Old Testament Reading –– Psalm 22:19-31
New Testament Reading – Romans 8:1-11
“Resurrection Realities and Results”
Mark 16:9-14 – 1 Corinthians15:1-34
Wayne J. Edwards, Pastor
While the adventures and achievements of mankind over the years are nothing less than spectacular, the most significant occurrence in the history of the world is the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave.
- Without His resurrection, the death of Jesus Christ on the cross would be meaningless, Christianity would be nothing more than another religion, and humanity would still be separated from God, because of our sins, with no hope of life beyond the grave.
- However, because Jesus was resurrected from the grave, every principle He taught us about the meaning and purpose of this life, and every promise He made to us about our future life is also true.
- Jesus was Who He said He was, and He did what He said He had come to do, for the reason He said He had come to do it.
- Therefore, the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the very cornerstone of the Christian Faith.
“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also.”
John 14:1-2,19
According to a report from Lifeway Research:
- Sixty-six percent of adults in the U.S. believe Jesus rose from the grave just as the Bible says He did.
- However, most of them do not see how that miraculous event 2000 years ago matters to their lives today. They don’t see how Jesus’ victory over sin, death, and the grave relates to the issues of life they are facing today.
The two primary reasons for this heartbreaking report:
- The heretical preaching of “easy-believism” that says one can be saved without any visible evidence of their faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.
- Those who made a “shallow profession” of their faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior have never fully surrendered their lives unto Him as their Lord.
In Romans 10:9-10, the Apostle Paul identified the two essential elements of a genuine confession of faith in Jesus Christ as a verbal confession that “Jesus is Lord” and a visible expression of faith that “God raised Jesus from the dead.”
- Jesus’ death on the cross proved He was human and that He died for our sins, which means He is our Savior.
- Jesus’ resurrection from the grave proved His death paid for our sins, which means He is Lord and deserves our worship.
“We cannot fully receive what only Jesus can give until we truly believe Who Jesus is, and having risen from the dead, He is Lord. Therefore, to access His resurrection power, we must surrender unto Him as our Lord.”
The Apostle Paul explained that in Romans 8:1-11.
- Verse 1 – God cannot condemn those who are “in” Christ Jesus.
- Verses 4-5 – Those who are “in” Christ Jesus do not pattern their lives according to the ways of the world, but rather they yield the control of their lives to the Holy Spirit who indwells them.
- “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” 2 Cor. 3:17
- Verse 9 – those who are not “in” Christ Jesus; not “indwelt” by the Holy Spirit, may be a follower of Christ or a member of a Christian church, but they are not Christians.
- Verse 11 – “If the Spirit of Him (God) who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you.”
Our confession of faith in Jesus’ resurrection means nothing if our daily lives are not radically transformed.
- Galatians 2:20 – when we receive Jesus Christ as our Savior and surrender unto Him as our Lord, it is as though WE no longer live, but CHRIST lives in us – we belong to Jesus, spirit, soul, and body.
- Romans 6:4 – just as Jesus died FOR our sins at the cross, we died TO our sins when we received Him as our Savior and Lord.
- Just as Jesus was raised from the dead, we were raised from the death of our sins – i.e., we were “born again.”
- Just as Jesus proved His resurrection by His physical appearance before the people, we prove our eternal salvation by walking in this world, but in the “newness of life.”
In 1 Corinthians 15:1-19, Paul affirmed the resurrection of Christ as the essential doctrine of the Christian Faith. Then, he validated the visible resurrection of Jesus Christ by the changed lives of those who believed the gospel.
1. The Testimony of the Gospel – Vs. 1-2 – “I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you.”
- 1 Corinthians 6:9ff – Paul chastised the church at Corinth for not confronting a member who lived with his father’s wife. “Do you not know the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God,” and he listed fornicators as the first among the unrighteous.
- 1 Corinthians 6:11 – Paul said, “And such were some of you,”e., the leaders in the church at Corinth, but when they believed the gospel, they were “washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of God.”
- The only way to explain the dramatic change in their lives, and their deliverance from such deplorable sins, was their expressed faith in the power of the gospel.
2. The Testimony of the Scriptures – Vs. 3-4 – “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures.”
- The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ were carried out “according to the Scriptures.”
- There are 60 specific prophecies and 300 different references in the Old Testament regarding the “coming” of the Messiah.
