events of the resurrection

After Jesus’ death the disciples did scatter, and Peter even denied Jesus three times for fear of losing his own life, but the story didn’t end there. On the morning of the first day of the week, several of the women who had followed Jesus from Galilee to Jerusalem ventured to the tomb to anoint his body, as they walked they worried who would roll away the stone for them, but upon their arrival they found the stone already rolled away and the tomb empty. They were perplexed, but then two men appeared to them in dazzling apparel. They were frightened, but as they bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” (Luke 24:4-6)

We’re told that they remembered his words and returned from the tomb to tell the rest of his disciples, but their words seemed like an idle tale, and they did not believe them. However, Peter and John rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking inside, they saw linen cloths by themselves; and so they returned marveling at what had happened. However, they did not yet understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. When they returned that evening, on the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side, and the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.

“Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:24-28) It was because of these events, and his appearance to hundreds of others, over the course of 40 days, that changed everything. His disciples would go from fear and despair to boldness and hope.

Purpose of the resurrection

Now, Jesus’ resurrection didn’t happen in isolation or without a particular purpose, but within the broader context of redemptive history. In fact, the resurrection rises above every other event in world history. It’s more significant than the rise or fall of the Roman Empire, it’s more significant than WWI or WWII, or any other event in history. And it’s not merely a miracle that we’re intended to be entertained or captivated by, but a miracle that has enormous consequences. Jesus’ ministry and our entire faith rests upon it.

Now, to illustrate this, I want to spend some time this morning surveying the biblical text from 30,000’, in order to see just how high the mountain of Jesus’ resurrection stands above everything else. I don’t know how many of you have seen Mt. McKinley or not, but on a clear day it’s particularly striking because it literally stands above every other mountain around it, and it’s not even close. In fact, most of the mountains around it are 7-10,000’ lower in elevation than Mt. McKinley. Similarly, the doctrine of Jesus’ resurrection stands above every other doctrine around it.

Kingdom of God on earth

And I want to start by considering the very beginning of the story, from the Book of Genesis. When man was created, he was created in the image of God and instructed to take dominion of the earth, to establish, so to speak, the kingdom of God upon it, to exercise God’s rule and authority over it. Man was intended to be God’s viceregent on earth, his human representative, and Adam represented humanity. The Garden of Eden was planted on the holy mountain of God where God’s presence dwelt with man. The kingdom of men was intended to expand beyond the garden as men subdued and cultivated the rest of creation.

Kingdom of darkness on earth

However, as we know, it wasn’t long before the kingdom of men came crashing down, and failed to establish the kingdom of God on the earth. Adam and his wife, Eve, rebelled against God when they heeded the voice of the Serpent and committed cosmic treason against God. As a result, the kingdom of men fell with Adam, and as one author put it, hoisted up “the black flag of the kingdom of darkness in its place.” The kingdom of man had been taken over by the kingdom of darkness. Though God remained sovereign, Satan became the ruler of this age, the prince of the power of the air. The whole world now lay in the lap of the wicked one.

Death spreads to all men

Consequently, mankind came under God’s judgment, and was driven from the Garden of Eden, barred from ever entering into God’s presence again. He cursed the man and the woman for their sin, and in turn death entered the world, and death spread to all men. While man thought he had obtained his freedom, he had unwittingly become a slave to the Serpent and to his sin. And rather than filling the earth with godly offspring, he filled the earth with the children of the devil, or as Genesis 6:5 describes it, “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” The kingdom of men had fallen, and their lives consigned to death.

Now, because death is inescapable, many have simply become accustomed to it, as though it were a part of the natural order, or even by design. This is what theistic evolution does, for instance, where Christians attempt to combine evolutionary theory with biblical doctrine, arguing that God used evolution to create mankind and the universe, but unwittingly suggesting that God created life and mankind using processes that rely upon death and suffering. As if death and suffering were a part of God’s original intention or good design. However, nothing could be further from the truth, death and suffering are the result of sin, as the Apostle Paul pointed out in Romans 5:12 that “sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.” In fact, Paul described death in 1 Corinthians 15:26 as an enemy, not as an evolutionary tool employed to produce life, no, death is the consequence for our sin and rebellion.

