Amen. Good morning. Please take your copy of God's Word and join me in Ephesians chapter 2.
!
God's promises are sure because He lives.
This is why we as a church celebrate the resurrection every single Lord's Day.
We are resurrection people.
My wife and I have had discussions about church calendars and why emphasize certain things at certain times.
And I have said that if I were to go to an unreached people, had no concept of Christianity whatsoever,
the only church calendar I would establish is we meet every Lord's Day and we celebrate all that is true for us in Christ.
But we don't live in that culture and there's a lot of pressures that push into the way we might think about this weekend.
So, that's why we think it good to pick up a specific resurrection text.
Had we continued in our study of John, we would have looked at the end of chapter 8.
There Jesus declares in chapter 8, verse 58 and 59,
Truly, truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.
He calls himself Yahweh, the God of Israel.
We could have gotten to the resurrection from that text, to be sure.
Verse 59 says,
And so they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.
We know this because it wasn't yet the time for his death.
So, it would not have been difficult to talk about the future resurrection from a text
where Jesus calls himself God and the Jewish leaders take action to kill him.
But I think there is an appropriate cultural sensitivity to take a beat from time to time
and be sure we're thinking rightly as we get swept into the moment.
So, we'll look at Ephesians 2, verses 1 through 10.
Let's pray before I read it.
Father, help us.
We ask this morning that you would give us the ability to take your word up together as we should.
We want to do so humbly.
We want to properly understand it.
We want to see how it gives application to us this morning and beyond.
We want to believe its promises, obey its commands,
and we want to have affection for you, its author.
And so we pray that you'll help us to this end in the name of Christ.
Amen.
Ephesians 2, beginning in verse 1.
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked,
following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air,
the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience,
among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh,
carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind,
and were by nature children of wrath.
Like the rest of mankind.
But God,
being rich in mercy,
because of the great love with which he loved us,
even when we were dead in our trespasses,
made us alive together with Christ.
By grace you have been saved.
And raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
So that in the coming ages,
he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace and kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
For by grace you have been saved through faith.
And this is not your own doing.
It is the gift of God,
not a result of works,
so that no one may boast.
For we are his workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
I hope you caught why this text is a resurrection text.
Just in case you didn't.
Perhaps you were distracted for a moment,
or just zoned out for some unanswerable reason.
I want to draw your attention to verses 4 through 6.
After Paul has stated,
If we're in Christ,
who we once were,
he says,
But God,
being rich in mercy because of the great love with which he loved us,
even when we were dead in our trespasses,
made us alive together with Christ,
who is alive.
We are alive with him.
By grace you have been saved.
And raised us up,
resurrected us with him,
and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
A lot depends on whether or not Jesus truly is alive.
Our faith absolutely falls apart if he is not.
Charles Spurgeon once said,
this is in your bulletin if you care to follow along,
quote,
The resurrection of Jesus is the keystone of the arch of our holy faith.
And if you don't know anything about the way arches are built,
there's always a stone in the middle that holds the whole arch together.
If you pull it out,
the whole thing will collapse.
Back to the quote.
If you take the resurrection away,
the whole structure lies in ruins.
The death of Christ,
albeit that it is the ground of our confidence for the pardon of sin,
would not have furnished such a foundation had he not risen from the dead.
Were he dead still,
his death would have been like the death of any other person.
would have given us no assurance of acceptance.
His life,
with all the beauty of its holiness,
would have been simply a perfect example of conduct.
But it could not have become our righteousness
if his burial in the tomb of Joseph
had been the end of all.
It was essential for the confirmation of his life teaching
and his death suffering
that he should be raised from the dead.
End quote.
Paul says in 1 Corinthians chapter 15,
many sermons will be preached from 1 Corinthians 15 this morning,
for good reason.
He says,
if Christ has not been raised,
then our preaching is in vain
and your faith is in vain.
So then,
how can we know that Jesus was raised from the dead?
When all is said and done,
I posit to you
that you will have to accept the reality
as an act of faith.