- More than 40 prophecies were fulfilled in the birth, life, ministry, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and 27 of them were fulfilled in the last few hours of His life.
- Psalm 22:16 – His hands and feet would be pierced through, but none of His bones would be broken, and those who crucified Him would cast lots for His clothing.
- Isaiah 53 – He would be rejected by the ones He came to save, killed as a vicarious sacrifice for our sins, silent before those who falsely accused Him, hung between two criminals, and buried in a rich man’s tomb.
- Psalm 16:10 – “For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.”
- Psalm 49:14-15 – “Like sheep that are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them, but God will redeem my soul from the grave, for He shall receive me.”
3. The Testimony of Eyewitnesses – Vs. 5-8 – “He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that, He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remains to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.”
- Jesus revealed Himself first to Peter – because of the mission he would be given as the first “preacher” of the gospel and to receive the “keys” to the Kingdom of God; the gospel.
- Mary Magdalene, the two men on the road to Emmaus, and the disciples on the shores of Galilee “saw” Jesus, but they didn’t recognize Him until He revealed Himself to them.
- “The twelve” – simple men who became world changers once they were convinced of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. They became the Apostles of Christ and the authors of Scripture.
- Judas – committed suicide.
- Peter – took the gospel to Rome, Italy, and Asia – after watching his wife being crucified, he asked to be crucified upside down.
- Matthew – took the gospel to Ethiopia – was nailed to the ground, and beheaded.
- James – the brother of Jesus – preached and pastored churches in Judea – was thrown from the highest pinnacle of the Temple and then beaten to death with clubs.
- Bartholomew – also known as Nathanael – spread the gospel to Asia – was flayed to death.
- Andrew – preached to the Scythians and Thracians – was crucified on an X-shaped cross.
- Thomas – took the gospel to India – was stabbed with a spear.
- Matthias – preached in Jerusalem – was stoned and beheaded.
- Paul – took the gospel to the Gentiles and wrote 1/3rd of the New Testament – was imprisoned, tortured, and beheaded.
- James – son of Zebedee – preached in Judea – was beheaded.
- Philip – preached in Phrygia – was crucified
- Jude – preached in Edessa and Mesopotamia – was cruelly put to death by the Magi of Persia.
- John – took the gospel to Asia – was boiled in oil, but God spared him from death. He was then banished to the Isle of Patmos but was later freed and allowed to die in Ephesus – the only apostle to die peacefully.
- The “Above 500 brethren at one time,” most of whom were still living when Paul wrote this letter.
- “James and all the Apostles” – even Jesus’ own family doubted His claim to be the Messiah until His resurrection
4. The Testimony of Paul Himself – Vs. 8-10 – “Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.”
- Saul was not only an unbeliever, he cruelly persecuted those who believed Jesus was the Messiah.
- “Born out of due time” – Paul wished he had been among the first to know Jesus Christ as the God-sent Savior, rather than the last man to have seen Him alive.
- “Least of the apostles” – Having persecuted and even killed many of those who believed in Jesus Christ and not having been with Jesus for those three years, Paul knew he was not in the same league as the original disciples, which is why he said, “by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain!”
- “Labored more abundantly” – because he felt he didn’t deserve to be an apostle, he worked even harder to prove himself worthy – yet acknowledging that it was all by God’s grace.
5. The Testimony of the Gospel – Verse 11-19 – “Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed. Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.”
- Paul said whether he or someone else preached it, the power of the gospel has not changed.
- Jesus was the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Scriptures.
- He was the Promised Messiah of the Old Testament!
- He was the Revealed Savior of the New Testament!
- He proved His deity by His resurrection from the grave and His appearances to people.
- Jesus was God’s FINAL WORD to mankind! Jesus IS our Savior because He IS our LORD, and our confession of faith BEGINS with our submission unto His Lordship.
In Romans 12:1-2, the Apostle Paul outlined the three basic steps to a full surrender unto the Lordship of Christ. Based upon what God has done for us through Jesus Christ, Paul said:
- “Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” – the body houses the mind, the will, and the emotions, and we are to lay them all, as it were, on the altar of God, holding back nothing for ourselves.
- “Do not be conformed to this world.” – don’t let the sinful world pressure you into following its philosophy or living by its values. Be willing to come out from among them and live differently.
- “Be transformed, by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” – what goes into our mind is soon expressed through our heart; garbage in, garbage out. Spiritual maturity can only be achieved through a persistent and consistent STUDY of God’s Holy Word.
