History's Pivotal Moment - Resurrection

Well, today we come to our last in this series of the essentials

of faith.

And I hope it's been helpful to you.

It's been helpful to me to study and to go back to the essentials.

I mean, some of you are athletes, and, you know, sometimes

it's important as an athlete to go back to the.

Basics of football or soccer or basketball, whatever it is.

If you're an artist, it's important to go back to the basics.

If you're a scientist, it's important to.

Never lose sight of the basics.

Whatever we do, going back to the core is often so important.

And so that's what we've done this semester.

And I pray that's been helpful to look at these essentials of faith.

And today we come to the resurrection, which puts it all together

in one spot.

Everything we talked about this whole semester is only possible

because of the resurrection of Jesus.

Jesus being crucified and raised from the dead is what makes

all the rest of it come to reality.

The goodness of God come to us.

The invitation to heaven, the release of sin from our lives because

of grace, the truth that God gives us that we know is true because

he is God building character in our life because the Holy Spirit

has come, and the love that we can have, and understanding the sovereignty

of God and then the purpose for our life, all of it comes together

in the resurrection.

And so it really brings to even tighter focus this question

or quote we've been looking at from C.S.

Lewis each week that says Christianity, if false, false is

of no importance.

And if true is of infinite importance, the only thing it cannot

be is moderately important.

You see, Christianity is an all or nothing thing.

And that's where most people get in trouble with their faith.

They want to take parts of it, they want to follow aspects of it

that they like, but they don't realize it's an all or nothing commitment.

And when you understand the infinite importance of Christianity,

then you can begin to accept the fullness of God's teaching through

the scripture.

And so I think there's a quote from Tim Keller that even puts this

a little bit stronger in a way that I think is helpful.

He said if Jesus rose from the dead, then you have to accept all

that he said.

If he didn't rise from the dead, then why worry about any of

what he said?

The issue on which everything hangs is not whether or not you like

his teaching, but whether or not he rose from the dead.

If he didn't rise from the dead, he must have been mentally

ill. That's the only conclusion you can come to.

Cause he said he was God.

And if he said he's God and he's not God, then he may have been

some savant that had nice teaching, that's helpful.

But he was mentally ill.

If he was God and he said he was God, then that changes everything.

And this is the central question of our faith.

Was Jesus God or was he not?

What Jesus taught is a life of.

Love and of purpose and of meaning and relationships.

And his teaching is so rich and deep and transformative.

But he claims so much more than just that.

He claimed he was God.

He said Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life.

He who believes in me will not live even if will live, even if he

dies.

And everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.

Do you believe this?

If he wasn't raised from the dead,.

Then his life was a fraud and it really doesn't matter what he

taught.

I mean, you can take it and that's fine, but it's kind of a self

help book.

That's all the Bible is.

If he didn't raise from the dead, it's just a nice self help

book along with a whole bunch of others.

But if he rose from the dead, it changes everything.

If he rose from the dead, then he is God as he said he was.

And everything he said cannot be ignored.

If that was really God come to earth to walk among people and to

teach and to preach and also give.

His life as a sacrifice for us.

If he really was God, he came to earth as the son of God and he

had power over everything.

If he really was God, he came to earth as the Messiah, the Savior,

the one who would be the ultimate.

Sacrifice for our sins.

See, our whole faith is founded on whether or not this is

true.

And if it's true, it makes all.

The difference in the world.

The resurrection of Jesus actually happened.

It actually happened.

It is a statement of fact.

And I want to talk to you about the facts that prove it happened.

And then answer the question, what difference does it make?

But first I want to give you four reasons.

Four reasons why we know for sure.

That it actually happened.

Four facts.

The first where's the proof?

Bible eyewitnesses.

We have four gospels.

Four gospels were written by four different people who walked

and talked and lived with Jesus.

Those four men who had very different perspectives because of

the way they were raised, the way they were trained, their education,

even their relationship with Jesus was all a little bit different.

And in those four gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke and John we

have stories from their life together during those three years.

And in some of those gospels, we have one story, and in another

gospel, two of them might cover the same story.

In one gospel, one covers it in great detail, the other one just

barely talks about it.

Some ignore some stories that others covered, they're not the same

at all, except they're telling the same story of Jesus.

Except when it comes to the resurrection, when it comes to the

death of Christ on a cross and him rising from the dead, they all

tell that same story.

Now, they don't tell it exactly the same because, see, they

had different perspectives, they had different experiences.

Like if you and I, I mean, if I ask you to write about this chapel,

and you'd probably all write about it a little bit differently

because your perspective's differently because of your background

and your history and your education and where you are in your

life and whatever it might be.

So you'd all experience the same thing, but how you would write

it would be a little bit different.

Well, that's what they did.

How they wrote it was a little bit different.

