He is Risen! / ¡Él Ha Resucitado!
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
The Church of Jesus Christ has existen for 2,000 years.
Jesus Christ is the founder of the church. He is the head of the church.
The church has faced great opposition in the last 2,000 years.
Communism
How can we forget the persecution of the early church when Christians were being fed to the lions in the Roman Circus?
How could we forget the Protestant Reformation when the church of Rom burned many believers at the stake?
How could we forget the communist governments in China and the former Soviet Union that try to destroy the underground church - I say “try” because the church is thriving and growing - probably even more than in the United States.
However, is there a way to destroy the Christian church?
Is there a way that we can permanently damage the church of Jesus Christ?
What can we do to completely destroy the church of Christ?
What can we do to permanently disable the church?
I am sure there are many out there that would like to destroy Christianity.
The Bible even reveals to us what would be Christianity’s mortal wound:
But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.
Ahora bien, si se predica que Cristo ha sido levantado de entre los muertos, ¿cómo dicen algunos de ustedes que no hay resurrección? Si no hay resurrección, entonces ni siquiera Cristo ha resucitado. Y si Cristo no ha resucitado, nuestra predicación no sirve para nada, como tampoco la fe de ustedes. Aún más, resultaríamos falsos testigos de Dios por haber testificado que Dios resucitó a Cristo, lo cual no habría sucedido, si en verdad los muertos no resucitan. Porque si los muertos no resucitan, tampoco Cristo ha resucitado. Y si Cristo no ha resucitado, la fe de ustedes es ilusoria y todavía están en sus pecados. En este caso, también están perdidos los que murieron en Cristo. Si la esperanza que tenemos en Cristo fuera sólo para esta vida, seríamos los más desdichados de todos los mortales.
Paul’s argument has to do with the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
If there is no resurrection
Resurrection/resurrección: the act of rising from the dead / el acto de resucitar de entre los muertos.
Paul’s argument says:
If there is no resurrection from the dead, then...
Jesus did not rise from the dead…and
If Jesus did not rise from the dead we are lying to those who hear our message…and
If there is no resurrection from the dead, then...
Those who died believing in the resurrection are lost forever…and
If our only hope in life was Jesus Christ, who never rose from the dead, then...
We are the most pitiful people on the face of the earth!
We gather today, as the people of God, to proclaim the truth of the resurrection! Why? Because without the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead Christianity is destroyed. Today, we will consider:
The resurrection event
The angelic proclamation
The believer’s hope
The resurrection event
The resurrection event
El evento de la resurrección
El evento de la resurrección
Jesus lifeless body was laid in an empty tomb.
His lifeless body was placed upon a stone and a large stone was rolled to cover up the entrance to the tomb.
The purpose of the large stone was to prevent grave robbers from gaining access.
Most of all, in the case of Jesus, the Roman and Jewish leaders would do what was necessary to ensure Jesus’ body would not be stolen.
After all, there were rumors that he had said he would rise from the dead. These leaders would do all that was within their power to ensure they knew where the body was at all times.
Mark records the following testimony:
When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”
But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away.
Cuando pasó el sábado, María Magdalena, María la madre de Jacobo, y Salomé compraron especias aromáticas para ir a ungir el cuerpo de Jesús. Muy de mañana el primer día de la semana, apenas salido el sol, se dirigieron al sepulcro. Iban diciéndose unas a otras: «¿Quién nos quitará la piedra de la entrada del sepulcro?» Pues la piedra era muy grande.
Pero al fijarse bien, se dieron cuenta de que estaba corrida.
Mark 16:
It is now Sunday, the first day of the week. A day just like today.
The women have come to anoint the Lord’s body. They have brought spices. It was customary for the Jews to anoint the bodies of the dead out of a sign of respect.
However, the women are worried because although they have come to the tomb with great devotion and a desire to anoint the Lord’s body; there is one obstacle - the stone!
Who will roll away the stone?
Who will remove the stone so they can gain access inside the tomb to properly anoint their Lord’s body?
As they come closer to the tomb the notice a remarkable thing?
The stone has already been rolled away!
We must go to another gospel to see what exactly happened!
Mat 28:2
There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
Sucedió que hubo un terremoto violento, porque un ángel del Señor bajó del cielo y, acercándose al sepulcro, quitó la piedra y se sentó sobre ella. Su aspecto era como el de un relámpago, y su ropa era blanca como la nieve. Los guardias tuvieron tanto miedo de él que se pusieron a temblar y quedaron como muertos.
