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You can turn in your Bibles to 
Luke chapter 24, please. Luke 24. When you get there, you can turn 
to verse 36. Luke chapter 24, verse 36. We are parachuting in about halfway 
through Luke's resurrection account. It's a little over halfway through. 
Jesus has already appeared to those disciples on the way to 
Emmaus. Before that, we read of the account 
similar to this morning of Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary, mother 
of James, and the other women with them who told these things 
to the apostles, these things pertaining to the resurrection 
of the Lord Jesus Christ. We're going to pick up reading 
again in Luke 24 at verse 36. Now, as they said these things, 
Jesus himself stood in the midst of them and said to them, peace 
to you. But they were terrified and frightened and supposed they 
had seen a spirit. And he said to them, why are 
you troubled and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Behold, 
my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Handle me and see 
for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have. When he had said this, he showed 
them his hands and his feet. But while they still did not 
believe for joy and marveled, he said to them, have you any 
food here? So they gave him a piece of broiled 
fish and some honeycomb, and he took it and ate it in their 
presence. Then he said to them, these are 
the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that 
all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law 
of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms concerning me. And 
he opened their understanding that they might comprehend the 
scriptures. Then he said to them, thus it 
is written and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and 
to rise from the dead the third day and that repentance and remission 
of sins should be preached in his name to all nations beginning 
at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these 
things. Behold, I send the promise of my father upon you. But tarry 
in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from 
on high. And he led them out as far as 
Bethany, and he lifted up his hands and blessed them. Now it 
came to pass, while he blessed them, that he was parted from 
them and carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him and returned 
to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple, 
praising and blessing God. Amen." Let's go to the Lord in 
prayer. Heavenly Father, we thank you. 
for this account by the Gospel writer Luke. And we pray that 
you'd help us now as we seek to preach and to understand the 
Scriptures. That you would help us to glory 
in the truths revealed. That you would help us to relish 
in the riches and the excellencies of our risen Christ. And Lord 
God, by virtue of our union with Him, you would help us in this 
lower world to conduct ourselves as blood-bought children of God. 
We just pray now, be with preacher and be with hearer. As we engage 
in this act of worship, the preaching of the word unto the praise of 
your glory, we pray in Christ's name. Amen. Well, we're going 
to continue to look at the rising of the sun again, the S.O.N. sun, our Lord Jesus Christ, the 
son of God. We're going to consider or continue 
our study of this doctrine of the resurrection. We noted this 
morning We noted this morning the historical veracity of the 
resurrection. The resurrection, the bodily 
resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead is most 
certainly an event that took place in time and in history 
as the Bible infallibly sets it forth within its pages. We're going to continue that 
study tonight. by looking at a number of things 
related to the doctrine of the resurrection because of its importance 
to Christianity, because of its significance to our profession 
as Christians, we are going to examine a number of things and 
navigate to the scriptures and through the scriptures to understand 
and to glory in these various things that mark the resurrection's 
significance. First off, we're going to look 
at the fundamental necessity of the resurrection. the fundamental 
necessity of the resurrection, and secondly, the soteriological 
implications of the resurrection. Kids, soteriological means having 
to do with salvation, the study of, the doctrine of salvation. 
What are the implications of Christ's resurrection, or what 
does Christ's resurrection mean for our salvation? But first 
off, the fundamental necessity of the resurrection. When we 
speak of fundamental necessity, we speak of something that is 
necessary, is vital, is very important for and cannot be sacrificed 
for the function of a thing. We are to think of the functional 
necessity of our lungs. We would note that in human biology, 
it is impossible for us to function and to survive and to live without 
lungs. The lungs take in the oxygen 
to nourish our blood and the lungs take away the carbon dioxide 
from the blood, etc. The functional necessity of our 
lungs. We need them. Well, the functional necessity 
of the resurrection to Christianity is seen in a number of ways. 