Ultimately,
you will have to believe that this is what happened.
But,
there are some reasons,
some really good reasons
to be reasonably faithful.
I want to give you three briefly this morning
and then we'll get back to our text.
So again,
the question is,
how can we be confident?
How can we know that Jesus is in fact resurrected?
Well, firstly,
Jesus stated that he would be raised from the dead.
This refers back to the Charles Spurgeon quote,
but in Mark 8, 31,
he began to teach them
that the Son of Man must suffer many things
and be rejected by the elders
and the chief priests
and the scribes
and be killed
and after three days rise again.
Jesus taught this again and again and again
about himself.
You may recall the argument
I have been making to you
as we study through the Gospel of John.
You cannot merely call Jesus
a good teacher.
You have to do something with him.
He makes absolutely audacious claims
about himself.
One of those
is that he would be resurrected.
He would die
and three days later
he would be raised.
So,
he is either
a liar
or he is a lunatic.
He actually thought that
but it was entirely
false
or
and as we should believe
he is in fact
resurrected
and he is
Lord.
You really only have
those three options.
You can't just call him
a good
teacher
because of the things
he said
about himself.
He is either liar
lunatic
or he is
Lord.
Secondly,
the tomb was empty.
We see a record of this
in Luke chapter 24
verses 1 through 3.
There Mary Magdalene,
Mary the mother of James
and Salome
go on the first day of the week
at early dawn
they went to the tomb
taking the spices
they had prepared
and they found the stone
rolled away
from the tomb.
But when they went in
they did not find
the body
of the Lord Jesus.
There's historical facts
that show
this stone
would not have been moved
in the middle of the night.
There's a biblical account
that they had to
scheme together
to make up this lie
that his body
had been stolen.
The tomb
was
empty.
And you must do something
with what happened
to the body
of Jesus.
Thirdly,
and this is what's
so helpful
to me
as I thought through
these matters
over the years,
the disciples
were transformed.
Think back
to Peter
leading up
to the time
of Jesus'
crucifixion
and his
three-time denial
like
powering in
the shadows.
And then in Acts
2 and verse 32
we see him
delivering a sermon
on the day of Pentecost
having been
filled with the Spirit.
And there he says
to a vast crowd,
this Jesus
God
raised up
and of that
we are all
witnesses.
Remember,
at the beginning of Acts
these men are
cowering
in an upper room.
They are
hiding
from
the authorities
when they are
visited
by the risen
Christ
and they are
transformed
from mice
into men.
They go out,
they spread
across a 40-year
span
from AD 34
to approximately
AD 74
and they preach
the gospel
everywhere
and not
to their
commendation,
not because
it was the
popular thing
for them
to go forth
and do.
We have
lots of
accounts.
Some are
confidently
historical,
some are
tradition,
but listen
to what
happened
to the
men
who
shared
the
good
news
of
Jesus
Christ.
Stephen,
Acts chapter
8,
was stoned
as Paul
stood by
and watched.
James
was killed
by Herod Agrippa
with a sword.
Peter
was crucified
upside down.
He himself
requested this,
didn't see himself
worthy
to be
killed
as his
savior.
Andrew
was crucified
on an
olive tree
in a town
called
Patre
in Achaia.
Thomas
was run
through
with spears,
tormented
with red
hot plates
and finally
burned
alive.
Philip
was tortured
then crucified
in Phrygia.
Matthew
was beheaded
at
Nod
Devar.
Bartholomew
or Nathaniel
was flayed
and then
crucified.
the other
James
beaten to
death
with a
club.
Simon
crucified
in Syria.
Judas
Thaddeus
beaten to
death
with sticks
in Mesitamia.
Matthias
stoned
while being
crucified
in Ethiopia.
Paul
beheaded
in Rome.
John
died a
natural death
but it's
rumored
that he
was scarred
horribly
because he
had been
burned
in boiling
oil.
Not to
their
profit
that they
would have
carried out
some kind
of myth
and preached
that Jesus
was resurrected
from the
dead.
