The Power of the Resurrection

The most celebrated day of the year for the Christian faith. We have come together to worship the Risen Savior.

Today is about the impossible becoming a reality. It’s about death giving way to life. It’s about the seemingly worst tragedy that morphed into the greatest victory.

The Resurrection is the supreme miracle of Christianity — it’s at the very heart of our faith. Because the resurrection authenticates everything Jesus did and said, the resurrection guarantees believers forgiveness of their sins and eternal life.

Does anyone own a cross necklace? How many of you are wearing a cross right now? Cross behind me, 51 on the wall, 34 in the Youth room, in our houses.

Have you ever considered what the cross truly represents?  The cross was the tool Rome used to execute its criminals 2 thousand years ago. It wasn’t just a form of execution; it was a form of torture and humiliation, where the victim would end up suffocating to death from the weight of his own body.

Back then, I assure you, people didn’t have crosses around their necks or in their homes. It would be like wearing a necklace with a small electric chair on it today. But the fact that such an ugly instrument has become a thing of elegance and beauty and a Christian’s stone of remembrance is a testimony and a clear picture of what we celebrate today.

The Resurrection is the day GOD took things that were broken, cruel, harsh, and ugly and made them beautiful again. The Resurrection is about redemption. The Resurrection is about transformation. The Resurrection doesn’t make the cross a little less barbaric, or a little kinder; the Resurrection is so powerful and so all-encompassing that it takes a symbol of death and torture and transforms it into a symbol of life and salvation.

Without the Resurrection, the cross remains barbaric and meaningless. With the Resurrection, the cross reminds us of our salvation, our hope, and our life.

As Jesus lived, fulfilled His ministry, He foretold His death and resurrection.

Jesus predicts His death 3 times; in 3 gospels:  Mark 8:31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. (Peter rebuked)

(Transfiguration) Mark 9:31b-32 He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.” ³² But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.

(Heading to Jerusalem for the Passover) Mark 10:33-34 “We are going up to Jerusalem,” he said, “and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, ³⁴ who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise.”

Jesus’ resurrection proves that all of His words were true, and it proves that His sacrifice for the forgiveness of my sins on the cross has accomplished its work.

Luke 24:1-6 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women (Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James) took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. (They were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”)  ² They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, ³ but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. ⁴ While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. ⁵ In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? ⁶ He is not here; He has risen!

Throughout His ministry, Jesus made numerous claims about Himself, God, and the kingdom of heaven. He claimed to be the Son of God, the Messiah, the Savior of the world. He spoke of God’s Love, Mercy, and Grace. He promised eternal life to those who believed in Him.

All these claims/promises would be meaningless if Jesus remained in the grave. But by rising from the dead, Jesus proved that His words are trustworthy and true.

Jesus is not just a good man or a wise teacher; He is the Son of God. He is God incarnate, the second person of the Trinity. His resurrection is a testament to His divine nature.  It is God alone who has power over life and death. By rising from the dead, Jesus proved that He is indeed God.

Since Jesus rose from the grave, we know that all who believe in Him will be raised from the dead as well. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:20–21 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.

The resurrection of Jesus provides the only hope for humanity. Death is a reality that we all must face. It‘s a consequence of our sin, a reminder of our mortality. But the resurrection of Jesus gives us hope. It assures us that death is not the end, that there is life beyond the grave. Because Jesus rose from the dead, we too can look forward to our resurrection, a resurrection unto eternal life.

When we examine the life of Jesus, we see the path that leads to salvation.  His life, His teachings, His sacrifice, and His resurrection all point us towards the way of salvation.

It’s a path that leads us away from sin and towards righteousness, out of the darkness and into the light, away from eternal death and towards eternal life. This is a path of self-denial, of taking up our cross, and of following Him.

This event is the cornerstone of my faith. It’s the moment when death was defeated and life was given. It’s the moment when the power of sin was broken and the power of grace was revealed.

Jesus has changed my life. And, I know that He has changed many of your lives as well. HE IS RISEN    My Redeemer Lives!!  He’s making intercession for me!!

BECAUSE HE LIVES: Jesus has dealt with my PAST, walks with me (and is in me) in the PRESENT, and has secured my FUTURE!!

Jesus loved me more than life itself. He proved He would rather die a cruel and torturous death than be without me.

• The arrest of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane is over;
• The brutal treatment of him at the hands of Roman soldiers is over.
• The trial that found him guilty is over.
• The torturing of his body is over.
• The nailing of his body to the cross is over;
• The bleeding  from his back, head, hands, feet, and pierced side is over ;
• The retrieval of his body from the cross by Joseph and Nicodemus is over.
• The search for his body by the women who visited the tomb has come to an end.

All that Jesus had to go through is over, HE IS RISEN, and his mission to redeem mankind has been completed. Resurrection Sunday has been instituted, and the very foundation of the New Testament Church has been secured.

The Greatest man in history, His name is Jesus. Had no servants, yet they called Him Master. Had no degree, yet they called Him Teacher. Had no medicines, yet they called Him Healer. He won no military battles, yet He conquered the world. He committed no crime. Yet they crucified Him.

He was buried in a tomb, But death couldn’t hold him and on the third day (Just like He said) He rose from the dead..Jesus is the reason for my hope!!

 He did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world….                John 3:18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”