First off, it was a part of a mission that could not be altered or 
revised. The resurrection is part of a 
mission that cannot and could not be altered or revised. Turn with me to Luke chapter 
nine. Luke chapter nine, verse 22, 
we see the fundamental necessity of the resurrection. In Christ's 
mission, the resurrection being part of that mission that could 
not be altered or revised, notice that verse 20, well, we'll back 
up to verse 18, the context and it happened. as he was alone 
praying, that his disciples joined him. And he asked them, saying, 
who do the crowds say that I am? So they answered and said, John 
the Baptist, but some say Elijah, and others say that one of the 
old prophets has risen again. He said to them, but who do you 
say that I am? Peter answered and said, the 
Christ of God. And he strictly warned and commanded 
them to tell this to no one, saying, the Son of Man must suffer 
many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests 
and scribes, and be killed and be raised the third day. You 
see, Christ's messianic investiture, Christ's mission to come into 
this world is one that was identified by and could not be anything 
other than a perfect life, a sacrificial death, and a glorious resurrection 
three days later. The saving work, the saving work, 
the dying and the rising work of our Lord Jesus Christ was 
not plan B introduced into a time in history by the divine mind 
because a plan A did not work. The work of our Lord Jesus Christ 
was preordained and prearranged and decreed before the foundation 
of the world and brought to bear in time and in history. See, 
there are some in the reformed tradition even, Augustine, And 
some say, even Calvin and others following them, who have taught 
something called the hypothetical necessity with regards to Christ's 
dying work. That there were other modes of 
liberation available to God, but God decreed to save men by 
and through the work of our Lord Jesus Christ. Well, I would side 
with Raymond, Robert Raymond, and others who would argue that 
the absolute necessity. There were no other modes of 
liberation available to God. but rather his saving work and 
the vindication of his perfect attributes are borne out in the 
crucifixion and in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In other words, 
according to God's immutability and the perfection of his character, 
he set out before the foundation of the world to save men infallibly 
by the dying and the rising again. of the Lord Jesus Christ. Again, 
verse 22, the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected 
by the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and 
be raised the third day. We see this upheld in Luke 24 
by the announcing angel. You turn back to Luke 24, the 
absolute necessity of the death and the subsequent resurrection 
of the Lord Jesus Christ. We see in Luke 24 or actually 
Luke 24, sorry, standing down to Luke 24, the Lord Jesus Christ 
in his in his speaking to his gathered disciples before his 
ascension, verse 46, then he said to them, thus it is written, 
and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise 
from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission 
of sins should be preached in his name to all nations beginning 
at Jerusalem. The Lord Jesus Christ was abandoned 
unto and wholly resigned to the performance of his mission. His 
marching orders given to him by the Father, he knew what he 
had to do, and he did it joyfully. Secondly, the resurrection of 
the Lord Jesus Christ, its fundamental necessity, is seen in that it 
is a central, irremovable, non-negotiable element of the gospel. The resurrection of Jesus Christ 
is a central, irremovable, non-negotiable element of the gospel. Remember 
what the gospel is. Remember what the gospel is. The gospel negatively is not 
God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. The gospel 
negatively is not do such and such and thereby have life. The gospel is not 17.5 ways to 
making a better you. The gospel is the death and the 
resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Gospel is He was 
delivered up for our offenses. He was raised for our justification. Again, navigate with me in your 
Bibles this time to 1 Corinthians 15, a wonderful address of Holy 
Scripture for the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and 
its centrality to Gospel definition. 1 Corinthians 15, beginning at 
verse 1. Moreover, brethren, I declare 
to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received 
and in which you stand, by which also you are saved if you hold 
fast that word which I preached to you, unless you believed in 
vain. For I deliver to you, first of 
all, that which I also received, that Christ died for our sins 
according to the Scriptures and that he was buried and that he 
rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. If anyone 
ever asks you, what is the gospel? How do you define the gospel 
of Jesus Christ? You come here and you say this 
is the gospel of Jesus Christ, that Christ died for our sins 
according to the scriptures, that he was buried and that he 
rose again the third day according to the scriptures. Romans 4.25. brings out the historical 
and the necessarily following theological aspect to the gospel. You see, it is the case that 
Christ died, and it is the case that Christ rose again. But the 
gospel also contains the theological commentary on those historical 
events, Romans 4 and verse 25. Speaking of Christ, Paul writes, 
who was delivered up because of our offenses and was raised 
because of our justification. So you see, the resurrection 
of Jesus Christ, as we can see, is always undivorceably, if that's 
a word, attached to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ as something 
vital and irremovable and central and non-negotiable with regards 
to the gospel. The cross and the tomb are inseparable. The cross and the empty tomb 
are inseparable. When we consider the cross, when 
we speak of the apostolic mission in the early church, which abides 
to this day to our church, being we preach Christ crucified, we 
don't think that that somehow excludes the resurrection. Because 
where there is the crucified Christ, there is the resurrected 
Christ. Where there is the resurrected 
Christ, there is the crucified Christ. The cross and the tomb 
are inseparable. The cross and the tomb bring 
the only comfort to sinners that we can have. The cross and the 
empty tomb. Remember, this was Christian's 
profession in that great work by Bunyan, The Pilgrim's Progress. 
