What the Resurrection Means

Transcript

GRM 1174
04/16/2017
What the Resurrection Means
Selected Verses
Gil Rugh

What a great message that we have to proclaim. Jesus Christ the Son of God is the Savior of the world. What a truth. Many people talking about Easter, the death and resurrection of Christ things that would be thought out of line or improper now become the focus of attention. You read it in secular news articles; you see it on TV, people talking about Christ; but how much understanding is there? What does it mean that Christ rose from the dead? I mean that is an awesome fact that Christ was raised from the dead but that was 2,000 years ago. Even with that unique event, even with its importance then, what does it mean for us today? We have to be careful even as quote, “Christians.” Using the word in the broadest sense encompassing Protestants and Catholics, and others that would go under the umbrella of Christianity, various orthodox religions and so on. Is there true understanding of what the resurrection of Jesus Christ really means right today for each one of us. That’s what I want to talk with you about this morning. What the resurrection of Jesus Christ really means even if we’ve heard it many times it’s important that we be reminded again-and again, and again because it’s the greatest of all messages. What is being said in the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most important thing in each one of our lives individually. It makes all the difference for eternity so I’m going to talk about what the resurrection means, what it signifies, why it’s important today.

We’re going to start at the most basic and we’re going to look at three areas. The first is the resurrection is God’s assurance, His guarantee that the death of Christ has finished and done completely everything that needs to be done for our salvation. It’s God’s guarantee the work of redemption is done. That’s the most important thing; that’s foundational so when we talk about the resurrection of Christ, what does it mean? It means Christ has finished what is necessary for our salvation. I want to take you to the Book of Romans and we’ll just start in chapter one. You know you talk about the resurrection of Christ, you talk about the death of Christ, talk about these matters and sometimes people’s minds go to what church they go to, what their particular religious convictions are but what God says is important is what His Son has done.

In the Book of Romans, the Apostle Paul says he is going to unfold for these believers in Rome the gospel of God. He has “been set apart,” he says in Romans chapter one verse one “for the gospel of God.” The gospel that God has revealed the good news that God has given to us, “He had promised and prophesied it” in the Old Testament Scriptures. He says that in verse two and this gospel this good news, which is what the Greek word gospel means good news. It “concerns His Son, Jesus Christ,” the One whose resurrection we are remembering. The gospel that comes from God concerns His Son who was “born of a descendent of David according to the flesh.” His human lineage is out of the line of David, the King of Israel. It goes back to about a thousand years before Christ, which indicates He would be the Messiah of Israel, the ultimate King that God promised out of the line of David. Verse four, He was “declared the Son of God” so he’s not just the son of David, the descendant of David, He is more than just flesh and blood just a human. He is also the Son of God and that was marked out, He was marked out declared Son of God “with power by the resurrection from the dead.” The resurrection is the capstone and unfolds who He is that the good news about Him is true; it is final. Paul says down in verse 15 he wants to come to Rome “to preach this good news to those who are in Rome.”

Now note verse 16. “I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes . . .” Now note these truths he’s mentioning that the gospel is God’s power to bring about salvation in the life of everyone who believes who has faith in this gospel. Key concepts to understand. That includes the Jew that includes the non-Jew the Greek. There is only one gospel that can bring salvation to each and every person. That’s the gospel that comes from God. It’s His power for salvation. How does that power, if you will, get unleashed in your life, in my life? It’s for everyone who believes, who has faith in this gospel as we’ll see. For in it talking about the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed. Here is made known how God’s righteousness can be credited to us, which is our great need. In it, “the righteousness of God is revealed . . .” and here we go again . . . “from faith to faith.” In verse 16, it says it’s “to everyone who believes.” Believe and the word faith, same basic word faith being the noun and believe the verb. You could translate it instead of believes everyone who has faith. It goes from faith to faith. You see how limited this is. It has to do with the message concerning Jesus Christ and your response to that message. Everything else is a side issue.

Well I was raised in a Methodist church, I was raised Catholic, my family has been Lutheran, we were Hindu; it doesn’t matter. The issue here is the good news concerning Jesus Christ and have you believed it. That determines whether God’s power brings salvation and God’s righteousness to you or not. For in it, the gospel, this good news concerning Christ, the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith. You don’t get outside the bounds of faith. It all hinges on whether you have believed this gospel or not. The “righteous shall live by faith” so that emphasis on faith. Why do we need it? Look at verse 18. “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.” God’s wrath and that is a terrible concept we’ll see that before we’re done. There is nothing like it! To be the object of God’s wrath means you are under His condemnation and if things don’t change, you will spend all eternity in the fires of hell. Well that’s sort of not nice for Easter but that’s the beauty of the message of Easter. That’s why it’s good news!

