This morning I can think of two great benefits of getting to be the pastor of Christ Family Church.
! Firstly, I get to make requests of songs, and the band actually does them. So if you didn't like that, I'm sorry, that was for me.
Secondly, I get to preach to you the Word of God and the great blessing that it is. So please turn in your copy of God's Word to Ephesians chapter 2.
Ephesians chapter 2, and follow along with me as I read to us verses 1 through 10.
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins of 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 body 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 you 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 work, 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.
This is God's word to us, written for his glory and our good. We would all do well to listen to it and obey it.
Let's pray together.
Father God, we praise you this morning for the risen and reigning Jesus Christ.
It is in his person and work that we have the redemption of our souls,
and it is because of what he has accomplished that you are forming us into a people for your possession,
that you are making us into a temple as your dwelling place, with Jesus as the cornerstone.
Father, today we want only to exalt him.
I do not want to be exalted.
People here, people on the stage, people sitting in the seats, do not want to be exalted.
Father, we want Christ to be exalted.
And Lord, all that we do, apart from the work of your spirit, would not exalt Christ.
They would be mere motions.
And so we pray that by your spirit you will work in us this day.
That the preaching of your word will have power, not because my words have weight,
but because my words speak of the word of God.
Your very revelation to mankind.
And that by your spirit you would take those words and you would apply them to our hearts,
that we might be changed, not in degree, but in type.
That we will belong to Jesus.
And as a result, we will obey his every command.
And we pray all of this in his matchless and wonderful name.
Amen.
Well, I know that it's not lost on any of you that today is Easter Sunday,
the Sunday that the Christian church celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
But I put forth to you that the church of Christ celebrates in each and every meeting,
as well as in each and every action of every day throughout the week,
the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Now, I'm not against us having a special Sunday in which we do that.
I think that that is okay.
But I want us to be mindful that this is not the only time of year that we should remember what Christ accomplished.
His person and his work is what we praise with our lives.
At least I hope that's true of you.
But today we are going to take a break from our verse-by-verse exposition of the Gospel according to Mark
to look in Ephesians and to see some of the benefits that we gain by the resurrection of Christ.
But first I want to ask the question, how can we know that Jesus was raised from the dead?
How can we know that this is true?
And I'm going to give you four reasons, and these are not exhaustive reasons,
but just four reasons that I find particularly compelling.
But let me say to you that ultimately and finally,
for these reasons to become reasons for you,
they must be accepted by faith.
They must be accepted by faith.
If we were to say that we ourselves stood in the empty tomb,
we could still, with some reason of our mind, say that Jesus' body was stolen.
We could say that somebody broke in,
rolled a stone that could be not rolled away by a couple of men,
but by an army of men, and took his body.
We could somehow rationalize it away as the world does.
We must accept these things by faith.
But nonetheless, there are reasons and some very compelling ones.
Firstly, Jesus stated that he would be raised from the dead.
He himself knew that this was going to happen.
Mark 8, verse 31.
And 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.
There was a prediction on Jesus' part that this would, in fact, take place.
Secondly, the tomb was empty.
We have a record of that.
Luke 24, verses 1-3.
We see three women, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and a woman named Salome,
go and visit the tomb to bring more spices for the body.
Verse 1 of chapter 24.
But 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.
Thirdly, in a particularly compelling case, the disciples of Christ were transformed.
Those closest to Him called the apostles.
We have many accounts of their fearless proclamation of the gospel of God after Jesus' death.
Acts 2, verse 32.
This is Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost.
He says,
And you recall, after the death of Christ,
what the apostles and the larger group of disciples were doing?
They were cowering in a room together.
150 of them did not know what to do.
This Jesus that they thought was going to come and reign politically and militarily,
was going to overthrow the Roman government,
had been put to death.
And they did not know what to do.
They feared for their very lives.
Remember, Peter, who preached this sermon,
was the one who had denied Christ because of his fear.
They were turned from proverbial mice to men when they saw the risen Christ.