Death an indication that something is wrong

While we might be inclined to assume that death is normal, since it’s inescapable, it’s instead meant to be a strong indication that something is wrong. It’s easy to assume that death is normal until someone close to us dies, or when our own life is put in jeopardy. One moment we may speak flippantly of death or disease, until our mother tells us she’s been diagnosed with cancer, or when our friend dies in a car accident. It’s in those moments that we realize death is an intruder, an enemy, and a serious consequence for our sin and rebellion toward God. Circumstances like these remind us of our mortality, that we’re not invincible, that we won’t live forever, and that the grave is inescapable. This is why the world is frequently filled with despair and hopelessness, because death is inescapable. We might pursue pleasures, stay busy, or fill our lives with material goods to drown out that hopelessness, but if we think too hard about it we quickly realize that life is all vanity, that those pleasures and possessions won’t last, and that no matter what you do, you will die, just like everyone else.

Jesus’ triumph over the grave is significant

Which is why Jesus’ resurrection is so significant, because no one has ever returned from the grave, but the grave couldn’t hold him. That he’s the only one who’s ever conquered death, the only one who’s ever conquered the grave. Muhammad is still in the grave, Buddha is still in the grave, Confucius is still in the grave, the founders of every other religion remain in the grave, and none of them ever claimed that they could come back from the dead, nor did they, except one, Jesus, and he did. This is why Jesus’ resurrection is the most significant event in human history. Now, as I said earlier, Jesus’ resurrection is not merely a miracle that we’re intended to be entertained or captivated by, but a miracle that has enormous consequences and is of great relevance to us.

The promised seed of the woman

You see, when you look back at the fall of mankind and Adam’s failure to establish the kingdom of God on earth, not all hope was lost, because mingled with God’s judgement against them was a promise of a future deliverer, a seed of the woman. Theologians often refer to this promise as the proto-evangel, or the first mention of the gospel. In other words, even mingled within God’s judgement against Adam and Eve was the hope of future deliverance from death and the curse.

This hope begins small and obscure in Scripture, but over time we’re given greater and greater clarity as to the identity of this man, the one who would deliver mankind from death and the curse. At first, we learn that he will crush the head of the Serpent, that he will be victorious over the Dragon, that where Adam failed he would succeed, then we learn that he will be Abraham’s offspring, that he will be a blessing to all the nations, a light to the Gentiles, that he would be a prophet like Moses, that he would come from the Tribe of Judah, that he would be a Son of David, that he would sit on his throne, and establish an everlasting kingdom, that he would be a suffering servant, born in Bethlehem to a virgin, that he would be both man and Mighty God, and that he would a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

But all along the way the Serpent made it his aim to destroy the seed of the woman, whether by death or corruption, therefore he attacked the godly line of men at every turn. At first, Cain killed Abel, but then Eve gave birth to another son, Seth, from which the Messiah would come, but then the Serpent polluted the race of men with the sons of God in Genesis 6, so as a result the Lord destroyed the ancient world with a flood, saving only Noah and his family, because Noah was the only righteous man left. And then when God called Abraham and promised him a son, the Serpent attempted to pollute the line by convincing Abraham to give his wife Sarah to be taken by Pharaoh as his wife, and then again later by Abimelech, and then again when Sarah instructed Abraham to have a child by his female servant Hagar, or when the Israelites were in Egypt and Pharoah ordered the Hebrew newborns to be killed, or when Haman attempted to exterminate the Jews under King Xerxes, or when Herod ordered his soldiers to kill all of the male Hebrew infants in Bethlehem, yet despite all of the Serpent’s efforts the seed of the woman was not exterminated, and was born to Mary, a virgin, in Bethlehem.

Jesus came to reestablish the kingdom of God

And soon after, Jesus came proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and affliction among the people. You see, while Adam had failed to establish the kingdom of God on earth, Jesus had come to reestablish it, to succeed where Adam failed, but to do so he had to crush the head of the Serpent and save men from the power of death and the curse. But if Jesus intended to reestablish the kingdom of God on the earth, he first had to deliver men from their bondage to sin and from the kingdom of darkness.

And how did Jesus do this? First, where Adam succumb to the temptations of the devil in the Garden, Jesus prevailed against the Dragon in the wilderness. Unlike Adam, Jesus never sinned. He had come to fulfill all righteousness, and he did. Secondly, Jesus who was both man and Mighty God offered his life up as a sacrifice on our behalf for the forgiveness of sin. He accomplished this by his substitutionary death on the cross. He bore in himself the penalty for our sin, he became a curse for us, and he died in our place.

Resurrection is our guarantee of salvation

Now, here’s why the resurrection is so important, and this is what I want you to understand this morning. If Jesus had not risen from the dead his death would have been meaningless, and you would still be in your sins. Why? Because Jesus’ resurrection is the only sure indication that God accepted his sacrificial death on your behalf. John Calvin put it like this, “For how could he ... have freed us from death if he had himself succumbed to death?” The Apostle Paul put’s it like this in 1 Corinthians 15:17, “if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.”

