Randall Caselman
Bella Vista Church of Christ
4/6/97 pm
What Significance The Resurrection?
Reading — 2 Timothy 1.8-10 & Philippians 3.7-11
There are over FIVE billion people on our planet. This week over ONE billion of them will celebrate the:
• Death
• Burial
• And resurrection of Jesus.
Why do these events which happened 2000 years ago in a remote village halfway around the world from us make a difference in our lives today? Why do we believe in the resurrection of Jesus?
• First, because the Bible tells us so. You see, many of us don’t have to have any scientific proof, do we? It is enough, for most of us here this morning, that the Bible says, Jesus of Nazareth came from the grave, because we believe this book to be the inerrant word of God. We live by faith, not by scientific proof.... Not by sight.
• Second, because it is a historical fact. The resurrection was not something that occurred in secret. The city of Jerusalem knew about it. Later the whole Roman empire knew of His coming from the grave. Scripture records 12-15 historical meetings with over 500 different people.
• They saw Him.
• They talked to Him
• They walked with Him on the road to Emmaus.
• They touched His Wounds
• They had breakfast with Him on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.
• They were taught by Him for 40 days.
• And some of these witnessed His ascension into heaven.
Josephus, one of this world’s greatest Jewish historians mentions His resurrection. If CNN had been there they would have had live coverage. Only a fool would deny the resurrection. There are some fools in our world today. It amazes me that some deny the resurrection, yet:
• Every time they write a check,
• Every time they date a contract,
• Every time they give their birth date,
They give allegiance to the birth of Jesus. You see, His coming divides history into B.C. and A. D. So, one does not have to be quote, A Christian, to believe in this historical event. However, for the Christian, for the believer, this event has special significance.
This is the lesson this morning, so what? What Significance Is The Resurrection?
The resurrection tells us three things:
• Jesus is who He claimed to be.
• Jesus has the power He claimed to have.
• And Jesus does what He promised to do.
Let’s examine each of these ideas for a few moments.
First, the resurrection proves Jesus is who He claims to be. Jesus made some outrageous claims while He was here on earth. He said:
• I am God.
• I am perfect.
• I was here before the beginning.... The Alpha and the Omega.
• I am the Savior of the world.
• I am the way, the truth and the life.
• I am the only way to heaven... There is no way to the Father, but by me.
Jesus didn’t say I am:
• A way.
• One possible way.
He said, I am THE way. Folk, there is only one HIGHWAY to heaven, that’s the one Jesus built. Listen as I read John 11.25, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies.
Secondly, the resurrection proves that Jesus has the power he claims to have.
• In Matthew 28.18 he said, All authority, all power, in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
• In John 10.18 He said, no one takes my life from me. I have the (What) power to lay it down and I have the power to take it up again.
The Jewish and Roman coalition
• Killed him dead,
• They sealed His tomb,
• And posted a military guard,
But this did not keep Jesus in the grave.
Audience, several people have died and been raised from the dead.
• Elijah raised the widow’s son in 1 Kings 17.
• Elisha raised the Shunammite’s son in 2 Kings 4.
• In 2 King’s 13 a group of Israelites attempted to bury a man in Elisha’s tomb. But when the Pall bearers placed the body in the grave and it touched the body of Elisha, the man came back to life.
• Jesus raised the widow of Nain’s son in Luke 7.
• He raised Jairus’ daughter in Luke 8.
• And Lazarus in John 11.
• Dorcas was raised by Peter in Acts 9
• And Eutychas by Paul in Acts 20.
But not one of these were raised by his own power. And they all died again. You see, Jesus’ resurrection was different... A lot different.
• First, He raised Himself by His own POWER... I have the power to lay down my life and POWER to take it up again.
• Second, He never died again... He was the first born from the dead... Jesus is still alive and will live forever.
The Jews wanted a sign of such power that Jesus claimed he had, so he said, I give you a sign, you destroy this temple, this body and I’ll raise it again in three days. And He did.... And he did. No one can raise himself from the dead unless He is God. Jesus was God in the flesh, and He had the omnipotent power of God.
Number 3, The resurrection proves He will do what He promises to do. Jesus made many promises in His 3 1/2 year ministry.
• I came that you might have life and have it more abundantly.
• I came to seek and save the lost.
• I will build my church and the gates of hell will not destroy it.
• In my Father's house are many mansions... I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
• Ask what you will, in my name, and the father will grant it.
• Abide in me and I will abide in you.
• I will send you the comforter, the counselor, and he will lead you into all truth.
• Listen to Mark 10.34, The Son of man will be betrayed... They will mock Me and spit on Me, flog Me and kill Me. Three days later I will rise.
Notice this verse from Matthew, 28.5-6, And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said He would.. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. JESUS DID JUST WHAT HE SAID HE WOULD DO.
