Resurrection!!

Over 2000 years ago today, the followers of Christ were dead. 
Their hope had died. Their aspirations had died.  Their future
had withered.  Their Lord was dead.  

The events of the previous week had been mind boggling.  Their
hopes had soared when Jesus rode into town on the young donkey. 
They rejoiced with the crowd that hailed him as their king.  I
am sure that their tunics were about to pop with pride.  

Then came the second cleansing of the temple, the last supper,
the garden prayer in quick succession. 

Suddenly things took a turn for the worst.  The worst that they
could get.  An angry mob, led by one of the disciples descended
on the garden, grabbed Jesus and dragged him into the judgment
hall.  From one authority to another he was shuffled.  Pilate
wavered, wanting to free him.  The soldiers were curious and
played their cruel games with him.

Finally, bleeding, sore, exhausted, and in anguish of heart,
Jesus was led to Golgotha where he was crucified between two
thieves.

Much sooner than expected, Jesus died, by faith placing himself
by faith in the care of a Father that he could not see.  "It is finished."

Those who had condemned him, wanting to make sure that he stayed
in the grave, asked for a Roman guard and the seal of the
governor to be placed on the stone that protected the body of
Jesus.  In their foolishness they attempted to control God with
a bit of wax.  

But all that humanity and the evil forces of darkness could do
to keep Christ in the tomb was melted when the angel of the Lord
appeared, and with the ease of a weight lifter opening a door,
rolled the stone aside and called forth his Creator.

The guards became as dead.  Christ arose, and in him all of his
saints.  

Now he and his father could be reunited.  And I can imagine what
Heaven had in mind as their favorite Son came triumphantly
through the clouds.  

But that had to wait, for before he went, even if he would be
back that evening, he had to pause and make one grieving heart
rejoice.  

Mary, the forgiven, came to prepare his body again.  She had
anointed it once before.  Now she came to do it again, grieving.
But the body was gone.  Seeing Jesus and assuming he was a
gardener, she asked him where they had taken the body.  Jesus
then spoke and revealed himself to her.  When he had cheered
her, he sent her to tell the disciples the good news.

We will hold right here for a bit.

I want to look at what the resurrection means to us today, and I
ask the question, "Have you been resurrected?"

This is not an idle musing.  It is an absolutely necessity for
our salvation.  Keeping in mind the "in Christ" theme that we
see through the writings of Paul, let's turn in our Bibles to:

1 Cor 15  "Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which
I preached to you, which also you received and in which you
stand, {2} by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that
word which I preached to you; unless you believed in vain. 

Notice in these 2 verses 2 main thoughts.  The gospel is what
saves us.  We must believe and hold fast to the gospel.

{3} For I delivered to you first of all that which I also
received: that Christ died for our sins according to the
Scriptures, {4} and that He was buried, and that He rose again
the third day according to the Scriptures, {5} and that He was
seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. {6} After that He was seen
by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part
remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. {7} After
that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. {8} Then
last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due
time. {9} For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be
called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 
{10} But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace
toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than
they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
{11} Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so
you believed. 

After giving us some background, Paul gets into the theology of
the resurrection.

{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? {13} But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then
Christ is not risen. 

Here Paul begins a chain of logic.  If...then.  If there is no resurrecton
then there is no resurrection.

{14} And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and
your faith is also empty. 

If there is no resurrection, and Christ is not risen, then our preaching 
and faith are empty.  He goes on.  

{15} Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we
have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not
raise up; if in fact the dead do not rise. 

If there is no resurrection, and Christ is not risen, then our preaching and
faith are useless, and besides that we are liars.  
Paul goes on, rephrasing the argument.

{16} For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. 

{17} And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are
still in your sins! 

{18} Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have
perished. 

Paul repeats his argument from another angle.  I the dead do not rise,
then Christ, who was dead, has not risen.  If Christ is not risen, then 
we have no chance to deal with sin.  And furthermore, if Christ is not 
risen, then death is the end and there is nothing else.

{19} If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all
men the most pitiable. 