Between the years of A.D. 34 and A.D. 74,
all of 12 of the apostles, save Judas, who hung himself,
and John, who died of natural death,
all of them were martyred across a 40-year span.
They didn't come together in a room together,
get each other really psyched up to continue to try to promote a myth.
And they all were excited about it for a couple of months,
and they were all put to death.
But across a span of 40 years,
these men believed that Jesus lived,
and they were willing to give their lives to it.
Let me give you examples.
Paul's first martyr, not an apostle,
but Stephen, one of the early deacons,
was stoned.
As we know, Paul, Saul then, stood aside and watched.
James was killed by Herod Agrippa with a sword.
Peter was crucified upside down.
There are extra-biblical accounts of all of these things.
Andrew was crucified on an olive tree in a town called Petra in Achaia.
Thomas was run through with pine spears,
tormented with red-hot plates,
and finally burned alive.
Philip was tortured, then crucified in Phrygia.
Matthew was beheaded.
Bartholomew, also known as Nathaniel,
was flayed, split open, and then crucified.
The other James, called the Lesser James,
was beaten to death with a club.
Simon was crucified in Syria.
Judas Thaddeus, beaten to death with sticks in Mesopotamia.
Matthias stoned while being crucified in Ethiopia.
Paul was beheaded in Rome.
And then John, as I mentioned previously,
died a natural death,
but it's rumored and fairly historically accounted for
that he was scarred horribly by being burned in boiling oil.
These men were willing to receive these types of torments,
these types of death,
because they had seen the risen Christ.
Turn with me, if you will, to Acts chapter 5.
Keep your finger in Ephesians chapter 2.
Acts chapter 5.
I'm going to read a little bit to you of an account
of early on, in the early church,
when the apostles were arrested.
And I want you to see some of the peculiar response here,
which helps fortify this reason
why we can believe in the resurrection.
Beginning of verse 27,
So this is a council of Jews
had brought them, the apostles.
They set them before the council,
and the high priest questioned them,
saying,
We strictly charge you not to teach in this name,
the name of Jesus.
Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching,
and you intend to bring this man's blood upon us.
But Peter and the apostles answered.
So here's Peter,
fearful Peter,
denying Christ,
just days before.
He says to them,
to this council,
We must obey God,
rather than men.
The God of our fathers raised Jesus,
whom you killed by hanging him on a tree.
God exalted him at his right hand
as leader and savior
to give repentance to Israel
and forgiveness of sins.
And we are his witnesses to these things.
And so is the Holy Spirit,
whom God has given to those who obey him.
When they heard this,
they were enraged and wanted to kill him.
But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel,
right here,
we need to have the same reason that he had here.
A teacher of the law,
held in honor by all the people,
stood up and gave orders
to put the men outside for a little while.
And he said to them,
the council,
Men of Israel,
take care of what you are about to do
with these men.
For before these days,
Theodos rose up,
claiming to be somebody,
and a number of men,
about 400,
joined him.
He was killed,
and all who followed him
were dispersed and came to nothing.
After him,
Judas the Galilean
rose up on the days of the census
and drew away some of the people after him.
He too perished,
and all who followed him
were scattered.
So in the present case,
I tell you,
keep away from these men
and let them alone.
For if this plan
or this undertaking
is of man,
it will fail.
You catch that?
These Jewish people
had been waiting
for somebody
who was going to come
and conquer,
who was going to fulfill
the prophecy of the Old Testament
as they saw it.
Someone who was going to come
and reign politically
and militarily.
Someone who was going to come
and overthrow
the Roman Empire.
And some men had come along
and said that.
They were false in that way,
and they were killed,
and their followers dispersed.
It will fail.
Verse 39,
But if it is of God,
you will not be able
to overthrow them.
You might even be found
opposing God.
So they took this advice,
and when they had called
in the apostles,
they beat them
and charged them
not to speak in the name
of Jesus
and let them go.
So just the same,
bring them in,
they beat them,
tell them,
do not speak in the name
of Jesus.
