The Most Important Miracle in History is a sermon about the miracle of Jesus Christ’s resurrection, proving He is God, and confirming the Bible is true.
Key verses:
1 Corinthians 15:1-11, 17-20
I ask you to take your Bible and turn with me if you will to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. We’ve been in chapter 15 throughout the day at the sunrise service this morning, those of you who were there, our Sunday School class, and now in this hour, all in the same chapter. Why is that? Because the entire chapter is about resurrection. It’s about the resurrection of Jesus that we celebrate today. It’s about our own resurrection. The entire chapter is all about resurrection and I want us to look at it today.
The resurrection of Jesus is the greatest miracle in the history of mankind. We’ll talk about that in a moment. Right now, let’s read 1 Corinthians chapter 15, beginning in verse one, where the Apostle Paul writes:
1 Corinthians 15:1: “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;”
1 Corinthians 15:2: “By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.”
1 Corinthians 15:3: “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;”
1 Corinthians 15:4: “And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”
1 Corinthians 15:5: “And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:”
1 Corinthians 15:6: “After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.”
1 Corinthians 15:7: “After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.”
1 Corinthians 15:8: “And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.”
1 Corinthians 15:9: “For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.”
1 Corinthians 15:10: “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.”
1 Corinthians 15:11: “Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.”
I want to call your attention particularly to verses three and four:
1 Corinthians 15:3: “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;”
1 Corinthians 15:4: “And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”
The First Day of the Week
On this day we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We do that each and every Sunday. That is why Christians get together on Sunday because the Lord rose from the grave on Sunday, and it’s the first day of the week. The Bible doesn’t say “Sunday.” The Bible doesn’t use the words for the days that we use. You don’t read Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. You don’t read any of that in the Bible. Why? They didn’t call it that then. That came along later. Actually, those are pagan names that are given to the days of the week, and so are the months of the year, January or February, March, April, and May, those are all pagan names.
Also, the Jewish people wouldn’t have used those names and the Christians didn’t use those names. Now, we do today and there are historical reasons for that, but it’s not because we’re honoring those gods and goddesses.
So, the Bible calls it the first day of the week. If you know your Bible well, you know that the people of Israel worship the Lord on the Sabbath day and the Sabbath day is, always has been, and always will be, the seventh day of the week. But New Testament Christians worship on the first day of the week. Why? The Sabbath day commemorates the completion of creation. The first day of the week recognizes the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The Greatest Miracle
Since the creation, the greatest miracle that has happened is the resurrection of Christ. For by the resurrection, we know that everything that we read in the Bible is true. By the resurrection, we know that we can have eternal life. By the resurrection, we know that everything that the Lord promised, everything that He said to us is absolutely true as we read it.
You can have faith in Him, you can trust in Him, because of His resurrection. One of the songs we sang earlier today, “I serve a risen Savior, He’s in the world today. I know that He is living, whatever men may say. I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer, and just the time I need Him, He’s always near. He lives. He lives. Christ Jesus lives today. He walks with me and talks with me along life’s narrow way. He lives, He lives, Salvation to impart. You ask me how I know He lives. He lives within my heart.”
So, we gather in His name to sing His praises. We gather in His name to hear from His Word, but we know that what we hear is true because of the resurrection. We set aside this one day each year to place special emphasis on the resurrection of our blessed Lord.
I want to point out one more thing to you about this day. All of the writers of scripture, with the possible exception of one, were of the house and lineage of Israel. They were Israeli men and therefore we would say, Jewish people. They all grew up honoring the Sabbath and keeping the Sabbath, every one of them.
So, something to get them to change that from the seventh day to the first day as their day of worship, something major would have to happen and that would be something beyond the ordinary. That would be something miraculous and that’s exactly what happened on the first day of the week. Christ the Lord rose from the grave – that changed everything.
Everyone has their likes or dislikes. Everyone has their preferences. We have our opinions about many things. There are those who have asked the question of whether Christmas is more important or Easter. We have a lot of folks come to church on Christmas and that’s great. And then, Easter Sunday, a lot of folks go to church that maybe don’t all the time and that’s great. So, what we’re looking at is this and what’s important is this, they say which one is more important? Well, I’m going to tell you that “Christmas” is not a biblical term. You won’t find the term “Christmas” in the Bible. When we say Christmas, we mean we’re celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ and that is worth celebrating.
