Christ's Resurrection

The following piece on the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ is of notes taken from a sermon preached by Rev. Paul Dowling of Whiteabbey Congregational.  Here is the link to the sermon at Sermon Audio:

http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=41807143440

Luke 24:44-49 "And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.  Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,  and said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.  And ye are witnesses of these things.  And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high."

Christ rose from the dead and faithful Mary Magdelene saw him first, and that evening two downhearted disciples met him on the road to Emmaus..  they did not recognize him until he broke the bread.  Later on the Lord appeared to 10 apostles in the upper room, and then to Thomas and then to other people.  Make no mistake, the resurrection of Jesus Christ bodily from the tomb is central and foundational to the Christian faith.  Over the centuries Christ's resurrection has been questioned, doubted and denied.  Mocker's and sceptics views are easy to refute, they are untenable, they do not explain the facts.   No unbeliever has ever come up with a logical explanation of the facts.  The resurrection is a fact.  

That Jesus would be raised from the dead was foretold:.

1.  King David wrote Psalm 16:10  "For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption."  David was not talking about himself but he was prophetically talking about Jesus Christ, the holy one, whose body would see no corruption.

2.  Acts 13:33-37 "God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.  And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David. Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.  For David after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep (died) and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption: But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption.

3. Christ himself,  Matthew 20:19  "And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again." Mark 9:9, "And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead."  Mark 14:28 "But after that I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee."

Christ's resurrection is essential for the fulfillment of scripture, he had to rise.  Luke 24:25-26 "Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?" Luke 24:46 "...thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day."  Christ had to suffer and rise on the third day to fulfill scripture.  The bodily resurrection is essential for the forgiveness of sins. 1 Corin. 15:17 "And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins."  You cannot be forgiven if Christ is not raised, you are still in your sins.  The doctrine of forgiveness hinges upon the resurrection of Christ.  If you believe in forgiveness, you must  believe that Jesus rose from the dead.  A risen Christ is also essential for our justification, in order that those who have faith may be legally declared right with God, just before God.  Romans 4:25 "Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification." Romans 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life." Christ has to be alive in order to make people right with God, justified.  If you are not a Christian, Christ is risen to justify, to make people right who trust in him.  You will never be justified before God in any other way, you will never be made right with God by your works or your church attendance.  You can only be justified by believing in Christ. "therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.."

His resurrection is essential for our hope.  1 Corin 15:19 "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable."   The Christian hope is everlasting life but if God didn't raise his own son from the dead what hope do we have?  if the grave is the end, what is the point of faith?  if it is just for this life its the most miserable hope you could think of..  if Christ is not raised, we have no hope.  This is how intimately Christ's resurrection is tied to the gospel message, it is not a secondary issue, it is of vital importance to the gospel.  But 1 Corin 15:20 "But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept."

His resurrection is the proof of him being God's son.  Romans 1:4 "And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead."  Christ was declared, decreed to be the Son of God with power by the Holy Spirit by the resurrection from the dead.  It was when he rose that he was decreed visibly with power to be the Son of God.  If he didn't rise, where is the power?  The Holy Spirit's witness is false, and Christ is not God's son.  That Jesus rose from the dead is the foundation stone of the Holy Spirit's witness, the very person of Christ is God's son, Christ's power and God's eternal decree.  You can't doubt the resurrection and be a Christian.  You can't be logical and deny the resurrection.  Christ was raised from the dead.

Don't you need hope?  Don't you need forgiveness?  Do you not need a right standing before God?  Scripture was fulfilled, Christ did rise from the dead for our justification and we are made right with God by faith in Christ alone.  Do you believe the scriptures, do you believe the prophets, do you believe the words that Jesus said?  if you do not, you are unforgiven and you are condemned.  Make no mistake.  John 3:18 "He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." If you do not believe Christ you have no hope because you do not believe in God's only son.  The doctrine of the resurrection of Christ is a natural progression if you believe in God.  Do you believe in God?  What kind of a God could not cause a flood (in the time of Noah), could not cause 10 plagues to fall upon Egypt, could not part the Red Sea, couldn't give his people a promised land, could not open blind eyes, or raise the lame from the ground or cure sick people?  What kind of God could not raise the dead.  If the God that you believe in could not do those things than what you believe in is not God, it is a little tiny figment of your imagination, a little god that you have that can't do anything, and what you are believing is a myth and your god is not God if he can't do those things.. the real God of scripture is called Yahweh, the self-existent all-powerful God and his only Son who is the only person that can save sinners by the power of his Holy Spirit.  If you believe in this God, if you trust in his Son as your Saviour and your Lord, then guaranteed you will be saved because he is the real God who can save the worst of sinners, whose sin is punished and paid for by Jesus Christ's blood and there is now no more condemnation for them that are in Christ Jesus.  Are you one of them?  are you in Christ?  does his blood cover you? 

If you are willing to have Christ upon gospel terms to save you and to rule you, to redeem you and to rule over you, than you are a believer.