Phil Beach Jr. emphasizes the significance of Christ's resurrection, which is affirmed throughout the New Testament, highlighting three key points: He did rise, the implications if He hadn't, and what it means for us now that He has risen. The resurrection is foundational to the Christian faith, validating the gospel and providing hope and assurance of salvation. Beach urges believers to live not for themselves but for Christ, who died and rose again, encouraging a transformation that reflects the reality of the resurrection in their daily lives.

Praise the Lord. The the fact of Christ's resurrection is mentioned no less than 50 times in the New Testament. It's either directly mentioned or alluded to in the doctrines and teachings of the writers of the New Testament, no less than 50 times. Therefore, it is certainly a significant part of the Christian faith. It is the Christian faith that the resurrection of Jesus Christ just for a short time. It's quarter to 12 just for a short time this morning. I'd like to talk about three points. All right. He did. What if he didn't? And thirdly, so now that he did three points. He did. Secondly, what if he didn't? Thirdly, now that he did the first point he did, he did what he did raised from the dead. According to the scriptures, let's read Matthew. Turn your Bible to the book of Matthew. Just the simple declaration of the truth as recorded in the Bible is so wonderful for this particular event. Matthew chapter 28 beginning in verse 1 in the end of the Sabbath as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulcher. Behold, there was a great earthquake for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning in his raiment white as snow and for fear of him that keepers did shake and became as dead men and the angel answered and said unto the woman fear not ye for I know that ye seek Jesus which was crucified. He is not here for he is risen as he said come see the place where the Lord lay and go quickly and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead and behold he goeth before you into Galilee there shall you see him lo I have told you there's Matthew's testimony. Jesus is risen from the dead. Now, let's turn to Mark chapter 16. Mark chapter 16. This is going to be very important not only to establish the fact that he did raise from the dead but also to establish our next point. What if he didn't okay, Mark chapter 16 beginning in verse 1 and when the Sabbath was passed Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James Shalom had brought sweet spices that they might come and anoint him and very early in the morning the first day of the week. They came under the sepulchre at the rising of the sun and they said among themselves who so roll away the stone from the door of the sepulchre and when they look they saw that the stone was rolled away for it was great and entering into the sepulchre. They saw a young man sitting on the right side clothed in a long white garment and they were frightened and he saith unto them be not afraid or a frightened ye seek Jesus of Nazareth which was crucified. He's not risen or he is not he is risen. I'm sorry. We'll try that again. You seek Jesus of Nazareth which was crucified. He is risen. He is not here. Behold the place where they lay him but go your way tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee there shall you see him as he said unto you. So Mark and Luke both testify to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Now, let's go to Luke or rather Matthew and Mark. Now, let's go to Luke here chapter 24 Luke chapter 24. This is such an incredible statement that we're reading that now both of the Gospel writers and now the third Gospel writer all are agreeing on now upon the first day of the week very early in the morning. They came under the sepulcher bringing the spices which they had prepared in certain others with them. They found the stone rolled away from the sepulcher. They entered it and found not the body of the Lord Jesus and it came to pass as they were much perplexed thereabout behold two men stood by them in shining garments and as they were afraid and bowed down their faces to the earth. They said unto them why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here. He is risen and remember how he spoke 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 and they remembered his words and returned from the sepulcher and told all these things unto the 11 and to all the rest. So Matthew Mark and Luke all agree. Now, let's turn to John chapter 20. You see what's happening so far every writer of the New Testament beginning in Matthew Mark Luke and now John all are mentioning the fact that he did raise from the dead. John chapter 20 the first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early when it was yet dark under the sepulcher and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulcher then she runneth and cometh to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved and saith unto them they have taken away the Lord out of the sepulcher and we do not know where they have laid him Peter therefore went forth and that other disciple and came to the sepulcher so they ran both together and the other disciple did outrun Peter and came first to the sepulcher and he stooping down and looking in saw the linen clothes lying yet went he not in then cometh Simon Peter following him and went into the sepulcher and seeeth the linen clothes lying and the napkin that was about his head not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. Then went in also that other disciple which came first to the sepulcher and he saw and believed for as yet they knew not the scripture that he must rise from the dead. