Doctrine Series – Itʼs all about God

Part 9 – Resurrection: God Saves1

• God is Father, Son & Holy Spirit, as revealed to us through

the Bible – which is, His authoritative, inerrant and sufficient
Word!
• He created us to reflect His image, for His glory, but we have
fallen short of this responsibility resulting in death, separation
and curse, which we see all around us.
• But God in His loyal covenant love has pursued us and has
made us a deal we canʼt refuse! God the Son has come as a
man, the God-man Jesus, humbles himself even to the point
of death by crucifixion! We call it good Friday!

Whatʼs so good about it, well Jesus came to be the sacrifice for the
payment of all the sins of men who, putting their faith in Him, would
receive guilt-free forgiveness. Thatʼs a great deal! But its futile, a
waste of time, if it stays at Good Friday!

Death on Good Friday! Thank God for Friday, but if it all ends
there, if Jesus is dead, then Christianity is dead. But if Jesus is
alive, then we can understand why Christianity would be very
much alive today!

In line with this, the first very important point Iʼd like to make this
morning is this – that God is a promise keeper, and if He
promises something, He fulfills! His Word is good.

Isaiah 53:8 – 12
Speaks of the suffering, servant pointing to Jesus, who would
come and take the penalty of sin upon himself as a substitute for
us, and by doing this, give us the opportunity to be made one with
a Holy God!

Listen again to the words that Bruce touched on last week:

By oppression and judgment he was taken away;

and as for his generation, who considered

1
We are using a book by Mark Driscoll & Gerry Breshears called “Doctrine: What Christians Should
Believe”, Crossway Books, 2010 as a guide for our doctrine series. Todays message on Resurrection,
has been further resourced from “Powerful Faith” by R.A. Torrey, Whitaker House, 1996 and one of my
favorite books: Wayne Grudemʼs “Systematic Theology” IVP, 1994. Check out our book table!

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 that he was cut off out of the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people?
9 And they made his grave with the wicked
and with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him;
he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for sin,
he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors.

This prophecy, about 700 years before Jesus already explains that
Jesus would come and fulfill the role of the sacrifice for the sin of
many – a holy and Just God, cant turn a blind eye to sin, yet, He
wont push us away forever! He made a way, through Jesus, it was
His will to exalt Jesus, and count us in, but He also did the hard
thing that needed to be done in order for us to be accepted - the
cross! The crown of thorns, the lashings!

Jesus knew Heʼd come for this, and at a certain point He began to
teach this and explain it to His disciples, but they didnʼt listen!

Matthew 16
From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to
Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and
scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took
him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, Far be it from you, Lord!
This shall never happen to you. 23 But he turned and said to Peter, Get
behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting
your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.

Peter only listened to the words that Jesus would die, but what he
should have heard was that Jesus would rise from death! Peter
only heard the bad part, and did not listen to the fact that the

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outcome was an overcoming of death! Satan took a hold of Peter
and he impulsively tried to react! How often do we do this – we
only hear the one part of the story, missing the plan, the great
possibilities and the amazing outcome! Every cross that we need
to carry is potentially a source of great life to us and to many
others! Donʼt do all you can to resist the cross; Satan might try to
get you to react. Have peace, and listen to what Jesus is telling
you – there is always more to His story, and History has proven
this. God will not allow anything to come in the way of His greater
purpose for your life!

Now lets turn to the exciting part:

Matthew 28
At this stage, it would seem like there is no hope! A teacher of
words never heard before, who does miracles never seen in all the
earth – even the Red Sea Parting has nothing on what Jesus
miraculously performed! Jesus is dead!

To make sure He is dead – He has been beaten all night long, He

has been whipped with a cat of 9 tails 39 times (1 strap would be
350 times)! He is exhausted and collapses from carrying his own
cross. He is nailed to a cross, hangs there for hours, depressed,
broken, dead! To make sure, a spear is pressed into His heart sac,
that water and blood flow out of His side! Jesus is dead – a
professional executioner of Rome – this is his only job, to kill
people, horribly, his ʻfunʼ is over when the person is dead! Not
feinted, or swooned or a light pass out, dead!

Then buried in a tomb with up to 45 kg of burial cloth and for 3

days, gets no seriously needed medical attention, no food, no
water, placed in a cold, stone, tomb! Jesus was dead!

Do you know of situations that this dead? Do you feel like there is
no hope? Is your joy gone? Does it look like the well is dry and
there is no chance for any life?

Matthew 28
Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week,
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And
behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord
descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat

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 on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as
snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead
men. 5 But the angel said to the women, Do not be afraid, for I know
that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has
risen, as he said.

When God promises something, He does it!

Come, see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his
disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going
before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you. 8 So
they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to
tell his disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, Greetings!
And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then
Jesus said to them, Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to
Galilee, and there they will see me.

Jesus had a physical resurrected Body – if His earthly body was

marred by suffering, humility, grief, hardship, this Body was
characterized by youthful appearance of perfect health – yet He
keeps His scars as a reminder to us. There is continuity between
the earthly body and the resurrected body, it is recognizable, yet
can be unrecognizable just cause there is no aging – a body that is
able to live for eternity!

This was no hallucination! Jesus is alive and is happy for people to

worship Him as God!

11 While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city
and told the chief priests all that had taken place. 12 And when they had
assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient
sum of money to the soldiers 13 and said, Tell people, His disciples
came by night and stole him away while we were asleep. 14 And if this
comes to the governor's ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of
trouble. 15 So they took the money and did as they were directed. And
this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.

Even Jesusʼ enemies try to hide it, giving credit to the authenticity.

16Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which

Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped
him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, All
authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore
and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to

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 observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you
always, to the end of the age.

If Jesus is alive – there is amazing Significance for us!

1. There is a God – Jesus said that God would raise Him – If

Jesus is alive, then we can take it as fact that only God could
do it! There must be a God who alone has power over death!

1 Peter 1:21
who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the
dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

2. Jesus was sent from God – Jesus said that He was sent by
God. Many people have come in the name of “God” but there
is nothing as convincing as resurrection from death,
especially if you say you will be raised, to prove that you
really are the one you claim to be. Others have come in the
name of God, but their tombs are enshrined and are
accessible today. Jesus tomb is empty, if in fact you can find
it, and believe me, there are no bones there!

3. Jesus is the Son of God – Jesus would be making the

foulest of blasphemies out there, ultimately this is what He
was crucified for, declaring that God was His own Father! If it
were not the case, then those who killed Him would have
been justified and none of us would know anything about
Jesus. Romans 1:4 says:

[He] was declared to be the Son of God in power according to

the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus
Christ our Lord,

4. There will be a Judgment Day – If Jesus is raised, then

there is a Judgment Day coming. While Jesus was on the
earth He declared that judges no one but rather saves, but
then he says, but there is a time when I will. Acts 17:30, 31:

The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands

all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day
on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man
whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to
all by raising him from the dead.

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5. Believers are ensured new-birth – We cannot enter the
Kingdom of Heaven as we are. Jesus said, in order to enter
Godʼs Spiritual Kingdom, we need to be born again,
spiritually! The spiritual access to Godʼs kingdom is made
possible because Jesus dies, but Jesus also powerful is
made alive in a new and wonderful way – paving the way for
anyone who believes in Him! 1 Peter 1:3

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,

Fellowship with God, who is Spirit, is made possible for us

as we are born again by the Spirit, because Jesus took on a
new quality of life by overcoming death for us who believe!

There are some phenomenally great scriptures with regards

to this: Ephesians 2:4 – 6 “Raised with Christ”, Romans 6:4

We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in

order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory
of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

By faith in Jesus, by believing in Jesusʼ death and

resurrection, the Bible says, you can consider your old life of
sin dead, and walk in a newness of life!

6. Believers are Justified – Paul says in Romans 4:25 that

Jesus:
was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our
justification.

By raising Jesus from the dead, God was effectively giving

approval to the work of Jesus as the ultimate sacrifice for our
sins. If Jesusʼ life and death were not pure, and not good
enough for the cleansing of all who would put faith in Him,
then God would not have raised Jesus from the dead! For
believers:
• There is no penalty left to pay for sin
• There is no more wrath of God to bear
• There is no more guilt and liability to punishment

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 • All has been completely paid for
• No guilt remains
• All approval is given in Jesus
• All favour is found in His sight through Jesus
• All success is fulfilled in Jesus!

7. Believers will live again with perfect resurrection

bodies! – Jesus is the “first fruits” – the taste of whatʼs to
come. Perfect, whole, healthy, healed, never ageing bodies!

1 Corinthians 6:14
And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power.

8. We need to Obey Him – Jesus is the Sovereign King with

all authority over the lives that He has saved! If He has
saved you, He will use you for His will, and His will is that we
do the work that is never in vain – the great task of bringing
people into His Kingdom, where He is King and He enforces
His good reign. After a long discussion on resurrection, Paul
stressed this in the last verse 1 Corinthians 15 (58):

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable,

always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the
Lord your labor is not in vain.

9. We have Hope – If itʼs only for this life that we try making it
good, itʼs a waste. If itʼs only for this life that we struggle and
raise our children, and overlook offenses – then itʼs futile. But
there is great reward in Heaven for all the things that God
has called us to do for His Kingdom! Colossians 3:1 - 4

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are
above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set
your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on
earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in
God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will
appear with him in glory.

10. We are obliged to stop sinning – The truth is this,

there is victory over sin – If Jesus is alive, we are no longer
slaves to sin and this we learn. There is new resurrection
power within us, by the Holy Spirit, making us more and

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 more like Jesus, well over all the dominion of sin. Romans
6:11 – 13

So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to

God in Christ Jesus.
12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies, to make you
obey their passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as
instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God
as those who have been brought from death to life, and your
members to God as instruments for righteousness.

11. Finally, if Jesus is alive – we have a message to

share that will change peopleʼs lives forever! We have
boldness in the face of death, and we have His Holy
Spirit to help us tell everyone we know, that Jesus is
alive! - Charissa is in the UK with her mom this week visiting
her bother. She spoke to me last night and she brought it up,
that people need to know in the UK, that Jesus is alive! I told
her, thatʼs why she has the Holy Spirit, to see it and to tell it.

“The time between Jesusʼ resurrection and our resurrection is a

lengthy season of love, grace, mercy as news of the gospel goes
forth, inviting sinners to repent of sin and enjoy the present and
future salvation of Jesus Christ” (pg 303, Doctrine…)

The Easter message is a message of prophecy fulfilled, itʼs a

message of proclamation of Good that God does to save, and Bad,
that he wants to save us from. The Easter Message is a personal
message for you and the fruit of it is your Joy and your Hope,
abundant, glorious, eternal Joy & Hope with the Risen Lord –
Jesus Christ.

Itʼs to staggering, earthshaking, significant and serious to stay

neutral about! Let us not stop meeting together as we see the day
approaching!

Are you afraid of death, sickness in your body, are you guilty of sin,
angry at sin; do you have no joy in your struggle? Are you
disappointed in God? Are you vengeful, are you depressed, have
you given up waiting? I have 3 words for you:

JESUS IS ALIVE!