But you see, the resurrection changed everything.

And the resurrection was so important that they were going to

dramatically changed their lives, risked their lives over this

fact that Jesus rose from the dead.

So if they made it up, if they made it up, why wouldn't they.

Get their stories exactly the same?

Why wouldn't they get their stories exactly the same?

So nobody would question it because they didn't make it up, because

it was.

Real and they reflected it from their.

Perspective and their experience.

So we know that for all of them, this was a pivotal event.

Because this is about the only thing that all four of those gospels

include.

They all explain it differently.

But here's one other really important proof of why we know it's

true.

The reason we know now that proof of why we know it's true is

the stories tell about Mary Magdalene and the women coming to

Jesus tomb.

After.

He died on Sunday morning.

They were the first ones to come to the tomb.

They were there and we'll talk about it here in a minute, about

to treat the body.

But women in those days were not a credible witness.

Doesn't seem possible to us now, but.

In biblical times, they were not a credible witness.

If you had a law case in those times, you wouldn't ever bring a

woman to defend you because her story wouldn't matter.

It was insignificant because that's how the culture was built.

So if this story was made up by these Gospel writers, why in the

world would they Say that women were the first ones to come

to the tomb.

It was like they discredited the whole thing.

But that's what they put in because.

It was true, because that's what actually happened.

So we know from the people who.

Were there the account of what happened.

And there's more than enough evidence to.

Say there's no way they made it up.

There's no way they made it up, or they wouldn't have written

it that way if they had.

Well, secondly, we had the empty tomb.

We had the empty tomb with the stone rolled away.

It was a remarkable Sunday morning.

Mary Magdalene and the other women went to that tomb to treat

the body.

You see, Jesus died on Friday.

He was crucified on Friday at noon.

And by the time he died at 3 o', clock, it was getting close to

sundown, which was the start of the Sabbath.

And on the Sabbath, for a good Jewish person, you didn't do any

work.

It didn't matter how important it was, you didn't do any work starting

then.

Until through Saturday night, because that was their Sabbath beginning

on Friday evening.

And so they took the body quickly after that.

He died on the cross and they took him to this tomb and they put

him in there, thinking they would come back Monday and treat

the body in the way that culture treated a dead body at that

point, with spices and wrappings and cleaning it up.

I'm sure it was.

I mean, it was a bloody, messy, horrible death.

And I'm sure the body was just a mess and they wanted to clean that

up because that would be the.

Proper way to treat someone who died.

So they came back on Sunday morning with all the stuff to do

that.

Well, the Romans had heard this rumor that Jesus was going to

be God and raised from the dead.

And they didn't want that to happen because that would be a threat

to their power.

And so when they put him in the tomb, they put guards in front

of that tomb and they took a huge stone and they rolled it in

front of that tomb and then they put the seal on the tomb, which

means that seal can't be broken because that's an official

government seal.

And to do that was probably a death penalty.

So they put all that there and told the guards, no matter what happens,

don't let anybody come and steal this body.

Cause if they come and steal that body, they're going to save

Rose from the dead and then they're going to take away our power.

You can't allow that to happen.

So that's the scenario of what was going on.

And in that morning, here they come to treat the body, to ask those

guards if they would roll the stone back so they could get to this.

Body of Jesus that was now dead.

And instead what they found was the.

Stone had been rolled away.

These were big round stones.

That's the way they did them.

They'd roll them in front of the tomb.

They rolled that stone away and inside the tomb was an angel.

And he said, he's not here, he's.

Risen, as he said.

Now the really interesting thing about the empty tomb is the

angel didn't roll away the stone so Jesus could get out.

Because we have accounts later on where.

Jesus would appear in rooms in his transformative state of eternal

Satan.

So we know he didn't need that stone rolled out so he could get

out.

The stone was rolled away so we.

Could see in, so we could see.

Clearly that Jesus rose from the grave.

And the angel was there to tell them the news.

So we have the empty tomb.

The third thing we have is a post resurrection appearance, a number

of post resurrection appearances right after this happened.

He first appeared to Mary Magdalene and the other women and

he told them, go tell the disciples.

And they ran off to tell the disciples.

And then Jesus appeared to the disciples.

Thomas wasn't with them at the time.

We don't know where he was.

But when they came back, Thomas said, well, I don't believe

it.

And Jesus appeared to him and he let him touch the wounds in his.

Hands to see it really was him.

Over those next 40 days after Jesus rose from the grave, he appeared

to over 500 people.

And they all told everybody they knew.

So this wasn't some secret.

This wasn't something that you could have made up unless promise

everybody to keep the secret.

Okay, we're going to have 500 people say they see Jesus and all

keep the secret.

Nobody tell.

Because if you do, it's going to ruin what we're going to try and

do.

To tell the story of him being the Messiah.

