The Resurrection of Jesus
The churches of Christ Greet You (Romans
1. Never was
there a day like the day of the resurrection.
a. Not ever
before had there been such a marvelous happening,
b. such
a tremendously important occurrence.
2. No man can
completely appreciate the significance of this singular event.
a. Actually,
no man can fully describe it.
b. It reaches
from the Garden of Eden all the way to Heaven.
3. It is
involved in all that we do or don't do.
a. It is
the main event in every human performance,
b. even
those where its importance is not appreciated.
4. The New
Testament writers,
most of whom were witnesses to it,
a. treat
it beautifully,
b. but in
such few words that we are left wondering about many things.
5. By sharing
the resurrection
account with you,
a. we hope
that your faith will increase and that you will gain
b. a better
understanding of the events of the resurrection
c. and how
God's plan was executed perfectly.
6. So let’s
start our lesson with an illustration.
ILLUSTRATION:
1. What
would you do if
you were a high school football player
a. whose coach sent
in a play,
which called for you to run the ball
b. to your
opponent's end zone
and score for the other team?
c. It has happened!
2. With 7
seconds left
in the game,
a. was leading
b. At stake
was a birth in
3. Tishimingo
had the ball on Falkner's 40-yard line.
a. All they
had to do was run out the clock on the next play,
b. and they
would win the game by two points.
4. Coach David
Herbert
sent in a play to his son
a. and the
team's quarterback, Dave Herbert.
b. The play
called for a handoff to tailback Shane Hill
c. and for
him to run as fast as he could
d. for the
other teams end zone and score.
5. "Your daddy
must be crazy!"
protested one of the tackles.
a. So, while
the argument went on in the team's huddle,
b. a delay-of-game
penalty was called on Tishimingo.
6. Finally, the
players submitted to the coaches instructions.
a. The team
lined up, the ball was handed off to the tailback,
b. and he
ran 55 yards in the "wrong" direction.
c. He laid
down in the opponent's end zone
d. and waited
for the clock to expire
e. with
practically everyone on the field and in the stadium bewildered.
7.
The results were a
two-point safety for Falkner.
a. Score
tied. Time expired.
b. Was the coach
crazy?
c. Was he out of
his mind for
calling such a play?
8. NO! You see,
in order
for his team to reach the playoffs,
a. Tishimingo
had to beat Falkner by 4 or more points.
b. After
thinking about the chances of going 40 yards on one play
1. or kicking a field goal from that distance,
2. he decided overtime was his best bet.
9. What was the
result
of the coach's play?
a. Tishimingo
won in overtime, 22-16,
b. on a
third down, two-yard run by Shane Hill.
1. Hill finished the game with minus 29 yards for the night.
2. But his team won and went to the playoffs.
APPLICATION
1. This story
sounds a
bit like the cross to me.
a. God became a man, was pushed around by
His enemies,
b. and was executed as a criminal by the
Roman governor
of
2. Satan
appeared to have won.
a. Jesus of
b. His disciples were scattered.
c. On the surface, it seemed that God had
suffered
defeat.
d. Or had He?
3. Three days
later, Jesus ROSE from the dead.
a. Over a period of 40 days, He showed
Himself alive
to hundreds of people.
b. Then, about 50 days later,
c. Peter explained that it had all been
part of a
divine strategy.
4. He said to
the Jews, "You killed this man Jesus by handing him over to lawless
men.
They nailed him to the cross. But God knew ahead
of
time that all this would occur;
it was part of His plan which He made long ago”
(Acts
5. He continued
by citing other Old Testament predictions
a. which had been fulfilled by the
resurrection.
b. Finally he announced, "God has made
this same
Jesus, whom you crucified,
both Lord and Christ" (Acts
6. There you
have it!
a. A game plan that looked to the entire
world like
craziness.
b. One, which still mystifies disciples in
our church-huddles
c. and observers in the world-stadium
alike.
7. But the Son
executed
His Father's call to perfection.
a. He died on the cross to take care of
our sin problem
b. and was raised from the dead.