This bears much application to us today also, the abiding comfort 
of the cross and the empty tomb as we study the resurrection. 
How far have I come loaded up with sin, Christian says. How far have I come loaded up 
with sin, and nothing could ease the grief that I was in. Till I came here, what a place 
is this. Must here be the beginning of 
my bliss. Must hear this burden fall from 
off my back, the burden of sin. Must hear the chains that tied 
me to it crack. Blessed cross. Blessed tomb. Blessed rather be the man who 
there was put to shame for me. You see, we have come as unbelievers 
to that place at whatever time in our history, in our biography, 
where we had a burden upon our backs, that burden of sin. Chained 
to us, tied to us. But God, in his infinite mercy 
and in his eternal loving kindness, at his appointed and accepted 
time, condescended and punctuated our lives by amazing grace, showed 
us the cross, showed us the glory of the empty tomb, and removed 
that sack from upon our back. Caused us, by that grace, to 
glory in the risen Christ. Why is it? Why is it that as 
Christians we always want to throw that burden back on our 
back? You see, when we slip, when we fall, when we transgress, 
what should be the immediate response is never our immediate 
response. Woe is me. We enter into that 
stage, that time, whether it's a minute, whether it's an hour, 
whether it's a day, whether it's a week, self-loathing, lamentation. You know, we, whether literally 
or figuratively, throw ash and dirt in our soup, in our coffee, 
and self-flagellate ourselves, and do everything other than 
what we should do. See with Christian, the cross 
and the empty tomb, burden rolling off of our back and professing, 
blessed rather be that man who there was put to shame for me. 
We fly immediately to the cross and to the empty tomb. Yea, rather, 
the man who was on that cross and who victoriously marched 
out of that empty tomb and in him find comfort of comforts, 
remedy of remedies. It is a central, irremovable, 
non-negotiable element of the gospel. Third, As such, the legitimacy 
of our preaching depends upon it. The legitimacy of our preaching 
depends upon the resurrection. If there was no resurrection, 
bodily resurrection of Christ from the dead, our preaching 
is in vain. Our proclamation of Christianity 
is in vain. Turn back to First Corinthians 
15, if you will, with me. 1 Corinthians 15, Paul brings this 
out. Remember what Paul is doing here. 
There are those within the church of Corinth who were denying the 
doctrine of the bodily resurrection of the dead. They were denying 
the resurrection and the bodily resurrection for believers. What Paul does here is brilliant. 
He says, well, if Christ hasn't risen again, then, of course, 
we won't rise again. And if Christ has not risen, 
then we are dead in our trespasses and our sins. Our faith is empty 
in vain and our preaching is empty. And it is in vain. Notice 
verse 12. Now, if Christ is preached that 
he has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that 
there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection 
of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, 
then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. I think this tells something, 
obviously, about the importance of the resurrection. You see, 
Christ's bodily rising again, rising again the third day, his 
bodily resurrection serves as the efficacy and the weight and 
the power behind the Christian proclamation since that historical 
event. Our preaching is full because 
of a risen Savior who truly and historically did, after being 
crucified, rise again the third day. Doesn't this also tell us 
something about preaching in the ancient church, about preaching 
in the ancient church. Preaching in the ancient church 
had to do with a resurrected society. How far have we come 
in the modern church from that ancient church where Christ was 
resurrected, when sermons can be preached age upon age with 
no gospel content? Not every Christian church. You 
hear the reports. Reports are legitimate. Jesus 
Christ of Holy Scripture, to a large degree in modern Christendom, 
is not preached. If Christ is preached at all, 
but if Christ isn't preached, it's moralism. It's feeling good 
about ourselves. It's what to do with spiritual 
ambiguous propositions set before a congregation. But you see, 
in the early church, preaching was full because they preached 
the resurrected Messiah. They preached the forgiveness 
of sins by a crucified and risen again glorious King. The preaching 
of the ancient church had to do with a resurrected Savior. Our preaching, or the legitimacy 
of our preaching, depends upon the resurrection of Jesus Christ 
from the dead. Fourth, as such, believing it 
is necessary for salvation. Believing it is necessary for 
salvation. Of course, if it is central to 
the gospel and if our preaching is empty and vain without it, 
then it must needs be necessary for salvation. Turn with me to 
Romans chapter 10, Romans chapter 10, where we see the necessity 
of believing in the biblical account of the resurrection in 
