The Promise of Resurrection

The writer, Viktor Frankl, was a Jewish psychologist who survived not one, but two concentration camps in World War II. In this book, he talked about the horrors of the concentration camps and, in particular, how little food the prisoners were given. He told that they actually considered themselves fortunate if their soup contained one pea in it. They would barter in the sleeping quarters for a small dry piece of bread. Frankl said that the people who were living in these conditions were dead, but still walking around.

So his writing afterwards focused on meaning and value and the choices people have when they’re faced with unimaginable adversity.

But that picture he was giving us of people walking around the concentration camps literally starving to death is also a picture of humanity without Jesus. Scripture says that all people are “dead in trespasses and sins.” Looking… just searching… for meaning. But God stands ready to give us everlasting life!

We’re in search for meaning today. And truly, there’s only one place to find it!

The First Resurrection

Jesus Promised His Resurrection

Jesus had actually promised that He would rise again.

He told the disciples He would be handed over “to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him,” but on the third day He would rise again (Matthew 20:19).

Destroy This Temple and in Three Days I Will Raise It Up

John 2:19–21 NKJV

19 Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” 21 But He was speaking of the temple of His body.

Now when Jesus said this, it shocked everybody. And they said, “It has taken us 46 years to build this temple. And you’re telling us you’ll raise it up in three days???” (John 2:20).

They couldn’t believe that. No human could raise the Temple in such a short amount of time. But they didn’t realize that He was speaking of His body. If they would have realized that, they would have been even more stunned.

Jesus was God. So, as God is all powerful, He would be involved in raising Himself. And since He was also fully human, He was submitting to His death.

Jesus Willingly Laid Down His Life

In John 10:17-18, Jesus said, “I lay down My life… No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.” As Isaiah prophesied about 800 years beforehand, Jesus was like a lamb led to the slaughter (Isaiah 53:7).

And there was no one coercing Him to lay down His life - He did it willingly, out of love.

In the book of Romans, the apostle Paul drew a clear contrast between Jesus and Adam. You may remember that in the Garden, Adam willingly disobeyed and chose his own way, without any consideration of others. Adam was seeking his own advantage. But that wasn’t the case with Jesus.

Jesus had every right to refuse, to withdraw, and to hold back. He was the only perfect man. He didn’t deserve the punishment. And He knew the sacrifice that was involved and the pain that was coming His way. Yet He laid down His life willingly:

Hebrews 12:2 NKJV

2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

So what does that mean for us? If Jesus willingly surrendered Himself as our sacrifice… we have to willingly surrender ourselves as a sacrifice to Him.

And when you give your life over to God - not just a short prayer and saying some printed sentence, I’m talking about letting the power of the Spirit overtake you and lead you daily - when you do that, and the blood has covered your life, the person you used to be, no matter what you did is GONE!

My what a midweek service we had Wednesday night. We took communion and before we did we had some teaching on the blood and body of Jesus. And I felt His presence sweep in this place talking about the blood!

Sometimes we try to bring up things that God has already covered and forgotten. It’s like somebody paying for your meal, and you demanding to pay anyway!

Jesus Was Buried in a Borrowed Tomb

And so the story of laying down His life continued as He died on the cross and then was buried.

We are told of a man by the name of Joseph. He was from Arimathea. And he came to take the body of Jesus (Matthew 27:57; Mark 15:43; Luke 23:50; John 19:38). So he made this request for the body of Jesus, and you can find it in all four gospels. And John told us another important detail:

John 19:38 NKJV

38 After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus.

So Joseph was actually a secret disciple. But the time was about to come when God would require His people to be seen and to be reaching for the world...

…you can’t afford to be a secret disciple! It’s time to step into the will of God for your life and really BE THE CHURCH! Stop worrying about what your family thinks, what your friends and coworkers think - at the end of days what is only going to matter is whether you were fully devoted to Jesus or not!!!

And so, Jesus was buried in a tomb.

Jesus Rose from the Dead on the Third Day

There are some who have said that the principle proof of Christianity is in this verse:

Matthew 28:6 NKJV

6 He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

How horrible it would be if this verse read the opposite!

Jesus rose from the dead! And because of this, all other claims of Jesus are easily cast aside if this event had not happened. Because if He only died, where is the power?

Because He resurrected, HE IS WHO HE CLAIMED TO BE!

Because He resurrected, IT PROVES HE IS TO BE WORSHIPED AND ADORED!

And before Him, every knee must bow and ever tongue confess that He is Lord.

Jesus’ Resurrection Gives Me Hope

Now, the resurrection of Jesus is not supposed to be a simple thing you understand and move on. It has meaning for every person, every day.

Bill Gaither wrote, “Because He lived, I can face tomorrow.” And words like that are talking about the hope that we have because He rose again.

We can face any uncertainty because of Jesus’ resurrection. We can face any uncertainty because we know Jesus lives!

If there is ever a message for you, today, that speaks to the time you live in, this is it!!! There may be social unrest, global pandemics, and political turmoil… but all of these things have to bow before the King who rose victorious!

If you’re living for God, you can know that He has the whole world in His hands! And you can trust Him with your future!

