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The Resurrection of Jesus Christ
I. The importance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ
1. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is a core tenet of our faith (1Co 15:1-4).
2. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is a historical fact.
3. The resurrection of Jesus Christ was a fulfillment of prophecy.
4. The resurrection of Jesus Christ was unique.
5. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is crucial for our salvation.
6. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is absolutely critical for our faith to be valid.
7. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the guarantee of our resurrection.
II. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is a historical fact.
1. After Jesus died on the cross, His body was placed in a sepulchre (Act 13:29).
2. The Jews were concerned that the disciples might try to steal His body and claim that He was resurrected (Mat 27:62-64).
A. Pilate told them to set a watch of soldiers to guard the tomb and to seal it as sure as they could (Mat 27:65).
B. They did just that (Mat 27:66).
3. Jesus was resurrected at the end of the third day (Mat 12:40) and two angels came and knocked out the guards and rolled away the stone (Mat 28:1-4).
4. Several eyewitnesses saw the empty tomb, including Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of Jesus, Peter, and John (Mar 16:1-6; Joh 20:1-8).
5. When word got back to the rulers of the Jews, they bribed the soldiers into saying that the disciples came and stole Jesus' body while they slept (Mat 28:11-14).
6. This rumor was widespread among the Jews (Mat 28:15).
7. After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to the 11 apostles and allowed them to touch Him and eat with Him (Luk 24:33-43; Joh 20:19-20,24-29).
8. Jesus spent 40 days on earth after His resurrection before ascending into heaven to sit at the right hand of God (Act 1:3).
9. During that time he was seen by more than 500 eyewitnesses at once, many of whom were still alive when the gospels and the epistles were written (1Co 15:3-8).
10. Most of the apostles died a martyr's death, not denying what they saw with their own eyes (1Jo 1:1-3; 2Pe 1:14-18).
III. The resurrection of Jesus Christ was a fulfillment of prophecy.
1. The resurrection of Christ was prophesied directly.
A. It was written that the Messiah's body would not see corruption (Psa 16:10).
B. Jonah's time in the belly of the whale for three days and three nights was a type of Jesus being buried for three days and three nights (Jon 1:17 c/w Mat 12:40), which demands a resurrection after the three days in the tomb.
2. The resurrection of Christ was also prophesied indirectly.
A. The Messiah was prophesied to be put to death (Isa 53:12) by crucifixion (Psa 22:16; Zec 13:6).
B. But the following facts demand that He would have to be raised from the dead.
i. The Messiah also was prophesied to be established on David's throne forever (2Sa 7:12-16).
ii. He was prophesied to be a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek (Psa 110:1-4).
iii. He was prophesied to be the Everlasting Father (Isa 9:6).
C. If the Messiah was to be put to death by crucifixion, and yet be a king, priest, and Father forever, then He would of necessity have to be resurrected from the dead.
IV. The resurrection of Jesus Christ was unique.
1. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is distinct from all other resurrections which preceded it.
2. There were others who were resurrected both before and after Jesus was, such as:
A. The widow's son whom Elijah resurrected (1Ki 17:17-23).
B. The woman's son whom Elisha resurrected (2Ki 4:32-36).
C. The dead man that touched Elisha's bones in his sepulchre (2Ki 13:21).
D. Lazarus (Joh 11:43-44).
E. The widow's son whom Jesus resurrected (Luk 7:14-15).
F. Tabitha whom Peter resurrected (Act 9:40).
G. But it must be concluded that these all died again.
3. The thing that made Jesus' resurrection different is that He was raised from the dead in a glorified body to die no more (Rom 6:9).
A. Jesus was dead, but lives forevermore (Rev 1:18).
B. Jesus has the power of an endless life (Heb 7:16-17,24).
4. Even though others were resurrected before him, because Jesus was the first to be raised again in a glorified body to die no more, He is said to be the first begotten from the dead (Rev 1:5 c/w Act 13:33-34; Col 1:18; Act 26:23; 1Co 15:20).
V. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is crucial for our salvation.
1. We are justified by Jesus' blood (his death) (Rom 5:9).
A. Justified - Made just or right; made or accounted righteous; warranted; supported by evidence
B. As the definition shows, there are two aspects to justification: effectual justification (being made righteous) and evidential justification (being shown to be righteous).
C. The death of Christ effectually justified the elect, making them righteous.
2. We are also justified by Jesus' resurrection (Rom 4:25).
A. The resurrection of Christ evidentially justified the elect, showing them to be righteous.
B. Christ died because He was made sin for us (2Co 5:21), and the wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23).
C. By His resurrection, Jesus showed that He was righteous because sin and death had no claim on Him (Act 2:24; Rom 6:9).
D. By His resurrection, Jesus also showed that we are righteous and justified (Rom 4:25).
i. Since Jesus was made sin for us (2Co 5:21), if He would have left even one of our sins unpaid for, then He would have remained dead in that grave forever because the wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23).
ii. This is why it is said that if Christ is not raised then we are yet in our sins (1Co 15:17).
3. Christ's death made us righteous, taking away our sins; Christ's resurrection showed us to be righteous, proving that our sins were put away.
VI. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is absolutely critical for our faith to be valid.
1. If Christ was not resurrected then our faith is vain, we are yet in our sins, and we are of all men most miserable (1Co 15:14,17-19).
2. If Christ was not resurrected then the Bible is a lie (1Co 15:15).
3. If Christ was not resurrected, then we serve some dead guy like so many other religions.
VII. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the guarantee of our resurrection.
1. Christ is the firstfruits of those who will be resurrected after Him (1Co 15:20-23).
2. At His second coming, Jesus will resurrect all of His elect and we will ever be with the Lord (1Th 4:16-17).