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John. Now, let's turn our Bible to Acts. Okay, Acts chapter 26 Acts chapter 26 verse beginning in verse 12. This is Paul preaching to King Agrippa. So we've heard it from Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and now Paul. Listen to what Paul says. Verse 12 chapter 26 of the book of Acts. Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the cheap priests at midday, O King, I saw in the way a light from heaven above the brightness of the sun shining round about me and them which sojourned with me and when they were all fallen to the earth. I heard a voice speaking unto me and saying in the Hebrew tongue Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks and I said, who art thou Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest but rise and stand upon thy feet for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee delivering thee from the people and from the Gentiles unto whom now I send thee to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God that they might receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me whereupon O King Agrippa I was not disobedient under the heavenly vision but showed first unto them of Damascus and at Jerusalem and throughout all the coasts of Judea and then to the Gentiles that they should repent and turn to God and do works meet for repentance for these causes the Jews caught me in the temple and went about to kill me having therefore obtained help of God. I continue this day witnessing both to small and great saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say about that that they said should come listen that Christ should suffer that he should be for that that he should be the first that should rise from the dead and show light unto the people and to the Gentiles Matthew Mark Luke John and now Paul all testifying to the fact that Jesus Christ raised up from the dead one more scripture first Peter chapter 1 first Peter chapter 1 this is what Peter has to say verse first Peter chapter 1 beginning in verse 3 blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus from the dead so now Peter joins along with all the others testifying to the fact that Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead. So that's the first point the objective facts Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead my second point what if he hadn't been raised from the dead how important do you think the resurrection of Jesus Christ is well, let me tell you turn your Bibles to first Corinthians chapter 15 now listen closely in helping you and I to understand how important the resurrection of Jesus Christ is we will be able to by seeing the implications or the great problems. We would have as Christians if he didn't raise from the dead first Corinthians chapter 15 what if he didn't raise up from the dead beginning in verse number one of first Corinthians chapter 15 moreover brethren I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you now the gospel that Paul preached unto the Corinthians was the gospel the good news that God sent his son to be a sin offering and that his son died bearing the sins of the world and that he was buried but on the third day he was raised up from the dead so the gospel of Christ is in fact the message of the death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ you or I do not believe in a gospel there is no gospel that's legitimate unless it's the gospel according to the scriptures which emphatically emphasizes that Jesus died was buried and raised from the dead now listen closely I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you which also you have received and wherein you stand so the gospel the good news that Jesus died was buried and rose from the dead according to Paul is the gospel that we have received and the gospel that we stand in that is you have no standing you have no security you have no hope you have no firm foundation in your life unless you stand on the fact that Jesus Christ raised from the dead God raised him up from the dead and therefore are validified and made authentic every single word that he ever uttered the resurrection of Jesus Christ made everything that he ever uttered true I don't know about you but very frequently I will say Lord. I thank you that you're alive because you are the one who became dead but now are alive forevermore when you come to realize the certainty of the of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and that should that should happen when you get saved but that is not just something that you believe in one moment in your past and then forget about it. It is my hope every day of my life every moment of my life particularly when I find myself in prayer wrestling with my own doubts and struggles and the powers of darkness. I will affirm Lord. I thank you that you are alive. I thank you that you are living and therefore every word that you utter