OceanSide church of Christ

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WHAT JESUS’ RESURRECTION PROVES

Victor M. Eskew

 

INTRODUCTION

 

A.   Does the Bible anywhere authorize the celebration of Easter Sunday as a religious holiday?  Answer:  No.

 

B.   Most believe that at some point in the second century, it became customary to celebrate the resurrection of Christ specially on one day each year.

1.     Prior this this, the resurrection was celebrated each Lord’s day.

2.    The name of the day was selected from a pagan god named Eostre or Ostara.

3.     The day known as Easter, therefore, is of man-made origin.

4.    Two verses in God’s Word will not allow us to celebrate this day from a religious standpoint.

a.    Colossians 3:17

 

And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

 

1)     “In the name of the Lord Jesus” means by His authority.

2)    All that we do must have His authority behind it.

3)     There is no authority for Easter.  Therefore, we do not observe it as a religious holiday.

b.    I Peter 4:11

 

If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God…

 

1)     We must speak what the Bible says.

2)    If there is no mention of Easter as a holy day, then we cannot speak about it.

 

C.   This being said, there are many whose minds are on the resurrection of Jesus Christ this morning.

1.     It is a Biblical subject (Luke 23:1-6a).

 

Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulcher, bringing spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.  And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulcher.  And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.  And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:  and as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?  He is not here, but is risen.

 

2.    The resurrection is also a fact!

a.    The Bible records at least nine appearances of Jesus to others after His resurrection.

b.    There were over 500 people who were witnesses to His resurrection (I Cor. 15:5-8).  Under the Law of Moses, only two or three witnesses were needed to confirm a truth (Deut. 19:15).

 

D.   We, therefore, want to discuss the subject:  “What the Resurrection Proves…”

 

I.          THE RESURRECTION PROVES THE POWER OF GOD

 

A.   The word “resurrection” literally means “to stand again.”

1.     When a man dies, he falls to the ground and is ultimately buried.

2.    When one is resurrected, he stands again as a living human being.

 

B.   There is not a human being who has the power over death.  (NOTE:  Some claim they can, but the proof is “in the pudding.”  They do not go the hospitals, the morgues, or the funeral homes and raise people from the dead.  They cannot!)

 

C.   God can, however.

1.     Acts 2:24

 

Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death:  because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.

 

2.    Of Jesus (John 11:25a)

 

Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection and the life…

 

D.   This power involves:

1.     Power over death

2.    Power over the hadean realm

3.     Power over Satan himself

 

II.        THE RESURRECTION PROVES JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD

 

A.   There are numerous proofs that Jesus is the Son of God.

1.     The virgin birth

2.    The declarations of the Father

3.     The miracles of Jesus

4.    Jesus’ sinless life

 

B.   All of these, however, would prove nothing, if Jesus had merely died.

1.     He would have only been a man.

2.    His bones would have still been in the tomb.

 

C.   Jesus’ resurrection proves without doubt that He is the Son of God.  It declares this with power, force, and authority (Rom. 1:4).

 

And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.

 

III.      THE RESURRECTION PROVES GOD’S PLAN IS OPERATIVE

 

A.   I Corinthians 15:14, 17

 

And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is vain….And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.

 

1.     Preaching a resurrected Christ was the means God chose to save the world (I Cor. 1:21b).

 

…it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

 

2.    To be saved, man must have faith in a resurrected Christ (Rom. 10:9).

 

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

 

3.     If the message is not true, then our faith is a pseudo-faith, thus, ye are yet in your sins.

 

B.   But, Christ is raised from the dead.

1.     With the resurrection, there is a new covenant.

2.    With the resurrection, there is forgiveness.

3.     With the resurrection, there is the church.

4.    With the resurrection, there is a mediator between God and man.

5.    With the resurrection, there is eternal life.

 

C.   John 11:25-26

 

Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:  and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.  Be-lievest thou this?

 

1.     Two deaths are mentioned by Jesus.

a.    …though he were dead…  This involves a spiritual death, being dead in one’s sins (Eph. 2:1).

b.    …shall never die.  This is the second death, the death in a devil’s hell.

2.    Both of these can be overcome because Jesus was resurrected and lives.

3.     On man’s part, faith is an absolute essential to obtaining these blessings.

 

IV.       THE RESURRECTION PROVES MAN WILL BE RESURRECTED

 

A.   Jesus is the first fruits (I Cor. 15:22-23)

 

For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.  But every man in his own order:  Christ the first fruits; afterwards they that are Christ’s at his coming.

 

1.     The term “first fruits” was a farming term that indicated that more fruit would follow this initial harvest.

2.    Jesus was the first fruits of the resurrection.  The promise is that there will more who will be resurrected from the dead never to die again.

 

B.   Other passages also promise the resurrection of all (John 5:28-29).

 

Marvel not at this:  for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the grave s shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation.

 

V.        THE RESURRECTION PROVES GOD CANNOT BE DEFEATED

 

A.   Ever since Satan’s fall, he has tried to triumph over God.

1.     The temptation of man in the wilderness

2.    The infiltrating of the world with sin in Noah’s day

3.     The sin in the wilderness wanderings

4.    The idolatry and captivity of Israel

5.    The attempt of Herod on Jesus’ life at his birth

6.    The temptation of Jesus in the wilderness

7.    The crucifixion (Gen. 3:15) 

And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; for it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

 

B.   Satan’s brief victory over Jesus turned to defeat early upon the first day of the week.

1.     Jesus was not dead; He was alive.

2.    The powerful message was:  He is not here, but is risen (Luke 24:6a).

 

C.   NOTE:  If Satan cannot defeat the Christ, surely no man can overcome Him.

 

CONCLUSION

 

A.   Our conversion is tied to the resurrection.

1.     John 11:25b

 

…he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.

 

2.    This is not “faith only” salvation.

a.    We must confess the resurrected Christ (Rom. 10:9-10).

b.    We must come forth from the waters of baptism so we can be in the likeness of His resurrection (Rom. 6:3-5).

 

Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?  Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death:  that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.  For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection.

 

3.     Paul also teaches us that “in Christ” all shall be made alive.

a.    I Corinthians 15:22

 

For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

 

b.    One gets into Christ by being baptized into Him (Gal. 3:26-27).

 

B.   The judgment is also connected to our Lord’s resurrection (Acts 17:30-31).

 

And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:  because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

1.     A day of judgment has been appointed.

2.    How can we be sure of this?  Because Christ has been raised from the dead.  Just as surely as He has been raised is the certainty of the judgment.

3.     Are you ready?