Last Sunday, we gathered here to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and to worship Him. And again today and every Sunday, we gather for the same reason, because nothing is more important to our faith than the fact that Jesus was raised on the third day as He said.
In Matthew 28:1-10, we saw the women go early on the first day of the week to the tomb where Jesus had been laid. At that moment, an angel, bright as lightning, appeared causing a great earthquake and rolling the stone from the entrance of the tomb. Witnessing all this, the guards at the tomb were terrified, becoming like dead men. But the angel calms the women, saying, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.” (Matt. 28:5-6).
The angel then commissioned the women to “go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead,” telling them that Jesus would be “going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him.” (Matt. 28:7). As they made their way to tell the disciples, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So, they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. (Matt. 28:9). Jesus also told them to “Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me,” (Matt. 28:10).
As I said last time, Christ’s resurrection gives us every reason to rejoice, to worship Him as Lord, and to tell others about Him. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ changes, comforts, empowers, and motivates us.
Unfortunately, not everyone views the resurrection of Jesus in this way.
Happy Resurrection Sunday! Although we set aside this Sunday of the year to especially remember Christ’s resurrection, truly every Sunday as we gather for worship on the first day of the week, we do so because we are celebrating the fact that our Lord Jesus Christ rose from the dead.
If you have been with us in our verse-by-verse exposition of the Gospel of Matthew, you have seen that Jesus’ death on the cross is the climax of the Gospel narrative. From the very beginning and all the way through, Matthew has been pointing to the cross. Jesus resolutely and willingly went to the cross where He suffered and died. There, Jesus Christ gave His life a ransom for many. There, Jesus Christ was forsaken as He bore the wrath of God against the sins of mankind. There, Jesus was the Messiah-King who saves His people from their sins.
If the cross is the climax of the Gospel, the resurrection is the vindication, triumph, and final authentication of the Gospel.
We gather each week at this time to read, exposit, and apply the scriptures. We do so because we believe what the Apostle Paul says, that “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim. 3:16-17). We believe that the Bible is the very word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit, and is completely authoritative and sufficient. Today, in our study of Matthew 22, we meet a group of men who claim to know God, but who do not understand or believe the scriptures.
A few years ago a certain church marketing newsletter (Church’s Advertising Network) promoted a campaign to attract people at Easter. In this public relations campaign, they suggested that the church downplay the negative image of the crucifixion and focus only on the positive image of the resurrection. One pastor interviewed for the campaign gave his wholehearted endorsement, saying, “We are going to attempt to concentrate on the resurrection, and not the death of Jesus.”
Can you imagine Easter without the cross? Is it possible to have the resurrection without the crucifixion? It distorts the entire gospel if Christ’s crucifixion is separated from His resurrection. The way to the empty tomb must always go through the cross. The Savior who was raised from the dead on Sunday is none other than Christ Jesus who was crucified on Friday. Easter without a cross is a hoax.
Today, I felt it necessary to leave our normal verse-by-verse exposition of the Gospel of Matthew to focus our attention on the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Since I already preached from Matthew’s account of the resurrection last year, I thought it would deepen our understanding and strengthen our faith if we fixed our gaze on the life, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus as the prophet Isaiah described it 700 years before it happened. In Isaiah 53 we see the content and the confirmation of the resurrection of Christ.[1] God revealed to Isaiah the purpose of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
If you were here Friday evening, you know that I focused on Isaiah 53:4-6 in answering the question, “Why Did Jesus Die?” But this morning, I want to give you a broader understanding of the whole passage in Isaiah 53. Isaiah was a prophet in the nation of Judah during the time that the northern Kingdom of Israel was exiled by the Assyrians. And he prophesied that the southern Kingdom of Judah would face a similar judgment by God at the hands of the Babylonians.
All scholars recognize that the sixty-six chapters of Isaiah divide into two major sections. In the first 39 chapters, Isaiah’s prophecy majors on God’s judgment on Israel and the coming judgment on Judah. There are hints of hope in those chapters, but the theme is judgment. Isaiah 39 ends with Isaiah giving a prophecy to King Hezekiah about the Babylonian captivity.
The second section begins in Isaiah 40. And the tone of this section is completely different. Isaiah 40:1 begins, “‘Comfort, yes, comfort My people!’ Says your God.” Isaiah is writing to comfort the future generation who will return from exile. The theme of these chapters is grace and salvation, encompassing not only the deliverance of Israel from Babylon, but also the deliverance of sinners from sin and the deliverance of the nations from the curse into the Kingdom of Christ.[2]
In the heart of this second section of Isaiah, are four “Servant Songs” (cf. 42:1-7; 49:1-6; 50:4-9). The final and climatic Servant Song is Isaiah 52:13 to Isaiah 53:12. The New Testament directly quotes this text no less than seven times and alludes to it another forty times. It is no exaggeration to call this passage “The Mt. Everest of Old Testament prophecy.”[3] Nowhere in all the Old Testament does the gospel of Jesus Christ shine more clearly than here.
In this song, there are 5 stanzas of 3 verses each. By creative contrast and regular repetition, Isaiah weaves the twin themes of exaltation and humiliation into a beautiful tapestry of theological truth.[4] The first line of each stanza captures its theme and beautifully summarizes its content. Isaiah 52:13, “Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently”—here we see the exalted servant. Isaiah 53:1, “Who has believed our report?”—here we see the rejected servant. Isaiah 53:4, “Surely He has borne our griefs”—here we see the suffering servant. Isaiah 53:7, “He was oppressed and He was afflicted”—here we see the executed servant. Finally, Isaiah 53:10, “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him”—and here we see the resurrected servant.