But the word “Easter” does appear once in the Bible. It appears in the Book of Acts chapter 12 and verse 4. I’m going to tell you the context in which that word appears. The scene is that Herod the King – now, this is not the King Herod of the time Jesus was born and you read about that King Herod. This is Herod Agrippa I, the first. This is a son or grandson of that King Herod. But at that time, Herod Agrippa is persecuting the church, and in Acts 12:4, here’s what it says:
Acts 12:4: “And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.”
Four sets of twelve soldiers, day and night to keep him. Why? You know Peter had been put in jail before. He had and an angel had gotten him out. So, Herod Agrippa is going to make sure. This time he’s got 12 soldiers chained to him watching him making sure he doesn’t get away this time.
Easter and Passover
Listen to the verse again:
Acts 12:4: “And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.”
That’s the one time the word “Easter” appears in the Bible. The word that is translated as “Easter” in English is Pascha, and it really refers to Passover. Well, that’s totally different, that’s not the same. It is not totally different. I was explaining this to our Sunday School class this morning, and some of you will already know it, but some of you may not.
They’re the feasts that God gave to Israel to celebrate, and they are the Feast of Passover, recognizing when the Lord brought the people of Israel up out of slavery and bondage in Egypt. What happened? They were in Egypt they were in slavery and bondage, and they cried out to God, and God sent a deliverer named Moses to go into Egypt and bring them out of Egypt to the promised land. Now, that’s real events. Those are real things that actually happened, historical events. And we’re not diminishing that in any way.
But let me tell you what God was doing there in addition to bringing his people out of slavery and bondage into the promised land. He was giving us a beautiful picture of salvation for all eternity. Well, how do you know that? Stay with me.
They were in slavery and bondage under the Egyptians. Mankind in general is in slavery and bondage under sin. They cried out to the Lord and the Lord sent them a redeemer. You cry out to the Lord and He gives you a redeemer. There is a redeemer, the choir just sang. That redeemer is Jesus Christ. Moses went down and he brought the people out of Egypt and took them to the promised land. You give your heart to Jesus. He takes you out of bondage and slavery of sin. He gives you eternal life and He’ll give you a new home in Heaven. That’s not a coincidence, folks. The God of all eternity designed things to happen exactly that way.
So, you have the Feast of Passover, then there’s the Feast of Unleavened Bread, followed very close behind Passover, very closely associated. And then the Feast of First Fruits. Then later, you have the Feast of Trumpets, the Feast of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles, the Feasts of Israel.
Jesus was crucified at Passover. Back to Egypt, on the night of the Passover – the reason it’s called Passover is that the Lord said that He was going to pass over Egypt that night. Every house that trusted in Him was to offer a lamb and sacrifice. They were to eat that lamb, roast the lamb, and eat it in a meal. And then the Lord would pass over. He told them to take the blood of the lamb, and watch me on this, stay with me, and put it on the lintel and the doorpost of their house.
Now, watch right here. This would be the lintel right here. These are the doorposts. They’re going to put the blood where? On the lintel and on the doorpost. Can you see something here? You can, can’t you? The blood of the Cross was on the door. There’s no question about that. Now, let’s be fair about this. Did those people in Egypt all those years ago know about Jesus coming and dying on the cross? They didn’t. They knew what God was telling them to do it that day and God knew all about it. He said that if you put the blood of the Lamb on the lentil and on the doorpost – lintel, door post – and whoever does that, their house is safe. Their house will be saved.
When God passes over those who are not under the blood of the cross the blood of the Lamb on the door, the firstborn of that house will die. Pharaoh didn’t do it. His firstborn son died. He was in mourning and grief when the people of Israel left. Then he got angry, and he went after them. You know how that turned out. Pharoah and his entire army were lost. The people of Israel were saved. They were under the blood of the Lamb.
Centuries go by, and God gives us picture after picture in prophecy after prophecy of the coming of the Redeemer, the coming of the Savior, the coming of the Messiah. And when Jesus came to this earth, six months before He was born, His cousin was born. His cousin was named John, we call him John the Baptist because he baptized people.
But as they were both men, John was out walking, and John had a large following. Many people followed after John because his mission, his ministry, was to prepare people for the coming of the Savior. His message was to repent and prepare yourself for the coming of the Lord is at hand. People came to him, and they were baptized to prepare themselves for the coming of the Lord. They were not baptized in faith in Christ as we do now, but they were baptized preparing themselves for the coming of the Lord.