Now where we’re going from here in the Book of Romans and since we had extra songs I can’t give you the full load but you’re aware. What Paul is going to do as God directs him is the first thing you have to understand if you are going to believe the message concerning Christ is to know that you are under the wrath of God. There are no exceptions to that. “All have sinned” and so what he’s going to do in the rest of chapter one through chapter two and into chapter, three is to show that there are no exceptions anywhere. Every single Jew, every single Gentile is a sinner under God’s condemnation, the object of His wrath. Now we mention the Jew and the Gentile because obviously, the Jews are key people in the bible and they agreed that the Gentiles were sinners. They needed to convert to Judaism to get saved. That was the Jews thinking but the Jews thought they were alright they had the Law, the Mosaic Law, the Ten Commandments and the over six hundred additional commandments God had given so we try to keep that plus we offer sacrifices we go to the temple we have our priestly system. We’re okay but the non-Jews they’re in trouble. What God is saying everybody’s in trouble.

Everyone’s guilty and so you come into chapter three and Paul who’s writing this is a Jew so he asked the question in verse nine of Romans chapter three. “What then? Are we better than they?” What he’s saying, “are we Jews better than those Gentiles?” You know what he says, “not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin” and then he goes on to quote and you can see from verse 10 to verse 18 a series of quotes from the Old Testament where God makes clear there are no exceptions. When He says all have sinned He means every single individual. “There is none righteous not even one” so if any of us here today think we might be the exception don’t think that you know more than God. He says, “there is none righteous” and when He says none he means “not even one” and then he goes through this.

Look down in verse 12. “THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.” As God looks at our heart and our true inner spiritual condition, He says I don’t find one acceptable person. Yeah I know but I said I was raised in a Methodist church and my parents took me and got me baptized when I was that beautiful baby. I remember it well. I don’t remember a thing but I understand that he dipped his finger in there and he sprinkled it on me and my parents felt better. It didn’t change me a bit. I was just as sinful as when I went in so there are no exceptions. Religious activity can’t change this. We are all sinners that means we are all under the wrath of God. Verse 19 draws this to a close; “whatever the Law says, it says to those who are under the Law.” In other words, these are quotes from the Old Testament Scriptures, which were part of the Jewish Scriptures. It speaks to everyone.

The danger is that we come down to today. The Jews thought they were the exception. Today the very branches of Protestantism think they’re the exception. The Roman Catholics think they’re the exception, the Muslims think they’re the exception, everybody thinks they’re the exception because of their religious group but that’s not so. Every mouth; the reason God says “there is none righteous, not even one;” and all the rest of those is so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God. So when he said back in chapter one verse eighteen, “the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” and sometimes we suppress it by our religious activity that we think will make us acceptable to God.

That’s why the Jews thought they were the exception to the rule. When God says “all have sinned” He means all those dirty Gentiles, those non-Protestants, those non-Catholics or all those--no, because “by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight.” You can’t become righteous before God by your works is the argument.

Come back to the end of Romans 3. Verse 21 draws the contrast. “But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested . . .” What you could not accomplish by works, keeping the Ten Commandments as a summary of the 600 and some commandments that were in the Mosaic Law. Now apart from the Law, the righteousness of God has been manifested how God’s righteousness, which is what, we need. We think we can earn righteousness but what we need is God’s righteousness credited to us. Note verse 22. “The righteousness of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” You know what’s going to happen from verse 22 down through the first two verses of chapter five, over two dozen times God speaks about faith, having faith again and again and again and again. This is the only way to receive the benefits of what Christ has done. Verse 22. “The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all of those who believe for all of those who have faith for there is no distinction for all have sinned.” so the only way to get the righteousness of God since we all need it because we’ve all sinned is through faith in Jesus Christ. “We are verse 24 justified as a gift by His grace not by your works through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.”

God displayed Christ publically as a propitiation in His blood through faith. That word propitiation; it’s a word that means you satisfy the demands of God and thus turn away His wrath from you. You satisfy what His holiness requires and so His wrath is turned away from you. Remember in chapter one verse 18. The wrath of God is revealed against, if I can summarize it, all sinners and we are all sinners for all have sinned we just read in verse 23 of chapter three. But God publically displayed that Christ is the One who can turn His wrath away from us by His death but it only becomes beneficial to us through faith, through faith.