8. Through God's
perfect plan, through God's perfect strategy,
a. which looked foolish to the onlookers,
b. we have become victorious - we have
become winners.
9.
Unfortunately, though, there are many people today
a. who still will not believe in the cross
and in
the resurrection of Jesus.
b. They think it is absurd to believe in
something
that “far fetched.”
1. They try to explain that the
resurrection never occurred
2. and that we are all fools for believing
it.
c. Well, ladies and gentleman, boys and
girls, call
me a fool;
d. for I certainly believe with all my
heart in the
resurrection of Jesus Christ.
"For the message of the cross is foolishness to
those
who are perishing,
but to us who are being saved it is the power of
God"
(1 Cor.
10. FOR A FEW
MOMENTS,
we are going to examine God’s plan
a. by looking at and drawing a few lessons
from
b. the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
11. First,
without a doubt, Jesus was resurrected from the dead.
a. However, as we mentioned earlier,
b. many people do not believe in Jesus'
resurrection.
c. There are several arguments used by
unbelievers
to support their position.
1. SOME CRITICS
ARGUE THAT THE RESURRECTION WAS A HOAX
a. by suggesting that Jesus did not
actually die
on the cross.
b. This theory (which is known as the
swoon theory)
c. teaches that Jesus only appeared dead
but was
revived later in the tomb.
2. We do not buy
this theory,
and I'll tell you why…
a. Before Jesus was placed on the cross,
b. the Bible says He was flogged (Matthew
27:26).
1. That means He was whipped with leather
throngs
2. that contained jagged pieces of bone
and lead.
3. Dr. C. Truman
Davis,
a medical doctor who has meticulously studied
a. crucifixion from a medical perspective,
b. describes the effects of a
flogging. We QUOTE…
4. "The heavy
whip is brought
down with full force again and again
a. across (a person's) shoulders, back and
legs.
b. At first the heavy thongs cut through
the skin
only.
1. Then, as the blows continue, they cut
deeper into the tissues,
2. producing first an oozing of blood from
the veins of the skin,
3. and finally spurting arterial bleeding
4. from vessels in the underlying muscles.
c. The small balls of lead first produce
large, deep
bruises,
d. which are broken open by subsequent
blows.
1. Finally, the skin of the back is
hanging in long ribbons and the
2. entire area is an unrecognizable mass
of torn,
bleeding tissue.
e. When it is determined by the centurion
in charge
f. that the prisoner is near death, the
beating is
finally stopped.” UNQUOTE
5. Thus, before
Jesus was even placed on the cross, He was half-dead.
a. After He was almost whipped to death,
b. Matthew explains that Jesus was then
crucified
on a cross (Matt. 27:35).
6. When Jesus
was crucified, He was laid on two pieces of wood
a. that were spread out to look like a
cross.
b. Then, the Roman legionnaire drove four
wrought-iron
nails
c. through the wrists and feet of Jesus.
7. Death by
crucifixion developed into one of the worlds
a. most disgraceful and cruel methods of
torture.
b.
c. Josephus observed many crucifixions and
called
them
d. "the most wretched deaths."
8. After Jesus
was nailed
to the “tree”,
a. He spent 6 horrifying hours in the hot,
blistering
sun
b. hanging on the cross until finally He
died.
9. Knowing what
Jesus went through,
a. how could anyone say that He did not
actually
die?
b. Jesus actually died on that cross and
was buried
in Joseph's Tomb.
10. The Bible teaches
that "Jesus gave up His spirit” (Matthew 27:50);
“He gave out a loud cry and died” (Mark
11. Further, Pilate
made
sure that Jesus was dead before he gave Jesus' body
a. to Joseph of Arimathea for burial (Mark
b. Brethren, we can have rock solid faith
that Jesus
actually died on the cross.
1. SOME CRITICS
ARGUE THAT THE RESURRECTION WAS A HOAX
a. by suggesting that someone stole the
body of Jesus.
b. Some say that the Roman or Jewish
authorities
removed the body.