One day, John is out with his disciples, and he sees Jesus coming, and listen, he points to Jesus, he says, “Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.” Why did he say the Lamb of God? The Passover Lamb, now stay with me, about three and a half years later, Jesus was crucified on Passover. He was buried in the grave on the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and He rose from the grave on the Feast of First Fruits. God was painting the picture for thousands of years until He fulfilled it all so that when it happened, people would have a reason to know and understand what had happened. And that’s what we’re celebrating. So, we just had Passover a few days ago and today would be the Feast of First Fruits and we celebrate that.
Which is more important, Christmas or Easter? Well, if there were no Christmas, if Jesus weren’t born we wouldn’t have a resurrected Christ. But if Jesus didn’t rise from the grave, we’d have nothing to celebrate at Christmas time. So, the answer to the question is pretty simple. You have to have both. You don’t have to use the terms Christmas and Easter if you choose not to. That’s fine. But you have to recognize that the Savior came, and you have to recognize that He completed His mission that God gave Him to do, and that He died on that cross and paid for your sins, and He rose from the grave, and that changed everything.
Clarifying Biblical Words
So, in our text this morning I wanted you to see the testimony of the resurrection and how that brings change to us, how it gives us certainty, and how it gives us hope. Let’s look at it together 1 Corinthians chapter 15, verse 1. Paul says:
1 Corinthians 15:1: “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;”
“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel” – the word “gospel” means good news. This isn’t. Look, it isn’t just good news, he didn’t say “I declare unto you gospel.” He said, “I declare unto you the gospel.” This isn’t just any good news; this is the good news. This is the best news that’s ever been given to mankind.
We said at the sunrise service this is what the angels announced when Jesus was born. We’re talking about His birth and His resurrection. That’s what the angel said when He was born. You read it in Luke’s Gospel. The angels appeared to the shepherds in the field. One angel did, and then he was joined by others, and that first angel said to them:
Luke 2:14: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”
But before that, he says:
Luke 2:11: “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”
Now, they understood, those Shepherds, I understood this was a long-promised Redeemer or Messiah equivalent to the word “Christ.” It’s all the same term, Messiah, Christ, all the same term, different languages, same term.
Somebody asked me the other day about the pronunciation of the name saying, “Is it Jehovah or Yahweh?” I said, “Let me ask you a question. The capital of China is it Peking or Beijing? Well, it’s Beijing. “Is it? Then why do they have Peking University in the city of Beijing? Well, what’s the answer? It’s very simple. It depends on where you’re from. People pronounce things differently in different places. It’s all the same, Beijing, Peking, the same thing. It just depends on where you’re from. In some places, they’ll say Peking, in some places, they’ll say Beijing.
It’s the same with that name that we’re talking about. It depends on where you’re from. Some people give that first consonant a “j” sound. Others use a “y” sound. Some will use that second consonant as a “v” sound. Others use it as a “w” sound. It’s all the same, okay? If you were in Germany, and I know at least one person came in one of these today, probably more than one. But if you came you would come in what we call in America a Volkswagen, but if you were in Germany, you’d call it a Volkswagen. It’s the same word. It’s just pronounced differently. Do you understand what I’m saying?
Now, let me say one more thing about that name, and you need to understand this, two more things. Number one: that is the salvation name of God. In Isaiah chapter 43, that is the name throughout the Bible, throughout the Old Testament, when you see the word “LORD” in all capital letters. A lot of times, you see “Lord,” and only the “L” is capitalized. But in your English Bible, a lot of times you see the word “LORD.” The name, LORD, in all capital letters, is the name that we’re talking about, Jehovah or Yahweh, and it means Savior. This is the Savior that it’s talking about.
Isaiah chapter 43, says, “I even I am the LORD,” – all capital letters “beside me, there is no savior.” So, the LORD is the Savior. Who is the Savior? Well, Jesus Christ is the Savior. And Acts, Peter says, “There is none other name under Heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.” – in the name of Jesus. Jesus is the Savior. By the way, do you know what the name Jesus means? It means Jehovah is Savior. It’s what it means. So, if you say Jehovah, you say Yahweh; it’s the same thing.
But what I want to tell you about that is the other thing. I want to tell you that nobody knows how to say it. “What do you mean nobody knows how to say it? You said some people say Jehovah, somebody else says Yahweh.” That’s true. But when the writers of scripture were recording the scripture, they never said that name. They would write it, and when they came to that name, it was considered so holy that they would never speak that name.