Verse 28 “we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.” In chapter four, he uses Abraham. In the Old Testament “Abraham believed God. God credited it to him as righteousness.” Was Abraham a Protestant, a Catholic, a Muslin, a Hindu? None of the above. He believed God and now that God has publically displayed Christ we direct our faith toward Him so you come down to the end of chapter four. Was this written about Abraham being declared righteous by God simply because he believed in him? This is just not something of historical interest. It was written for our benefit. Verse 23 of chapter four. “Not for his sake only was it written that it was credited to him but for our sake also to whom it will be credited. To those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. Christ was delivered over because of our transgressions.” Now note this. “He was raised because of our justification.”

Christ went to the cross. Turned over to the Romans for crucifixion because we were sinners and He had to pay the penalty for our sin. He was raised from the dead because he had completed and done everything that was necessary for God to declare us righteous when we believe in him. It’s just that simple. The resurrection is God’s guarantee that the work of redemption is done. Sad! Some people are getting baptized because they think that will help them get saved. They partake of communion as we did on Friday night but that won’t help you get saved. This is a matter personally between you, Jesus Christ, what He has done what you need as a sinner. Every one of us in the same condition. Christ was raised because everything was done that needed to be done for God to justly declare us righteous, credit the righteousness of Christ to our account. The beauty of the simplicity of that. What does the resurrection of Christ mean? It means God in Christ has done everything necessary for you to be declared forgiven by God. To have God’s righteousness credited to your account. To turn God’s wrath away from you and now you become the object of his love and His care.

The same thing is emphasized in the Book of Hebrews. We won’t turn there. In the Book of Hebrews, we’re told that “after Christ was raised from the dead and ascended to heaven He sat down at the right hand of the Father.” In Hebrews chapter 10 the contrast is drawn. For example, in Israel, the priests constantly were going about every day offering sacrifices but God says Christ offered one sacrifice for all time and He sat down at the right hand of the Father. You know what that means. There were no chairs provided for the priests as they went about their sacrificing because a reminder, they were never done but Christ offered one sacrifice for sin for all time.

Isn’t it sad that some people think that there’s a sacrifice to be offered today? We have a perpetual sacrifice in Roman Catholicism. We have Protestants, whose sacrifice is their good works, being a good person, doing their best to keep the Ten Commandments. None of it, none of it, one sacrifice for all time. He was raised because of our justification so first and most important the resurrection of Christ declares all that must be done, all that can ever be done, has been done by Christ. Now the connecting point there is have you understood that you are a sinner. That’s the hardest thing to get over. You really understood your sin, the seriousness of your sin your guilt. You understand that the only payment for your sin is the death of Christ if you come to trust Him and Him alone but that’s not all there is in the resurrection.

Christ’s resurrection is God’s guarantee there is coming in the future a resurrection. Come over to 1 Corinthians 15. You’re in Romans just go back a little bit in you bibles and we’ll come to the Book of 1 Corinthians and Christ’s resurrection is the guarantee of a coming resurrection that there is a coming resurrection. You know it’s amazing. In churches, even a church like the church at Corinth that Paul had started, had people who would become part of that church who didn’t believe in the resurrection of the dead. In 1 Corinthians chapter 15 Paul says and verse 12, “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? Some among you in the church at Corinth said there was no resurrection. Paul started chapter 15 to put it in context by saying, “I made known to you brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word, which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.”

See again salvation comes as a result of believing but if your faith was empty, you didn’t really trust in Christ as the only Savior. The gospel is simple. “Christ died for our sins,” verse three, “he was buried, he was raised on the third day verse five, “He appeared.” There’s really two basic points here. Christ died for our sins. He was raised on the third day. He was buried as proof that He died. He appeared to witnesses is proof that He was raised from the dead. The death and resurrection of Christ is the heart of the gospel. Christ died for our sins according to the Scripture. He was raised from the dead because He had done everything necessary to provide righteousness for us. As a pastor of a church, I can’t tell you now Christ did everything so if you’re baptized you take communion you give a pretty substantial amount percentage wise of your money and all of that then you’ll be acceptable to God. That’s a lie because Christ did everything! I can’t add to what He has done.

