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.
Fundamental Necessity of the Resurrection
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,
An Unalterable Divine Mission
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,
Central Element of the Gospel
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,
Legitimacy of Gospel Preaching
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. 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,
The Resurrection Constitutes Full Faith
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,
Soteriological Implications of the Resurrection
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,
Effectual Force Behind Regeneration
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.
Testification of Our Justification
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.
Exemplar of Sanctified Walk
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,
Guarantee of Future Glorification
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.
Christological Implications of 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,
Proof of Coming Judgment
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,
Application
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.
Closing Prayer
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.