2. If that were
the case, don't you think that on the day of Pentecost,
a. when the Church was established,
b. the Roman or Jewish authorities would
have produced
the body of Jesus
c. in order to disprove the claims of
Christianity?
3. Some say that
Jesus' disciples stole the body.
a. The question
that we ask is how could they have accomplished this?
b. The Bible says
that Pilate
had a guard to secure the tomb (Matt 27:62-67).
4. We must
understand that
a Roman guard was not a one, two, or three man force.
a. A Roman guard was a 4 to 16 man
security force.
b. The 16 men in a square of 4 on each
side
1. were supposed to be able to protect 36
yards
2. against an entire battalion and hold
it.
5. Normally,
what they
did was this:
a. 4 men were placed immediately in front
of what
they were to protect.
b. The other 12 were asleep in a
semi-circle in front
of them
c. with their heads pointing in.
6. These guys
were well trained and took their jobs very seriously.
a. In fact, Roman guards were immediately
put to
death
b. if they ever left their night watch, or
fell asleep
while on watch.
1. There is no way that Jesus' disciples
stole His body away
2. from the well-trained and well-alert
Roman guards.
1. SOME CRITICS
ARGUE THAT THE RESURRECTION WAS A HOAX
a. by suggesting that the women went to
the wrong
tomb while it was dark,
b. and that, seeing it empty they reported
that Jesus
had risen.
2. If they went
to the
wrong tomb, why didn't the authorities go to the right tomb,
a. produce
the body of Jesus, and disprove the disciples' claim?
b. Why did Peter later make the same so called
"mistake"
in broad daylight?
c. The Bible says, "Then Simon
Peter…arrived and
went into the tomb.
He saw the strips of linen lying there…" (John
20:6).
d. How is it that both the women and Peter
saw the
empty grave clothes,
e. if they were at the wrong tomb?
3. The reason
why all of these theories are wrong and without merit,
a. is because Jesus was resurrected from
the dead.
b. One thing is certain. It happened!
c. Jesus was raised back to life from the
dead.
d. He is called the "firstborn from the
dead" (Colossians
4. To deny the
resurrection of Jesus is to deny irrefutable truth.
a. The Bible teaches that after Jesus was
raised
from the dead,
b. He appeared to over 500 different
people throughout
a 40-day period.
5. These were
people who touched him, handled him, spoke with him,
a. ate with him, communicated with him for
long periods
of time.
b. One such encounter took place over a
six or seven
mile walk
c. from
6. Paul wrote,
"First of
all, I passed on to you the same thing which was passed on to me:
Christ died for our sins. (The Scriptures told
about
this before it happened.)
He was buried and he was raised from death on
the
third day. (The Scriptures
foretold this, too.) Then Jesus appeared to more
than
500 brothers at the same time.
Most of these people are still alive today, but
some
of them have already died.
Christ appeared to James, and then to all the
apostles. Last of all,
he also appeared to me” (1 Corinthians 15:3-8).
7. This inspired
teaching dismisses all the false theories of men.
a. The only
conclusion that
we can come up with
b. is that God
raised Jesus
from the dead.
1. The resurrection had an astounding effect on those disciples who had
a. understandably, been dispersed because
of the
blood-thirsty Sanhedrin
b. which had stripped, beaten, and
crucified the
Savior.
2. How could it
be?
a. He was the one whom they supposed would
redeem
them
b. and restore the glory of the throne of
David.
c. He said he would…He promised!
3. Now,
disappointed and depressed, they hover in back rooms
a. and behind locked doors in fear of the
same fate
b. which their leader has met.
4. Suddenly, the
unexpected.
The inexplicable. Resurrection!
a. Only the
resurrection can account for the dramatic change
b. which took
place in the disciples in the next little while.