The stone did not roll away by itself. That was impossible!
Notice how Matthew tells us there were guards. Remember how the Roman and Jewish leaders were working to make sure the tomb was carefully watched so no one stole the body.
Matthew records that the ground started to shake, there was a violent earthquake and suddenly an angel appears.
This is angel sent by God who by God’s power rolls back the stone.
The only witnesses to this event were the guards who were keeping watch over the tomb. They shook at the sight of the heavenly messenger and collapsed as if dead men!
We do not know in what precise moment Jesus rose from the dead. These are all the details were are given.
The women reacted as any person would react when they get home after long a trip and notice their front door is open - surely someone has stolen the body!
As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.
Mark 16.5
Al entrar en el sepulcro vieron a un joven vestido con un manto blanco, sentado a la derecha, y se asustaron.
Elsewhere in the gospels we are told that this is exactly what they were thinking. They though that someone had gain unauthorized access to the tomb and has taken the body of their precious Lord.
Notice what’s missing? None of the women thought that the Lord had risen from the dead. In fact, the reason why they had gone to the tomb to anoint the Lord’s body is because they were sure his lifeless body was still inside the tomb.
These poor suffering women were expecting to see the lifeless bloody/tortured body of the Lord Jesus Christ, but all they see is a heavenly messenger!
The angelic proclamation
The angelic proclamation
La proclamación angelical
La proclamación angelical
The Lord’s angel speaks to the women:
“Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’ ”
—No se asusten—les dijo—. Ustedes buscan a Jesús el nazareno, el que fue crucificado. ¡Ha resucitado! No está aquí. Miren el lugar donde lo pusieron. Pero vayan a decirles a los discípulos y a Pedro: “Él va delante de ustedes a Galilea. Allí lo verán, tal como les dijo.”
Mark 16.6
The angel looks at the women and proclaims the most wonderful news, the most unexpected news, the most life changing news, the most unbelievable news:
He has risen! He is not here. / ¡Ha resucitado! No está aquí.
What is the angel saying?
The angel is proclaiming that Jesus is not dead. Jesus is alive!
The angel is proclaiming that Jesus was not destroyed by death.
The angel is proclaiming that death could not hold Jesus any longer.
The angel is proclaiming that Jesus has conquered death.
The angel is proclaiming that Jesus was more powerful that the grave.
The angel is proclaiming that Jesus has overcome!
This is Christianity’s claim!
We believe in God the Father Almighty.
We believe in God the Son, who came to earth to live a perfect life and died on the cross as our substitute. We believe the Son of God was tortured, he was beaten, he died a brutal death as a punishment for our sin.
We believe Jesus truly died upon the cross. He breathed his last breath, his heart beat for a last time, he was pronounced dead as the soldier pierced his side with his sword.
We believe Jesus’ body was placed in a guarded tomb!
And yet…we believe this glorious truth - that on the third day, by the power of God, Jesus Christ rose from the dead. He stopped death in its tracks, he overcame the mortal hold that death had upon his lifeless body and he rose from the dead to live forevermore!
The believer’s hope
The believer’s hope
La esperanza del creyente
La esperanza del creyente
The resurrection of Jesus Christ gives us hope!
The resurrection of Jesus Christ gives hope to those who have lost all hope!
Jesus conquered the kingdom of the enemy through the glorious resurrection.
Jesus, by his resurrection, showed us we can trust in hope though we have lost all hope in this life. Why? Surely if he has conquered death he has power over the entire universe.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ gives hope to those who have lost loved ones!
The resurrection of Jesus Christ tells us that if Jesus did rise from the dead, then there is a resurrection!
If our loved ones died trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ, then they too will rise from the dead! One day day the trumpet will sound and the dead in Christ will rise first. We will be gloriously reunited with all those who have died in the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is painful to be a loved one, but what a glorious though to realize that we will not be forever separated. We will once again hold hands with those who have gone to be with the Lord.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ gives hope to those who trust in him!
For many the resurrection of Jesus Christ is an interesting historical event.
For others, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is something in the past that has no bearing or impact on their present or future.
However, the resurrection of Jesus Christ has the power to transform your life if:
You realize that you are a sinner.
That Jesus Christ took upon himself your past, present, and future sin.
That Jesus died in your place.
That Jesus rose from the dead on the third day.
It is by trusting in Jesus that the resurrection that gave life to Jesus’ mortal body will give you forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life. I call upon you to trust in the risen Lord Jesus Christ.