Easter Sunrise

March 23, 2008

Introduction

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead may sound like some kind of a fairy tale to some of you, but the truth is that it is one of the most well-documented facts in history.

The fact that Jesus rose from the dead has implications for our lives.

This is not just nice make-believe story like Jack and the Beanstalk.

This is real history, something that impacts our lives.

Do think Abraham Lincoln was a real person?  Do you think that his life affected our nation?

Was Martin Luther King a real person? Did he do anything to change America?

I want to share three quick ideas of how the resurrection of Jesus Christ impacts our lives.

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

futile – mataios – devoid of force, truth, success, result; useless, of no purpose

If Jesus did not really come back to life, then Paul is saying that the stuff we believe is all a waste of time.

What’s the first purpose of our faith?

To find forgiveness.

We are saved from the penalty of our sins when we learn to trust that Jesus died to pay for our sins.

Jesus came to die on a cross as a sacrifice.  When I should be the one going to prison for my sins, Jesus took my place.

The Bible teaches that for me to have Jesus pay for my sins, I need to trust in Him, I need to believe in Him.

(John 3:16 NKJV)  "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Lesson

The Resurrection proves forgiveness

It’s one thing to claim that Jesus died for our sins, but how do we know that He actually paid for our sins?

The penalty for sin is death, eternal separation from God.

If I promise to pick up the tab for lunch, how do you know I did it?  One way would be to see if I have any money left over after my trip to the cash register.

Anybody can “say” that they are going to die for you, but if they have enough life leftover after paying for you to come back to life, then you know they did.

If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, then our claim that Jesus died for us is bogus, just empty words.

But Jesus DID rise from the dead.

When we do our baptisms, I like to ask the people getting baptized a series of questions.  I will ask them:

Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God?  Do you believe that Jesus died on a cross to pay for your sins?  Do you believe that Jesus rose again on the third day and proved to you and all these people watching you that your sins have indeed been forgiven?

Where are you with God right now?

Have you been thinking that when you die you’re going to just try and talk your way into heaven?

Have you actually been thinking that you might be good enough to get into heaven?  Don’t fool yourself.

We all need God’s help to be able to get to heaven.  We need God’s forgiveness.

That will only come from you asking for help and trusting God to forgive you.

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

perished – apollumi – to perish, to be lost, ruined, destroyed

The Bible talks about death in an unusual way, describing it as “sleep”.  If you’ve ever seen a dead body at a funeral you know why.  It looks like the person is sleeping in the casket.

Paul is saying that if there is no resurrection, then when you die, that’s it, you’re gone.

Lesson

The Resurrection is our hope for the future

Jesus said,

(John 14:3 NKJV)  "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

Jesus was talking about heaven.  He has gone before us to prepare an eternal home for us in heaven.

If you are a young person, it’s possible that this doesn’t mean much to you.  You may not think much about the possibility of dying.

The truth is that unless Jesus comes back, everyone in this room will die.  There are no exceptions.

The longer you live, the more you will keep bumping into this difficult truth.

The longer you live, you will have people you know, people you love, people you care for, who will die.

There will be a day when you too will die.

What are you going to do with that fact?

God wants you to know that there is life after death.

God wants you to know that there is a heaven and there is a hell.

God doesn’t want you to go to hell.  God sent His Son Jesus to die for you so you wouldn’t have to go to hell.

God wants you to go to heaven.

If you want to go to heaven, you need to trust in Jesus.

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

pitiable – eleeinos – to be pitied, miserable; the word is built on the word for “mercy”, the idea is that if we’re just a sucker for believing in a Jesus who didn’t rise from the dead, and if we have made the kinds of choices like saying “no” to fun stuff like “sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll”, then we deserve all the mercy, all the pity that people can afford.

Lesson

The Resurrection motivates right living

If there is no life after death, then we might as well “party hearty”.  Paul wrote,

(1 Cor 15:32 NKJV)  …If the dead do not rise, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!"

But the resurrection shows us that there is indeed life after death.

The Bible tells us that men will die once, and then they will be judged. (Heb. 9:27)

Where we spend eternity depends on what we do on this side of death.

You get through the door into heaven by believing in Jesus.

(John 5:24 NKJV)  "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.

What kind of experience you’ll have in heaven depends on what kind of life you’ve lived on this side of death.

God rewards those who live for him.

The Bible talks about our deeds being judged in a fire – if your life was lived doing good things for God with the right heart, then you will find yourself with treasures in heaven.  For some of us, the things we spend our life doing are simply going to burn up and there will be nothing left.

The Bible talks about the Master rewarding those who serve Him, “Well done good and faithful servant”.

The next time you find yourself with a choice of doing the right thing or doing something stupid – remember that there is a life after this one, there is a great paycheck waiting for you at the end of the week, but be sure you put in your time.

Don’t think that those stupid things you do don’t hurt anyone.  It hurts you.

Prayer for salvation