5. Peter, who
had just
a few days before shrunk back in fear and denied Jesus,
a. would now
stand before the same Jewish Council
b. which demanded
the life of Jesus and say,
"... we ought
to obey God rather than men" (Acts
6. Peter and the
other apostles
had earlier been arrested
a. and warned
not to teach in the name of Jesus.
b. They were
told they could no longer preach about Christ’s resurrection,
c. yet they
said, "We are not able to be silent. We must tell people about the
things we saw and heard" (Acts
7. These men who
had deserted
Jesus at
a. could now
count it joy to suffer for their Lord.
b. The Bible
says, “The apostles left the Jewish council, but they were happy
because
they were given the honor of suffering dishonor for the name of Jesus”
(Acts
c. These formerly reluctant disciples now
boldly
went everywhere
d. preaching the resurrection of Jesus
Christ from
the dead.
8. The First
Century Christians
were forced to leave their homes.
a. They were
scattered everywhere, but continued "preaching the word" (Acts 8:4).
b. They preached
the message that the Lord Jesus was risen from the dead.
9. From that day
till this, the same message has been preached,
a. tearing
down boundaries, destroying cultural differences,
b. crossing
over social distinctions and racial barriers.
c. It is the
liberating message of this or any other age.
d. Resurrection!
THE RESURRECTION IS
CONNECTED TO OUR FAITH
1. Paul said,
"And if Christ
hasn’t been raised from death, then what we are preaching is not true.
You have believed in something which is false” (1 Corinthians
2. After telling
these
same Corinthians that he had decided to talk about only one subject
a. “Jesus
Christ, the one who was nailed to the cross” (1 Corinthians 2:2),
b. he declares
that his "... preaching was not with words of educated men to persuade
people.
Instead he preached the message. He showed that it was backed up by the
Spirit
and real power. Why? So that (our) trust would not depend upon human
wisdom,
but upon God’s power” (1 Corinthians 2:3-5).
THE RESURRECTION IS
CONNECTED TO OUR HOPE
1. In his
discourse on
the resurrection, Paul said, "And if Christ hasn’t been raised from
death,
your faith is worthless. You are still lost in your sins... If we have
put
our
hope in Christ in this life, and Christ did not rise from death, then,
of
all people,
we should be pitied the most” (1 Corinthians
2. Peter says,
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Because of
God’s
great mercy, He raised Jesus Christ from death, to give us new life…”
(1
Peter 1:3).
3. The Hebrew
writer calls hope "the anchor for the soul," that which "goes behind
the curtain
inside the heavenly temple sanctuary where Jesus has already entered
for
us”
(Hebrews 6:19-20).
4. Make no
mistake about
it: the prime miracle is the miracle of the resurrection.
a. Because it is
true, then
the virgin birth is true,
b. the miracles of
Jesus are
true, the book of God is true,
c. the plan
for our salvation is true, heaven and hell are real places,
1. and we can
escape the one
and enjoy the other –
2. all because of
the resurrection
of Jesus Christ.
THE RESURRECTION IS
CONNECTED TO OUR
1. While He was
alive,
He announced to His disciples, "Ye have heard me say:
I am leaving, but I will come back to you” (John
a. His going away at that time signified
His crucifixion.
b. His coming again meant his
resurrection.
2. When He
returned from
the grave He said to His disciples, “All authority in heaven and on
earth
has been given to me. Therefore, after you’ve gone out make followers
for
me
from all nations. Immerse them by the authority of the Father,
the Son, and
the Holy Spirit." He then promised, "I will always be with you – even
until
the end of time” (Matthew 28:18-20).
a. His resurrection
meant He would never again be separated
b. from His faithful disciples.
3. The
resurrection of
Jesus from the dead sealed forever His union with His own.
a. Paul said
that God "Even when we were spiritually dead in sins, has made us alive
together
with Christ ... and has raised us up from spiritual death and seated us
in
the
heavenly world with Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:5-6).
b. We must emphasize that Jesus said "I am
with you
always,"
1. and Christians
are "made
alive together with" Him
2. and that
Christians "sit
together" in heavenly places.