We could spend weeks studying the details of this amazing prophecy. But today, I just want you to see the big picture in hopes of deepening your love for our risen Lord Jesus Christ.
First, I want you to see…
1. The Exalted Servant (Isa. 52:13-15)
This opening stanza serves as the prologue to the song and a summation of the entire prophecy. Isaiah 52:13 begins the same way the first Servant Song does in Isaiah 42:1, “Behold, My Servant…” God, through the prophet, calls on us to look at His servant and be astonished. Who is this Servant of Yahweh? Sometimes in Isaiah, the servant of the Lord is the people of Israel. Isaiah 41:8 says “But you, Israel, are My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, The descendants of Abraham My friend” (cf. Isa. 49:3). Sometimes, the servant is Isaiah himself (Isa. 49:5). But in this Servant Song, the servant cannot be the people of Israel or the prophet because the Servant substitutes Himself for both the prophet and the people.
As I said on Friday evening, the New Testament is clear that the servant here is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt. 8:17; Acts 8:35; 1 Peter 2:24; Mark 10:45). He fulfills this prophecy perfectly.
God gives us the conclusion at the beginning, “Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently; He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high.” This is the end-result of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He will ultimately succeed in His mission. Christ is exalted because of His success. “My Servant shall deal prudently” could also be translated, “My servant will act wisely or prosper.” The Messiah will be triumphant. He shall be 1) exalted (raised, high), 2) extolled (lifted up), and 3) be very high.
“Exalted and extolled” or “high and lifted up” are used in combination 4 times in Isaiah and no place else in the Old Testament (cf. Isaiah 6:1; 33:10; 57:15). All three other instances they describe God. Listen to one of them, Isaiah 6:1, “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple.” This Servant of Yahweh is exalted and extolled just as Yahweh Himself. The Apostle Paul tells us in Philippians, that after Jesus humbled Himself being obedient to death on the cross, “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, … and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-10).
Jesus is exalted in His success—but His success is due to His suffering. Isaiah 52:14 says, “Just as many were astonished at you, So His visage was marred more than any man, And His form more than the sons of men.” People are astonished, appalled, shocked at His appearance. The center three stanzas of this Servant Song will tell us why this is so.
He is exalted in His success, because of His suffering, and for His service. Isaiah 52:15, “So shall He sprinkle many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths at Him; For what had not been told them they shall see, And what they had not heard they shall consider.” The verb “sprinkle” is the Hebrew word, נָזָה (naza). This word most often appears in the book of Leviticus and describes the sprinkling of blood for atonement. Jesus, the Messiah, is our perfect High Priest (Hebrews 3:1). And the blood of the sacrifice that He will sprinkle the nations with is His own blood.
God’s Servant will astonish not just His own people, but many nations and their kings. The Messiah will sprinkle and redeem the nations. The Gentiles will see the Messiah for who He is, despite not previously having heard about Him. What God accomplished in Christ could never have been done by the nation of Israel or dreamed up by any man. It was God’s plan.
So, this song begins with the servant’s exaltation. Next we see…
2. The Rejected Servant (Isa. 53:1-3).
In the first stanza, God described the exaltation of His Servant. In the next three stanzas, Isaiah speaks as the redeemed people of God. You will see the pronouns “we”, “our”, and “us” repeatedly. This is the testimony of the redeemed as they look back on what God has done in Christ. They look back and lament and mourn over the fact they misjudged the Lord’s Servant and did not believe the message about Him. Isaiah 53:1 asks, “Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?” The nations did not believe because they did not know. Israel knew and yet she did not believe because she failed to recognize the “arm of the Lord” when it was revealed in the Suffering Servant. Instead, they rejected Him.
How did they misunderstand and reject God’s servant?
They misunderstood Him and rejected Him because he appeared to be insignificant and unattractive. Isaiah 53:2, “For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him.” The Servant lacked the regal splendor necessary to attract the nations. Jesus, the Messiah never held any titles, nor did He hold public office. He did not look like an earthly King. He had no earthly majesty or official authority from man. Jesus arose out of humble circumstances and lowly conditions—from a poor nation, impoverished parents, born in a stable, a carpenter by trade. The people thought, “This is not what ‘the arm of the Lord’ should look like!”
Isaiah 53:3 shows how most responded to God’s Servant, “He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.” Because Jesus was not who they expected Him to be, they did not believe His message and they rejected Him as Messiah. Instead of honoring Him for who He is, men hated Him. John explains in his Gospel how this prophecy was fulfilled even though Jesus had performed so many signs, and still the people did not believe Him (John 12:37). John 12:38 says, “that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke: “Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?””
All that led to Him being …
3. The Suffering Servant (Isa. 53:4-6)
In these verses we find the Servant wounded, bruised, chastened, and whipped. Those who saw this happen or have heard about it since considered Him “stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted” (Isaiah 53:4). Many in ancient Israel believed suffering was the judgment of God for your sins and therefore they wrongly assumed that when the Servant suffered, He was getting what He deserved.