which in fact are the things that I'm hoping in I've placed my entire life upon what Jesus has promised what Jesus has said and when the devil comes to try and shake me from unwavering faith in what Jesus has said and what Jesus has done. I remind the devil in myself. God raised him up from the dead. He is alive. He is living. He is in heaven. He ever lives to make intercession for me. That is my anchor that holds me to believe God is going to perform all that he has promised. He'll do through his son Jesus Christ. God has raised him from the dead. There is no other leader. There is no other religious person in the world who has ever purported to have heard from God that God raised from the dead except Jesus Christ. Muhammad is still dead. Krishna is still dead. Joseph Smith is dead. They're all dead. But Jesus is alive. He is alive. Hallelujah. He is alive. We're not placing our hope in a dead teacher or a dead prophet. We're not placing our hope in a dead orator. We're not placing our hope in some man that claimed to do great things and now his tomb is with us. We're placing our hope in Jesus who both died and was raised from the dead. That becomes the foundation upon which we build our hope. Verse number two by which also you are saved. So this is the gospel of the resurrection the death and resurrection of Jesus. It is the one that we've received the one wherein we stand and it is the gospel by which we are saved. There is no other saving message other than the message of Jesus Christ crucified buried died and was raised up from the dead. Hallelujah to God. Aren't you glad that you believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ? By the witch you are saved if you keep in memory what I preached unto you unless you have believed in vain. Beloved the word keep in memory there means to lay hold of may I say that as a Christian lay hold of the rest of your Christian life. The truth that Jesus Christ is alive. It will hold you. It will keep you. It will deliver you the coming storms the coming persecution that's coming to the church. The coming troubles that are coming to America the coming economic crisis the coming crash of all the worldly hopes and dreams that the church has put her hope in in this hour. Those who hold on to lay hold to the fact that Jesus is alive will be kept during the coming upheaval. That is imminently hovering over this entire country. See remember when everything else fails Jesus is alive and because he lives you live even when death is confronting you and your life is possibly in danger. Remember Jesus said I am the resurrection and the life he that believeth in me though. We were dead yet. Shall we live and he that liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this the fact that Jesus is alive forevermore. And if you are a true blood-washed child of God, you are connected to him means that there is nothing that can come to you that can happen to you that essentially can shake your identity or your peace. Why? Because you are connected to a Christ who is alive forevermore and though they kill this body, they can't kill the soul. Hallelujah. We are as secure as Christ is. Is there ever a thought in your mind that something could happen to Jesus in heaven? Is there ever a thought in your mind that someday Jesus might fail or Jesus might be destroyed by the powers of darkness? I say no. Jesus is secure. He's at the right hand of his father. He is there forevermore. But do you understand that as a Christian you are there with him? You are connected to him. You are a part of him and the same kind of security that Jesus enjoys is the same security that you have in him through faith in him. There is nothing that can happen to you as long as according to the word of God you have received and you stand and you are saved and you keep in memory of the gospel of Jesus Christ. When everything shakes, when everything around about you begins to fail and there is nowhere else to turn, no person to turn to, no earthly comfort, no hope, no dream, nothing else, but everything around about you looks like it is death, looks like it is darkness, looks like there's no hope. Hallelujah to God. You can look unto Jesus Christ and sing a song in the midnight hour. You can sing a song. You can rejoice. Why? Because your essential identity, your existence, your welfare does not hang upon what is happening to you in this physical world, but it hangs upon the fact that by faith you are connected to the risen Christ who says all power in heaven and earth belongs unto me and I am he that became dead but am alive forevermore and he that believeth in me though he were dead yet shall he live and he that liveth and believeth in me shall not die. Do you believe that this morning? Let me tell you something, beloved. If anything excites you more than the fact that Jesus raised from the dead, you are going to be disappointed. If Jesus's resurrection from the dead is not the basis of your joy every morning and every day and the basis of your strength, then pray that God will further the work of revelation in your heart so that nothing else matters. No joy can come in and creep in. Let the fact that Jesus is alive be your joy. Hallelujah. What are you going to do when everything fails? What is going to be the basis of holding you? What is going to be the