WHAT DOES CHRIST'S RESURRECTION MEAN TO YOU?

WHAT DOES CHRIST'S RESURRECTION MEAN TO YOU?
1 Corinthians 15:14
by Cooper P Abrams III

INTRODUCTION:   Introduction: Every year at Christmas and at Easter the news media begins to release head line stories that attack the biblical accounts of who Jesus was and what he did. This year the intensity of the attacks have increased.
               St. Paul, Minnesota banned the Easter bunny from City Hall. The said it might offend some non-Christians. The Easter bunny has nothing to do with the significance of remembering the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Some Christians might be offended by the Easter bunny. By the way...did you pick up on the name of the city...Saint Paul. Cal Thomas, of the Tribune Media Services suggests they should change the name of the city to the folk character of Paul Bunyan.
               A Florida State University scientist says Jesus really did not walk on the water as Matthew 14 records. He says the sea of Galilee froze and Jesus was walking on ice. Peter too if you recalled walked a ways on the water too. But he sank when his faith waned. The scientist gave no explanation for that....thin ice I guess, but Jesus took Peter's hand and lead him to the ship.
               The Da Vinci Code has sold 40 million copies. Oliver Stone will make millions when his film is released next month. Book is pure fiction with a little history added to make it look authentic. He purports that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and fathered children. Yet, millions of people will go to the movies and pay money to see it.....the same way the did in purchasing the book.
               Next in the Arctic in Canada, scientists say the found the missing link. The editorial with the release of this supposed missing link states this now "put the lie of creationists beliefs." By the way, science has found hundreds of missing links...which one by one, when honest and reputable scientists did their research, were all proven to be false. Remember the "Lucy?"
               Next comes the "Gospel of Jude" which contradicts the biblical account of Judas being a traitor. It makes him to be a hero. By the way..did they tell you that it dated at 130-170 AD which means it was written not by Judas, who died a hundred years earlier.
               Cal Thomas asked the question "What is responsible for the flood of skepticism, heresy and outright denial of the biblical record?" When people ask the question...."How could anything like the resurrection of Jesus Christ be true?" The question not asked to get a answer, but rather with hostility to radicle those who do fully accept the biblical account.

"Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty" (1 Corinthians 1:25-27)

               Why do we know it is true? First the Bible, with is the inspired word of God. In the face of death, not one of those who witnesses the resurrection of Jesus Christ recanted what they saw and many went to their deaths rather than lie about it.
               It is not foolish for a man to say there is no God? This Bible was begun by Moses, as God revealed unto him His very words, that was written over a period of 1500 years and is perfectly preserved when it was completed 2000 years ago. No other book or writing can come close to this.
               In all of history, there has never been a man that had such an impact on the world as Jesus did. Even today His influence is as real as it was when He was on earth. Millions have been murdered because they believed in Him. They could have saved their lives by recanting their faith...but they chose martyrdom instead. And it is also very important to know....the greatest single attack on anything in the world has been upon Him and trying to destroy His memory, His word, and the truth the Bible proclaims and upon those who would believe this Book....and accept it only for the authority for their faith and practice.

1. Many others know the story of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, yet it means nothing to them.
               Acts 17 records that Paul when he spoke to the philosophers in Athens, Greece on Mars Hill taught them of the resurrection.
"Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead." (Acts 17:31)

               The response as Acts 17:32 states was that some mocked him. Acts 23:8, records that the Sadducees, who were a Jewish political party did not believe in the resurrection.
               Yet, For others the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the center of their lives. Because Christ arose from the grave that Sunday morning, those that believe in Him are assured they too will be resurrected unto eternal life.
               In 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, Paul states this is the Gospel, the Good News which he preached, and by which many had come to receive eternal life having their sins forgiven.
               They believed the truth of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ Jesus. God saved them and gave them eternal life.
               Note that in Romans 10:9-10, which explains to us how to be saved, have our sins forgiven and receive eternal life, has at its heart the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (Romans 10:9-10)

               Jesus proclaimed that He was the resurrection in John 11 while talking to the Samaritan woman at the well:

"Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?" (John 11:25-26)

2. The key Scripture is 1 Corinthians 15:14, which says, "And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain." (1 Corinthians 15:14). That is what "vain" means, worthless.

               Romans 6:4-6 proclaims this same truth and the importance of the Jesus' resurrection: "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. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be {in the likeness} of {His} resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with {Him}, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin" (Romans 6:4-6).

3. Romans 6, states the purpose of the Coming of Christ and why he was resurrected. It centers in the fact of the substitutionary death of Christ for us. He suffered and died in our place.
4. Many try to retain the ethics of Christianity, but ignore the author of Christian ethics Jesus Christ.
Illus: People honor acts of charity. It is good for a person to live a life of service to others. They think helping others is very admirable, which it is, attempt to do good deeds. Giving to charity is and helping needy are Christian ethics.