Then they left
the presence of the council,
rejoicing that they were
counted worthy
to suffer dishonor
for the name.
Strange,
if Christ was not risen.
And every day
in the temple
and from house to house,
they did not cease
teaching and preaching
Jesus as the Christ.
This is great reason
for us to believe
that Jesus was in fact
raised from the dead.
John 2.22 says,
When therefore
he was raised from the dead,
his disciples remembered
that he had said this,
and they believed
the scripture
and the word
that Jesus had spoken.
In Romans 8.18,
Paul records,
For I consider
that the sufferings
of this present time
are not worth comparing
with the glory
that is to be revealed
to us.
Recognize, beloved,
that if we believe
the gospel
in its fullness,
Jesus Christ did in fact
bear the wrath of God
on our behalf
and was killed,
buried,
and resurrected,
he's seated at the right hand,
we will be bold
in this way.
And we have no reason
to be bold in this way
if he was not
raised from the dead.
He was defeated
2,000 plus years ago.
Why would we think
he can reign now?
But he does in fact
reign.
Fourthly,
the promises
of the Bible
hinge
upon the reality
of the resurrection.
The promises
of the Bible
hinge
upon it.
If we are not
willing to believe
all of the Bible,
we have no business
believing any part
of the Bible.
This is revelation.
This is God's
word to us.
It is inerrant.
It is powerful.
It is sufficient
as the rule
for our lives.
Our experience
can affirm
the truth
of the Bible,
but it cannot
define it.
Does it not
cause you fear
that some people
think that they can
find truth
within themselves?
Do you not do this
at points in your life?
Think that you yourself
can define what is
and what isn't
true?
This is a fearful
thing.
I know myself
too well
to think that I
can define truth.
I need some
external source
of revelation.
I need something
absolute,
something objective,
and praise God
we have his scriptures.
He condescended
to become an author,
to write a book
for us.
There must be
an objective reality
outside ourselves
which governs
our lives.
And I will tell you
that if I cannot
believe every word
in this book,
then I can't believe
any of it.
I have no grounds
to believe any of it
at all.
And my salvation
is at risk
in that.
Jesus himself
affirms
the validity
of at least
our Old Testament
scriptures.
He quotes it
78 times
in the New Testament.
Jesus was a man
of the word
who believed
in the revelation
of God.
These are great reasons.
Great reasons
to believe
in the resurrection.
And there are
three ways
that all
that we believe
to be true
of the gospel
would fall apart
if the resurrection
was not
in fact
a reality.
And that was
the introduction.
So here we go.
Three ways
it would all
fall apart.
Without the reality
of the resurrection,
we would not have
firstly protection
from the wrath
of God.
We're back in
Ephesians chapter 2
now if you're
tracking along.
I'm going to read
to you a few verses
here again.
And you were dead
in the trespasses
and sins
in which you once
walked.
This is Paul
writing to the church
at Ephesus
those who have
claimed to be
in the faith.
We need to hear
this this morning.
We know that he
is writing to
believers.
You were dead
once you were
dead in your
trespasses and sins
in which you once
walked.
Following the
course of this
world.
Following the
prince of the
power of the
air.
That is Satan
if you don't
know.
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 body and
the mind.
And we're by
nature.
By the very
center of who
we are.
Our definition
of who we are.
Children of
wrath.
Like the rest
of mankind.
mankind fell in
the garden.
Original sin now
permeates the rest
of humanity.
And therefore we
are apart from
Christ enemies of
God.
And as enemies of
God, God is
right.
He is just.
Not unloving, but
just to punish
sin.
It's right for
him to do it.
We would not
want to worship a
God who's not
just.
Who one day will
not make all
things right in
judging this world.
We want to
worship a just
God.
But because of
that, wrath is
due us.
The weight of
our sin, the
very thing that
it purchased for
us, was the
wrath of God.
Saying to God,
you are not
God, but I
am.
I want to be
like a God.
I want to
define truth for
myself.
It's due the
wrath of God.