They would only write it. And when they would write it, they would take a pen, and they would be copying the scripture. When they came to that name, and if they came to that name 40 times on a page, they would do this 40 times: they would stop, they would break their pen, they would go wash themselves, they would get a new pen, and they would write that name. And then they would go on writing until they came to that name again, and they’d repeat. And again, if they came to that name 40 times on a page, they do it 40 times. They considered that the holiest name of God.
Beside Me, There Is No Savior
What did Peter say? “There’s none other name under Heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.” What is that name today? Jesus. He is the Savior. He is the only Savior. Isaiah 43 again:
Isaiah 43:11: “I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.”
Jesus said:
Acts 4:12: “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
There is no other Savior. There’s no other way to be saved but through faith in Jesus Christ. So, the Gospel, the good news, is that the Savior has come. Look at verse one again:
1 Corinthians 15:1: “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;”
Paul preached the Gospel. The Corinthians received the Gospel. It says, “that which also you have received.” You know it’s one thing to preach the Gospel, and that has to be done. It was another thing to receive the Gospel. I can stand here and preach the Gospel, and I intend to do that today, but you must receive the Gospel. I can’t do that for you.
“I declare unto you the gospel [the good news] which I preached unto you which also you have received, and wherein you stand.” Those of us who have received the Gospel may stand firm in our belief. You don’t have to worry. You don’t have to wonder. You don’t have to think, “Well, what do I need to do to be saved?” You did it. Do you believe the Gospel? You received the Gospel. You did it. There’s nothing for you to do. Why? Because Christ has done it for you. Christ died for our sins, we’re about to read. Nothing else you can do.
But notice something else. Start at verse 1 again. This is very important:
“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel,” – he’s telling us what the Gospel is. You want a definition of the Gospel? He’s about to give it to us:
1 Corinthians 15:1: “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;”
1 Corinthians 15:2: “By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.”
“By which also you’re saved,” – you’re saved by the Gospel. Saved from what? Saved from sin and the penalty of sin. The wages of sin is death. You’re saved from that, and you’re given eternal life. Why? By receiving the Gospel of Jesus Christ I delivered unto you:
1 Corinthians 15:3: “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;”
“First of all that which I also received,” he says, “how that Christ died for our sins according to scriptures.” Back to verse two:
1 Corinthians 15:2: “By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.”
“By which also you’re saved, if you keep in memory what I preached unto you” – do you remember what I told you? This is what I told you, “Unless you have believed in vain,” – unless it’s not true. Now later in this same chapter, he’s going to tell you it is true, absolutely true, no question about It, nothing to debate, nothing to argue about. It is true. We are saved by faith in the truth of the Gospel. We are saved by faith in Jesus Christ. So, we have to keep the blessed truth of the Gospel in our memories as if you remember what I preached unto you. “Well, if I forget, does that mean that I’m losing my salvation?” Certainly not. You didn’t do anything to earn it. But you’re not going to forget.
You remember this: if you’ve trusted the Lord as your Savior, you remember when you believed the Gospel. You have not placed your faith and trust in emptiness. You have not placed your faith and trust in mankind. You have not placed your faith and trust in a church or a religion. You’ve placed your faith in a person, and that person is Jesus Christ. Verse 3 again:
1 Corinthians 15:3: “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;”
“For I delivered unto you first of all,” – The first thing that I gave to you is what I received. When did Paul receive it? Acts chapter nine, on the road to Damascus. He met the resurrected Christ. Do you know what? He was on his way to persecute Christians. His name was Saul.
In those days, he was on his way to find believers in Jesus and arrest them and take them back to Jerusalem, a long journey from where he was. And take them back to have them put in jail, in some cases, have them killed. That’s where he was going. He had already done that. He was headed up into Syria to do the same thing. And on the road, a bright light encountered him, and he heard a voice saying, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute, why persecutest thou me?” Why are you persecuting me? And he called out, and he said, “Who art thou, Lord?” Listen, the answer came, “I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest.”
My goodness. What did he say next? Well, he said, “Well, I’m glad to finally meet you. I’ve heard so much about you, and I, you know, I have been persecuting people who believe in you and because I don’t really believe in you myself….” What he did, he didn’t do anything like that, nothing at all not remotely like that. What did he do? He fell on his face, and he said, “Lord.” He called him Lord. He said, “Lord, what would you have me to do?” – what do you want me to do? He tells us in this chapter that at that time, he believed in the Lord.