Christ died for our sins so what is the argument then. Christ has been raised. If He hasn’t been, raised Christianity washes out. You know there are people who think as long as you have faith that will get you through. “My faith gets me through.” We now like to talk about people of faith. Not about, your particular religious group but your faith. Everybody is a people of faith. You believed we would be meeting here when you left to come to this building today. It’s as though as long as you have faith you’ll be all right. Your faith will get you through. No, faith only is worthwhile in light of what you’re believing. We have a lot of rattling around about fake news today. Well you know if you believe a lie, it’s still a lie. If you tell me I can fly since it’s Easter Sunday get up on the roof and jump and I believe you that makes me a fool. My faith won’t get me through so you must believe the truth. That’s what we’re talking about here. Christ has been raised from the dead; there’s no doubt about that. If He wasn’t raised from the dead you believe a lie and verse 16 “if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sin.”

In fact, he says in verse 19 if this is just something that helps you get through life you’re pitiful. You’re trying to get through life believing a lie. Paul doesn’t say that, “well at least it’s helpful to us. You’re pitiful but now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits. The first fruits were that guarantying a coming harvest so since by man came death by man came the resurrection of the dead and then he lays out the order. He is particularly encouraging those who have placed their faith in Christ to realize they will be raised from the dead. There is a future. We don't have blind faith. Our faith is rooted in historical facts, the truth that God has given Christ died for our sins according to the Scripture. He was raised from the dead because what he had done had made possible for a holy God to declare me righteous when I place my faith in Him and because He was raised from the dead that’s God’s assurance that I will be raised from the dead and Joseph is a little aside here. We’ll be talking about this in our regular study.

We’re studying the Book of Revelation and we’ll get toward the end of Revelation and we’ll talk about what’s involved in resurrection but he talks in verse 35 of 1 Corinthians 15. Well someone will say, “How are the dead raised?” What kind of body have they got? In other words, I can’t figure it out. You think a dead person is going to be raised, they’ve been—some people have been in the grave for thousands of years. What kind of body are they going to get--put back together--they’re going to be raised. You know that sometimes we think well you shouldn’t say that, that’s not nice. Paul thinks that is a stupid question so he just says it bluntly. “You fool!” Now think about it. If you raised your hand on a Sunday and I said, does anybody have a question? You raised your hand and I said, “you fool!” You’d say, “that wasn’t nice” but there’s no allowance for that kind of question.

Almighty God will do it. He gives an example. Look at a seed you put in the ground. That could look like an ugly shriveled seed that has nothing. Maybe you threw a peach seed out and you think there that’s gone and the next thing you know you’ve got a peach tree growing and look at the glory of what comes out of that seed so that’s what he says; “it’s like the resurrection body. It’s sown in dishonor. It’s raised in glory” so what God has prepared for us it will be this physical body raised that will be raised with glory that only God can give it. How do you know Christ was raised from the dead and He promises we will be raised and He has a body of glory and He promises we will have a body of glory? That’s why He talks about us being glorified in a bodily resurrection.

Now, it’s just not believers, who are going to be raised. Come back to John’s gospel chapter five. Jesus speaking about the future. Then He says in verse 28 of John 5. “Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs . . .” remember all; it means everyone. All who are in the tombs “will hear His voice . . .” but note . . . “and will come forth.” Those who did good to a resurrection of life, those who committed evil to a resurrection of judgment so there’s two categories of judgment. All we have time for at this time. A resurrection to life, a resurrection to judgment or condemnation. Important foundational. Every single person who ever lived will one day be resurrected to be judged, some to a resurrection of life; eternal life, glory. Why? Because they have placed their faith in Christ, in His death for them and God’s wrath has been turned away from them. Their account has been marked paid in full, credited with the righteousness of God but there are those who remain under the wrath of God because they thought they could do it their own way. They will be raised to a judgment of condemnation and we have to turn to that. It’s the third thing I want you to realize.

Not only is the resurrection of Christ the guarantee that all that is necessary that the work of redemption is a finished work; it is done! All you can do is respond to it, accept it by faith or continue to reject it. There’s nothing else added to it. Secondly it’s the guarantee that we will be raised from the dead someday. Those who have believed in Christ to a resurrection of life and glory, those who have not believed, their account still has to be paid so we come to the final point. The resurrection of Christ is the guarantee of future judgment. The resurrection of Christ is the guarantee of future judgment. Come to the Book of Acts so you’re still in John just come back a few pages to the next book in your New Testament.