Romans 1.18,
Paul writes,
for the wrath of
God is revealed
from heaven against
all ungodliness
and unrighteousness
of men who
by their
unrighteousness
suppress the
truth.
Here's the
beautiful message
of the gospel.
It's not that
God lays aside
his justice.
He doesn't
cease to be
just in order
to be loving,
but that in
his perfect
justice and
in his perfect
love, he
punished for
us our sin
in Christ.
He poured
out his
wrath on
Jesus.
We know
that crucifixion
is the most
horrible death
that man has
ever imagined.
I'm not going
to take the
time to get
into the
details for
you this
day, but
it was a
horrid, horrid
way to
die.
But this is
nothing.
This has
nothing.
Look at how
many of the
apostles themselves
were crucified.
This is nothing
compared to the
fact that Jesus
bore the wrath
of God for
our sins.
It was
punished in
him.
1 Thessalonians
1, 9-10,
Paul writes,
And you see
how in Paul's
mind, Jesus'
death and his
resurrection are
intertwined in
his ability to
deliver us from
the wrath to
come.
Right?
That he died
on behalf of
us, but that he
was raised and
conquered that,
that even the
consequence of
sin could not
reign over
Jesus Christ.
And now we
have deliverance
from wrath as
a result.
Again, Paul
writes in
Romans 5,
9-10,
Since therefore
we have now
been justified
by his blood,
much more
shall we be
saved by him
from the
wrath of God.
For if 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.
We have
life because
Jesus is
alive.
Praise God.
Without the
reality of the
resurrection, we
would not have
protection from
the wrath of
God.
But that
protection is
ours in his
death and
resurrection.
Secondly,
without the
reality of the
resurrection, we
would not have
our sin
pardoned.
The dismissal
of that, it
would not be
written off.
We would not
be justified
before him.
Again, Ephesians
chapter 2,
beginning of
verse 4, this
most precious,
my favorite
conjunction in
all of the
Bible.
For those of
you students
of grammar,
it's in fact a
discourse connective
in case you
care about such
things.
But you see
this picture of
who we once
were.
That what was
due to us was
the wrath of
God, eternal
destruction, eternal
damnation, misery
forever, and to
these precious
words, but
God, but
God, being
rich in mercy
because of the
great love with
which he loved
us, even when
we were dead in
our trespasses,
even when we
were those
children of
wrath, he
made us alive
together with
Christ.
By grace you
have been
saved.
And you have
to get this,
you have to
understand, you
have to see the
language of the
Bible, that it
speaks to us not
about degree, but
about type.
All over our
nation today, there
are people who
are guests in
churches, meeting
with the people of
God because they
think in some way
that gains them
some stance with
the Lord, that
that puts a
check in the good
box for them.
That would be a
thinking of degree.
I'm a little
better here, I'm a
little worse here.
If my good works
just outweigh my
bad works, I'll
find heaven.
That is not the
basis on which we
are justified.
We are justified
by type.
And that is that
God has made us
alive.
By grace you
have been saved.
In verse 6, and
here's the axiom
verse, and raised
us up with him, and
seated us with him
in the heavenly
places in Christ
Jesus.
Jesus, both the
language for raised
and for seated in
the Greek, it's
speaking as if it's
already happened.
Because of the
personal work of
Christ, these things
have been guaranteed
on our behalf.
Verse 7, so in the
coming ages, he might
show the immeasurable
riches of his grace
and kindness toward
us in Christ Jesus, so
that for all eternity,
that's what it's
saying, that God can
show his grace toward
us, to the world.
Verse 8, 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.
God gives to us by
his grace a gift
called faith, and it
opens up our heart
that we might believe
in who Jesus is, that
he is in fact the
Christ, the anointed
one of God, that he
is risen and that he
reigns, and it is by
this act that we are
made new.
I hope that we can
echo with Paul, Galatians
6, 14, but far be it
from me to boast, except
in the cross of our
Lord Jesus Christ.
This is important, this
is axiom that we might
understand that our sins
are forgiven because
Christ has been raised.
