Why Jesus Resurrection is Important
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Welcome and Prayer....
I am blessed to have you here, I’m praying you all had a good week and are ready to begin a new one.
And today I am going to hopefully give you some encouragement for the coming week.
In these past few weeks we have been talking about Jesus… Honestly, Jesus is the best topic we could ever have on our lips, Amen.
So today, lets examine the topic of the Resurrection and why it is so important to us and the world around us.
Now I have had people ask me, why is the raising of Jesus from the dead special, other people in the Bible have been raised from the dead.
And that is a true statement. In the Old Testament and in the new, people were raised from the dead. But here is the difference, their mortal did not put on immortality… at least not yet.
Consider Lazarus if you will from John 11. Jesus raised him from the dead, but he was not immortal, His physical body was made whole and well. But here is the truth, Lazarus would face death again.
When God gave the son the authority to take up his life again, Jesus didn’t rise in a mortal body, no that body was already changed, the mortal had put on immortality… He was now glorified...
This day is what we await. We await the return of Jesus so that we too can be made whole and well. We will occupy bodies that will be forever changed and made like His...
So this morning I want us to examine the topic of why the resurrection of Jesus important.
So lets go look at I Corinthians, chapter 15 today and we will read verses 20-28
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. 24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. 28 When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.
Now why is Paul teaching about this?
Well, there were some then as there are now who were denying the resurrection of Jesus.
Paul is writing to make sure no one was led astray, You can go back to the first part of the chapter and see Paul’s message.., look at verses 1-2
1 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.
And from Paul’s message I want you to hang onto 3 eternal truths from the word of God.
1. The Resurrection signals God’s Satisfaction with Jesus Sacrifice...
1. The Resurrection signals God’s Satisfaction with Jesus Sacrifice...
Please understand my friends, unless there was a resurrection, there would be no salvation. Unless Jesus rose on the third day, there would be nothing to hold us, Nothing that took care of our sin, No redemption. There would be nothing to believe in and nothing to put our faith and trust into..
Think about Mary, Martha and Lazarus...
Do you remember in John chapter 11, as Jesus went to the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus to raise him from the dead, Jesus told Martha that He was the resurrection and the life, John 11:25 and in verse 26, Jesus simply will ask her, “Do you believe this...”
You see Jesus was reminding her of the hope at awaited all those in Christ Jesus, because He was the resurrection and the life.
No matter our place, no matter if we are dead or alive.. Jesus was the answer.. Why, because he is the resurrection and the life.
As we talked last week, Jesus death on the cross was an atoning sacrifice for sin, I John 2:2 and I John 4:10.
And as the Father saw the death of His Son, As he witnessed the lamb of God slain, His blood shed as a atoning sacrifice for sin, God accepted that sacrifice.. He received it.
How do we know we know this..death wasn’t the end for Jesus.
The resurrection is the stamp of approval, God received it and in turn Raised the Son.
Listen to what the Apostle Paul says in Romans 4:25
25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
Do you see that… His death paid the price for our sins, and His resurrection gives proof for our justification before the Father.
We in our hearts know the resurrection is real, even though we have not experienced it yet physically. But we know the day is coming when Jesus will return and we will embody the proof of our justification..
How? Just as Jesus was raised, we will be raised and when we stand before the God of all eternity, we do so justified, made right and received before God.
Praise be to the Lord..
Now if that don’t light your fire as the Ole Preacher used to say, your woods all wet..
And we put our hope and trust into His death, burial and resurrection, we know it was true and it was witnessed by many.
Remember Acts chapter 2… Peter is preaching to the mass crowd of people about Jesus..
Let me share with you verses 32-33
32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.
Peter says they were witness to it, the resurrection and as such, they had now received the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus had promised after his departure of whom this entire crowd was a witness of as well.
God received the sacrifice of the Son, the resurrection proves it. And it serves as a marker for our faith as well
Do you believe in the resurrection of Jesus, that He died for sins according to the Scriptures, was buried and on the third day rose again?
That is the basis of your Salvation, the salvation provided by God out of His great love for you.
Now lets move on to our second thought for the day.
2. The Resurrection Demonstrates His Defeat Over Death....
2. The Resurrection Demonstrates His Defeat Over Death....
Here is a truth we all know.....
As long as Jesus delays His coming back to this world to gather His Church, we know simply that death reigns in the lives of the children of God.
We all face death, and we do not know when death will arrive at our door step. Right now 1.8 people die every sec, that is more than 6000 every hour.
