PREACHED: OL,
“CHRIST’S
RESURRECTION: MORE THAN A
1. THE
RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY IS THINKING TODAY ABOUT THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS.
A. But
what a lot of folks don’t know is that “Easter,” as it is called, did not begin
as an authorized church holy day until 300 years after the church was
established.
1. 325 A.D. at the Council of Nicea
B. The
date for the holiday was actually taken from a pagan festival in honor of the
goddess, ESTRA, the goddess of Spring.
C. But we
have absolutely no authority from scripture to celebrate a special annual
religious holy day for either the birth or the resurrection of Jesus.
2. WHAT DOES THE BIBLE AUTHORIZE REGARDING THE
REMEMBRANCE OF CHRIST’S RESURRECTION?
A.
Acts 20.7
I Cor 11.26
B. THE POINT
WE MUST SEE—CHRIST’S RESURRECTION IS TOO IMPORTANT TO RELEGATE TO ONE DAY A
YEAR, OR EVEN TO ONE DAY A WEEK!
1. We are
commanded to keep the supper each Lord’s Day, the day of his resurrection, but
we are to live the resurrection 7 days a week, 24 hours a day!
C. In
fact, there are two symbols of Christianity that are inseparably tied: CROSS AND THE EMPTY TOMB!
1. They
are the focus of our faith!
2. The
cross symbolizes Christ death, but without the empty tomb, it bears no hope for
us!!
a. It is
the empty tomb—not the cross—that shows
us the sinlessness of Christ as our sacrifice for
sins and the power of God!
3. I Pet 1.3 “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…”
3. WHY IS IT SO VERY IMPORTANT?
A. Prophesied
in the Old Testament -
1. Psa 16.8-10 “I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand,
I shall not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
my flesh also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.”
a. On the
day of Pentecost, this was one of the Old Testament scriptures that Peter
quoted in his sermon and he related it directly to the resurrection of Jesus:
1) Acts 2.29-32 “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David
that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being
therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn
with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on
his throne, he
foresaw and spoke about the resurrection
of Christ
that he was not
abandoned to
Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus
God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses…”
B. Realized
in the gospels and Acts 1 -
1. Sign
to the Scribes and Pharisees – Matt
12.38-40
2. Instruction to his disciples – Matt 16.21
3. Angelic
reminder to the women – Matt 28:7-10 “Then go quickly and tell his disciples that
he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he
lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead,
and behold, he is going before you to
C. Explained
in Romans -
1. Rom 1.1-4 “Paul a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for
the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through the prophets and the
holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to
the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the
Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead.”
D. Defended
in I Corinthians -
1. Validates the preaching of the gospel:
a. I Cor 15.1-4 “Now I would remind you brothers, of the
gospel I preached to you, which you received and in which you stand and by
which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word preached to you—unless
you have believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first important what I
also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,
that he was buried, that he was raised form the dead on the third day in
accordance with the Scriptures…”
b. He lists
the witnesses to the resurrection including himself in
vs 5-8.
2. Validates our faith and preaching -
a. Vs 14 “If Christ has not been raised then your faith is vain and our
preaching is vain
a. Mark 16.15
I Cor 15.1
3. Validates the veracity of the Bible -
a. V 15 “We are even found 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.”
b. If the
apostles are liars, then the N.T. is not the Word of God since it was penned by
them and other men who claimed to be inspired by the Holy Spirit to reveal all
truth!
E. Empowered in Revelation -
1. Rev 1.1-7
3. CHRIST HAS BEEN RAISED FROM THE DEAD!!!
A. I Cor 15.20, 21 “But in
fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits
of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came dead, by a man has come
also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ
shall all be made alive.”
B. Paul
extolled in vs 54b-58.
C. But
how do I respond to the resurrection?
1. Rom 6.1-5
2. V 12 “Let now sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies, to make you obey
their passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for
unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought
from dead to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.”
“The luminous fingers of dawn,
Rolled back the shades of night;
And bathed the ancient morn,
In dew of limpid light.
Within the darkened tomb,
Fettered with chains of death;
Christ lay in funeral gloom,
As Creation held its
breath.
Then into that silent room,
The voice of the Father was heard
By his begotten
Son,
And the crucified Savior was
stirred!!
The earth quaked…and the
stone
From the mouth of the tomb was rolled;
Out into the glorious morn,
Came forth the risen Lord.
A silhouette in the garden’s
glow,
He stood triumphant in life;
And struck the fatal blow
To Satan by conquering
death!!”