So
significant
that they
had this
kind of
fervor,
spines of
steel
to go
forth
and share
because they
had been
witnesses
!
of him
raised.
Now if
none of that
is helpful
to you,
we can
tell them
the
apostles
after
arresting
them,
they
beat
them
and
charged
them
not
to
speak
in
the
name
of
Jesus
and
let
them
go.
Then they
left the
presence
of the
council
rejoicing
that they
were counted
worthy to
suffer
dishonor
for the
name
and
every
day
in the
temple
and from
house
to
house
they
did
not
cease
teaching
and
preaching
that the
Christ
is
Jesus.
Clearly
changed
from
towering
in an
upper
room
to
!
bold
proclaimers
of the
resurrection
of
Christ.
And then
you'll see
Paul say
in Romans
8
and
verse
18
For I
consider
that the
sufferings
of this
present
time
are not
worth
comparing
with the
glory
that is
to be
revealed
to us.
So Paul
so clearly
set against
the church
stood by
at the
stoning
of Stephen
approved
of the
stoning
of Stephen
now declaring
that the
sufferings
of this
present
time
for the
proclamation
of the
gospel
are not
worth
comparing
with the
glory
that is
to be
revealed
to us.
So
some
reasons for
you to
believe if
you don't
already believe
that Jesus
is raised
from the
dead.
Now
then
Jesus
was
resurrected
but what
if he
had not
been?
I want
to show
you from
our text
today
three ways
our faith
would all
fall apart.
Number
one,
without the
reality of
the
resurrection
we would
not have
protection
from the
wrath
of God.
Protection
from the
wrath
of God.
and you
were
dead
in the
trespasses
and sins
in which
you once
walked.
Spiritually
dead.
This is not
a picture
of
sickness
in sin.
This is
spiritually
dead.
In the
way
your life
practiced
out,
this walking
out,
you were
dead
in those
trespasses
and sins.
You were
following
the course
of this
world,
following
the prince
of the
power
of the
air,
the spirit
that is
now in
work
and the
sons of
disobedience.
And just
in case
you don't
know who
that is,
he's
talking
about
Satan
at this
point.
Among
whom
we all
once
lived
in the
passions
of our
flesh,
carrying
out the
desires
of the
flesh
and the
mind
and
were
by
nature
children
of
wrath
like the
rest
of
mankind.
We
were
apart
from
Christ
and if
you're
apart
from
Christ
this
morning,
you
are
a
child
of
wrath
by
your
very
nature.
This
wrath
is a
thing
that
should
cause
us
to
tremble.
Great
fear
before a
God
who is
angry,
rightly
angry
at
sin.
Paul
writes in
Romans 1
verse 18,
for the
wrath of
God
is revealed
from
heaven
against
all
ungodliness
and
unrighteousness
of men
who by
their
unrighteousness
suppress
the truth.
We
experience in
this life
the effect
of sin.
We are
seeing it
all the
time
all around
us.
This is a
judgment
taking place
even now
as trite
and benign
as this
will seem.
All of
our
pollen
suffering
this past
week.
It's part
of the
judgment
on
sin.
But so
much more
than that,
all of the
things that
we experience
that press
against
goodness
in our
lives
is God's
judgment
in the
world.
But it
is but
a shadow
of the
wrath
that is
to come.
If you
don't think
that you
deserve
God's
wrath
for your
sin,
you think
far
too much
of yourself
and you
don't think
nearly
enough
of God's
holiness.
There is a
wrath that
awaits those
who are not
found in
Christ at
the judgment.
And just
hear me
plead with
you.
Seriously
consider what
the scripture
has to say
about the
wrath to
come.
That
judgment,
it does
await you.
Flee from
that wrath
to
Christ.
The
resurrected
Christ.
Without
the reality
of the
resurrection,
we have
no protection
from the
wrath of
God.
But in
Christ,
we are
saved from
God's
wrath.
Look with me
at two other
places.