Death is a terrible thing… one that we were never meant to face. It is only because of sin, that death now reigns in peoples lives.
But I want to share something with you.... Jesus is the answer.. He is the resurrection and the life… Death has no power over Jesus, in fact I want you to know that Jesus defeated death.
That’s right, He beat death, and since He defeated death… Death has no power over us.
But now some would simply say… wait just a minute the funeral homes are still in business.... death seems to be doing a pretty good job preacher.
But listen its temporary…
Yes I, or you may die tomorrow. But we are not dead… right. Amen...
Paul reminds us to be absent from the body means to be present with the Lord. So I might die here, but it just means the body has ceased its function. I will be in the presence of the Savior. Waiting for the day, when I enjoy the blessing of His resurrection.
How can this be?
Look with me at Hebrews 2:14-15
14 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, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.
So Paul reminds us here in this passage that Jesus took on our veil of flesh, was made like us in ever way except without sin… and through this action of obedience to the will of the Father, His death, burial and resurrection, Jesus has beat the devil and destroyed death.
But that is not all… the last line says what? “....And delivered all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery” 2 Tim 2:15b
We have been delivered, You my friends have been set free from death. It no longer has any power over you because of Jesus Christ and your faith and trust in Him.
You have passed from death unto life.... listen to 2 Tim 1:10
10 and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,
We are alive because Jesus is alive....
I love the end of I Cor 15, veres 54 to 56
54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
55 “O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
Death is powerless, defeated and the victory of Jesus Christ reigns my friends… and because Jesus lives.. You live as well.....
And if you know Jesus as your savior and Lord you are alive right now, we are just awaiting the great day of the Lord when death will no longer effect anyone.
Let me ask you a question.... are you living in the joy of that news, Death has been defeated… It no longer has any power over you, you belong to Jesus! He has prepared a place for you and all those in the Lord.
Isn’t He good! Amen.
Now just one more thought my friends...
3. The Resurrection of Jesus Provides For Our Resurrection...
3. The Resurrection of Jesus Provides For Our Resurrection...
There is a great truth that we have alluded to already that we must bring fully out into the open and discuss..
Remember we have just said, Jesus has defeated death. How did that happen?
Jesus laid down His life as that atoning sacrifice needed to conquer sin. And we know that after His death, He was buried, but that wasn’t it. God raised Him from the dead on the third day..
He raised Him imperishable, immortal, changed… He had been gloried, the only thing that remained on His body from the former existence as a man was the marks of his crucifixion, The marks or stripes by which we are healed...
And His resurrection ensures not only our resurrection from the dead, but with that we are made alive in Christ Jesus, our spiritual man has been made alive… no longer bound by death and sin.
Listen to what Peter tells us in I Peter 1:3
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
Do you see that, His mercy… aren’t you thankful for the mercy of God, we didn’t deserve any mercy but we were given mercy.. God saw our affliction, our sin that was destroying mankind day by day and in compassion and in love He reached out to us when we could not reach out to Him.
And he has saved us… loved us with a love that is faithful and true.
And so our regeneration, has given birth in us, ( remember you have been born again, born from above) and we are alive Spiritually, in a sense we see that the Spiritual man as already been resurrected, the old has gone and the new has come.
All we are waiting for is the physical resurrection in the future
5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
We are already raised up in Christ, saved and seated in the heavens…have you ever thought about that.. you are raised up. Saved and given and place in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus.
All we await is the physical man to be changed, made like Him and set free from the boundaries of this ole world..
This is why it is so important that we go and share the gospel with a lost world, why? They are dead… right now dead ( even though they appear alive) they are dead in their sins.. and unless changed, unless they hear and experience the mercy of God they will die physically and spiritually in their sins...
Now it gets even better, believers have access to that same divine power that brought Jesus back from the dead.. and it is that power that helps us overcome, defeat sin and live for Jesus in this world.
The Scriptures remind is in Cor 15, that Jesus is the first fruits of the resurrection..
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.
First fruits, the first to enjoy and embody life after death… and His life ensures our life…
My friends the resurrection is important, for without it, we would be lost, hopeless and helpless as death came near to our lives. Romans 6:11 tells us to count ourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Jesus has atoned for our sin and empowered us by His own resurrection to follow likewise until the future plans of the Father are revealed as He calls the Son to go get his church and take us all home.
Praise be to God...
Are you living in the hope and joy of your future resurrection when you will see Jesus as He really is and will enjoy the blessing of being His Child as we walk in the Kingdom of our God and Savior.
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