WHAT DOES THE RESURECTION MEAN?

I.  To understand the resurrection we have to go back to the beginning.

Creation:
Ge 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Ge 1:26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."  27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.  28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."

Gives mankind one rule:  Don't eat……………

Ge 2:16 And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden;  17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."

They are deceived by Satan and break this one rule………..

Ge 3:6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.  7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

A. Sickness, trouble, death enter into this world by their sin.

B. People question how God can be good, when the world is filled with ugliness of death and sickness.

1.  God created it perfect - man opened the door to evil by his disobedience.

II. God already had a plan in place to rescue mankind

1Pe 1:18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers,  19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.  20 He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.

III. Time went on and God chose Abraham to father a nation.

A. God would give Abraham a vision of what will be.
B. A people - a land - a Messiah

IV.  The people multiplied, but ended up in Egypt  as slaves.

 

A. God raised up a deliverer called Moses.
B. He led them out of captivity into the wilderness
C. God gave them the Law in the wilderness.

D. The Law's purpose was to reveal to man how needy they were.

     1.  The basic instinct of man, is to say "I can do it!"
     2.  The Law was God way of showing man that he could not save himself.
     3.   He could never be good enough by his own effort to satisfy the standard of God.

Ga 3:22 But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.  23 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. 24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

Ro 7:9 Once I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died.  10 I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. 11 For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death.

They tried to keep the law but constantly failed

Even after Jesus came the disciples had this to say about the law when trying to figure out if the gentiles needed to keep the law and believe in Jesus :

Ac 15:  8 God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. 9 He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.  10 Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear?

V. Jesus is born as a baby and grows into a man.

A.  He is placed on a cross for 6 hours, broken and bloody

Mt 27:33 They came to a place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). 34 There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. 35 When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots.  36 And sitting down, they kept watch over him there.  37 Above his head they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.  38 Two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.  39 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads  40 and saying, "You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!" 41 In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. 42 "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! He's the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, 'I am the Son of God.'" 44 In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him. 45 From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land.  46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, <"Eloi, Eloi, lama> <sabachthani?">-- which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

HIS Death
Mt 27:50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

Lain in a tomb
Mt 28:1 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.  2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.  3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.  4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.  5 The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.  6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."  8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.

VI. The meaning of the resurrection depends on  who you are.

A. If you are without Jesus it means JESUS IS WHO HE SAID HE WAS.

1. He is absolute authority
2. He is the final judge
3. He is who you will answer to

You can't get a 2nd opinion -Can with a mechanic/doctor- but not Jesus

Joh 5:25 I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man. 28 "Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out-- those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.

The resurrection settled the question of who He was.

Ro 1:4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

B. If your Satan the resurrection means you got big  trouble

1. Satan's hope was that death could hold Jesus.
2. Jesus had told His disciples:

Mt 16:21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

3. Satan wasn't stupid - he knew what Jesus was trying to do.

Satan knew that the plan was to go to the cross - and be raised from the dead.

HE ALSO KNEW THAT WITHOUT THE RESURECTION - JESUS COULD NOT MAKE REDEMPTION.

1Co 15:13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.  14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.  15 More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised.  16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either.  17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.  18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost.  19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.

WHY WAS THE RESURRECTION SO IMPORTANT?
For The Christian the resurrection is HOPE!

#1. It proved that He was who He said He was -
      
     He said he would be raised - He was

     He said he is coming back - He will

#2. It proved that the Father accepted the sacrifice.

#3. It broke the power of death -

- He was resurrected, we in Christ will also be

Ro 8:11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.

WHY RESURECT OUT BODIES?

GOD WAS NOT WILLING TO GIVE SATAN EVEN THAT VICTORY!

1Co 15:51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed-- 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.  53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.  54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."  55 "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?"  56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Promise of eternity:

Re 21:3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.
 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

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Conclusion:

Satan's fate is sealed by the resurrection

The believer has a hope because of the resurrection

Those without Christ - have an opportunity to find HOPE.

 

Today you can find hope:

Life is short - eternity is long   -   GOSPEL

Jesus made a way………………………………..