But now, seeing the true picture, they know that the griefs and sorrows He carried were indeed deserved, but not by Him, but by us. Listen again to Isaiah 53;4-6,
4 Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
The language of substitution could not be clearer. It was not for His own sins that Jesus suffered—He had none. He is the sinless Son of God, the Holy and Righteous One. 1 Peter 3:18 says, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.” God took the punishment and weight of your sins and mine and laid them upon his only Son at the cross. He suffered for sinners.
So far we have seen the exalted servant, the rejected servant, the suffering servant, and now…
4. The Executed Servant (Isa. 53:7-9)
All of the Servant’s suffering culminated and climaxed in His death. Here we see the submissive obedience of Christ in His suffering.
7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth. 8 He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken. 9 And they made His grave with the wicked–But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth. (Isaiah 53:7-9)
There are so many prophecies in these three verses that we could spend hours detailing how Jesus fulfilled them in His suffering and death. Peter writes about it in 1 Peter 2:
21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: 22 “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”; 23 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24 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. 25 For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. (1 Pet. 2:21-25)
Jesus died for our transgressions. He was cut-off from the land of the living. It was not an accident. It was an execution. These verses clearly prophesy the death and burial of God’s Servant—a death that was not for Himself, but for others. This is the Executed Servant.
But, praise God! That is not the end of the story. Finally we see…
5. The Resurrected Servant (Isa. 53:10-12)
At least three times Isaiah tells us that the sacrifice that the servant made in dying results in a resurrection triumph. He does not use the word “resurrection,” but the reality is plain. Listen to Isaiah 53:10-12,
10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand. 11 He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.
First, I want you to notice this. The death of the Servant was not merely a murder or a martyrdom. It was nothing less than a divine appointment! It was the Lord’s will to bruise Him. It was God who put Him to grief. God made His soul an offering for sin. The chief priests, the Pharisees, the Jews, Pilate, Herod, the Romans—they all played a part and are culpable for killing Jesus. But as we have seen, it is not just them that are guilty—so are we. We all sinned and Christ died because of our sin. But ultimately, it was the Father’s will. It was God who sacrificed His Son. It was His eternal plan and purpose that accomplished our salvation through the death of His Son.
But God’s plan was even bigger than what Christ accomplished at the cross. His death was not the end. The Servant’s life and sacrifice was not a waste, a loss, after all. In fact, He will see His seed (offspring), His days will be prolonged (lengthened) and the best of all: the pleasure (will, desire) of the Lord shall prosper (be accomplished) in His hand. Yes, He was bruised by God, but He is also blessed by God. Look at three results from His death and resurrection: 1) He sees the fruit of his death and is satisfied. He is not dead. He is living and satisfied. His work is complete, and He is glad. 2) He justifies many – all those who trust in Him. If you trust in Jesus, you are declared just and righteous before God. That is what “justify” means. A dead Christ does not justify. A living Christ justifies. Romans 4:25 says, “[He] was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.” 3) “He will bear their iniquities.” Yes, he bore these iniquities when he died. But He goes on making intercession and bears them forever in the sense that as long as He lives it is plain that His death was utterly sufficient to pay for all your sins.
He is satisfied. We are justified. And all our sins are carried away by Christ forever. We will never bear them again.
This song began with the Exalted Servant and it ends with the Risen Servant being exalted in His redeemed people. He divides the spoils of His victory over sin and death with all those whom He has redeemed. Hebrews 7:25 says, “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”
Jesus is the exalted, rejected, suffering, dying, and risen Servant. What will you do with Jesus today? Will you turn to Him in repentance and faith, trusting in His death for the forgiveness of your sins and in His resurrection for your justification?
Our text for this Easter Sunday is Luke 24:36-53. This chapter is Luke’s account of the resurrection when Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. Picking up the story in Luke 24:36, it was Easter Sunday evening. The last few days have been horribly confusing for Jesus’ followers. After watching Jesus endure betrayal, arrest, lies, insults, beatings, and crucifixion, they saw Him die and His body buried. Now they were huddled in a room with the doors locked for fear of the Jews (John 20:19). Incredible reports were beginning to come in about Jesus’ resurrection. First, it was the women who had gone to the tomb early that morning (Luke 24:1). They reported (Luke 24:9) that His tomb was empty and that angels had told them “He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’” (Luke 24:6-7). Peter and John also had run there to find an empty tomb (Luke 24:12; John 20:3-8). Mary Magdalene and some other women claimed to have seen Jesus (John 20:11-18; Matt. 28:9), but none of it made sense–it was all so unbelievable, to good to be true. But now Peter himself testified that the Lord also appeared to him (Luke 24:34). Then, two came in from Emmaus claiming they had walked with the risen Lord, that He had taught them from the Scriptures, and they finally recognized Him when He broke the bread.
Listen to what happened next in Luke 24:36-53:
36 Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, “Peace to you.” 37 But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit. 38 And He said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.” 40 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. 41 But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, “Have you any food here?” 42 So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb. 43 And He took it and ate in their presence.
44 Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” 45 And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. 46 Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And you are witnesses of these things. 49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”
50 And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. 51 Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen.
Luke wrote this ending of his Gospel to encourage people to trust in the evidence of the resurrection (Luke 24:36-43), to know and proclaim the witness of the scriptures (Luke 24:44-49), and to worship the Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 24:50-53).