You see, God’s approval of Jesus’ atonement was demonstrated by his raising Jesus from the dead. Jesus’ resurrection is a confirmation that he propitiated, or satisfied, the wrath of God. Or as one writer put it, the resurrection is our guarantee “that the check cleared.” This is how we know that we no longer remain dead in our sins and trespasses, this is how we know that Jesus has triumphed over sin and death. Listen to what the Apostle Paul says in Romans 4:24-25, and specifically how he connects our justification with Jesus’ resurrection, he writes, “[Righteousness] will be counted to us who believe in him who raised Jesus from the dead, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.” In other words, Jesus’ resurrection gives us certainly of our justification before God.

This is also important to point out because we often describe our salvation as Jesus paying or atoning for our sins by his death on the cross, but we often fail to recognize that while that’s certainly true, we know that it’s true because of his resurrection. If someone were to make the claim that they will pay for your sins you wouldn’t immediately believe them, because how can you know that they can or that they will? There must be some proof or guarantee. This is the significance of the resurrection. As a result of the resurrection you now know that he can and has paid for your sins. As a result of the resurrection you know that your sins have been forgiven. The resurrection assures us of our justification, it assures us of our salvation, it’s our guarantee. Thomas Schreiner rightly point out that, “Christ’s death and resurrection are inseparable in effecting salvation.”

Resurrection assures us that our preaching is not in vain

And furthermore, if Jesus’ resurrection is the guarantee of our salvation, then it follows that his resurrection is also our assurance that our preaching is not in vain. That his resurrection is also the basis of our gospel proclamation, and that it assures us that we’re no lying to people when we tell them that Jesus can forgive them of their sins. Listen to what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:12–14, “Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.”

Jesus has crushed the head of the Serpent

And furthermore still, the resurrection of Christ is an indication that Jesus has crushed the head of the Serpent. Or as Jesus put it when talking to his disciples, that he has bound the “strongman”, the devil, that Dragon, in order that he might not deceive the nations any longer, in order that Christ might plunder the kingdom of darkness by rescuing men from every tribe, tongue, and nation. You see, with every soul rescued from the kingdom of darkness, the kingdom of God on earth grows in number.

Colossians 2:15 puts it like this, “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” Similarly, Hebrews 2:14–15 says, “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.” This is why Jesus told his disciples in Luke 10:18 that he “saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven,” because Jesus’ ministry resulted in the devil’s undoing, and his resurrection is our assurance that he has.

Jesus’ resurrection guarantees our resurrection

And the implications of Jesus’ resurrection don’t stop there. His resurrection is our guarantee of our own future resurrection. You see, if Christ has been raised from the dead then you can be assured, one day, that your mortal body will also be raised from the dead. Jesus’ resurrection gives us assurance that we too will be raised from the dead on the last day. This is why Paul says there in 1 Corinthians 15:20 that Jesus is the “firstfruits of those who have [died]”. He’s what you might call the initial portion of a crop or harvest, and the assumption, of course, is that there’s more to come. That he’s the first among many others, in the future, who will rise from the dead just as he has. That we will not be abandoned to the grave, but that we will rise just as he did.

Living in light of Jesus’ resurrection

Furthermore, even now, we live in light of that future resurrection. In other words, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work in you even now. Listen to how Paul puts it in Romans 6:3–4, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” What he’s saying is that you’ve been united to Christ, which is depicted in baptism, you were buried with him in order that you you might also be raised with him from the dead, not just so that you might be resurrected in the future, but that you might walk in newness of life, even now. That you are already a new creation in Christ, that you have already been brought from death to life spiritually, that sin no longer has dominion over to obey it’s passions. You see, your union with Christ, by faith in his resurrection, is intended to provide you with the power and energy to live the Christian life right now, that the same power that raised Christ from the dead is at work in you already.

Jesus’ resurrection makes certain that God will judge the world

And finally, Jesus' resurrection makes certain that God will judge the world by his Son. While the Apostle Paul was in Athens, and in the midst of the Areopagus he told the men of Athens in Acts 17:30-31 that, "the times of ignorance God [has] overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” In other words, Jesus’ resurrection demands a response from you and I, because the Gospel has been offered to the whole world through the death and resurrection of God's Son. And the resurrection not only teaches us that this offer is genuine, but that it won't last forever, that God will one day judge the world in righteous by his Son.

So, I'll close with these words from prophet Isaiah, "Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon." (Isaiah 55:6-7)

Prayer