But it’s not only that we can trust Him for the future. We can also trust Him for the present. Bill Gaither could have also titled that song, “Because He Lives, I Can Face Today.” With all of the struggles, hurts, pains, frustrations, and problems, we can still face today.

His resurrection means I have hope for this very moment. Maybe in 2022 or in the last month or week, you feel that you’ve been in a tailspin. You’ve taken hit after hit, had the wind knocked out of you and you’re having trouble being able to stand at all… let me help you out today! THERE IS NO SICKNESS, NO CANCER, NO DEPRESSION, NO ADDICTION, AND NO BROKEN RELATIONSHIP THAT CAN STOP WHAT JESUS HAS DONE FOR YOU BY RISING FROM THE DEAD!!!

We have hope because our Savior lives today!

Resurrection Through the Holy Ghost

Now, here’s the deal. I’m going to preach the whole story to you. The Gospel is not just something we read, hear, get preached to about, and go on. We have to respond to it.

And the response to the gospel that Peter preached in Acts 2 was repentance, baptism in Jesus’ name, and receiving the Holy Ghost. Later Peter and Paul talked about what this experience had done for those who obeyed and received.

From Death to Life by the Holy Ghost

Paul wrote in Romans:

Romans 3:23 NKJV

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

And later he wrote that before we are filled, we have to realize that we are dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1, 5). And the result of sin is death.

The spiritual death that people live in is real and felt by many. There is no earthly filler for the hole in the heart of humanity, as hard as we try to fill it with other things. Only Jesus can satisfy your soul. And oh, can He satisfy the longing of the heart.

Maybe it’s your first time visiting us at New Life Rector. There are a lot of times that first-time guests to Apostolic Pentecostal churches often find themselves tearing up and weeping.

One reason is that, for many, it’s the first time they have ever experienced the love of God they were created to feel. They may not fully understand what is happening, but their human spirits are connecting to and sensing the Spirit. And the love, joy, and hope they experience brings on tears.

Let me tell you something: THAT’S REAL! And it’s BEAUTIFUL! And it only happens because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ! When sinners turn from their sins and open their hearts to God, they will be filled with the Holy Ghost - the scriptures tell us such.

I Can Experience Resurrection in My Life Through the Holy Ghost

The resurrection life of Jesus is given to us by the Holy Spirit.

Romans 8:9-11 tells us that the Spirit brings us from a fleshly (selfish) existence to a spiritual one. When you become filled with the Spirit, you are then “in the Spirit,” not the flesh. Your life has changed completely!

Is there anyone who’s received the Holy Ghost that you are thankful for that power in your life???

The Final Resurrection

The Same Spirit That Raised Jesus Will Also Raise Us

And here’s something awesome about the Spirit: the same Spirit that raised up the lifeless body of the Man Christ Jesus will raise up Holy Ghost filled believers at the resurrection.

Romans 8:11 NKJV

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

The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 15 that jesus is the “firstfruits” of the resurrection. That means that His resurrection from the dead is only the start - it points to a greater resurrection that is coming!

And the greater resurrection is not greater in the sense of better, but it is greater in numbers! Jesus was just the first. But when He returns and quickens the lifeless bodies of those who have died in faith, it will include millions!

And the people who are “quickened” that day are going to be those who have the same Spirit! If you want to rise up like Jesus, you need the Holy Ghost!

When you feel the Spirit start to move this morning, let it be known that what you’re feeling is what is going to cause a gravestone somewhere to fall over one day!

There’s going to come a day when someone is going to be driving by Woodland Heights Cemetery, and they’re going to do a double take when they see some scattered empty graves!

The Dead in Christ Shall Rise

There was a church in the Bible - the church of Thessalonica - that was confused about this.

They incorrectly believed that those who died in the Lord would miss the experience of Him coming back. They knew Jesus was coming soon, and they lived with that hope. But then as time progressed, members began to die. And Paul wrote to instruct them that even though disciples had died, they would in no way miss what God was planning when jesus returned.

In fact, their resurrection from their grave was going to be a significant factor in Christ’s return. Not only would the dead in Christ not miss His reappearing, but they would in fact rise first.

Those Who Are Alive and Remain

But the bible also talks about those who are alive when He returns. And being alive when Jesus comes back is going to be an amazing experience for those who are so blessed.

Paul continued talking about what would happen then:

1 Thessalonians 4:17 NKJV

17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

After watching, and seeing the dead in Christ rise and join Him in the air, those in Christ who are alive with faith in their hearts will join them in the air!

What an amazing moment that is going to be!

Because Jesus Rose from the Dead, I Have Hope of Rising to Be with Him in the Final Resurrection

Because Jesus has risen and lives even today, we have hope! We have hope and assurance of being with Him in eternity one day. Because He rose from the dead and lives forevermore, we can thrive today and have hope for tomorrow.

Celebration is in order today!!!

Internalizing the Message

What we need today is a clear picture of who Jesus us!

NY Times Article: “In This Time of War, I Propose We Give Up God”

We need to see Him in all of His glory, all of His sacrifice, and respond to Him accordingly!

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