Paul shows
that the
doctrine of
the
resurrection
is integral
to our
salvation
from God's
wrath.
You may
want to
turn there.
It's okay
if you
don't.
1 Thessalonians
chapter 1.
I read
verse 9
and following.
For they
themselves
report
concerning
us the
kind of
reception
we had
among you
and how
you turn
to God
from idols
to serve
the living
and true
God
and to
wait for
his son
from heaven
whom he
raised from
the dead,
Jesus,
who delivers
us from
the wrath
to come.
How is it
that he
accomplished
this work?
It's the
doctrine of
justification.
A declaration
by faith
in Christ
that we
are now
righteous.
The penalty
of our
sin
expunged.
Jesus takes
our sin
on himself
on the
cross.
He pays
the penalty
in full.
The eternal
weight of our
debt paid
by an
eternal
savior.
But not
only that,
we are
granted
his
righteousness,
his
perfect
law
keeping
and the
resurrection
is the
proof
that he
accomplished
the task
that God
gave him
to
accomplish.
God the
Father
raised Jesus
from the
dead
and he
delivers
us
from the
wrath
to come.
Another
place,
Romans
chapter 5,
also verse
9 and
10.
Since
therefore we
have now
been
justified,
by his
blood,
much more
shall we
be saved
by him
from the
wrath of
God.
For
while we
were
enemies,
we were
reconciled
to God
by the
death of
his
son,
much more
now that
we are
reconciled,
shall we
be saved
by his
life.
Without
the reality
of the
resurrection,
we would
not have
protection
from the
wrath of
God.
But praise
God,
because of
the
resurrection,
we can
be saved.
To develop
that a bit
further,
secondly,
without the
reality of
the resurrection,
we would
not have
our sin
pardoned.
Verse 4
begins with
a blessed
conjunction.
It's a
connection to
the discourse
above.
He says,
but
God,
you were
dead in
your
trespasses.
We all
once
were this,
but
God.
Not because
we did
anything to
deserve it.
We were
this,
but
God
acted.
Being
rich
in
mercy,
verse 4
tells us.
Abundant
mercy,
overflowing
mercy.
God is
himself
merciful,
full of
wrath for
sin,
but merciful
at the
exact same
time,
and always
being those
things at
all times.
The doctrine
is called the
simplicity
of God,
and it's
hard to wrap
your mind
around how
he is who
he is
all the
time,
and does
not change.
but because
he's
merciful,
and because
he is
love,
the text
goes on,
because of
the great
love with
which he
loved us.
Even
when we
were dead
in our
trespasses,
enemies of
God,
he made
us alive
together
with Christ.
Because Christ
is raised,
we can be
made alive
with Christ.
by grace
you have
been saved.
And not
only that,
we've been
raised up
with him
and seated
with him
in the
heavenly
places in
Christ
Jesus,
so that
in the
coming
ages,
that is not
this age,
that's the
ages that
will come,
he might
show the
immeasurable
riches of
his grace
in kindness
toward us
in Christ
Jesus.
at our
Good Friday
service,
I read the
first eight
chapters from
a book
called
The Biggest
Story.
My hope
for the sake
of the
children with
us that
evening and
perhaps for
some of us
adults who
can appreciate
things simplified
and in
childlike
language,
myself included,
was to
present the
grand narrative
of God's
rescuing work
in the
atoning
death of
Jesus Christ.
It's a
story that
starts all
the way
back at
creation and
we live in
that story
today.
Now, I
don't know
if that
reading was
a hit or
a miss.
The kids
were fussy
that night,
I'm not
sure, and
it might
have been
too long.
But for
those children
paying attention
that evening
and perhaps
a few adults,
I want to
spend just a
little bit
of my allotted
time to
finish reading
this book.
So settle
in with me
just for a
moment, and
then I'll
turn our
attention back
to Ephesians
2.
The very
end of the
last chapter
we read,
after speaking
of the death
of Christ,
says this,
but the
biggest surprise
to everyone
was that the
chosen one of
God was
chosen by
God to
die.