1. Believe the evidence of the resurrection (Luke 24:36-43)
While the Emmaus disciples are giving their report to the Eleven (or the Ten) and exchanging their wonderful experiences, Jesus suddenly appears before them (Luke 24:36). His first words to the group of frightened disciples were, “Peace to you.” But their response was the opposite of peace, “they were terrified and frightened.” The reason for their fear was that they “supposed they had seen a spirit.” Jesus’ appearance was, not a normal one. John tells us that Jesus suddenly appeared even though the doors were shut (John 20:19). How could Jesus have entered the room in a normal body? The only thing that made sense to them was that it had to be a ghost.
Jesus knew that this fear really stemmed from unbelief. So, He asks, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts?” (Luke 24:38). Just a few minutes before when the Emmaus disciples arrived, the disciples had said they believed the resurrection was true: “The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” (Luke 24:34). But now their fear betrays their insufficient faith.
Jesus graciously alleviates their fear by giving them ample evidence of His resurrection body. The first evidence was the Lord Himself, standing before them. He says to them “Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself” (Luke 24:39). He was not, as they supposed, a ghost. He encouraged them to “Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have” (Luke 24:40). The inference is clear that both His hands and His feet bore the nail prints which He had from the cross. Jesus proves that He is the same man who was crucified a few days ago, whom they watched die. Finally, Jesus ate some of the fish which they were eating, the final proof that His body was, indeed, a real one. Jesus’ resurrection was neither a simple resuscitation of his body nor the appearance of a disembodied spirit. This is resurrection. Jesus has a new and glorified body that bears the marks of His death (1 Cor. 15:20-23; 35-49). All the Gospel writers strongly emphasize the bodily resurrection of Jesus.
The disciples’ first response to Jesus’ appearance was that they were “terrified and frightened” (Luke 24:37). Jesus pressed past these symptoms, to the deeper roots, which was that their hearts were troubled and doubting (Luke 24:38). After Jesus convinced them of His resurrection by the physical evidence, their fears and doubts were turned into joy and amazement (Luke 24:41). Now Luke writes, “they still did not believe for joy, and marveled.” Now instead of the doubt was of unbelief, they marvel because of joy—like saying, “I can’t believe this is happening to me!,” or “It’s too good to be true!”
You can trust in the reality of Jesus’ bodily Resurrection. The unanimous witness of the disciples about the resurrection of Jesus is this: It really happened! Nothing is more central to our faith.
Every sermon preached by every Christian in the New Testament centers on the resurrection. The gospel or ‘good news’ means essentially the news of Christ’s resurrection. The message that flashed across the ancient world, set hearts on fire, changed lives, and turned the world upside down was not ‘love your neighbor.’ Every morally sane person already knew that; it was not news. The news was that a man who claimed to be the Son of God and the Savior of the world had risen from the dead.[1]
You can believe the evidence for the bodily resurrection of Jesus.
2. Know and proclaim the witness of the scriptures (Luke 24:44-49)
These words from Jesus in Luke 24:44-49 may have been spoken to these disciples on the first Resurrection Sunday or they may represent a summary of what Jesus taught the disciples over the 40 days between His resurrection and His ascension. It was this teaching and the coming of the Holy Spirit that transformed these men from being confused, discouraged, and fearful into bold, courageous witnesses who were willing to die for their faith and mission.[2]
Just as Jesus had explained to the men on the Emmaus Road the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures (24:27), so here, He explains concerning His death and resurrection that “all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me” (Luke 24:44). The word “must” is the same word found in Luke 24:7 when the angels quote what Jesus had told them “saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’” Jesus used this word of necessity again with the Emmaus disciples in Luke 24:26, “Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” God’s sovereign plan must be fulfilled. The death of Jesus was not an accident, nor just the actions of sinful men. It was God’s sovereign purpose, in fulfillment of many Old Testament Scriptures. All of it had been prophesied in the Scriptures, and also foretold by the Lord Jesus.
Jesus indicates that the whole Old Testament scriptures, “the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms,” speak of Him. The law of Moses is the Torah, the Pentateuch, first five books of the Bible. The Prophets include all the historical books from Joshua all the way through Esther as well as the writing prophets from Isaiah through Malachi. The Psalms includes all the wisdom literature from Job through Song of Solomon. “All of the Old Testament, beginning with the Law of Moses, looked ahead to the coming of Jesus as the Messiah. And all of the Old Testament spoke of His rejection, suffering, death, and resurrection, either by direct statement or by inference.”[3]
Haven’t we seen Jesus Christ even as we have been studying in the book of Genesis? We have seen Him as the agent of the creation of all things (John 1:1-2; Col. 1:16-17). We have seen a type of Him in Adam as the head of the human race (Rom. 5:19-21; 1 Cor. 15:45, 47). As Adam was given a bride by God, so Christ is given a bride, the church, from the Father (Gen. 2:18-25; Eph 5:22-32).
Jesus is the fulfillment of the “Seed” of the woman in Genesis 3:15 Who will bruise the serpent’s head (Matt. 1:18; Gal. 4:4; Rom. 16:20). We see the salvation of men from judgment pictured in Noah’s ark—a picture that Peter says is of our salvation through the resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 3:20-21).
Jesus is the seed of Abraham through whom “all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 12:3; 21:12-18; Gal. 3:8, 14, 16). Melchizedek—the king of righteousness, the king of peace (Salem)—was a type of Christ our Priest-King who has an eternal priesthood (Gen. 14:17-24; Heb. 6:20; 7:2, 17; 23-24; Ps. 110:4).