order to be saved. There are none who can claim 
on that great day entered into the presence of the Lord Jesus 
Christ without having professed belief in the risen Christ. Belief in the bodily resurrection 
of the dead is necessary for salvation. Notice at Romans And 
we'll begin reading at verse six. Verse five. But for Moses 
writes about the righteousness which is of the law. The man 
who does those things shall live by them. But the righteousness 
of faith speaks in this way. Do not say in your heart, who 
will ascend into heaven? That is, to bring Christ down 
from above. Or who will descend into the 
abyss? That is, to bring Christ up from the dead. But what does 
it say? The word is near you in your 
mouth and in your heart. That is the word of faith which 
we preach. Now notice verse 9, that if you 
confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart 
that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. The only way to the presence 
of the Father, the only way to enter into eternity, to that 
glorious paradise, is through the Lord Jesus Christ. There 
is no second way. There is no third way. There 
is no fourth way. There is no religious plurality. There is one and only way. I 
am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father 
but by me. And those who come to the Father 
by Christ believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. They confess with 
their mouths the Lord Jesus and with their heart they believe 
that God raised him from the dead. The fundamental necessity 
of the resurrection is seen in that believing in it is necessary 
for salvation. Fifthly, it constitutes our faith 
as full. We saw that in First Corinthians 
15. It constitutes our faith as full. It is an empty faith. It is a vacant faith where there 
is no resurrected Messiah. See, these liberal Christians 
These neo-Orthodox Christians at the outset of the 20th century 
tried to say, really argue that there was no resurrection. But 
the biblical accounts in their allegory and in their setting 
forth of this fictional resurrection of Jesus Christ, sort of a symbolic 
resurrection, we can latch on to that in our own lives and 
have some sort of mystical, you know, it's just hogwash. Jesus 
Christ was risen from the dead as the scriptures promised, as 
he promised must happen, and as the scriptures record did 
happen. Three days after his crucifixion, 
he rose in great glory and in great victory. And it constitutes, 
that constitutes our faith as full, as useful, as effectual, 
as complete, as real. The legitimacy and the vindication 
of our faith is seen in the historical veracity of the resurrection. Secondly, Lynn, we looked at 
the fundamental necessity of the resurrection. We now look 
at the soteriological implications of the resurrection. Again, let's 
define that. Soteriology. has to do with the 
study of or the doctrine of salvation. So the salvation implications 
of the resurrection. What does Jesus Christ rising 
bodily from the dead mean to us in our and our salvation and 
our Christian law? Well, first off, it is observed 
as the effectual force behind our new birth or our regeneration. The resurrection of Jesus Christ 
is observed as the effectual force behind our new birth or 
our regeneration. You can turn to first Peter as 
you're turning there. It's of important note that the 
language of resurrection is used with regards to our being saved, 
to our being born again in the gospel of John and chapter five. 
Let's turn to first Peter as we see Soteriological implication 
of the resurrection being first that it's observed as the effectual 
force behind our new birth. First Peter, chapter one, beginning 
at verse three. Blessed be the God and father 
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, according to his abundant mercy, 
has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection 
of Jesus Christ from the dead. See, Peter couldn't be any more 
clear. Issuing by virtue of a doxology 
or by way of a doxology, a praise to God that our very regeneration, 
our very new birth, our having been born again, gains its efficacy 
through and by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. This language throughout these 
three verses is absolutely glorious. Notice that salvation is according 
to God's abundant mercy, not according to the exercise of 
our free will, not according to the exercise of the faculties 
of our mind, not according to the goodness that we conjured 
up in some sort of innate and natural faith, but according 
to his abundant mercy, he has begotten us again. And notice 
it's to a living hope. It is to a living hope. We don't 
have a wavering hope as Christians. We don't have a hope that is 
subject to decay and corruption as Christians. We don't have 
a hope as the world has hope. Oh, I really hope the Canucks 
win the Stanley Cup. I've come to the conclusion that 
it probably never will happen. But you see, I have and I rest 
certain and real hope upon divine things. That is where we can 
have a true and a lively and a living hope in the promises 
of Holy Scripture attached to the risen and victorious King. 
