He is Risen
- Pst. Silas
- Apr 7
- 11 min read
Isaiah 53. 53 Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.3 He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.4 Surely, he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way. And the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people, he was punished.
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
11 After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied, by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors.
The significance of the resurrection.
When Jesus Christ was crucified in 33 AD, there were only about 120 followers that were true to his message at that time. They were meeting in an upper room, about 120 followers. Today, 2,000 years later, 2.8 billion people in the world claim to be a follower of Chris --. 2.8 billion.
That means one out of every three people on this planet, one out of every three would say, I am a follower of Jesus Christ.
The Christian Church is by far, by far the largest organization on planet earth. Nothing else comes close to the size of the Christian Church. Nothing else comes close -- 2.8 billion followers of Christ.
· The church is bigger than China. 1.4BILLION.
· The church is bigger than China and Europe put together. 2.1BILLION.
· In fact, The Christian Church, followers of Christ, is bigger than China and Europe and the United States put together. 2.438 BILLION.
· Nothing is bigger on planet earth than the Church of Jesus Christ.
John 2:18 The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?”19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”
How did a little band of 12 poor fishermen, the people that Jesus chose to be his first followers, how did that expand into one out of every three people on planet earth?
RESURRECTION CHANGED EVERYTHING
· It made it very clear that Jesus was not just the son of Joseph and Mary.
· It made it clear; he was not just a good man he was God.
· It made the distinction between him and the prophet-He was God.
· He was not the king, that even the apostles that the other Israelites envisioned-He was the king of Kings, he was too big for a worldly kingdom.
· He had to ascend and sit on the throne of God.
The resurrection truly proved he was God. All the other miracles he did while on earth had been done by the prophets, including raising the dead and healing the sick.
· But no one had seen a resurrection.
Resurrection is not resuscitation
There is a big difference between resurrection and resuscitation.
· People get resuscitated all the time. If you faint, we'll resuscitate you. If you go in a coma, you can be resuscitated.
· There are people who die for 15 minutes or 20 minutes or their heart stopped for a certain period and then they go write a book about how they went to heaven and back in 20 minutes. They are resuscitations.
· Resurrection means you've been buried in the ground for three days and then you come back to life.
The resurrection is the single most significant event in history. Nothing comes close.
It split history into AD and BC. Every other event in history is dated by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Either before or after. Even your birthday is dated by the day, the month, and the year on how many years it's been since the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is the single most significant event in history because Jesus was resurrected.
Who really killed Jesus, who put Jesus on the cross?
Why did he have to die and come back to life.
Well, it wasn't Judas, and it wasn't Caiaphas the high priest, and it wasn't Pilate the governor, and it wasn't the Romans, and it wasn't the religious leaders, and it wasn't even the crowd. The answer is twofold.
· God put Jesus on the Cross? It was his plan from the very beginning. It's why Jesus came to Earth to die for our sins. That's the whole reason. It was God's plan before any of us were ever born.
· It was because of you that he was crucified. /it was God's plan to redeem humanity.
John 19:10 “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?”11 Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore, the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”
There is Hope in the resurrection
· Jesus' resurrection gives us hope in that we have been completely forgiven.
1 Corinthians 15 he says, "Christ died for our sins just as the scripture said, and he was buried and then he was raised from the dead on the third day.”
And what it did is it turned these first followers of Christ from being disconsolate and depressed and disillusioned and in despair and defeated into courageous and contagious people filled with hope.
They began to spread the message of hope everywhere because when they saw Jesus had come back to life, it changed everything.
· To gospel of resurrection must change you and make you a changer of environments.
· The followers of Jesus Christ are the most hopeful people on the planet.
· There's no doubt We have far more hope than anybody else in the world because of what Jesus Christ did at the resurrection.
Ephesians 1:7 "In Christ, we are set free by the blood of his death. And so, we have forgiveness of sins because of God's rich grace."
We have been completely forgiven.
Now, if he hadn't done the second part, the first part doesn't really matter.
If he didn't come back to life, then I have every reason to doubt that he died for my sins.
· Now, we're all imperfect, so we all carry regrets, and we all carry remorse, and we always wish we had done things differently.
· We all have sins and things that we feel bad about and guilty about and God doesn't want you carrying guilt through life.