1 Corinthians 15, 17, and
if Christ has not been
raised, if he's not been
raised, if this is not
true, your faith is
futile, and you are
still in your sins.
Paul goes on to say,
we are to be most
pitied for believing
such foolishness.
If Christ has not been
raised, but because he
has, we have the
redemption of our souls.
1 Peter 1, 3, Peter
writes, 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
we differ in kind.
We are those who
belong to God.
We are his people.
We have been made
alive eternally.
Luke 20, verse 36,
it says, for they cannot
die anymore because they
are equal to angels and
are sons of God.
There is that type, being
sons of the resurrection.
Romans 8, 11, if 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.
Without the reality of
the resurrection, we
would not have our sins
pardoned.
Without the reality of
the resurrection, we
wouldn't have protection
from the wrath of God, our
sins pardoned, or thirdly,
the presence of Jesus
Christ.
The last verse that we
read there in chapter 2,
verse 10, for we are his
workmanship created in
Christ Jesus for good
works, which God prepared
beforehand that we should
walk in them.
We have been made now into
a new type.
Those who are disciples of
Jesus Christ, those who
are called Christian, those
who are sons of God, we've
been created in Christ
Jesus.
And not just to our own
ends, but for a greater
end, and that is for good
works.
Good works that God
prepared beforehand that we
should walk in them, that
he might be displayed in
this world.
And we do this by the
power of the Spirit that's
been granted to us now
because of the accomplished
work of Christ.
Romans 8, 9-11.
Paul writes,
You, however, are not in
the flesh, but in the
Spirit, if in fact the
Spirit of God dwells in
you, if you are in fact
believers.
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.
If 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.
What is this life?
It is a life of pursuit of
Jesus Christ.
John 14, verse 15-19.
Jesus says,
If you love me, you will
keep my commandments.
And I will ask 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, and the
world will see me no more,
but you will see me.
Because I live, you also
will live.
Do you see the resurrection
language that's so spun
throughout all of the New
Testament?
If you love me, you will
keep my commandments.
And I'm going to give you
a helper.
The Spirit of God is going
to come and abide with you
because I have been
resurrected.
Because I have left, I will
send you a helper.
It's with this confidence
that he says, Jesus says in
Matthew 28, in the Great
Commission, verse 20,
Behold, I am with you
always to the end of the
age.
Paul writes in Romans 6-9,
We know that Christ, being
raised from the dead, will
never die again.
Death no longer has dominion
over him.
So because of the
resurrection of Jesus
Christ, we now have the
Spirit of God that dwells
within us, that gives to us
his presence in every moment
of every day.
So without the reality of the
resurrection, we would not
have protection from the
wrath of God.
We would not have our sin
pardoned.
And we would not have the
presence of Jesus.
Praise God for the
resurrection of Jesus
Christ.
Now what is the application
of all of this?
What does it mean for us?
Good, I believe.
You may be sitting there
saying, of course I believe
in the resurrection of
Jesus Christ.
I see the benefits.
I know what they are.
The application for us is
this day and every day
moving forward.
If we are those who claim
to know Christ, to have
placed our faith in Him,
is that we enjoy the
realities of the
resurrection in a way
that causes us to exalt
the name of Jesus Christ
in our experience, in our
display, and in our
proclamation.
That in everything we do,
we say to this world, we
worship a risen King.
He sits now and He reigns.
Beloved, this is the
kingdom that we are a part
of.
We should be less concerned
about the politics of this
world.
We should be less concerned
about amassing for
ourselves a kingdom, stuff
for our enjoyment.
We should be more concerned
about the name of our
Christ.
We should be more concerned
about exalting Him among
this world.
This is the application
today.
Knowing that Christ has
risen, should move us,
should give us boldness
like the boldness that the
apostles had.
For a 40 year span to
preach the gospel in the
fear of death.
To know that His kingdom
will advance because He
reigns.
This should be the great
cry of our hearts.
This should be the great
activity of our lives.
Let's pray together that
we will do that.
Let's pray together that