The Bible records, "From that time Jesus began to show
His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things ... and be
killed, and be raised up on the third day" (Matthew 16:21). Even though His followers did not understand what He was
telling them at the time, they remembered His words and recorded them.
Jesus made numerous appearances to His followers. He
comforted the mourners outside His tomb on Sunday morning. On the road to
Emmaus, He explained things about Himself from the Old Testament. Later, He ate
in their presence and invited them to touch Him. Scripture records that Jesus
was seen by more than 500 at one time.
The unrelenting faith of the disciples convinces me of the
Resurrection. Those disciples who were once so afraid that they deserted their
Lord now courageously proclaimed this news, risking their lives to preach.
Their bold and courageous behavior does not make sense unless they knew with
absolute certainty that Jesus had been raised from the dead.
The growth of the Christian church confirms the Resurrection.
Peter's first sermon, which dealt with Christ's resurrection, stirred people to
receive Him as their living Savior. Luke records the thrilling results:
"That day there were added about three thousand souls" (Acts 2:41).
And that group of believers has multiplied until now it reaches around the
world. Today, there are hundreds of millions of believers. the testimony of
hundreds of millions of transformed lives through the centuries shows the power
of the Resurrection. Many have been delivered from addictions. The destitute
and despairing have found hope. Broken marriages have been restored. The most
conclusive proof for the resurrection of Jesus Christ is that He is living
within believers today in all of His resurrected life and transforming power.
The Resurrection confirms that Jesus is who He claimed to
be.
1. The
Resurrection proved that Christ was divine. The fact that Jesus Christ died on
the cross does not prove in itself He is God. Jesus proved His deity by
fulfilling the prophecies of His death and by His return from the grave. The
Bible declares that "by being raised from the dead [Christ] was proved to
be the mighty Son of God, with the holy nature of God Himself" (Romans
1:4).
2. The
Resurrection proved Christ's power to forgive sin. The Bible asserts, "If
Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your
sins" (1 Corinthians 15:17). By rising from the dead, Jesus proved His
authority and power to break the bonds of sin and to assure forgiveness and
eternal life to all who accept His gift of salvation.
3. The
Resurrection revealed Christ's power over death. The Bible records,
"Christ rose from the dead and will never die again. Death no longer has
any power over him" (Romans 6:9, TLB). The Resurrection secured our
victory over death as well and "lifted us up from the grave into glory
along with Christ, where we sit with him in the heavenly realms"
(Ephesians 2:6).
4. The
Resurrection defeated God's enemy. From the moment of his original rebellion
until the day of the Cross, the devil fought viciously and cunningly to
overthrow the kingdom
of God
5. The Resurrection Involved the Trinity. Nothing short of the power of God can raise someone from the dead. In the resurrection of Jesus we see all three members of the Trinity participate in this amazing miracle. God the father had his hand in the resurrection of Jesus. This shows the tenderness and love of a father towards his son. It’s a sign of affection after all the suffering and torture Jesus went through (Acts 13:33-34, Romans 6:4). Christ raised himself from the dead, because he is powerful like that. We tend to view Jesus as meek and mild, a sandal wearing man who had compassion on people. But he was also the almighty warrior prince, who is the creator of the heavens and the earth, who sustains our lives and who, as the Captain of the heavenly armies, defeated Satan and rescues his bride. “Therefore does my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again” (John 10:17,18). But we can’t forget the third member of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. He also played an active and vital role in this divine act of resurrection (1 Peter 3:18, Romans 8:11).
6. The Resurrection Completes Our Salvation. The resurrection is the piece that completes our salvation. It was through his life that we received his righteousness and it was through Christ’s death that we received the forgiveness of sin, but it was through his resurrection that our righteousness and forgiveness were sealed. Rising from the dead Christ broke once and for the all the powers of death and hell. Therefore we can say with boldness, “death where is your victory?” and know with confidence that while death is real it cannot hold us down for long.
7. The Resurrection Gives Us Power. We were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4). Through the resurrection we have been given the power to overcome sin and to live a godly life. Don’t listen to Satan’s whispered lies that you can never change or overcome your struggles. When you feel defeated remember who lives within you! Remember the power that you have inherited and go boldly into your day.
For 40 days after His death and resurrection, Christ
appeared many times to His followers.
On one occasion, He gathered His remaining 11 disciples on a
mountain in Galilee and gave them His Great
Commission.
He said, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy
Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with
you always" (Matthew 28:19,20).
Later, the Book of Acts records that, on the Mount of
Olives, He admonished His disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they were filled
with the Holy Spirit and then to take His message to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria
and to the ends of the world (Acts 1:4,5,8).
Immediately after, He rose skyward and disappeared into the
clouds, leaving the disciples staring after Him in amazed wonder.
The ascension of Christ was the final part in the redemption.
His mission completed, Jesus Christ was exalted to His former glory.
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