You see, if Jesus resurrected Himself as he promised, we can count on Him keeping all these other promises. Because of the resurrection:
• Jesus is who He said He was.
• He has the power He said He has.
• And He’ll keeps the promises He made.
Church, does this make the resurrection especially meaningful to us here this morning? ABSOLUTELY! Indeed, this makes the Gospel GOOD NEWS... GOOD NEWS WE CAN USE!
Now, what difference does all this make to us today?
NUMBER ONE, IT MEANS OUR PAST CAN BE FORGIVEN.
This is GOOD NEWS we can use. One of the greatest blessings in Christianity is that we can start over anytime we want to:
• Every month,
• Each week,
• Every day
• Or several times a day.
Because Jesus lives, we can start over today... RIGHT NOW!
You see, we all do things we wish we hadn’t done; say things we wish we had not said; think things we wish we hadn’t. We’ve all reacted to situations in a way that, we know now was inappropriate. We all have regrets. RIGHT? We all have guilt.
• Guilt that burdens us,
• Guilt that drags us down,
• Guilt that tresses us out.
Some of us here this morning are suffering from GUILT that has us depressed. Some of us feel like we gonna have to spend the rest of our lives in the penalty box. So we would like to have a fresh start, a new beginning. The good news we can use is that past sins can be forgiven in the blood of Christ. Don’t allow past mistakes to ruin your present or your future... You don’t have too. Listen to Colossians 1.13-14 and 2-14-13 read together, For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. God has made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code that was against us, nailing it to the cross.
• Jesus died for our sins.
• He nailed the commands of the law to the cross.
• He was hung for our hang-ups.
• He has set us free.
• He has made forgiveness possible through His blood.
• He gives us a new beginning.
James tells us as Christians how this is accomplished, Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
Let me ask you, how long do you worry about a bill that has been paid? We don’t... Not one moment. Once God forgives us, it is forgotten... It is as if it never happened. Even if there was no such PLACE as heaven or hell, and there is. But even if there weren’t, Christianity would be worth just being able to forget past guilt... Just have a clear conscience. What did Paul say in Romans 8.1? There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Remember in the 60’s our children had those etch-a-sketch tablets. You just drew what you wanted and if you made a mistake you just flip it, shake it and turn it back over. Our response to the death, burial and resurrection is God’s etch-a-sketch for humanity. Jesus didn’t come to rub in our sins.
• But to rub them out,
• To forgive us,
• To give us a clean conscience,
• To make us guilt free.
That’s the GOOD NEWS... Good news we can use.
NUMBER TWO, BECAUSE OF THE RESURRECTION, OUR PRESENT PROBLEMS CAN BE MANAGED.
Would you agree this morning that much of life is unmanageable? Especially those of you are parents of a 3 year old or a, 18 year old. RIGHT? Charlie Shedd used to go over the country lecturing on how to raise kids. He writes:
• Before we had kids my lectures were titled, Ten Commandments For Raising Kids.
• After the first child he changed the title to Ten Hints For Parents.
• After the second child his title was, A Few Tentative Suggestions For Fellow Stragglers.
• After the third child, I gave up on speaking on the subject all-together.
• Then, he says, when they reached teenage he begin pleading for others to give help and advice.
Do you know what Christian maturity is? Christian maturity is when we figure out that we don’t have it all figured out. When you find someone in the church that has all the answers, mark it down. They have a lot to learn, a long way to grow. Maturity, is understanding that I can’t control everything in life by myself, but with God’s help I can... That’s GOOD NEWS we can use.
Ever hear these comments:
• My life is out of control.
• I feel powerless to deal with this sin.
• I feel powerless to deal with our teenager.
• I feel powerless to heal this relationship.
• I feel powerless to deal with this guilt.
• I feel powerless to deal with this bad habit.
• I feel powerless to manage my time and my schedule.
Folk, what we need is a power that is greater than ourselves. Here it is, we were never meant to live this life on our own power.
Do you need a scripture to verify what I’m saying? Here it is, Ephesians 1.18-20 and 3.20: I pray that your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and (listen now) HIS incomparable great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms... Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to (watch it now) His power that is at work within us.
Paul puts it in these words in Philippians 4.13, I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Paul is saying this same power that raised Jesus from the dead is now working in us as children of God:
• Strengthening us.
• Empowering us.
• Enabling us to deal with life and become the individual God wants us to be. Folk, we in the church, don’t have to explain these verses, all we need to do is: Believe them, Accept them, Live them, And rejoice in them. They are a part of the resurrection promise. They are a part of the GOSPEL... Good new we can use
Why does the resurrection matter:
• Because our past can be forgiven.
• My present can be managed.
AND NUMBER 3, MY FUTURE CAN BE SECURED.