basis of your maintaining a sound mind and a heart of joy? When nothing else works? You're in prison. You're cold. You're hungry. You've been beaten. Your children have been taken. There's nothing to live for anymore. What's going to hold you? What is going to keep you from going crazy? The fact that Jesus Christ is alive and because he is alive, I am alive in him, and though my body perish, yet my inward man is being renewed. And if this tabernacle should faint and this tabernacle should be dissolved, hallelujah to God, I have a house in heaven, not made with the hands of man eternal. Praise God. It's the resurrection of Jesus Christ. For I delivered unto you first of all verse 3 that which I also received how that 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 and that he was seen of Cephas then of the 12 after that he was seen of above 500 brethren at once of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are falling asleep after that he was seen of James then of all the Apostles and last of all he was seen of me also as of one born out of due time for I am the least of the Apostles that am not meet to be called an apostle because I persecuted the Church of God, but by the grace of God, I am what I am and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain, but I labored more abundantly than they all yet not I but the grace of God which was with me therefore whether it were I or they so we preach and so you believed now listen, if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead how say some among you that there is no resurrection of dead. If there be no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen beloved. The first point was he has done it. He has risen from the dead. My second point was what if he didn't raise from the dead? What if he didn't raise from the dead? Verse 13, but if there be no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen from the dead. And if Christ be not risen, then our preaching is vain. Number one, if Christ was not risen from the dead, then all the preaching that has been going on for 2,000 years from the pulpits and from the housetops and from the parlor rooms and in the cornfields and on the streets and in the hospitals and in the hotels and in the motels and everywhere else preachers have gone. It has all been in vain and of no avail and the fact that I'm standing up here this morning preaching it is in vain. It is worthless. It is of no avail because Christ has not raised from the dead. If Christ is not raised from the dead, then preaching is vain. And if preaching is vain, then let's stop right now. And why waste our time? If you or I do not believe that Christ has raised from the dead, if there is no resurrection from the dead, then it is absolutely entirely worthless and useless to preach the gospel or to go hear a gospel preacher preach because everything that a gospel preacher says, if he is a true gospel preacher, all the truth that he shares, every word, every jaw in tittle of truth that you get from hearing a preacher preach the word and its validity and its ability to work in your life hangs upon the all-important truth that Christ raised from the dead. If Jesus didn't raise from the dead, then there's not a word that I can preach to you that can give you any kind of hope. Every word that comes from a gospel preacher is empowered by the truth that Christ was raised from the dead. Secondly, not only is preaching in vain, but your faith also is in vain. If Christ has not been raised from the dead, then your faith is empty. Your faith is worthless. If Christ is not raised from the dead, find a different faith. Because if you have faith in a Christ who has not raised from the dead, then your faith will do you nothing. Yea, verse 15, and we are found false witnesses of God because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ from whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not up. Do you remember a few moments ago, Matthew testified to the resurrection, Mark testified, Luke testified, John testified, Paul testified, Peter testified. But here, if Jesus Christ has not been raised from the dead, then every single person in the New Testament who testified that Jesus was raised from the dead is nothing but a liar. Paul is the biggest liar the earth has ever known, and Jesus Christ is the biggest phony that the world has ever known, and Peter is a deceived fisherman, and John is a deceived man, and all the other apostles are nothing but liars and phonies and hypocrites. If Christ did not raise from the dead because they purported he did, and if he didn't, then they're nothing but liars. And if they're liars, and they're phonies, and they're false witnesses, what are we doing? Reading their writings, learning their writings, and hiding their words in our heart. Why are we wasting our time? I say get a good novel. Read Agatha Christie. Try the Book of Mormon. What about the Quran? Come! Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God. If in fact Christ has not been raised from the dead, are you beginning to see how important it is that Christ raised from the dead? Are you beginning to see not only how important it is that Christ raised from the dead, but that you believe that he raised from the dead, and that you believe it every day, and that you get understanding and revelation as to the significance of Christ's resurrection from the dead? You see, Christ's resurrection from the dead is not just one of many important truths. It is the important truth upon which all the other truths hang. Verse 16. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised. And if Christ be not raised, your faith in vain, and ye are yet in your sins. Beloved, if Christ is not raised from the dead, then you are yet held by the law of sin and death. And you have nothing to look forward to but damnation, hellfire, brimstone, and a Christless eternity. You have no hope if Christ is not risen from the dead. You are under condemnation and judgment. You are destined to be punished severely with unbearable punishment for your sins because Christ is not raised from the dead. Your faith is in vain. If you are hoping that by faith you are forgiven, you are not forgiven. If Christ is not raised from the dead, you're not forgiven from any sin that you've ever committed. And they're piling up every day, stirring up for you the wrath of Almighty God against those who have put their vain faith in a resurrected Christ, if Christ has not been raised from the dead. Verse 18. And they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. That word perished means destroyed in eternal destruction. Every single human being that has ever died in faith believing that they have been forgiven are nothing more than dead and destroyed and perished forever. If Christ has not been raised from the dead, there is no comfort to our hearts. When we think about those who have died that have placed a faith in Christ, if Christ did not raise from the dead, then their faith was in vain. And if their faith was in vain, then they certainly are not enjoying a blissful existence with God in heaven, but rather they are perished, destroyed under eternal damnation where they're screaming and gnashing of teeth and weeping. No hope. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. If Christ did not raise from the dead, then we have no reason, no hope, no future, nothing, nothing. But now is Christ risen from the dead and become the firstfruits of them that slept. My first point, he did. My second point, what if he didn't? And now the third point. And we might call this point the practical implications. He did. What if he didn't? Now that he did, what does it mean to you and to me? 2 Corinthians chapter 5. He did. What if he didn't? Now that he has. We are persuaded, beloved, that Jesus has been raised from the dead. We believe. We've seen what if he didn't. Basically, the argument in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 that if Christ did not raise from the dead, that argument, if we take it to the logical extreme, it tears apart every single thing that we believe in, doesn't it? It rips us to pieces and leaves us in a state of massive confusion. And I don't know about you, but with me it would mean instant suicidal tendencies. I don't have anywhere else to go. I've hung my life on Jesus Christ. I've got, you know, some people have plan A and plan B. I don't have plan B. If this thing fails that I have put my hope in, if I find out that this whole thing is not true, I don't have plan B. I don't have another plan to implement. So I tell you, I really take to heart 1 Corinthians 15. Because every word that Paul uttered under the Holy Ghost there that would imply what would happen to us if Christ did not raise from the dead is so applicable to me. Because I don't have another plan. But since I do believe in Jesus Christ, and since I know that I'm saved, I'm born of God, I am being filled with the Spirit on a daily basis, and I am learning by the discipline and loving hand of God how to trust in a God that I do not see, and how to distrust in circumstances that I do see, I am very eager to take to heart what I'm about to read as my third point. And I trust that each and every one of us will be as eager. Because the third point, now that He has risen from the dead, and it's a settled fact, and we do believe it, and we are Christians, what does that mean to you and I? 1 Corinthians chapter 5, beginning in verse number 1. For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle, that's talking about our physical body, were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house, which is from heaven. If so be that being clothed we shall be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened. Not that we should be unclothed, that is, not that we should die. Oh, may God give us revelation. Not that we should be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. Do you see that there is a man named Paul, who so believed in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and was so intimately united to the resurrected Jesus Christ, that he had a groaning and a desire in himself that is so unlike most any other human being that I know of. Most people groan in desire for things. Most people groan in desire for success. Most people groan in desire to have their needs met. Most people groan in desire to have some place in this world, something they can call their own, something that they can be proud of, something that they can touch with their hands and see with their eyes. But I'm telling you, the spirit of Jesus Christ that was living the apostle Paul, so