You see, we have a living hope. It cannot be taken away. It cannot 
be snatched away. It is perpetual. It is abiding. It is continual. And it is through 
the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Our having been 
born again, our having been brought forward by the word of truth, 
are having been brought from deadness to life is by virtue 
the efficacy of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from 
the dead. Secondly, it is the resurrection. It is acknowledged as the testification 
of our justification. It is acknowledged as the testification 
of our justification. Remember the language of Romans 
4.25. He was, Christ was, delivered up for our offenses. He was raised 
for our justification. Now, you may have asked yourself 
in hearing that verse and in reading that verse, well, it 
seems strange language because we read elsewhere in the Scriptures 
that we're justified by faith. We see in Romans 5, 1, you know, 
therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with 
God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We also read in the scriptures 
that we're justified by grace. Romans 4, we read in the scriptures 
that we're justified by his blood. And we read in Romans chapter 
4, verse 25, that we're justified by his resurrection. So what 
does this mean? Well, we need to understand the 
overriding theological undergirding principle is that we're justified 
by God. We're justified by God by virtue 
of Christ's perfect life and perfect death, imputed to us 
and received by faith alone. But you see, when we read the 
language of justified by faith, justified by grace, justified 
by blood, well, that all makes sense because we can understand 
that by faith we lay hold of the truth of Christ and we hold 
on to that imputed righteousness that God gives us. It comes by 
grace. It's not earned. It's not merited. 
It comes by sovereign and victorious and amazing grace. We're justified 
by blood. That makes sense because when 
Christ spilled his precious blood, that served as he was bearing 
the penal sanctions of God the Father that was due to us for 
the transgression of his holy law. He is the blood bearing 
sacrifice. We come to Romans 4 25. What 
does it mean that he was raised for our justification? We see 
John Gill points out and other theologians also that that doesn't 
mean that his resurrection serves as the grounds of our being declared 
righteous in God's sight. But rather, John Gill uses the 
language of testification. It has to do with a legal verification, 
a legal vindication, a legal bearing out that the sacrifice 
that was rendered is legitimate and accepted before God as wholly 
acceptable in his sight. So you see, the very fact that 
Jesus rose from the dead, it is a vindication of Christ's 
saving work. His promise to save his people 
perfectly by his rendered sacrifice is accepted in God's sight as 
legitimate. And his rising from the dead 
serves as the testification, the legal evidence, the legal 
witness saying that his dying and perfect work was acceptable 
for God. It is acknowledged the resurrection 
as the testification of our justification. And Paul, I mean, this is what 
Paul has in mind, this theology in First Corinthians 15, when 
he speaks or when he writes, rather, these words. Verse 17, and if Christ is not 
risen, your faith is futile, you are still in your sin. You see, if Christ Jesus is still 
in a tomb to this day and his body is not raised from the dead, 
then our faith is futile, our preaching is empty, and we are 
still dead in our transgressions and in our sins. But you see, 
verse 20, but now Christ is risen from the dead and has become 
the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. Blessed truth, 
we are in Christ Jesus, the penal liability of our transgressions 
against the divine and triune magistrate are canceled away 
by his perfect dying and rising again. Thirdly, the resurrection. It is the exemplar of our sanctified 
walk. It is the exemplar of our sanctified 
walk. Exemplar simply means something 
that serves as an example for. Verse 1 to verse 4 of Romans 
6, if you'd like to turn there and read this with me. Romans 
6, beginning at verse 1. What shall we say then? Shall 
we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not. How 
shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not 
know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus, were 
baptized into his death. Therefore, we were buried with 
him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised 
from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should 
walk in newness of life." See, this points back, in a sense, 
to our regeneration. We're dead in our trespasses 
and in our sins. Totally depraved. wholly ensnared 
by our nature and our ethical predisposition, which is always 
and constantly opposed to the living and true God. But God, 
in that appointed and accepted time, calls us from deadness 
in sin to life in the Lord Jesus Christ. We have renewed minds, 
renewed hearts, renewed faculties, and now we seek to joyfully adhere 
to and to obey the divine precepts of the magistrate, of our divine 
magistrate. Even so, just as Christ was raised 
from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should 
walk in newness of life. The resurrection of our Lord 
Jesus Christ bodily serves as the exemplar and the efficacy 
and power to be sure for our sanctified walk. Fourthly, and 
finally, under the soteriological implications of the resurrection, 
It is a guarantee of our future glorification. It is a guarantee 
of our future glorification. Back to 1 Corinthians 15. You 
see, if Christ isn't risen from the dead, then we certainly won't 
be raised. We certainly won't be raised. 
