WHY THE RESURRECTION IS OF CHIEF IMPORTANCE

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF RESURRECTION SUNDAY

I. INTRODUCTION

A. The reason for the lack of emphasis on Easter from the church speaks to the following:

1. Our being more culturally than Biblically Christian.

2. Our being conformed to the world and not transformed by the Spirit

3. Mainly: Our misunderstanding of and or our indifference to the Gospel and the continuing mission of God

a. The resurrection means this: God’s mission in Christ now continues in those who are filled with the Spirit of Christ -The book of Acts is what resurrection life should look like

II. THE PRIORITY OF RESURRECTION SUNDAY

A. JESUS IS DECLARED TO BE THE SON OF GOD BECAUSE OF RESURRECTION

Romans 1:1–2 ESV

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures,

Romans 1:3 ESV

concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh

Romans 1:4 ESV

and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,

B. WE ARE JUSTIFIED BECAUSE OF THE RESURRECTION

To be justified means to be put in a right position with the Lord; one of peace and not wrath.

Romans 4:23–24 ESV

But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord,

Romans 4:25 ESV

who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

This means the following:

If Jesus died and did not rise he would simply be a man who died for other people.

If Jesus died and did not rise we would be no different than any other religion.

III. RESURRECTION SUNDAY IS THE HEARTBEAT OF THE GOSPEL WHICH IS OUR ONLY HOPE

1 Corinthians 15:3–4 ESV

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,

A. Understanding the Whole Gospel

1. The gospel is not, simply, that Jesus died for our sins but that He rose for our spiritual victory (eternal and present, victory).

2. So, if The resurrection of Jesus is not true this means the following:

Our preaching and faith are in vain

1 Corinthians 15:14 ESV

And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.

b. We are misrepresenting God (15)

1 Corinthians 15:15 ESV

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.

c. We are still in our sins (v17)

1 Corinthians 15:17 ESV

And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.

d. We are without hope and are pitiful human beings

1 Corinthians 15:19 ESV

If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

B. LIVING THE WHOLE GOSPEL

1. You are only a Christian because you are claiming to have encountered to the resurrected - living Christ

1 Corinthians 15:5–6 ESV

and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.

1 Corinthians 15:7–8 ESV

Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.

NOTE THE WORD APPEARED

Here is a major point: Paul understands salvation to mean this: an transformative encounter with the living – resurrected Christ! Therefore he speaks this way because those who have seen Him have encountered Him and they know that Christ rose.

a. Too many people in the church truly serve a dead Christ

A Christ they have not experienced but a Christ they were told about

b. They associated salvation with merely “joining the church” and not have an encounter – a life altering encounter – with Christ

2. You must live your life as one identified not with the crucified Christ but the Christ who crucified and resurrected

· The struggles of many Christians is rooted in the fact that we celebrate the cross more than we celebrate the resurrection.

· The struggle with sin is always a struggle with identity. We struggle in living in our identity in Christ which is why sin can be so appealing. BUT…. Our struggle with identity with Christ is partly because we see Christianity as a religion achieved by the DEATH OF A MAN AND NOT THE RESURRECTION OF THE GOD MAN

o We associate Christianity with death and therefore, the idea of having life and victory is foreign to us: BUT IT IS THE ESSENCE OF WHAT WE HAVE AND WHO WE ARE IN CHRIST

o SO WE SHOULD NOT MERELY SPEAK OF “DYING TO SIN” AS IF CHRISTIANITY IS SIMPLY ABOUT THE NOTION OF DYING. NO, WE SHOULD UNDERSTAND THIS ABOUT THE GOSPEL: IT IS A CALL TO AND AN EMPOWERMENT TO LIFE.

o DEATH TO SELF IS AN ACT THAT IS FUELED BY AND DRIVEN BY THE CHOICE TO LIVE!