The Resurrection of Jesus Christ
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ
INTRODUCTION The doctrine of the resurrection is the foundation doctrine of the New Testament. The resurrection is mentioned 104 times in the New Testament.
Christianity is the only religion with a living originator. Buddha is dead; Brahma (Hinduism) is dead; Mohammed is dead; Marx (Communism) is dead. The boast and glory of Christianity is the empty tomb. Jesus is risen. On the cross Jesus cried, "It is finished," and the Father said "Amen" by resurrecting the Son from the dead.
If Jesus did not rise from the grave, we are of all men most miserable, for we are yet in our sin; we are lost; eternally lost; 1 Corinthians 15:16-19.
Jesus said that He would die and rise again from the dead the third day, Matthew 16:21.
If the resurrection is true, then Jesus is indeed the Son of God. This is the miracle on which all other miracles stand or fall.
If this, the greatest of miracles is true, then it is easy to believe all the rest.
I. EVIDENCE OF THE RESURRECTION
The empty tomb. Matthew 28:6, "He is not here: for He is rise", as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay."
Luke 24:3, "And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. "
The testimony of angels. Matthew 28:6 (above), also Luke 24:5-7, "Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how He spake unto you when He was yet in Galilee, saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again."
People who talked to Him after the resurrection: Peter, Mary, Cleopas and Thomas.
Jesus ate and drank, showed His wounds, etc., to friends after the resurrection.
By the 500 who saw Him at one time, 1 Corinthians 15:6, "After that, He was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. "
By His appearance to Stephen at his martyrdom, Acts 7:56, "And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God."
By His appearance to Paul on the Damascus road, Acts 9:5, "And he said, Who art Thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest."
By the testimony of millions who have proved Him to be a living Saviour.
By many infallible proofs, Acts 1:3.
EXPLANATIONS OF JESUS’ RESURRECTION
The fraud theory-that the whole story is a hoax; a deliberate imposture. History and the Scripture flatly deny such a ridiculous theory.
The swoon theory-that Jesus only fainted for the soldiers did not kill Him and that the cool tomb and spices caused Him to revive and come back to life.
On the contrary, the spices were poisonous and would have killed Him instead.
The hallucination theory-The disciples wanted to see Jesus and thought that He would rise so they in their imaginations imagined that they saw Him.
The Scriptures tell us that the disciples were steeped in unbelief and would scarcely believe after seeing Him. Thomas wouldn’t believe without touching Him. The disciples were incredulously unbelieving, for which Jesus rebuked them, Luke 24:25.
The ghost theory-They only saw His ghost and thought that it was Jesus. A ghost does not have flesh and bones or eat and drink, Luke 24:39; Luke 24:43.
The myth theory-It was a wild story handed down by the ancients without truth.
The whole canon of Scripture shows the lie to this theory.
The true explanation-That Jesus Christ rose bodily from the grave as He said that He would. Acts 2:24, "Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that He should be holden of it."
HIS RESURRECTION BODY
It had flesh and bones, Luke 24:39, "Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; handle Me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see Me have. "
It was a glorious body, Php 3:21, "Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body."
It was an immortal body-one that will never die, Romans 6:9, "Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over Him.?
It was a spiritual body, 1 Corinthians 15:44, "It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body."
The spirit body has the ability to pass through a solid wall, John 20:19, "Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them. .
HOW DID JESUS RISE FROM THE DEAD?
By the power of the Father, Acts 2:23-24, "... by wicked hands have crucified and slain: whom God hath raised up. . ." Also Acts 3:15; Acts 5:30.
By the power of Christ Himself, John 2:19, "Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." Also John 10:18.
By the power of the Holy Spirit, 1 Peter 3:18, ". . . being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit."
RESULTSOF THE RESURRECTION.
.It proves the existence of God. If there is no God, how did Christ rise from the dead? He rose because a living God resurrected Him.
It proves the Deity of Christ. Romans 1:4, "And declared to be the Son of God with power. . . by the resurrection from the dead."
.It means that salvation is an accomplished fact. Jesus said that salvation was completed when He wed on the cross and the resurrection confirms it.
Theresurrection guarantees that everyone else shall rise too.
The righteous unto life eternal.
The unrighteous to face an angry Judge and be condemned forever.
It prepares Him to fulfill His next promise, "I will come again."
The "power of His resurrection" (Php 3:10), is an experience that we may enjoy now. It means living in newness of life that comes to us by the resurrected Christ living His life anew through our bodies.
CONCLUSION Resurrection is the greatest power in the world outside of the power of prayer.
Resurrection surpasses the power of the atom, hydrogen, cobalt or uranium (U2-35). They have the power to destroy; resurrection has the power to give life to the dead.
Story: An atheist dies and to be sure that he will never rise, has in his will a clause, ?My body is to be cremated and my ashes taken by plane and scattered in the seven seas." A thousand years later in the resurrection when the trumpet sounds, that body will come together and stand perfect in Christ’s presence. May this same mighty power of resurrection course through my body to keep me from sin. The resurrection is the basis on which Christianity stands or falls. The resurrection is the Gibralter of Christian evidences. It is the Waterloo of infidelity,agnosticism and atheism.
Because Christ rose, materialism, communism, atheism must fall.
Today the mightiest conqueror is death, who strides across the land, digging a trench across the hemispheres and filling it with the dead. (Talmage) But resurrection is a greater power for it breaks the power of the grave.
Today we triumphantly say, "O death, where is thy sting? 0 grave, where is thy victory?? 1 Corinthians 15:55.
We serve a risen Saviour. He is in the world today. Victory is ours as we march forward with the conquering Christ as the Head of the Church militant. May others be conscious that He is alive as He lives His life in our bodies.
REVIEW QUESTIONS
What is the outstanding characteristic of Christianity?
Give 6 evidences of the resurrection
What is the swoon theory regarding the resurrection? Is it true? Why?
How do we know that the hallucination theory is false?
What is the true explanation of Christ’s resurrection?
Describe Christ’s resurrection body
How did Christ rise from the dead?
How does the resurrection of Christ prove the existence of God?
Why is the dogma of the resurrection denied by many?
What do you consider the greatest power in the world?