The Resurrection

The Resurrection

Why is the resurrection of Christ so important? It can be summed up in one verse from I Corinthians 15 verse 17 “if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.”

• The Resurrection is a Historical Fact.
  • The Empty Tomb – Matthew 28:1-10.
    • Even the Jews of that time admitted that the tomb was empty and accused the disciples of stealing the body in an effort to explain it away. This is documented in Matthew 28:11-15 but references are also found in other Jewish writings, like the “Toledot Yeshu”. So why would they admit that the tomb was empty unless the evidence was too strong to be denied? This has been called “positive evidence from a hostile source”. In essence, if a source admits a fact that is decidedly not in its favor, the fact is genuine.” They did not want it to be, but it happened. The resurrection of Jesus is not just the best explanation for the empty tomb, it is the only explanation!
  • Jesus’ disciples, and others, had real experiences with one whom they believed was the risen Christ.
    • Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and other women. Matthew 28:9&10, Mark 16:9, John 20:14. And then to the eleven disciples. John 20:19-31, John 21:14. Also, the two on the road to Emmaus. Luke 24:13-34. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:5-8, “After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once.” They saw Him, they touched Him, they talked with Him, they ate with Him and many of them were martyred for Him.
  • As a result of the preaching of these disciples, which had the resurrection at its center, the Christian church was established and grew.
    • After His resurrection and before His ascension Jesus gave the great commission, “Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Matthew 28:16-20.” These men gave their lives for the reality of the resurrection and it didn’t stop there. According to some estimates, more than 70 million Christians have been martyred over the last two millennia. This figure includes all those who were killed for their faith, whether by government authorities or other groups opposed to Christianity. More than half of these deaths occurred in the 20th century under fascist and communist regimes. And it is still going on.
    • Today, there are over 2.4 billion Christians, or 30% of the global population. There are many differences in doctrinal beliefs but ALL believe in a resurrected Lord. At the core of Christian faith lies the conviction that God raised Jesus from the dead! And History Proves It!
• What does this mean to the believer?
  • The resurrection seals the “New Covenant with God.”
    • The Second Adam
      • We are guaranteed resurrection. “For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” I Corinthians 15:21-22
  • The Power of the resurrection resides in the believer.
    • The power that was displayed on resurrection day was greater than any power till then. Nature was against it. Satan and all of hell was against it. Yet, when the Father said rise, the earth shook, the stone rolled away, and Jesus rose from the dead. And in His hands were the keys to death and hell. Revelation 1:18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.The Apostle Paul said this. “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.” Philippians 3:10-11.This resurrection power is IN YOU!
      • Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Ephesians 3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
    • This Power, The Power of the Resurrection, is at work in believers today.
      • However, it will be exercised in completeness when he comes for us. It will not matter then if this body is dead or still alive. The signal will be THE TRUMP OF GOD. The resurrection power of God will be unleashed. 1Thessolonians 4:13- 18 “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.“

Some “Historical Facts” were sourced from an article written by Matt Perman titled “Historical Evidence for the Resurrection”. Matt Perman is the director of career development at The Kings College NYC. The complete document may be accessed with the following link: Historical Evidence for the Resurrection | Desiring God