Why the Resurrection Matters
Romans 1:4 / 1 Corinthians 15:20-23 / 1 Corinthians 15:50-58
Crosspoint – Dave Spooner – April 9th, 2023
Intro:
- This morning we are celebrating and reflecting upon the resurrection of Jesus Christ and why it matters. It is also a time to celebrate with those who have decided to follow Christ and declare Him as their Lord through baptism.
- We are going to talk about what the resurrection guarantees. I like guarantees, and I imagine you do as well. I like that Costco has a guarantee that if I want to return anything for any reason, I can do so. I like that my mechanic guarantees his work; if there is a problem, they will fix it at no additional cost. I like that when I purchase an airline ticket and they give me a confirmation code, that guarantees I have a seat on a flight.
- Guarantees give us security and comfort, knowing we can count on what is promised. God gives us guarantees through the resurrection. God, who never breaks His words, guarantees us three things. These three things are foundational truths of God’s word, and if you build your life on them, you will have peace, and power, and purpose.
- So here is what the resurrection guarantees. The first is that the resurrection guarantees Jesus’s identity.
The resurrection guarantees Jesus’s identity
Rom 1:4 ESV
He was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.
- Jesus claimed He was the Son of God in many different ways, in both words and deeds in the gospels. He did so by fulfilling Old Testament scriptures, performing miracles and signs through His authoritative teaching, and outright saying that He was the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God.
- The final and greatest proof of His identity was seen in His resurrection. Jesus told his disciples that He would be crucified and resurrected on the third day. If Jesus was not resurrected, then He would have been a fraud, a false prophet, and a fake.
- There were a handful of other situations in the Bible where people were raised from the dead (Jesus himself raised some), but they all eventually died again. They were raised again as mortals, but Jesus was raised in a a completely different way, as an immortal. He is the only one who has been resurrected.
- The Father raised Jesus from the death through the power of the Spirit; this event was the proof that Jesus was indeed the Son of God and Lord of all. He was more than a moral teacher, or a good man, or an example to follow. He was indeed God in the flesh, the light of the world, the lamb of God, the creator, the savior, and the Lord.
- His identity was firmly demonstrated and established in the resurrection. Your faith is built on the firm foundation of Jesus Christ, who is exactly who He said He was and will do exactly what He says He will do.
- If you ever question your faith and the claims of Christianity, remember the teachings of scripture, the words of Jesus, the miracles of the Messiah, the actions of the apostles, and the resurrection of the redeemer. The Christian faith is built on the bedrock of these things, and if you build your life upon them, you will never be shaken.
- Jesus’s resurrection from the dead guarantees His identity, and secondly, the resurrection guarantees your eternity.
The resurrection guarantees your eternity
- Jesus promised that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). John the Apostle wrote that “all who receive him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12).
- Then the Apostle Paul stated that if Jesus did not rise from the dead, his preaching was pointless, his life was a loss, and we are all doomed to death without hope. But the fact is that Christ resurrected from the dead, and His resurrection guarantees your eternity. This is what Paul wrote:
1 Cor 15:20-23 ESV
In fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.
- Christ has been raised from the dead, and He is the “firstfruits,” the first one who was raised from all those who have died. Paul goes on to explain the theological truth that death came through an act of rebellion in Adam, but life comes through the resurrection of the righteous one, Jesus Christ. And because we are “in Adam,” we will all die, but all those who are “in Christ” shall be made alive. Christ was first to be resurrected, and at His second coming, all that belong to Christ will be resurrected.
- The resurrection guarantees Jesus’s identity, the resurrection guarantees your eternity, and thirdly, the resurrection guarantees our victory.
The resurrection guarantees our victory
1 Cor 15:50-57 ESV
I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.” 55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
- For those who are in Christ, because of His resurrection, these mortal, perishable bodies of ours will be changed and raised immortal and imperishable. This will happen in a blink of an eye when the last trumpet sounds. Death will be “swallowed up” in victory.
- The resurrection guarantees us victory over sin and death itself. Sin does not have the final word; Jesus does. Death does not have the final word; Jesus does. Because of these facts, this is how we are to live our lives as Christians:
1 Cor 15:50-58 ESV
Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
- Know that you are beloved by God. We live life because we are loved, not to be loved.
- We are to be steadfast and immovable in our faith. Stand on the word, work, and witness of scripture and what is guaranteed us in the resurrection of Christ.
- Be super active and generous in the work of the Lord, and give your whole heart and your life to doing so. Knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain, it counts, and it is worth it!
Conclusion
- Be happy and rejoice that the resurrection guarantees Jesus’s identity, your eternity, and our victory. May your heart overflow with happiness, may your stance in the faith be strong, may your work in the Lord be greatly rewarded.
- Today five people publicly declare their faith in Christ and identify with Him in their baptism.
Baptism
- Baptism is a public demonstration of an inward faith. It is declaring that you are in Christ, and Christ is in you. It is a symbol of what He has done and what He will do. Scripture declares:
Rom 6:3-4 ESV
Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