Death is in all our future. But we don’t like to think or talk about it. RIGHT? Invite 6 or 8 couples over tonight after services, serve them cake and ice cream and say, let’s talk about dying... See what kind of conversation you elicit. I read this week some things children wrote about death.
• Gayla, age 8, When you die they put you in a box and bury you in the ground, because you don’t look so good.
• Stefanie, age 9, Doctors help you so you won’t die until you have time to pay their bill.
• Raymond, age 10 says, A good doctor helps you so you won’t die, a bad doctor just sends you on to heaven.
People are interested in their eternal destiny. U. S. News And World Report in 1994 devoted most of an issue on a series of articles they called the Rekindling Of Hell. This weeks Time magazine’s front cover asked the question, Is Heaven Real. More people than ever before are interested in their future, their eternal destiny. I certainly am... Aren’t you? Well, how can we avoid hell and secure a place in heaven. God has two ways, two plans for us to get to heaven.
• Plan A is to earn it:
— By living a perfect life.
— By never sinning a single sin.
— By never doing anything wrong.
That leaves me out... How about you? It’s already too late for us, we’ve already blown our chance. RIGHT? Now since none of us qualify for plan A, God came up with plan B
• Plan B is to establish a relationship with Jesus Christ. What was it Jesus said on the front of our worship bulletin? I am the way, I am the truth, I am the life.
Ron Dunn tells the story about taking his son and six other boys to the carnival. He purchased a roll of tickets and when they came to a ride, he would peel of 7 tickets, one for each boy.
• At the merry-go-round seven tickets.
• At the tilt-a-whirl seven tickets.
• At the roller coaster seven tickets.
• When they came to the ferris wheel he pulled off seven tickets and gave each one a ticket. And there was an 8th kid there. He asked, who are you?... I am Johnny... Who are you Johnny? I am you son’s new friend... And he said YOU would give me a ticket. Dunn said, do you think I gave him a ticket? ABSOLUTELY! Jesus came to purchase our ticket. That’s what the Bible says: You are not your own, you have been bought with a price, the blood of Christ.
I never cease to be amazed by the ingenious ways people try to get to heaven, to secure their future:
• Some try to get there by sincerity. Well, it doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you’re sincere. Those boarding TWA flight 800 sincerely thought they would arrive in Europe, but their sincerity didn’t help them arrive at their destination. We can be sincerely wrong. Paul was sincere in his persecution of the early church, but he was sincerely wrong.
• Some believe we get to heaven by service. If anybody could be saved by service, it would have been Cornelius. Acts 10 tells us, he was a devout man, God fearing, giving generously to the needy, one who prayed often. Cornelius was better than most of us, but he was not saved, he was not heaven bound. WHY, because works cannot save us.
• Some believe they can be saved by subtraction. If they don’t drink, smoke, cuss, chew and run with the girls that do, they’ll make it through. If all we had to do to get to heaven is do nothing then all dead people would qualify, for they are doing nothing.
• Some decide they can get to heaven by ritual and ceremony. I’ll just get baptized. Folk, you can get baptized until your skin is wrinkled by being in the water too much. You can get baptized in the river until all the fish know you by your first name. That will not save us.
• I know what I do, I go to church. Sitting in a church does no more to make us a Christian than sitting in a hen house makes us a chicken.
• Well, I’ll join a church. Does joining the Lion’s club make you a lion?
• Still others believe they were born in the church. If we were born in a car does that make us a spare tire?
• Some believe in salvation by heritage. My grandmother and mother were a Christian. That means nothing, we must make a personal decision, have a personal faith. Just because our mother and grand mother were married, is no sign we are. We must make a personal commitment to that kind of a relationship.
• My favorite of all is salvation by comparison. Well, I’m better than so and so. Yes you are, in fact you are probably better that your preacher this morning. The fact is, God is not judging you according to me or anybody else. Well, I’m better than Hitler! That’s like saying, I can bench press more than my grandmother. What difference does it make? NONE, Absolutely NONE. God doesn’t grade on a curve. Folk, it is either 100% perfection. Or plan B — Faith and obedience to Christ. When we get to heaven, we must admit that we never got there by our own efforts, but by having an ongoing relationship with God’s and His Son, Jesus Christ.
Listen to these scriptures with me:
• John 17.3, Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
• 1 John 5.11-13, God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
• Galatians 3.26-27, You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have put on Christ, been clothed yourselves with Christ.
• 1 Peter 1.3, Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us the new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
The resurrection of Jesus from the dead, secures our future, if we will have an ongoing relationship with the resurrected Christ. This relationship is possible for each of us, if we will have a personal relationship with the resurrected Christ.
The Bible says we can have this relationship by:
• Faith in God,
• Repentance of our sins,
• And putting Him on in the act of New Testament baptism, immersion in water for the forgiveness of sins. This is the GOSPEL... Good news we can use.
Make your decision now, enjoy the blessings of His death, burial and resurrection.