The Book of Acts chapter 17. Paul is at Mars Hill. Here’s what God has to say through the Apostle Paul, verse 30. “Now therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance . . .” God has been patient. He has not brought judgment on a world that is in rebellion against Him. He’s been patient. Peter wrote in Second Peter chapter three verse nine that “God is longsuffering. He is not desirous that anyone should perish but that all should come to repentance” so that’s what He says. God has been patient but understand with the coming of Christ, God is now declaring to men that all everywhere. This means there are no exceptions here. All everywhere should repent. Why? “. . . because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.” The resurrection of Christ is God’s guarantee, an assurance to all the world, that someday every single person will stand before Jesus Christ and every single person will be judged regarding their eternal destiny. He has fixed a day. He is instructing all people everywhere it’s time to repent because time will run out. The opportunity will pass by. What a tragedy we would focus attention on the resurrection of Christ and fail to understand its significance.

I want to jump to the end of your bible. Come all the way back to the end to the Book of Revelation chapter 20 and here is where those who have not believed in Christ will be gathered. Verse 11. Everybody ought to pay attention! If you don’t trust Christ this is where you will be; this is your future. Verse 11. “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, there was no place for them.” There is no escaping this judgment! “I saw the dead, the great and small, standing before the throne, the books were opened; another book was opened, which is the book of life; the dead were judged according to the things written in the books according to their works their deeds. The sea gave up the dead which were in it, death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; they were judged every one of them according to their deeds and all the dead that appear before Christ on this occasion all those who had been in Hades awaiting judgment were thrown into the Lake of Fire. This is the second death.”

Well we say, “wait they were judged on the basis of their work.” Yes but everybody at the judgment is going to Hell. Their works are just to determine where in hell they will be sentenced because verse 15 says if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. No one is going to escape condemnation. Well they’ll put my good works on this scale and I think the good I’ve done will outweigh—you’re not the Judge. How gracious the Judge has been. He’s told you’ what the future is, what will be the basis of the judgment, what will be the outcome.

Back up to Revelation 14 and we’re done. It gives you a picture of what it means to be cast into hell. Those who are cast into hell and these are a special group here but it’s true of everyone as we see in Revelation 20. They will “drink of the wine . . .” verse 10 of Revelation 14 . . . “of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger . . .” A serious matter to be under the wrath of God; the recipient of His anger. It’s mixed in full strength. “You will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. The smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever . . .” it’s eternity . . .:”they have no rest day and night” . . . and something of a picture in Luke 16 where the man lifts up his eyes. “I’m tormented in this flame if somebody could just dip his finger in water and touch my tongue.” That’s awful. It is, so awful that’s why God sent His Son.

Were back to point one. What does the resurrection guarantee? It guarantees that Christ has done everything necessary for you to have your sins forgiven, the wrath of God turned away for Him to stamp your account, “paid in full” by Christ, mark it credited with Christ’s righteousness. The only way that can be applied to you is when you respond in faith to that message. It is good news because it doesn’t exclude anyone. What did I tell you? It excludes everyone who does not believe so the message is a celebrating one; Christ is alive! We can tell everyone there is a Savior. Almighty God in mercy and grace and kindness had His Son be delivered over to the cross because of our sin so that when we believe in Him God can justly declare us righteous. There’s no more exciting message. It is not only good news, it’s great news!

But what about people who don’t trust Him? Well there is no more awful decision than the failure to trust Christ. You’re left where you are, where we’ve all been or where we still are, the objects of His wrath. If we end this life in that condition He’s written what our end will be but He’s also told us that doesn’t have to be our end so praise God that Christ is alive. He was raised from the dead! God guarantees that He’s done everything necessary for the worst of sinners to be saved. Guaranteed in that resurrection there is a coming resurrection and it’s guaranteed that there is a coming judgment but those who have placed their faith in Christ will have a judgment of life, reward. Those who have not will experience the consequences.

Let’s pray together. Thank you Lord that we have a Savior that is alive. Everything You have said is true. How gracious You are, how kind You are. You’ve given us another day to hear the good news, to consider our own spiritual condition before You. It’s a matter between each individual and Jesus Christ. What is our response to Him? What you have done for us in providing Him to be a Savior. Lord may those who have not trusted Him find this to be a day of salvation. May we who have, give you praise and honor and glory for Your love for us we pray in Christ’s name. Amen

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