HCBC Easter 4-08-08 AM
WHAT DOES THE RESURRECTION MEAN?
1) The resurrection proves the deity of Jesus Christ - that He is the Son of God.
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God.
Mt 1:23 "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel" – which means, "God with us."
Mt 3:17 And a voice from heaven said,
"This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."
Mt 8:29 "What do you want with us, Son of God?" they shouted
"Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?"
Jn 10:30 “I and the Father are one.”
Jn 20:28 Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
Phil 2:6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something
to be grasped,
Rev 1:8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was,
and who is to come, the Almighty."
2) The resurrection proves immortality - life does not end with death.
Mt 25:31-46 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he
will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered
before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd
separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right
and the goats on his left. 34 "Then the King will say to those on his right,
'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the
kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was
hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me
something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed
clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in
prison and you came to visit me.' 37 "Then the righteous will answer him,
'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you
something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in,
or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in
prison and go to visit you?' 40 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth,
whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for
me.' 41 "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who
are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42
For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you
gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me
in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and
you did not look after me.' 44 "They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we
see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in
prison, and did not help you?' 45 "He will reply, 'I tell you the truth,
whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for
me.' 46 "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous
to eternal life."
Acts 24:15 and I have the same hope in God as these men, that there will be a
resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.
Daniel 12:2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to
everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.
3) The resurrection proves that we have a living Savior.
Luke 24:1-5 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took
the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone
rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body
of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men
in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the
women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them,
"Why do you look for the living among the dead?
Rev 1:17-18 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right
hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the
Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the
keys of death and Hades.
Rev 4:9-10 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits
on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall
down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and
ever…
4) The resurrection proves that the Savior has conquered death and has power over
all our enemies.
1 Cor 15:25-26 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26
The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
2 Tim 1:8-10 So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his
prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, 9
who has saved us and called us to a holy life--not because of anything we have
done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in
Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 10 but it has now been revealed
through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and
has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
5) The resurrection removes the darkness of the tomb.
A tomb is a place of darkness.
When the women came, that first Easter morning,
Jesus was gone from the darkness of the tomb.
He was no longer in the darkness but had come out into the light.
Eph 5:8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as
children of light
Acts 26:17-18 I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am
sending you to them 18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light,
and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins
and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'
Col 1:12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance
of the saints in the kingdom of light.
Luke 16:8 "The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted
shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own
kind than are the people of the light.
John 12:36 Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons
of light." When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.
6) The resurrection assures us of our own resurrection.
Mat 22:23-30 That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to
him with a question. 24 "Teacher," they said, "Moses told us that if a man dies
without having children, his brother must marry the widow and have children for
him. 25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and
died, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother. 26 The same
thing happened to the second and third brother, right on down to the seventh. 27
Finally, the woman died. 28 Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she
be of the seven, since all of them were married to her?" 29 Jesus replied, "You
are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. 30 At
the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be
like the angels in heaven.
Jn 5:28-29 "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.
7) The resurrection provides assurance of the recognition of our loved ones beyond
the grave.
In John 21, when Jesus appeared to his disciples on the shore of Galilee after his
resurrection, John writes: “…they knew it was the Lord.”
Just as the disciples recognized the resurrected, we too will recognize those who have
been resurrected when we see them.
8) The resurrection gives influence and meaning to life.
Knowing that we will be resurrected to eternal life,
motivates us to live for Him who has accomplished eternal life for us.
Knowing that we will be resurrected to eternal life,
gives us hope to persevere in the trials of daily life.
Knowing that we will be resurrected to eternal life,
gives us strength to go through the valley of the shadow of death.
Knowing that we will be resurrected to eternal life,
makes life worthwhile!