The sad thing is that many honor and recognize the moral good of these things, but DENY God who is the author of Christian ethics. Man is not the author of good, or morals.
5. Many will deny the resurrection of Jesus Christ, or will say it really means nothing to them.

I. NO OTHER RELIGIOUS LEADER ROSE FROM THE DEAD OR PROMISED TO RETURN AGAIN TO EARTH.

A. Paul did not regard Jesus as merely one who set a beautiful moral example.

1. Such religious leaders as Buddha, or Zoroaster reportedly set examples of moral living being a moral example.
2. Many see Christ, as setting the greatest example. They say He was a great prophet and moral leader.
3. Understand what is meant by "setting an example." It means, others should follow the example and live as they did. 4. Mohammed, Buddha, Zoroaster, Confucius did not have to rise from the dead . They were the trail blazers, they mapped the way of life for others to follow!
5. What is missing from these religions who follow dead men who set examples for others to follow?

               Christ was a moral leader. He did many great acts of charity. He fed the thousands, He healed the sick, he even raised the dead back to life. But the Bible unlike all religions of man, goes further.
               It says Christ not only lived a perfect life but through His death the world could be saved. Only Jesus Christ arose from the dead. Only He was God come to earth, incarnate in flesh come to redeem those that would accept by faith the salvation He freely offered.
               John 1:1, says that the "Word" was God. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1)
               Some say Jesus was not God, but read John 1:14

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." (John 1:14)
Read John 10:27-33 Jesus said He was God and the Jews picked up stones to kill Him. They are witnesses to that fact. They said they wanted to kill Him because He being a man, maketh Himself God.

B. The Bible proclaims the truth of the salvation that Jesus Christ accomplished, "Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness - by whose stripes you were healed." (1 Peter 2:24)

"So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit". (John 19:30)
1. No founder of any religion ever died in the place of another.
2. All cults and pagan religions, have man following the example of some prophet who found the way himself and then proceeded to show other so they too could live as they did and find the way also.
3. The problem is that false religion ignores sin.
That is the problem of man. He does not want to deal with sin, so he invents religions which ignore sin, yet supposedly....get you to heaven, or to the next life what ever it is.
4. No false religion has God, providing substitutionary payment for sin.
All false religions deny that Jesus Christ was God in the flesh.

C. Christ rose from the dead as proof that He was God and that sin, and dead were conquered.
No great moral founder of a religion did that or was bold enough to even suggest it.

II. MANY THINK THAT THESE THINGS ARE A MATTER OF OPINION.

A. Note the key verse. 1 Cor. 15:14. Without Christ's resurrection faith is in vain.
1. There is not hope, or way if Christ was not raised from the dead.
2. The Bible presents it without a middle road.

B. One is saved by trusting in Jesus Christ as ones savior, or a person is dead in sin and on the way to hell.

No middle road, in the Bible. Many try to take the Bible like eating vegetable soup. Did you ever pick out some morsels and leave others?
Some try to take Christ, receive salvation and yet not deal with the reason of Christ's dead and resurrection...that being dealing with sin.
C. Some want heaven, eternal life, the blessings of God today, answers to prayer.....yet will not submit to Christ Jesus.

1. They will try to do good works. They will have a religion. They will even include Jesus in it, yet they will not confess sin and turn from it.
2. Folks the reason Christ came was to deal with sin.
Man as a sinner could not. The murderer can not free himself.

CONCLUSION:

1. We should ask ourselves, "What does all this mean to me?"
First: To the person who is not forgiven. The Bible says, every man's righteousness, yours or mine..is at best worthless, as filthy rags. No one, no man, great as some men are, is not a sinner and guilty of sin.
That how God see it. That is how it is. The lost man must first, believe and accept that he is a sinner!
Once were accept that, we can accept Christ, by trusting in His promise to save all sinners who would submit to Him, in child like faith.
"For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. (Matthew 18:11)

               Would you admit you are a sinner? "But go and learn what this means: `I desire mercy and not sacrifice.' For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance." (Matthew 9:13)
               Quoting Hosea 6:6, Jesus was saying, God desired to give mercy, he was not interested in the attempts of religious acts of men. God is not impressed with any man's good works. Christ can to save sinners...no one else has ever been saved!!!

2. For the Christian:

"I have come that they may have life, and that they may have {it} more abundantly. (John 10:10)
               What is the use of forgiving sin, if once our sins are forgiven we continue sinning? "Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God." (Romans 6:11-13)
"Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness?" (Romans 6:16)

If you liked the message and would like to see sermons regularly posted to the Bible Truth Sermons Page would you let be know? I would like to hear from you. Please click the button below. Thanks