Now Paul takes up the "in Christ" theme and contrasts that with
the "in Adam" condition.  And he asserts his faith.

20} But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the
firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. {21} For since by
man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead.
{22} For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made
alive. {23} But each one in his own order: Christ the
firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming.
{24} Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the
Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and
power. {25} For He must reign till He has put all enemies under
His feet. {26} The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.
{27} For "He has put all things under His feet." But when He
says "all things are put under Him," it is evident that He who
put all things under Him is excepted. {28} Now when all things
are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be
subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all
in all. 

{31} I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ
Jesus our Lord, I die daily. {32} I, in the manner of men, I
have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantage is it to me?
If the dead do not rise, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we
die!" 

Here Paul makes the very logical point that if the dead do not
rise, it totally destroys hope. And some Christians are living
as if they do not have hope.  Hope implies a future.  As well as
the need to prepare for one, as we will see.

In his other writings Paul expounds on this hope:

1 Thessalonians 4:13  But I do not want you to be ignorant,
brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you
sorrow as others who have no hope.

14  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so
God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.

So Paul makes it clear here that our hope for the future is in
Christ.  His resurrection gives us the hope of eternal life. 
His resurrection gives us life eternal.  

Now Paul deals with the other side of the equasion.  We died in
Christ.  Those who have not accepted the death of Christ on
their behalf, and worked to accept that death will not
experience the resurrection "in Christ."

Paul speaks to that in vss. 33, 34.

{33} Do not be deceived: "Evil company corrupts good habits."
{34} Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not
have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame. 

Our shame is our works.  Our glory is the cross, the crucifixion
of our works, and the leaning on Jesus.

Now lets go back to the resurrection morning.  When Mary
Magedeline knelt at the feet of Jesus and once again washed his
feet with her tears, she experienced the resurrection.  Now she
was alive in Christ, because the one who meant more to her than
anyone else had risen.  He had conquered sin for everyone for
eternity.  In some humble way, I believe she comprehended that.
Can you begin to imagine the joy that she was experiencing?  

Can you imagine her frustration when she burst into the upper
room and breathlessly blurted out her encounter with Jesus, and
the disciples just stare at her like she has lost her mind. 
They were too much into their grief to accept the truth.

And if I may speculate just a bit here, I cant' help but wonder
at the difference between Mary's reaction and that of the
disciples.  Perhaps Mary was more concerned with her Lord and
his travail.  Maybe the disciples were more concerned with their
own world being shattered.

But the bottom line is this.  I believe that the disciples did
not fully experience the "In Christ" of the resurrection until
Pentecost.  At that time they became united with their Lord in a
more intimate way than when he walked with them on earth.  And
that, brothers and sisters, came through the working of the Holy
Spirit on the church in a mighty way.

Back to our text.

Paul goes on to describe what being "in Christ" means for the
believer in the future in one of the most inspiring passages of
Scripture.

51} Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we
shall all be changed; {52} in a moment, in the twinkling of an
eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the
dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. {53}
For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal
must put on immortality. {54} So when this corruptible has put
on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then
shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is
swallowed up in victory." {55} "O Death, where is your sting? O
Hades, where is your victory?" {56} The sting of death is sin,
and the strength of sin is the law. {57} But thanks be to God,
who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. {58}
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always
abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is
not in vain in the Lord."

So I ask you today brother, I ask you today sister, have you
been resurrected with Christ?  In Christ we can begin to live in
that blessed hope right now.  

In Christ death is swallowed up in victory.  In Christ we have
victory over sin.  In Christ we can work effectively for the
Lord.  We do not have to wait.  This is promised to us today. 
What is your desire? 

If you want this experience it is ours through the promises of
Jesus, delivered by his Holy Spirit.  Why not ask for it right
now?  Bow your head just now, and ask the Lord for his gifts. 
Gifts he wants to give in richness, in abundance.  Remember that
he will not hold back any good thing from us.  Talk to him right
now, as we have a moment of silence.

Pastor Laurie DeWitt