4. This union
that is caused by the resurrection of Jesus from the dead
a. brings
a power to Christians not available to others.
b. Paul
was an outstanding young rabbinical student.
1. He had a great future ahead of him as one of the scholars,
2. leaders, and teachers among the Jews (Phil. 3:3-7),
3. but he gave it all up.
5. Paul was an
eyewitness
of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead,
a. and after
seeing the risen Savior he was never the same again.
b. Jesus
appeared to Paul (then called Saul) on the road to
c. Paul
said Jesus told him, "I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make
you
a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of
the
things which I will yet reveal to you. I will deliver you from the
Jewish people,
as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you" (Acts 26:16-17).
d. Paul
was not the same man who persecuted the church ever again.
6. Later he
would write
to the Philippians, "I think everything is worthless except what is so
much
more valuable – knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord. I have thrown everything
else
away because of him. It’s all garbage! I want to have Christ. I want to
be
in him,
not having “my” righteousness (the kind that comes from the law), but
having
the righteousness which comes through believing in Christ (the kind of
righteousness
which comes from God based on faith). Then I will know Christ and the
power
he had when he came back to life. I want to share in Christ’s suffering
and become
like him when he died, that somehow I may reach the resurrection from
death”
(Philippians 3:7-11).
7. Peter
testified the
same thing.
a. We cannot
forget his denial of even knowing Jesus during our Lord's trial.
b. Peter
said, "I swear, I do not know the man!” (Matthew 26:72).
8. After the
resurrection
it was a different matter.
a. Before
some of the same people, Peter would boldly declare
b. the gospel
of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
c. He would
shout, "My Jewish brothers, I can tell you plainly about David, our
ancestor.
He died and was buried. His grave is still here with us today. David
was
a prophet.
God vowed to David that one of his descendants would sit upon David’s
throne.
David knew this before it took place. That is why David said this: ‘He
will
not
be left in death. His body will not decay in the grave.’ David was
talking about
the Messiah rising from death. So Jesus, not David, is the one whom God
raised
from death! We are all eye-witnesses of this!” (Acts 2:29-32).
9. When
threatened with punishment,
a. Peter
again boldly affirmed his faith
b. in the
resurrection of Jesus from the dead
c. and the
Jews recognized something had changed.
10. Luke reported,
"The Jewish
leaders saw that Peter and John were not afraid to speak. They were
amazed because they understood that the two men had no education or
training.
Then they realized that Peter and John had been with Jesus” (Acts
11. The resurrection
made
the difference in Peter.
a. That
same faith in the resurrection
b. will
have the same effect on everyone who will truly accept it.
12. Those that are
fully
committed to the grand fact of all the ages,
a. that
Jesus is risen from the dead, can never be the same.
b. Their
lives will be filled with a radiant power
1. that lifts them above the sordid world of sin and strife
2. and elevates them to the exalted spiritual position
3. of sitting with the Lord in the heavenly places.
c. Coming
into that exalted position is possible only by faith that obeys.
d. They
can never be after such faith what they were before.
HOW CAN WE BENEFIT
FROM
THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS?
1. Since Jesus
was resurrected
from the dead,
a. we can also be resurrected from
spiritual death
b. in order to live a new life here and
now.
ILLUSTRATION:
2. Last year, my
wife and
I saw the movie, "Dead Man Walking."
a. At the end of the movie,
b. as Sean Pean was being transported to
the electric
chair,
c. one of the guards yelled out, “Dead Man
Walking.”
3. These words
caught my attention.
a. Even though he was still physically
alive,
b. the guard recognized him as a dead man.
4. Ironically,
the Bible teaches the same thing.
a. You can be alive physically, but
spiritually dead.
b. The Bible says, "You were spiritually
dead in
your sins and violations. In the past you lived in
those things. You followed the evil ways of this
world
and the ruler of the power of the air –
that evil spirit who is now working in those who
disobey God” (Ephesians 2:1-2).