The Angel of the Lord who appeared several times in Genesis is a manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ (Gen. 16:7-14; 21:12-21; 22:11-18; 31:11-13; 32:22-32). He is called Yahweh, the LORD. He was sent from God and spoke as God. He appeared as a man walking, talking, and eating.
Isaac was a type of Christ in that he was the promised “son of Abraham.” Just as Isaac’s birth was the result of the supernatural power of God, so too was it true of Jesus. Isaac typified the Redeemer in that he is the only other human sacrifice that God commanded, and though God stopped Abraham from going through with the sacrifice of Isaac, he is said to have died and been risen from the dead “figuratively” (Heb. 11:19). Jesus, the true and greater son of Abraham, was sacrificed, raised, and returned to His Father.
Jacob was a type of Christ in that He was the chosen one who was named ‘Israel’ by God. The nation of Israel was given birth through Jacob. Jesus is the one who gives birth to the True Israel of God, His church (Gal. 3:7-9,29; Psa. 73:1; Isa. 45:25; Hos. 1:10; John 1:47; Rom. 2:28,29; Rom. 4:12; Rom. 9:6-8; Phl. 3:3; 1 Pet. 2:5-9).
We saw parallels of the life of Christ in Joseph in that he suffered unjustly and then was exalted to save his brethren. Joseph typified the “sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow” (1 Peter 1:10-11). He was envied and hated by his brothers, suffered at their hands, and was exalted to a place of power. Jesus also was envied and hated by His brethren, murdered by them, and then exalted to the highest place of power and honor to save the world. We saw the Lord also in Judah, who offered himself in place of his brethren (Gen. 47).
Jesus is the substitutionary sacrificial lamb that God Himself would provide (Gen. 22:8; John 1:29). He is the ladder upon whom the angels of God ascended and descended in Jacob’s vision at Bethel (Gen. 28:12; John 1:51). He is the seed of Jacob (Gen. 28:14; Luke 3:34). He is Shiloh (Gen. 49:10), the One who to whom the royal scepter belongs, who brings peace. He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah (Gen. 49:9; Rev. 5:5). He is the Good Shepherd (Gen. 49:24; Ps. 23; 80:1; Isa. 40:11; Ezek. 34:23-25; 37:24-28; Jn. 10:11, 14-16; I Pet. 2:25; 5:4). He is the precious Stone of Israel (Gen. 49:24; Ps. 118:22-23; Isa. 28:16; Lk. 20:17-18; Eph. 2:20; I Pet. 2:4, 6-8; Rom. 9:32, 33; I Cor. 3:11).
These are just a sampling of the limitless prophecies, types, and shadows of Christ in the Old Testament. Jesus said about the scriptures, “these are they which testify of Me” (John 5:39). MacArthur writes that the gospel is not some an intrusion into Judaism or some new religion: “Not at all. It is the one great mural that is painted by God that sweeps through all of redemptive history.”[4]
Even though the scriptures prophesied it and Jesus predicted it, not until after His resurrection were the eyes of the disciples opened to understand all that the prophets had spoken pertaining to the ministry of the Messiah, and especially of His rejection, suffering, death, and resurrection—that “thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day” (Luke 24:46). That veil was now removed. From this point on the disciples will turn to the Old Testament prophecies to prove that Jesus was the promised Messiah, and that all that happened to Him was a prophetic necessity.
But not only did Jesus give them the biblical necessity of His life, death, and resurrection, but also the biblical necessity of the proclamation of the gospel—saying “and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things.” (Luke 24:47-48). It was written that the “Christ must suffer and rise on the third day,” and it was also written that “repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in His name to all nations.”
The subject of our preaching is the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Our appeal is for people to repent and believe on Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. Repentance means to turn to God from our sin. It is not separate from saving faith, but it is the flip side of saving faith, so that it is often used interchangeably for it (here; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 5:31; 11:18; 20:21; 26:18, 20).[5]
Forgiveness of sins is the foremost need of every person. We have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). Sinners do not first need to know how to succeed in life. They don’t first need to know how to patch up their faulty marriages. They do not need to know how to improve their self-esteem. They don’t first need social justice or material prosperity. Sinners need to know how they can obtain forgiveness from God. God’s answer is: sinners will be forgiven when they repent of their sins and trust in Christ’s blood that was shed on the cross. Forgiveness is only found in Christ—in His death and resurrection.
In order for the church to proclaim the gospel to the world, they must be endued with power from God—that is what Jesus promises next: “Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.” (Luke 24:49). The Holy Spirit was “the Promise of My Father,” and being “endued with power from on high.” This too, was foretold by the Old Testament prophets and by Jesus. Jesus commanded His disciples not to go forth with their witness to the things which had happened apart from the power which He would provide through His Spirit. He who commanded the disciples to be His witnesses also commanded them only to witness in the power that He would provide. He who commands is He who enables.[6]
The final scene in Luke 24 jumps forward forty days (Acts 1:1-3) to Jesus’ ascension into heaven. Luke will give more details about this in his second volume (Acts).
3. Worship the Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 24:50-53)
Jesus leads the disciples to the outskirts of Jerusalem toward Bethany (Luke 49:50), to the mount called Olivet (Acts 1:12). As He lifted His hands in blessing, He was taken up from them into heaven. Jesus’ Ascension gives closure to Luke’s gospel and sets the stage for Jesus’ guidance over His church from His authoritative position at the Father’s right hand (Acts 2:3-36).