We certainly won't enter into that eternal state of bliss with 
the triune God, His saints, and His elect angels. But Christ 
is risen, verse 20 of 1 Corinthians 15 says, from the dead, and has 
become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since 
by man came death, by man also came the resurrection of the 
dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be 
made alive." Isn't that glorious? We will follow that first one, 
that forerunner, the Lord Jesus Christ, who was ordained to be 
the first born again from the dead. We will follow after our 
glorious God, the son, our glorious master, he is has become the 
first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. John, in his first 
epistle, says that we will be with him and see him as he is, 
for we will be like him. He's not saying there that we'll 
be gods. He's not saying there that we'll 
somehow bear the attributes of deity. What he's saying is that, 
as promised, we will be risen again by the power of God, and 
we will enter into that glorious Immanuel's land where we will 
be like him in his glorified body. be able to cast our eyes 
upon our glorious, redeeming King, and see the print of the 
nails, and see the mark of the spear, and see the print of the 
nails in the feet also, and say, our reigning King, glory be to 
Him, all majesty and honor. Well, just before we close, in 
prayer, Some extra notes here with regards to more implications 
on the resurrection. There are Christological implications 
of the resurrection. Christological. We had soteriological 
of or pertaining to the doctrine and study of salvation. We have 
Christological, the study of Christ, the doctrine of Christ. Isn't that a glorious illogical 
to have in our vocabulary, a study of Christ? the doctrine of Jesus. We as Christians, renewed by 
the power of the Holy Spirit, get to grab our Bibles and open 
up and read of our blessed Messiah, our blessed Savior, our blessed 
reigning King. Christology is a word that ought 
to run off of our lips with great joy flowing from our renewed 
and Protestant vocabulary. Christological implications of 
the resurrection. First, the resurrection upholds 
the full humanity of Christ. The resurrection upholds the 
full humanity of Christ. We looked at that in the book 
of Luke. You see, Jesus Christ didn't 
just come in the likeness of man as a spirit being bearing 
some sort of projected attributes of mankind, but rather he was 
flesh and blood. just as they were, he says, before 
them in his resurrected body. To prove this, he says, touch 
me, handle me, touch and see that it is I myself. He goes 
beyond that and he eats broiled fish and honeycomb. You see, 
there was an error in the first century, probably not as prominent 
today, but all of those errors are still around to some degree 
and to some level. But John is dealing with, in 
his epistolary writings, He's dealing with a Christological 
error that said Christ did not come in the flesh. In fact, he 
says he is antichrist who says that Jesus Christ did not come 
in the flesh. But Jesus did come in the flesh, 
Jesus we uphold as Christians, Christ's full humanity and the 
early church fought hard and tough battles to maintain the 
full humanity of Christ, his full deity and his full humanity. Second, the resurrection vindicates 
Christ in his prophetic office. The Son of Man must go to Jerusalem. He must be delivered up into 
the hands of wicked men. He must be crucified, and he 
must rise again the third day. The resurrection vindicates Christ 
in his prophetic office. Thirdly, the resurrection substantiates 
Christ's ethical perfection. The thief confesses this. before 
his resurrection at the cross. Peter confesses this after the 
resurrection. He says there was no guile of 
tongue to be found with him. When he was reviled, he did not 
revile in return. He was the unblemished, perfect 
Lamb of God without spot and without wrinkle. Fourthly, the 
resurrection exhibits the exaltation of Christ. We see this in Philippians 
2, verses 5-11. After we read of Christ being 
obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross, 
we find that glorious. Therefore, therefore, God has 
highly exalted him and given him the name which is above every 
name. King of kings and Lord of lords. 
The resurrection exhibits the exaltation of Christ. And lastly 
and fifthly, the resurrection is proof of coming judgment. 
