He is Risen, Indeed!

Easter Sunday is the lynch pin of Christianity. Without it there IS NO Christianity. Christmas is just a nice story but without any eternal significance. Nothing preached or taught or believed about God, sin, righteousness makes any sense. Without Christianity, there remains no hope of sins’ forgiveness, We are all condemned by God for our sins and inescapably on our way to an eternal torment.

But – That’s not the way it is. How do we know? That’s an easy question for those who know and who trust God’s word to be His infallible, inerrant, and divinely inspired promise of redemption for those who want His redemption. For example, listen to God speak to us through the apostle Paul’s letter to those in Corinth:

Now I make 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. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures . . ..” (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) 

 

What scriptures are Paul referring to?  Well, for one, he refers to the books of Moses in the Pentateuch, specifically the required animal sacrifice. He also refers to the Old Testament prophets and the psalms.

In other words, the promise of the atoning sacrifice of the Messiah, His death and resurrection is not fabricated by the New Testament apostles. It was something God had promised millennia earlier and can be found by anyone with an open heart by reading the scriptures.

 

As Amos told his audience several centuries before Jesus was born: “Surely the Lord God does nothing Unless He reveals His secret counsel to His servants the prophets.” Amos 3:7 

Why was it secret? Why is it still secret to some?  God tells us why. For example, here is 1 Corinthians 1:18-21 - “For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And the cleverness of the clever I will set aside.” Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.”

 

In other words, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Don’t be among those who harden their hearts against truth. God warns against that from one end of the Book to the other.

 

And so, Paul continues his message in 1 Corinthians 15 at verse five:

“[Jesus] appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.

 

Paul tells them – and us in 2026 – that 500 people saw the risen Christ at one time. I imagine such a sighting was like the many times Jesus taught the crowds along the shore or along a hillside. The resurrection of Jesus was not done in the dark. His post-resurrection appearances did not occur in a corner.

The blindness of those who chose in that first century, and who choose to reject reality in this century, is not unusual. There is none so blind as he who will not see. And also, To him that believes, no proof is necessary. To him that disbelieves, no proof is sufficient. Luke makes that point in the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus. When the Rich Man in hell begged Father Abraham to send Lazarus to his five brothers because they’d believe the gospel if someone came back from the dead, Abraham responded, “They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ (Luke 16:29). Abraham then added, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’” (Luke 16:31)

Back to Paul’s letter: (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?  The point? There will always be naysayers, false teachers, liars, scoundrels, workers of evil who will try to turn our faith on its head.

For example, theologian Ed Parish Sanders wrote: “That Jesus’ followers (and later Paul) had resurrection experiences is, in my judgment, a fact.” However, Sanders concludes: “We cannot explain it historically. The Resurrection itself is a matter of faith.”

 

Really? They had resurrection EXPERIENCES, but the historicity of the resurrection is a matter of ‘faith’(?) Would he say something equally as ridiculous about George Washington?

 

Another theologian, Dale Allison, who wrote: “I do not know what happened… but I am confident that something extraordinary did happen.” And yet, Allison will not fully affirm the resurrection took place but chooses to only concede that such an event remains a serious historical possibility.

 

Surely, none so blind as those who choose not to see.

St Paul continues now in verse 13 of chapter 15: But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain . . . ¹⁸ Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.”

 

If there is no resurrection of the dead, we will never see our loved ones ever again. Death is ALWAYS victorious. Death always has a brutal sting because we are all without hope. If Christ is not raised, then what is the point of life? Woe to those even who were born. If there is no resurrection, then why even fall in love because in the end death robs forever the loved one from our arms and we live the rest of our days without any hope to ever see them again. 

 

If Christ has not been raised, and if those who love Jesus will not be raised, then Macbeth was right when he cried: “Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player, that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more. It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”

 

What a terrible way to live. What a terrible way many of those out there in the dining room live.

 

BUT – the Holy Spirit moved Paul to continue in verse 20: But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.  . . . .  Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.”

 

In other words, be careful who we listen to, what we read, and who our friends are. Satan has scattered his servants – like those I cited a few minutes ago – he has scattered his servants into some seminaries and church pulpits and Sunday School classes across the globe and even across this town.  

 

But make no mistake about this: “When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.” (Isaiah 59:19, NKJV)

 

God established the Church as the ‘pillar and support of the truth’ (1 Timothy 3:15). He established the Church to protect His people from deception, and He gave us His Scriptures to guide us away from that deception. But if we avoid attending a Bible-believing, Bible-preaching, Bible-obeying church, and if we give scant attention to reading and studying God’s word – we ought not to expect immunity from Satan’s tactics.