5. Most people
are not
aware of this, but unless a person believes in Jesus Christ;
a. repents
of their sins; confesses faith in Jesus;
b. are baptized for the forgiveness of
sins;
c. and are living faithful lives in
Christ; they
are spiritually dead.
d. They are "dead men walking."
6. However, the
good news
is that since Jesus was resurrected from the dead,
a. we can be raised to a new life here and
now.
b. Penitent believers are told that in
order to be
1. united with Jesus in His resurrection,
2. they must be baptized, in water, into
the name
of the Father,
3. and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,
into a newness of life.
7. In Romans
6:3-4, the apostle Paul, writing to the Christians in
were immersed into Christ Jesus. Don’t you know
that
we were immersed into his death?
So, through immersion, we were buried with him
into
death. Christ was raised from
death through the glory of the Father. In the
same
way, we will live a new life.”
8. In First
Peter 3:20-21, Peter shows how the salvation of Noah and his family
a. through water was a picture of how
immersion in
water
b. saves us through the raising of Jesus
Christ from
death.
9. My friends,
the good
news is that we can escape death.
a. When we are baptized, meaning immersed
in water,
b. we are burying our dead sinful lives.
c. When we come up out of the watery
grave, we are
given a new life.
1. Our sins are washed away by the blood
of Jesus (Matthew 26:28).
2. We are literally raised from the dead!
10. Jesus came to give
us
life; and that life more abundantly (John
a. If you would like a new life and new
beginning,
b. through Jesus' death and resurrection,
c. you can be raised from spiritual death
today.
"God raised the Lord Jesus from the dead. With
the same
power He will also raise you" (1 Corinthians
11. Jesus Christ has
been
risen from the dead with an eternal, resurrected body.
a. He has conquered death.
b. All of those who believe in Jesus and
obey God's
will,
1. will someday also be raised from the
dead
2. with an eternal resurrected body.
3. Christ is the only hope of eternal
life.
12. Jesus said to
Martha,
“I am the resurrection and the life. The person who
commits himself
to me will live, even though he may die. Every person who
lives and commits
himself to me will never die! Do you believe this?”
(John 11:25-26).
Conclusion:
1. IN
CLOSING, many people have a hard time believing
a. that salvation
is obtained by believing in a man
b. who was convicted as a criminal, and
executed
on a cross.
2. But the truth
is that Jesus died on the cross to take care of our sins
a. and was
raised from the dead.
b. Through God's perfect plan, through
God's perfect
strategy,
1. which looks foolish to some people,
2. we have become victorious - we have become winners.
3. The world
thinks that
we as Christians are running in the wrong direction…
a. headed
for the wrong end zone.
b. But we
are running in the right direction.
c. We are
headed for the right end zone.
4. My friends,
God's wonderful
game plan is for us to give our lives
a. to His
Son Jesus Christ.
b. Dear
friend, do you really believe Jesus was raised from the dead?
c. Have
you obeyed Him?
5. If not, we
urge you
to delay no longer.
a. “You
don’t know what will happen tomorrow! Your life is like a fog.
It appears for a short time and then it disappears” (James
b. Come
right now and confess your faith in Jesus.
1. Be buried and united with Him in His resurrection from the
dead
2. by being baptized today as a penitent believer.
6. One day you
will die,
but death is not terminal - it is transient.
a. Jesus
will come again and those who are in the graves
b. will
hear His voice and come forth.
c. Jesus
said, "those who lived right will rise to life, but those who did evil
things will rise for judgment” (John
7. Right now it
is time
to make THE right choice.
a. Today
is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2).
b. If you would like to be apart of God's
winning
team,
c. then please come
and devote
your life to the Lord.
8. CHRISTIAN, if
you have been weak and half-hearted in your service to God,
a. then
you should come and rededicate your life to Christ.
b. NON-CHRISTIAN,
if you are ready to give your life to Christ,
c. then
come right now.
d. If anyone has any need, please come and let it be known.
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Second Coming of JESUS