It wouldn't happen.

Y' all can't keep a secret from here to the end of the sidewalk.

Nobody can.

Secrets are told.

Nobody could keep that as a secret if it wasn't true.

It's impossible, impossible.

So we know by the post resurrection.

Appearances to so many people that this really was true.

And then fourthly, we have the transformation of the disciples.

Complete transformation of the disciples.

These were guys who were still fighting about who was going to sit

in the right hand and sit in the left hand when they went to heaven.

They were Talking about the trivial stuff.

And then when the pressure got on, I mean, you remember when Jesus

was arrested and during that weekend, Peter denied him three times.

The disciples ran away.

Those disciples knew he was being crucified.

They watched it, but they weren't close because they were afraid

they were going to be next.

And there was a real possibility they were going to be

next.

So they had a real fear.

So they were running away from a distance.

They were staying away from a distance.

And when he died, they went and hid together in a room because

they were afraid what was going to happen to them.

And Jesus appears multiple times to them over those 40 days

following.

And as Jesus appeared, they realized it was true.

He did rise from the.

They saw him die, dead, totally dead on that cross.

They saw him die, and now they saw him alive.

And it transformed them so much that.

They were bold enough to begin to tell the story and to claim he

was the Messiah and really give up.

Their life for it.

Obviously, we don't have it in the.

Scripture because the scripture doesn't carry on that far.

But legend and other historical documents tell.

Us every one of those disciples is.

Eventually persecuted for their faith.

Well, why would you go from guys who were selfish, guys who were

picky with each other, guys who didn't really.

Get it all the way, even though.

They lived with him, to this kind of transformation that you would

give up your life for this idea if it was made up?

It wasn't made up.

It was real.

And it's just as real now as it was for them then.

So the resurrection of Jesus is the.

Pivotal moment of history.

You see all that's in the Old Testament.

If you read the Old Testament in a fresh way.

Somebody told me last week, she told me, she said, you know,

I learned to read the Old Testament looking for Jesus in it.

And it's all through there.

And it is.

All the Old Testament was leading up to Jesus and the resurrection

and everything after that is about Jesus and the resurrection.

All of it is about the resurrection of Christ, who died,

actually physically died, and rose from the grave after being.

A sacrifice for sin.

So what does the resurrection do for us?

What does the resurrection of Christ do for us?

It didn't simply start a new religion.

It didn't simply start a new ethic.

It started a new creation in us because we are forgiven by grace

because of his sacrifice.

So what did it do for us?

Let me give you four ideas.

The first one is we have victory over evil and death.

We have victory over evil and death.

The cost of evil that evil brings is death, physical death or

separation from God.

We've talked many times this semester how God is, is holy and

perfect and we are sinful, we can't be in the presence of God.

So there is a separation, a death of soul, if we are not reconnected

to God.

Romans 6 says the wages of sin is death, because corruption kills

eventually.

And the power of evil was not controlled.

When Jesus rose from the dead, he.

Gave us victory over death.

In that moment.

And he also promised eternal life for.

Us, not just for him.

Of course, he was going to be raised from the dead.

And they saw that.

And he was in a transformed body and position to prepare to go

to heaven.

But it was also promise of victory over death for us as well.

Because that same week, the week all this happened, and he was

killed.

The beginning of that week, he went to Lazarus house because Lazarus

had died.

And in that we have this response of Jesus to the death of

Lazarus and said Jesus wept.

His friend Lazarus had died.

But why did he cry?

Because he was angry over death that evil brings to our world.

He was sad for the family.

We cry about death, and we should, because there are people

we love and that we lose.

And we don't have them in our life in the same way.

But as Christians, we also have a promise of a reality of eternal

life.

And in the resurrection, we know that reality is there because

Jesus brought victory.

Over evil and death for him.

And he does for us as well.

Secondly, we have hope restored.

We have hope restored because Jesus took our sin as a sacrifice

on himself.

So that we don't die in sin, but we can live with him in eternity.

He restored us wholly to God.

We're no longer separated from God because Jesus gives us forgiveness

through his grace.

Not that we earn, but totally through his grace in that we can

be restored with God.

Romans 5 said, While we were still sinners, he was willing to

do this for us.

Jesus didn't say, well, if you all get your act together and you

be good and you do the right stuff, then I'll die from the cross

for you.

No, it says while we were still sinners, he was willing to

do this.

And he broke the chains of sin and he gave us the reality of eternal

life.

Eternal life.

And that is a critical part of our lives today.

Because I'll tell you this.

Can I talk real slight to you?

I'll tell you this.

If this life is all there is, it's way too short.

It's way too short.

I got a few years on You, I'll probably be in heaven foremost to.

You, not all of you.

I hate to tell you because I've had too many students die through

the years ahead of me, but for most, I will be.