It just
didn't seem
right that the
one destined
to crush the
serpent would
be crushed
himself.
So when
Jesus, the
Christ, the
Son of the
living God,
died on the
cross that
Friday afternoon,
it seemed a
shocking evil
beyond belief.
And it was
the worst
thing that's
ever happened
in the
world.
But it was
also the
best thing
that's ever
happened in
the world,
just as we
would expect
from God,
and just as
God planned
it.
We break
promises,
so God
keeps his.
We run
from God,
so he
comes to
us.
We suffer
for sin,
so the
Savior suffers
for us.
Our story
is the story
of God
doing what
we can't
in order to
make up for
us doing
what we
shouldn't.
The Christ
suffers for
our sin that
we might
share in
his
sinlessness.
And so
deliverers are
born to
die.
Things fall
apart so they
can come
together.
God kicks
his own
people out
of paradise
and then
does whatever
it takes
to bring
them back
again.
As you
may have
heard and
should definitely
tell someone
else,
the snake
crusher who
died on the
cross didn't
stay dead.
He couldn't.
Death had no
claim on him.
The devil had
no case against
him.
And sin had
no wages for
him that he
couldn't pay.
Jesus just
couldn't stay
dead and God
just wouldn't
let him rot
in the tomb.
So on the
third day,
God raised
him from
the dead.
A whole
bunch of
people saw
him and
ate with
him and
told their
friends that
he was
really alive.
Forty days
later, God
lifted him into
the sky and
gave him the
seat of honor
at his right
hand.
And you
know what
the snake
crusher did
next?
Jesus, because
his work was
done, he
sat down.
And God
gave him the
name above
all names so
that at the
name of
Jesus, everybody
and everything
would start to
sing and
shout and
worship.
Then just to
make things even
better and to
make good on
even more
promises, God
the Father and
God the Son sent
the best present
of all time down
to earth.
They gave the
gift of the
Holy Spirit.
And because of
the Spirit, we
can have power and
peace and the
presence of
Christ with
us all the
time.
As you can
tell, this
story is a
big story.
In fact, it's
the biggest
story.
It's a familiar
story to some
of us.
It's a true
story for all
of us.
But we haven't
seen the end
of the story,
not yet.
We live in the
beginning of the
end of the
story that we
are still in
the middle of.
We know it's
not the end
because we
haven't made
it back to
the garden.
We get
glimpses of
the garden
here and
there, in
our hearts,
in our
families, in
the church.
But anyone
who loves this
story longs to
see the one
who is the
center of the
story.
The snake
crusher is
coming back
again to
wipe away all
the bad guys
and wipe away
every tear.
He's coming
to make a new
beginning and to
finish what he
started.
He's coming to
give us the
home we once
had and might
have forgotten
that we lost.
So keep
waiting for
him.
Keep believing
in him.
Keep trusting
that the story
isn't over
yet.
God's promises
never fail
and the
promised one
never
disappoints.
One day we
will see him.
One day we
will be with
him.
One day there
will be nothing
but the best of
days, day
after day
and forever
and ever
it will be a
wonderful time
to be God's
children in
God's wonderful
world.
We live in
the beginning
of the end
of the story
that we are
still in the
middle of.
We have
so much
to look
forward to.
Our
sin is
pardoned
by faith
in the
resurrected
Christ.
Verse 8
says,
For by grace
you have been
saved through
faith.
And this is
not your own
doing, it is
the gift
of God,
not a
result of
works,
so that no
one may
boast.
What a
wonderful,
blessed thing
it is that
we are not
asked to
earn our
salvation,
because none
of us
would be
saved if
this was
the case.
none of
us would
measure up
to the
perfect
expectation
of God.
We would
all
fail.
Christianity
is the
only world
religion
that gets
this right,
understands
our sinful
state,
our deadness
in our
trespasses
and sins,
and presents
to us
a God,
the true
living God,
who acts
on our
behalf,
because he's
merciful and
he's full
of love.