 

And so Peter warned: (1 Peter 5:8-9a) “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith.”

 

Now back to Paul’s letter to the Corinthians where we continue at verse 51: “Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

 

Death, where is your victory? I said earlier, if there is no resurrection of the dead, we will never see our loved ones ever again. Death is ALWAYS victorious, always has a brutal sting if Christ is not raised.

 

BUT! Scripture AND history assure us that not only has Christ risen from the grave, but ALL who in this life put their obedient faith in Christ will ALSO be raised from the grave and be forever with the Lord.

No wonder the apostle closes this chapter: “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)

Christ’s resurrection assures us that our work for Him is never useless. Our work for Him – whatever it may be – is never without eternal value. So? Keep at it, Christian. Keep at it.

 

Now then, as I close today’s message, I feel it necessary to briefly address some of the more popular lies told by those who reject Christ’s physical and historical resurrection from the grave. I found this information online at: https://harvest.org/know-god-article/countering-common-arguments-against-the-resurrection/  AND  https://christianindex.org/stories/top-10-theories-for-the-empty-tomb,5148  

 

Let me also say that those we meet who scoff at the idea of Christ’s resurrection are usually those who’ve never taken half a minute to investigate the Biblical AND the secular historical records. They’re content to simply parrot the frivolous proposals of others. The three views I’m about to address have been around since Jesus left that tomb. Let’s briefly look at each in turn:

The “swoon” theory opines that Jesus didn’t die but went into a coma (“swoon”) from the severe pain and trauma of the crucifixion. Then, in the cool environment of the tomb, He revived.

 

For the “swoon” theory to work, Jesus would have had to survive massive loss of blood through the scourging, the nail wounds, and the spear thrust. In addition, in this impossibly weakened condition He would have had to endure 40 hours without food or drink, manage to unwrap Himself from His grave clothes, roll away the massive stone closing the tomb—and then convince the guards and everyone else who saw Him that He’d risen from the dead.

 

And let’s not overlook this point: the Romans were experts at execution. They were so certain that Jesus was dead, they didn’t bother to break His legs. When they thrust the spear into Jesus’ side and blood and water immediately spilled from His chest, they had final proof of His death. The blood and water meant the spear had pierced Jesus’ heart.

 

To the rational and HONEST mind, this theory requires more faith than to simply believe in His resurrection

 

Another ludicrous but popular idea is the “stolen body” theory. This theory dates back to that first Resurrection Sunday when, according to Scripture, the religious leaders bribed the guards to keep secret what they’d witnessed and instead spread the story that the disciples stole Jesus’ body. (see Matthew 28:11–15).

 

But proponents of the ‘stolen body’ theory are hard pressed to explain why the men who fled for their lives in the Garden of Gethsemane suddenly mustered the courage to begin boldly preaching about the living Jesus whom they all knew was dead. If the apostles KNEW their story was a lie, then what could motivate them to be martyred as they later were?

 

Peter was scourged and then crucified upside down. Andrew was crucified on an x-shaped cross and continued preaching to his persecutors until he died. James was beheaded by Herod Agrippa and recorded in Acts 12. Philip was scourged and later crucified. James, the son of Alphaeus was stoned and then beaten to death with a club.

I could read the stories of the others who died gruesome martyr’s deaths for what they supposedly KNEW was a lie – if you believe the asinine view of scoffers that the apostles stole Jesus’ body

 

Finally, there is the ’Wrong Tomb’ Theory, which proposes that in their confusion and grief, the women on Sunday morning and then Peter and John went to the wrong tomb. Seeing it empty, they assumed that Jesus had risen from the dead.

But if they’d gone to the wrong tomb, the Romans, the Pharisees, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus would have quickly directed everyone to the correct tomb. But no one did that because the women – and later John and Peter – had gone to the right tomb. And they discovered Jesus was not there because He’d risen, just as He said He would. (See Matthew 16:21; 17:22-23; Mark 8:31; Luke 24:6-7; etc.)

 

When such easily discreditable theories such as these three are examined by an honest soul, we can understand why it’s more convenient to believe the lies passed off on a biblically illiterate populace. It’s easier and more convenient because the lie gives them the justification to live as they choose and ignore God’s commandments.

 

The resurrection of Jesus from death is the lynch pin of Christianity. Without it, Christianity has no eternal significance, and nothing we believe about God, sin, righteousness, judgment, and eternal life makes any sense. Without Christ’s resurrection there is no hope for the forgiveness of our sins. We are all doomed and inevitably destined to eternal torment.

 

OH! But thanks be given only to God, we have His assurance that Christ has been raised from the dead. “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”