· The whole reason he died on the cross was so that you could be free from all of that guilt. All of that shame.
Guilt wastes energy. It fatigues you; it tires you; it robs you of peace of mind, it drains you.
· I was hung on the cross, so you can quit hanging yourself on the cross.
· Guilt tears you down, it weakens you and instead of bringing you closer to God, it takes you away from God.
Can you imagine if the prodigal son decided I cannot face my father? That he is not going to accept me?
It is very important to realize that believing and being bold in the love of Christ will enable you to walk with Christ.
We’ve been made right with God.
Romans 4:25 He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. We are made right with God, so we've been completely forgiven. That gives me hope. I'm not facing any judgment.
I have hope because I have been completely forgiven.
Romans 8:1-2 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.
Resurrection is the greatest reassurance of life after death
· The resurrection is the clearest indicator that there is life after death,
· Therefore, we are no longer afraid of death.
· If Jesus Christ hadn't resurrected from the dead, you wouldn't even know that there's life after death.
When Jesus Christ died on the cross, one of the things he did is he broke the power of death, and he broke the power of the fear of death. The fear of death is a universal fear.
John 11:25, Jesus promised, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, even though they die like everyone else, they will live again."
If Jesus Christ hadn't resurrected on an Easter Sunday, we're all helpless and all hopeless, death is in. It's over. That's it.
The resurrection is the keystone of the arch on which our faith is supported. If Christ has not risen, we must impeach all those witnesses for lying. If Christ has not risen, we have no proof that the crucifixion of Jesus differed from that of the two thieves who suffered with him. If Christ has not risen, it is impossible to believe his atoning death was accepted.—Dwight L. Moody—
Without the resurrection, the cross is meaningless.—Billy Graham—
Our faith is built in his resurrection.
1 Corinthians 15:12 But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith
2 Peter 1:16 “When we told you about the powerful coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, we were not telling made-up stories that someone invented, rather we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.”
Acts 1:3 “For forty days after his death Jesus appeared to people many times in many ways that proved beyond doubt that he was alive. They saw him, and he talked with them about the Kingdom of God.”
Go tell all the disciples that I’m alive
John 20:11-18 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
Matthew 28:5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.
· The apostles doubted until they became eyewitnesses of the resurrection.
· The resurrection revived the faith in them.
· The resurrection stamped the reality of “God with us” among them.
· The resurrection was the truth, looking at them openly, they couldn’t ignore it.
He is alive
If you saw someone walking down the street that you had just buried three days earlier, how would you feel about that? Maybe confused, maybe scared to death, frightened, fearful, excited.
· Do you think you would ever forget that experience? Not Likely.
· Would it change your worldview about life and death? Oh yeah.
· Would it give you knew hope? Oh yeah. That there might be life after death?
Acts 1:3, "For 40 days after his death, Jesus appeared to people many times in many ways that proved beyond doubt that he was alive. They saw him, and he talked with them about the Kingdom of God."
Matthew 28:6 – "He is not here; He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He lay."
Can you imagine being one of the executors who put Jesus on the cross, one of the soldiers, and you saw that guy die and, all of a sudden, he's walking down the street and go, he's back.
The sustaining power of his resurrection.
Philippians 3:10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.
Acts 1:3-5,8 After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days, you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
· God never intended for you to go through life just on your own power.
· God wants to have a personal connection with you.
· He wants to put his love, his power, and his spirit inside you.
· That gives you a supernatural advantage. It gives you additional power that you don't have on your own.
The same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead, split history into AD and BC. That same power that transformed a small church of 120 into a 2.3billion movement is available today.
Ephesians 1:19-20 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,
· If God's spirit can raise a dead Jesus, he can raise a dead marriage.
· If God's spirit can raise a dead person, he can raise a dead career.
· If God's spirit, resurrection power can raise a dead man, he can raise a dead dream.
God will never stop loving us.
Jeremiah 31:3 The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness."
John 3:16, and 17. "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that's Jesus, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."
John 13 "I'm giving you a new commandment, love each other. Just as I've loved you, you should love each other, and your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”
ALTAR CALL
Romans chapter 10:9 "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, that's what Easter's all about, you will be saved."
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