The resurrection is proof of coming judgment. And if you're 
here tonight outside of Christ, that ought to be a terrible prospect 
to you. You see, the early opposers of 
Christianity and the enemies of God in the early church, in 
the biblical narratives, fought hard to quell and to squash the 
reigning tyranny, if you will, of Christian truth that was brought 
before them. They wanted to put to death anyone 
propagating and preaching this Jesus Christ, because what was 
preached in their message was a risen Christ that God had raised 
to testify to the fact that there is a day set aside where he will 
judge the earth, where he will judge those who have transgressed 
against his holy law and rejected the son of his love. You see, 
in Acts 17, we read this, Acts 17, verse 30, truly, Paul bringing 
to end his sermon, the Areopagus. Truly, these times of ignorance 
God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent. 
Because he has appointed a day on which he will judge the world 
in righteousness by the man whom he has ordained, notice he has 
given assurance of this to all by raising him from the dead. The risen Savior, our Lord Jesus 
Christ, to the Christian is comfort of comforts. Victor of victor. Remedy of remedies. Lord of lords. 
King of kings. But you see, to those outside 
of Christ, he ought to be terrible to you. Terrible if you draw 
your last breath having not believed. If you draw your last breath 
having not finished and closed with Christ as your all in all. Because you will be like those 
gathered before the judgment in the first century who called 
upon the rocks and the trees to hide them from the wrath of 
the Lamb. Those unbelieving Jews who were 
destroyed by God's conquering army, the Roman conquerors, they 
called on the rocks and the trees to hide them from the wrath of 
the Lamb. It will be worse than that on 
that great day of judgment. Don't be those who call upon 
the rocks and the trees to hide them, but rather be found safely 
hidden in Christ. having believed, having rested 
upon the crucified and resurrected Messiah. Well, in closing, brethren, 
we need to be filled. We need to be familiar with the 
resurrection of Jesus Christ. We need to be familiar with the 
resurrection of Jesus Christ. What do I mean by that? I mean, 
we ought to daily call this glorious truth to memory, shouldn't we? 
Spurgeon, in his preaching on the Lord's Supper, As often as 
you do this, do this in remembrance of me. He preached on that last 
statement of Paul, Paul quoting Jesus, of course. Do this in 
remembrance of me. We are as Christians to be those 
who remember the Savior. You see, as we go through our 
daily drudgery, our daily, you know, plodding through this lower 
world, There is no greater comfort than the Lord Jesus Christ, crucified, 
risen again for the salvation of his people. No greater comfort. 
Why do we go everywhere else for comfort? Why do we go everywhere 
else for solace and peace and a balm to our sicknesses, whether 
physical or spiritual? We go to Christ, crucified, raised 
again. We go to Christ, crucified, raised 
again. Be familiar with the resurrection. 
It is central to our faith. With it is the certain reality 
that our sins are forgiven. The certain reality that our 
sins are forgiven. Not in part, but the whole. Not in part, but the whole. You 
see, all of the penal liability for our transgressions against 
our great God are taken away by the crucified Savior. And 
that's vindicated by his rising again the third day, great victory 
and power. And it is seen as the fount of 
salvific blessings. Regeneration, what do we have 
behind that? A crucified and a risen again 
Messiah. Justification, what do we have 
behind that? A crucified and a risen again 
Messiah. Sanctification, glorification, 
crucified and resurrected Messiah. Let us be familiar with the resurrection 
as Christians and greatly rejoice in it, constantly calling it 
back to memory. as that bomb, as that thing that 
brings peace to our troubled and tried souls. Let us pray. 
Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for the truth of the 
resurrection. We thank you, Lord God, that 
verily and truly our Lord Jesus Christ did most certainly rise 
again the third day. We thank you so much for his 
saving work upon the cross that he was buried again and rose 
the third day according to the scriptures. We do pray that this 
would be a truth that we rest upon often, that we find our 
minds resting upon often, that we would think upon our crucified 
and resurrected Savior, that we would find in him our all 
in all. Lord God, that you would just 
help us to daily reflect upon these glorious truths. We ask, 
Lord God, that you'd go with us in this upcoming week, help 
us today after day grow in the grace and in the knowledge of 
Jesus Christ, our blessed Savior. Help us, Lord God, to find many 
opportunities to speak to others of the glories of Jesus, of his 
perfect cross work upon Calvary's tree and of that glorious rising 
again the third day for the sins of all whom you have given to 
him. And we just pray now that you would go with each and every 
one of these, tend to bodily infirmity, lift up in the inner 
man, Lord God, and We just pray that we would, in this lower 
world, bring you honor, bring you praise, and bring you glory. 
We ask in Jesus Christ's name. Amen.