But I tell you, life's just too short.

If this was.

Wasn't enough,.

That's why the reality of eternal life is so important to us

and how we get the most from this life to worship and honor the

one who's promised us eternity.

The Christian life is this life, but it's also eternal life.

It's not wishful thinking.

It's not.

I sure hope there's more.

After this I'm going to die, but I sure hope there's more.

No, we know for sure there's more.

Because Jesus rose from the dead and.

He cried over Lazarus and brought him back to life as well.

We have hope restored because of the resurrection.

Thirdly, we have received unlimited love because of the resurrection.

Jesus, willing to die for us, shows us the length that he will

go to to love us.

That much.

You know, it does raise the question though.

Why did Jesus have to die?

Couldn't they have done it some other way?

Well, he took on our punishment.

And all through the Old Testament, again leading up to Christ,

it was a blood sacrifice that was the way to be restored back to

God.

And so this blood sacrifice, God put into the system of redemption.

And Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice.

But there's a reason for that.

We'll get to it in a second.

Secondly, there's this battle of spiritual forces and evil forces,

and that battle goes on around us far more than we ever know.

And Jesus on the cross was in.

The crux of that battle.

And then thirdly, it proved he was God.

When he actually died in a public way, everybody knew he died.

And then he actually rose from the grave and he was alive.

That's when everything changed.

Maybe, you know, God could have said, well, you just kind of

go do your thing on earth and after that you'll kind of ascend

into heaven and just go away.

And if it had, people wouldn't have.

They would have said, well, that was made up, or that was some

kind of trick or some kind of whatever.

No, they had to actually see him die on a cross, cross, a sacrifice.

They had to see the blood run.

Out of him and the breath come out of him.

So he died and then he rose from the grave.

And that's why God built this system on a blood sacrifice, all

for the moment when Jesus would be the sacrifice.

Because if he didn't die, they never.

Would have given their lives for the transformation he could bring

because they wouldn't be sure that what happened after that was

real.

It was very, very real.

But how much Jesus loves us is shown on that cross that he's willing.

To die for his children.

You know, I got two kids I love to death.

If somebody walked into my house with a gun and said, I'm going

to either kill you or I'm going to kill your kids, I wouldn't

have to.

Think one half second about that decision.

Put the bullet right there.

I'm good.

That's what Jesus did.

I love you that much that I will die for you.

Unlimited love.

And then fourthly, our lives are transformed.

The resurrection is not just a historical event or a past event.

The one who gave his life to transform your life and mine transforms

you today.

You see, we can't just take the parts of what Jesus said that

we like.

We can't just take the parts that are easy because he really was

God.

And if he really was God, which I think I've proven to you

and show you what differences it makes, you got to take the whole

of what he said.

And sometimes it's hard, and sometimes it goes against the grain

of what we want.

And sometimes it calls us to obedience.

That's not comfortable for us.

But he wants the best for us.

So why would he instruct us when he loves us so much to do.

Something that would be bad for us?

He never would.

So what he guides us to do.

Is what brings us the most out of life.

Jesus offers us the restoration with God.

And then he said in those 40.

Days, at the end of that, he.

Said, I need to go now so that the Holy Spirit will come.

You see, Jesus went to heaven, and then God in the Holy Spirit,

the third part of the Trinity, which was just as much God as God

is or Jesus is, came and lives among us.

And so that conviction you feel at times, that's the Holy Spirit,

that guidance you feel at times, that's the Holy Spirit.

That's God living among us and in us.

We can have transformed lives because God is here.

Because Jesus gave his life as a sacrifice, rose from the dead,

and that allowed the Holy Spirit to come and live among his

people because we're redeemed.

Remember Jesus, you can't be with God if you're not pure.

And none of us are pure.

So how do you get with God in the Holy Spirit?

Only because of the sacrifice of Jesus.

And his grace, does the resurrection matter?

It's all that matters.

Nothing else matters without it.

Scripture says for God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the

offering for our sins so that we could be made right with God through

Christ.

In second Corinthians,.

It was the only way.

The death and the resurrection was the only way God could defeat

the powers of evil and establish his kingdom and restore

his creation and prove that he was God and offer healing and forgiveness.

To those he loves.

That's why the resurrection is a centerpiece of everything of our

faith.

Essentials of faith.

Everything we talked about comes down to the resurrection, if

you will grasp the reality of that and it changes everything in

your faith and your life.

Let's pray together.

Thanks to the Lord for your gift, which is hard for us to comprehend.

The magnitude of your death and resurrection.

Because you love us so much.

Help us to worship you because of your sacrifice.

Help us to thank you because of your grace, and help us to live

in your grace and your teaching because you are God.

In your name we ask it.

Amen.

Thanks for listening this semester.

God bless and I hope you have a happy Thanksgiving.