Notice their response: “And they worshiped Him.” And notice the change that Luke describes here. These once despondent disciples are now characterized by praise. And these followers of Jesus who only days before were cowering behind locked doors, hidden from the Jewish religious leaders who crucified their Lord, are now persistently, publicly praising God—in the temple, the very headquarters of Judaism.
Now they understand who He is, the Son of God, divine and worthy of worship (Isaiah 9:5; Jer. 23:5; Prov 30:4; Micah 5:1). Worshiping someone or something less than God would have been idolatry to these Jewish disciples (Acts 10:25-26; Rev. 22:8-9). But everywhere in the New Testament, we are called upon to worship Jesus. Paul tells us of one Day when before Him “every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:10-11).
To the extent that we see the glory of the risen and ascended Lord Jesus Christ, we will be filled with worship, great joy, and thanksgiving toward God for His abundant mercies to us.
Have you become a follower of Jesus? Have you believed in His death and resurrection for the forgiveness of your sins? Are your bearing witness of the living Lord Jesus Christ and of the Good News of salvation? Is your life characterized by worshiping with joy?
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[1] P. Kreeft and R.K. Tacelli, Handbook of Christian Apologetics, 176
1 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. 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.
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. 14 And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. 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. 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. 19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.
20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
Today we are celebrating the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. People respond differently when you talk about the resurrection of Jesus. There are unbelievers who want to disprove the fact of His resurrection. There are Christians who major on apologetics to confirm the His resurrection. Many in our secular humanistic culture simply want to ignore the resurrection. They are happy to consider Jesus as a teacher of morality, but not as the Son of God who died for sins and was raised from the dead.
In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul deals with the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead. The reason that Paul addresses this subject of resurrection is that some in the church at Corinth were denying the resurrection of the dead. In 1 Corinthians 15:12 Paul writes, “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?” It seems that they were not explicitly denying the resurrection of Jesus, but they were denying the whole concept of a future resurrection for people. This is not a new heresy that only showed up in the Corinthian church. Denying the resurrection of the dead is seen in several different forms in the New Testament. The Greek pagans denied the resurrection of the dead, as we can see from the Book of Acts. In his sermon to those in Athens, Paul preached these words:
30 “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, 31 because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.” 32 And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, “We will hear you again on this matter.” (Acts 17:30-32).
The Greeks philosophers may have believed in the immortality of men, as spirits, but they mocked the teaching of bodily resurrection.
The Jewish sect called the Sadducees—which included the High Priest and many of the elders of Israel—they denied the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead also. Acts 23:8 says, “For Sadducees say that there is no resurrection—and no angel or spirit.” The Sadducees were anti-supernaturalists—they did not believe in miracles or an afterlife.
Later in the church at Ephesus there were those who professed to believe in the resurrection of the dead but who insisted that this “resurrection” had already taken place. Paul writes to Timothy,
16But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. 17 And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort, 18 who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some. (2 Timothy 2:16-18).
They taught that the “resurrection” was only present spiritual possession, not a future bodily resurrection.
We are not told exactly what form the denial of the resurrection of the dead took at Corinth. I am inclined to think it was the same kind of error Paul exposed in Ephesus (2 Tim. 2:16-18), where Paul told Timothy that such error would “increase to more ungodliness” (verse 16). While the doctrinal error regarding the resurrection of the dead is not adressed until chapter 15, the ungodly fruits of this error are apparent in chapters 1-14.
So in 1 Corinthians 15 Paul is arguing for a future bodily resurrection. In so doing, Paul gives one of the clearest, most concise definitions of the “gospel” found anywhere in the Bible. He shows how a denial of the resurrection of the dead is a denial of the gospel itself, and how believing in the gospel gives us hope for the next world as well as for the present.
Paul makes his argument for the resurrection from: 1. The truth of the Gospel (1 Cor. 15:1-11); then, 2. The fallacy of denying the resurrection (1 Cor. 15:12-19).
1. The Truth of the Gospel (1 Cor. 15:1-11)
A. The importance of the Gospel (1 Cor. 15:1-2)
First Paul reminds the Corinthians of the gospel that he preach and they believed because the resurrection of Jesus is an essential part of the gospel. 1 Corinthians 15:1-2:
1 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.
Paul addresses them as brethren, believers. Do you know what the word “gospel” means, by the way? In the original language of the New Testament, the word translated “gospel” basically means, “the proclamation of good news” or “the preaching of good tidings”. Paul had the privilege of preaching the gospel to them. They received it. They stood fast on the truth of the gospel and continue to stand on it. It is the gospel that saved them, is even now saving them, and will save them continually.
The result of what was preached and what you received and where you stand is that now you have a present salvation. This is important. Our salvation is not some fabricated fairy tale for the future. It is a present reality with eternal consequences.
Paul is declaring the gospel that they heard and received and are standing and are saved. But now he adds a conditional clause. Paul says (1 Cor. 15:2), “if you hold fast that word which I preached to you–unless you believed in vain.” When he says they are saved, he is assuming that something is true. He is assuming that they are holding fast to the message that he preached to them. If they are not holding to the gospel message preached to them—then they are not saved. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the only message that saves. You must receive it, believe it, stand on it, and hold fast to it.
What is this gospel message? What was the gospel that Paul first preached to them?
B. The message of the Gospel (1 Cor. 15:3-4)
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.