So we
get to
live and
be free
in him,
free to
obey,
a faith
that finds
itself
working,
but not a
faith that
thinks it
earns
salvation.
Paul says
in Galatians
6.14,
far be it
for me to
boast,
except in
the cross
of our
Lord,
Jesus
Christ.
Now Paul
is not the
only one
who closely
unites the
doctrine of
resurrection
with our
salvation.
Peter says
in 1 Peter
chapter 1
verse 3,
blessed be
the God
and Father
of our
Lord,
Jesus
Christ.
According
to his
great mercy,
he has
caused us
to be
born again
to a
living hope
through the
resurrection
of Jesus
Christ
from the
dead.
Beloved,
we do not
differ in
degree,
but in
kind,
born again,
new
creation.
If you
are in
Christ,
then you
have been
made alive
eternally
because
Jesus
is
alive.
Listen to
what Jesus
says in
Luke chapter
20 and
verse 36.
They cannot
die
anymore,
those who
are in
heaven,
because they
are equal
to angels
and are
sons of
God,
being sons
of the
resurrection.
Without the
reality of
the resurrection,
we would
not have
our sin
pardoned.
And then
lastly,
without the
resurrection,
we would
not have
the presence
of Jesus.
Have you
ever imagined
what it might
be like to
walk with
Jesus?
on the
earth.
The road
to Emmaus
where he
expounds
all of
the Old
Testament
and shows
how it
all points
to him
as the
moment I
would have
wanted to
experience.
If you
consider that
it's a
better thing
still,
that is
given to
us the
spirit
of Christ.
We have
his very
presence with
us by
faith in
him.
Verse 10
says,
for we
are his
workmanship
created in
Christ Jesus
for good
works,
which God
prepared
beforehand
that we
should walk
in them.
Paul's
going to
go on
to talk
about God
working in
us to
will and
to work
for his
good
pleasure.
John 14
15
and following
there Jesus
says,
if you
love me
you will
keep my
commandments
and I
lost the
father and
he will
give you
another
helper
to be
with you
forever.
Even the
spirit of
truth whom
the world
cannot receive
because it
neither sees
him nor
knows him
you know
him for
he dwells
with you
and will
be in
you.
I will
not leave
you as
orphans.
I will
come to
you.
Yet a
little
while
in the
world
will
see
me
no
more
but
you
will
see
me
because
I
live
you
also
will
live.
Paul
writes in
Romans 8
verse 9
and following
you however
are not
in the
flesh
but in
the
spirit
if in
fact
the
spirit
of
God
dwells
in
you.
Anyone
who does
not
have
the
spirit
of
Christ
does
not
belong
to
him.
But
if
Christ
is
in
you
although
the
body
is
dead
because
of
sin
the
spirit
is
life
because
of
righteousness
the
spirit
of
him
who
raised
Jesus
from
the
dead
dwells
in
you
he
who
raised
Christ
Jesus
from
the
dead
will
also
give
life
to
your
mortal
bodies
through
his
spirit
who
dwells
in
you.
The
resurrected
Christ
dwells
in
all
who
believe
in
him.
The
resurrected
Christ
says in
Matthew
chapter
28
verse
20
behold
I
am
with
you
always
to
the
end
of
the
age.
In
Romans
6
9
we
know
that
Christ
being
raised
from
the
dead
will
never
die
again.
Death
no
longer
has
dominion
over
him.
What a
thing
to consider
because
Jesus
lives
we have
his
presence
with
us
now
through
his
spirit
and
forever
more
as we
live
with
him
in
eternity.
So
without
the
reality
of
the
resurrection
we
would
not
have
protection
from
the
wrath
of
God
our
sin
pardoned
or
the
presence
of
Jesus
and
so
praise
be
to
God
that
Jesus
is
in
fact
raised
from
the
dead.
All
of the
promises
of
God
find
their
yes
and
amen
in
the
resurrected
Christ.
Let's
pray
together.