worked in him and so transformed him that he found himself having a desire, an earnest desire. He found himself groaning for that which is so far removed from earth. It was in fact the desire for immortality. I didn't say immorality. I said immortality. Paul tasted of the resurrection of Jesus Christ so deeply. He was coming to know the resurrection of Jesus Christ so deeply that he was longing to be free from mortality. He was longing to be free from the body of death. He was so desirous to be like Jesus that he wanted to be delivered from mortality so that he could come into immortality. He was so heavenly minded and so after the things of Christ that he lost a desire for everything that was falling short of God's perfect thought in Christ for the church. And God's perfect thought for Christ in the church or for the church is life and immortality. That's God's perfect thought. Paul was groaning. For those things that corresponded to the heaviness of Christ, he wanted to come into it as opposed to desiring those things that corresponded to his old, earthly, sinful nature. Most people are so busy, even Christians, seeking for, groaning after and being burdened for those things that correspond to their earthly nature that they have no clue and no idea as to the heavenly things that God would rather have them seeking for. Verse 5. We won't touch on that, but I tell you, beloved, we could preach on this for hours. Where is the groaning in the church for immortality? There's a lot of groaning for immorality, but not immortality. Huh? A lot of people are falling to immorality. But how many Christians are being accused of being groaning for immortality? I have never heard of a Christian that has been guilty of groaning for immortality. Have you? Have you ever met a Christian that is so hungry for Jesus they talk about their desire to be swallowed up by life and immortality so that the death working in their body can be dissolved and they could come into perfect conformity to Jesus Christ? When was the last time you sat down and talked with a Christian who was talking to you about their desire to be immortal like Jesus Christ? When was the last time? You can't remember, can you? Why? This is not a rebuke. This is not an indictment. It's simply an observation from the Holy Ghost and it comes from the love of Jesus Christ. It comes from a Savior who loves us. But I tell you, Jesus loves us, but He speaks the truth. The reason why is because the church per se is so carnal and so earthly minded and so addicted still to the things of this world that our eyes are totally blinded to the inheritance of what we've been called into. We are still walking like other men who don't even have the Holy Spirit. It's true. Other people are seeking after their own welfare. So is the church. Other people are spending all their energy on things that people think of them. So does the church. The people in the world like to indulge in the lust of the flesh because it makes them feel good. So does the church. But here's a man that God got a hold of and his life teaches us what God's thought is for the church. We shouldn't be groaning for immorality. We should be groaning for immortality. We shouldn't be earthly. We should be heavenward seeking for the things of God. Now remember what the third point is. Number one. He has risen from the dead. Number two. If he hasn't risen from the dead. And number three. Now that we are sure that he has raised from the dead. This is what it means to us. This is the cost of being a Christian that truly believes that Jesus raised from the dead. It's not simply a profession. Oh I believe that Jesus raised from the dead. Every devil in hell believes it too. Every devil in hell believes that Jesus raised from the dead. And they tremble in fear. So it's not enough to simply profess Jesus raised from the dead. I professed that for 17 years as a Catholic. My confession of faith. I believe in one God the Father, Creator of heaven and earth. I believe in His Son who was raised from the dead. I said that every Sunday morning for 17 years. And was still dead in my sins. So I believed it intellectually. I affirmed with my mind that I believed in what the Bible said. But in my heart I had not believed it. Because my life was still dead in sin. When you really believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead. A transformation takes place. Now it doesn't mean that you instantly are mature as a Christian. And that everything is perfect in your experience. But what it does mean is that you are gripped with something that you were never gripped with before. Your heart has caught a vision of heaven. Your affections are now fueled by heavenly fire instead of fire from hell. It's true, isn't it? Jesus makes a difference. Now He that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing as God. That means God created us for this very purpose. That we would become like His Son Jesus Christ. You ask the normal person in the world, Why do they exist? Why do we exist? You'll hear a hundred different reasons from a hundred different people. Some people think the reason for their existence is to have fun. Some people think it's to make money. Some people think it's to travel. Some people don't have a clue. But we as Christians know that for this reason, God created us. That we might come into the likeness of Himself as seen in His Son Jesus Christ. Verse number 5, the latter part. And hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. Therefore we are always confident, Knowing that while we are at home in the body, We are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, And willing rather to be absent from the body, And to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labor, That whether present or absent, We may be accepted of Him. That word means well-pleasing. That is, we might do the things that are pleasing. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, That every one may receive the things done in his body, According that he hath done, Whether it be good or whether it be bad. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, We persuade men. But we are made manifest unto God, And I trust also are made manifest in your conscience. Verse 13 For whether we be beside ourselves, It is to God. Or whether we be sober, It is for your cause. For the love of Christ constrains us, Listen, Because we thus judge, That if one died for all, Then were all dead. And that he died for all, They which live, Listen, Should not henceforth live unto themselves, But unto him which died for them and rose again. Look up here carefully and listen to me. Every single person who professes the belief That Jesus rose from the dead Must, with that profession, understand That They which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, But unto him which died for them and rose again. He that believes that Jesus rose from the dead Must also believe That we exist now Not to live unto ourself, Not to be self-centered, Self-relating, Seeking after our own interests, But instead We are to live Unto him Who died and rose again. Listen, If you give your allegiance To Jesus Christ By stating you believe He raised from the dead And then you live for yourself What are you doing? How can you give your allegiance By believing that Jesus raised from the dead And then continue to live for yourself? How can you do it? You can't. You can't do it. One of the outstanding characteristics Of God's dealing In the lives of those that know him Is a continual Continual Revelation To them Of their need To be less and less and less Selfish And more and more and more Delivered from self So that they are living unto Christ Dedicated to Christ He that believes In the resurrection of Jesus Christ Must also believe In the cessation In the ending Of living for self So number one He did Number two What if he didn't? Number three Now that he did Now that he did And we believe That he raised from the dead We must no longer live Unto ourself For ourself Simply to exist To fulfill our own desires But we live unto him Seeking His will in all things Seeking To be filled with his presence And his word and his spirit All the time That we might Follow him and become Like him This Is what Resurrection Sunday Is all about We believe That he died We see The implications If He didn't Raise from the dead And now We understand The cost His death Is my death My death To self And selfishness And in its place A life full of abundance A life Full of joy Let's bow our hearts and pray Father we thank you and praise you For the good news of the gospel That Jesus Died for our sins Was buried Was raised For our justification And now ever lives in heaven We thank you Lord That there are witnesses in the Bible That state that he raised From the dead We thank you Lord That we have seen That if he has not raised from the dead Then our faith is in vain And everything we hope in As a Christian Is proven to be untrue and worthless But we thank you Lord That we have settled it in our heart That you have made us To know That he does live And we pray Lord That you will help us as the scripture says No longer live For Ourself Unto Ourself Doing our own thing But you would give us Revelation By your word and by your holy spirit Open up our eyes and our heart Deliver us From living for ourself And let us live unto him The Lord Jesus Who died And raised up for us Take the words Uttered this morning Father And by the holy spirit Change lives Transform lives And may a company of believers arise In this late dark apostate hour Who believe In the resurrection But who also have died To their self And have the testimony For me to live as Christ And to die As Cain Grant it Father for your own glory Disarm The powers of darkness Disarm the lies Disarm all of the deceptions And schemes That Satan has placed Upon the hearers Of this message Lord Each one of us Deliver us Ignite in us A living hope A living faith A living reality Of the resurrected savior Give us the power Of this resurrection in our life As we bow before you Lead us triumphantly Along the road That you have chosen for us Deliver us from self will Give us the joy that comes When we lay our lives down Unwillingly on the altar Of service to you Empowered by you Thank you for your word Lord Perform In Jesus name Hallelujah Thank you Lord Praise the Lord beloved God bless each and every One of you I pray this morning That you'll think about The resurrection And that you won't just Be content in believing In the fact that Jesus raised from the dead But that you'll seek to know The resurrection more greatly In your life God bless you