First, Paul wants them to remember that he did not invent the gospel message, he received it. He faithfully passed on to the people of God what he himself had been given from the Lord. In Galatians 1:11-12, he wrote;
But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ (Galatians 1:11-12).
The saving gospel can be summed up in three basic points:
1) “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures” — “Christ” is the Greek title for the Hebrew word Messiah. The apostles preached that Jesus is the Christ, the promised anointed prophet, priest, and king. Then Paul says “Christ died for sins.” As I showed last week from 2 Corinthians 5:21, God “made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” He was our substitutionary sacrifice. He bore the penalty for our sin that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. Our sin was imputed to Christ on the cross and His righteousness is imputed to us when we believe. And don’t miss the phrase “according to the Scriptures.” Jesus’ sinless life and His atoning death fulfill the prophecies of scripture in the Old Testament. Isaiah 53, Psalm 22 and many others foretell the death of Christ for sins.
2) “and that He was buried” – Jesus really died. He didn’t just swoon and then somehow recovered in the cool, dark tomb. He was dead for portions of three days. A large stone was rolled over the entrance to His tomb. It was sealed and guarded. The Jews and Romans made sure that no one could have stolen the body or faked a resurrection.
3) “and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” — The Scriptures prophesied that the Messiah would be raised from the dead. In his sermon on the day of Pentecost, Peter quoted from Psalm 16 and showed how David referred to Christ: “For You will not leave my soul in Hades, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.” (see Acts 2:24-32). Here in 1 Corinthians 15, Paul refers to Christ’s resurrection as the “first fruits” (15:20, 23). In the Old Testament, the first fruits were presented to God on the day following the Sabbath after Passover (Lev. 23:9-14). Jesus died as our Passover lamb on the Jewish Passover and His resurrection on the day after the Sabbath fulfills this scripture. Other Old Testament Scriptures, when read in their context, clearly refer to the death and resurrection of Christ (Ps. 22:22ff. with Heb. 2:12; Isa. 53:10-12; Jonah, with Matt. 12:38-41). Jesus Himself predicted several times that He would be killed and raised up on the third day (Matt. 16:21; 17:9, 23; 20:19; 27:63; John 2:19). The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus are the gospel.
So if you’re one of those people–and there are a lot of them today–very nice people that say, “I love the ethical teachings of Jesus. I just don’t believe all that stuff about Him being the Son of God and raised from the dead.” That isn’t the Jesus offered in the gospel. If you want to be saved you’re going to believe these things: Jesus is Messiah and He died for our sins; and He was buried; and He was raised again on the third day; all according to Scripture. Paul is saying to the Corinthians, “How did you miss this?” You believed this message for salvation; how is it that you missed the resurrected Christ?
So Paul has shown the importance of the gospel and the message of the gospel. Next he gives evidence of …
C. The witnesses for the Gospel (1 Cor. 15:5-8)
Paul lists a number of people who saw the risen Savior. None of these were expecting a resurrection, especially not Paul. The sheer number of witnesses (500 at one time!) argues against the possibility of hallucination. Many of these eyewitnesses were still alive when Paul wrote this letter. The message of the gospel could be verified by them. The moral integrity of the witnesses—men who gave the world its highest moral teaching—precludes the possibility of fabrication. To doubt the resurrection of Jesus you have to say that all of these witnesses were deceived or deceivers. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is a confirmed, historical fact.
And finally there is ….
D. The results of the Gospel (1 Cor. 15:9-11)
Paul mentions last his own transformation. He had been a persecutor of the church of God, but now he was pouring out his life on its behalf. We also know that Peter and the other apostles were transformed from depressed, fearful men after the crucifixion to joyful, courageous witnesses after the resurrection. It is hard to explain that change and their willingness to suffer for Christ even unto death, if they knew the resurrection to be a hoax. The resurrection changed Mary from a mourner into a messenger. It changed Thomas from a doubter into a believer. It changed Peter from a denier into a preacher. It changed James from an unbeliever to church leader. It changed Paul from a persecutor into a missionary.
And then there is the evidence of the changed lives of those who have believed through the witness of the apostles. The Corinthians had believed (15:11) and were transformed (6:9-11). Millions of others in every century and culture have testified to the life-changing power of the risen Savior.
The evidence for the resurrection of Christ is solid. It is the message of the gospel that saves. It fulfills prophecy. Eye-witnesses confirm it. The life-transforming testimony of the church confirm it. The truth of the gospel proves that there is a resurrection of the dead.
Now that Paul has given the overwhelming evidence of the truth of the gospel and Christ’s resurrection he then makes an argument for the resurrection of the dead from logic. He shows the absolute absurdity of denying the resurrection.
2. The Fallacy of Denying Resurrection (1 Cor. 15:12-19)
Paul writes to those who denied the resurrection of the dead (1 Cor. 15:13), “But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen.” Then he goes on to show the logical fallacy of this statement. If Christ has not been raised then several things logically follow:
A. The gospel is empty (1 Cor. 15:14)
Paul says, “And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty” (1 Cor. 15:14). “Empty” means vain, fruitless, meaningless, devoid of truth. If Christ was not raised from the dead, then the gospel is false; it is emptied of truth. Furthermore, since the apostles preached Christ crucified, buried, and raised again from the dead, their ministry would be empty if Christ did not actually rise from the grave (1 Cor. 15:14). It would be in vain in the sense that these men risked their lives and made monumental sacrifices for a message that was false and which had no saving power. Both the gospel message and the apostles’ ministry would be worthless.
B. Faith is empty (1 Cor. 15:14, 17)
1 Corinthians 15:14, “… and your faith is also empty.” Not only would the apostles’ preaching topple if the resurrection of Christ had not occurred, but the faith of those who believed their message would also worthless. The gospel Paul preached at Corinth is the gospel which proclaimed Christ’s resurrection. It is also the gospel the Corinthians received, by which they are being saved, and in which they stand (1 Cor. 15:1-2). If Christ did not rise from the dead, their faith is without foundation; it is empty and useless.
C. We are false witnesses (1 Cor. 15:15)
“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 the gospel they have been preaching is a false gospel, then the apostles are actually in serious trouble with God. They are “false witnesses.” They have misrepresented God, making false claims about Him by proclaiming that He raised the Lord Jesus from the dead. They have defamed God. They are not only liars, they are blaspheming liars. They would be false prophets (Deuteronomy 13 and 18:14-22) if Christ had not risen from the dead.
D. You are still in your sins (1 Cor. 15:16-17)
“For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!” If Christ is not risen their faith worthless, for they have trusted in a dead man, a man who staked the integrity of His ministry and message on His resurrection (see Matthew 12:38-40; 27:62-64). If Christ was not raised from the dead, then His death on Calvary was meaningless. Take away the resurrection and you pull the rug out from under the atoning work of our Lord. It is not merely His death, but His death, burial, and resurrection which saves sinners. To deny the resurrection of our Lord is to say Christ’s death meant nothing. Therefore, your sins were not atoned. There is no forgiveness.
E. The dead have perished (1 Cor. 15:18)
“Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.” There is hope beyond the grave, if Christ is not raised. They are dead and gone. Those who die have perished. You will never see them again.
Finally Paul says …
F. Christians are to be pitied (1 Cor. 15:19)
“If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable” Paul says: If the dead are not raised – if this life of risk and sacrifice is my only life – I am a fool. A pitiable fool. What are we all doing here today? Why not just give up? What’s the bottom line if Jesus is not risen? Paul gives it in 1 Cor. 15:32: “If the dead do not rise, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”” In other words, live for yourself and for pleasure now, because that’s all there is. In this sad state of affairs, brought about if Christ did not rise, Christians should be pitied for their stupidity.
Conclusion
The argument Paul plays out in verses 12-19 is a purely theoretical one. His “If … then …” argument was simply to show the folly of rejecting the resurrection of the dead, a claim which directly contradicts the resurrection of Christ from the dead. Paul already proved the truth of the gospel in verses 1-11. And so he concludes in 1 Cor. 15:20, “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” In other words, what happened to our Lord is sure to happen to those who have fallen asleep, those who have died trusting in Him. In the Old Testament, the “first fruits” are the first offspring or crop to be obtained by the farmer. It was proof that there was more to come. Christ’s resurrection is our proof that more resurrections will follow.
Therefore the opposite of all these fallacies are true. Christ is risen! He is not dead. He is alive and will come again. The dead in Christ will be raised. Which means, first, our preaching of the gospel is not vain, “it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes” (Rom. 1:16). Second, your faith is not futile, for you have placed your faith in Christ who is alive and reigning in power at the right hand of God. Third, we are not false witnesses; we are proclaiming the most important truth that person can ever tell to another. Fourth, you are not in your sins but Christ paid for them with His own blood on the cross and you are forgiven—there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:1). Fifth, those who have died in Christ have not perished. We know where they are and we will be reunited with them. Someday you may hear the Richard Sipes is no more. Don’t believe it! Jesus is the first fruits of those who are raised. He is the promise and the guarantee of a great harvest of souls at the day of resurrection. I will be there, more alive than ever! And sixth, don’t pity me. I am not deceived, deluded or insane. All our self-denial, all our obedience, all our persecutions are worth it, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (2 Cor. 4:17). The Christian life is not one to be pitied; it is one to be envied!
Christ is risen. All these things are true. Have you believed it? The Bible says, “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). Saved from sin. Saved from judgment. Saved from hell. Saved to forgiveness. Saved to a new life in Christ. Saved to a sure hope of heaven. For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved” (Rom. 10:13). You have heard the gospel of Christ. Call on Him today and He will save you now.
12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned– 13 (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. 15 But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. 16 And the gift is not like thatwhichcame through the one who sinned. For the judgment whichcame from one offenseresulted in condemnation, but the free gift whichcame from many offenses resulted in justification. 17 For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)
18 Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgmentcame to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act thefreegiftcame to all men, resulting in justification of life. 19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous. 20 Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, 21 so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The history of humanity is really the tale of two men. Adam, the first man, was perfectly created by God and lived in a perfect world. He knew God and reflected His likeness. But he rebelled against the God who loved him. He doubted God’s word, distrusted God’s goodness, and defied God’s law. His penalty was corruption and death to all mankind.
Jesus Christ, the second man, was the eternal Son of God who took on flesh and came to live among us in this evil world. He perfectly fulfilled God’s law, revealed God’s goodness, and spoke God’s word. He lovingly obeyed God His Father in giving His life on the cross for humanity. His reward was resurrection and the gift of eternal life for all mankind.
The first plunged humanity into sin. The second freed people from sin. One caused condemnation; the other achieved justification. The first initiated mortality. The second inaugurated immortality. The first brought death, the second gives life.