Later on, quite a bit later on, a man would ask that same man whose name was changed to Paul, “What must I do to be saved?” You know what, he didn’t say, “Well, get on that road to Damascus where I was, and you’ll have a bit….” He didn’t say that. What did he say? He said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” – that’s what he said. “Well, what else?” No, that’s it, that’s it. So, we must believe the Gospel. We must trust in the Gospel, which means trusting in Jesus Christ. And Paul had proclaimed it in the letter, this letter to the Corinthians. He says, “How that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;”
Jesus Died for All Mankind’s Sins
I’ve said this many times here and in other places. I’ve said it to individuals, I’ve said it to groups of people, and I’m going to say it again. I want you to think about your own life. I don’t want you to speak out. I don’t want you to tell the person next to you. I don’t want you to tell me. I want you to think over your life and think about what is the worst thing you ever did in your life. Now, I don’t know what it is. I don’t want to know what it is. You think about it. Whatever that thought was that came to your mind, whatever the worst thing you did in your life, that’s what Jesus paid for at the cross. He did.
Can I share something else with you? And this is important. If you were the only person, and I assure you, you are not, but if you’re the only person who ever lived, who ever did anything wrong, He still would have gone to the cross for you. He died for the sins of all men. But what’s important to you is He died for your sins. Look at what it says, “Christ died for our sins according to scriptures.”
Did He die for the sins of everybody? He did. The Bible tells us that in another place, but what’s important is that you understand that He paid for your sins, the things that you’ve done wrong. That’s why I asked you to think about something you’ve done wrong. Did he pay for it at the cross? Absolutely, paid. For those who deny that Jesus died on the cross, they deny their own salvation. They reject Him.
There are various Muslim sects that acknowledge that Jesus is in Heaven. They’ll say that, and they’ll say that He was a prophet of God. They’ll admit that, and they’ll even say that He’s coming again. Not everybody, but many would say that. They’ll say that some of the Jews wanted to kill Him. And they say that they made a mistake. They didn’t kill Jesus, they crucified a Roman soldier who looked like Jesus, or maybe they didn’t. Maybe they crucified one of their own who looked like Jesus. They thought they had crucified Jesus, but they didn’t really crucify Jesus. Therefore, He did not die on the cross. Now they don’t tell you how He did die. That’s interesting. Now that’s one view.
Another view is that Jesus was nailed to the cross, and we talked about this in the sunrise service this morning. He was nailed on a cross. It was Him, but He didn’t die there. He simply passed into unconsciousness and was presumed dead. And He was taken down from the cross, and His body laid in that tomb. In the coolness of the tomb, after resting for three days, He revived and, therefore, He got up and walked out.
Now, let me ask you a reasonable question. If that were true, and it is not true, but if that were true, the tomb in which Jesus was laid, there was a huge stone over the door to seal that tomb. And the Romans had put a seal around that stone by order of Pontius Pilate. They had sealed that stone to the door, which meant it was sealed with wax, and that wax was imprinted with the seal of the governor himself. To break that seal was a high crime. But let’s suppose that He just fainted on the cross, and they thought He was dead, and they put Him in there. Now, how is any air going to get into that tomb? It’s sealed.
Let’s go a step further. Do you suppose that a man who had been 48 hours plus, without any sleep, had been at least 24 hours without any food, who had been taken to the Roman judgment; he had been slapped with the flat of the hand; he had been beaten with fists; he had been beaten with a rod, a stick; he had had a crown of thorns driven down into his scalp; he had been whipped with a cat of nine tails – the cat of nine tails was a leather whip that had nine different ends on it each one of those ends had a knot at the very end of it, and in that knot, there would be bits of rock or glass or shards of pottery or bone, something to make it sharp so that when they whip the person, it would catch into the flesh and when they pulled it back, it would tear the flesh.
By Jewish tradition and law, they would not give a man more than 39 stripes because 40 was considered to kill a person, so, they would stop at 39. Paul says he was more than once given 39 stripes, so it’s possible that they gave him 39. The Romans gave him more but at least 39 stripes with that. And then imagine that same man is forced to carry a heavy beam, part of, not all of, a cross, and walk up a hill carrying it.
Say, well, he had help with that. He certainly did. He was in a weakened condition. And then, he was nailed to a cross for six hours, and then at the end of that time, a soldier takes a spear and runs it up under his rib and into the heart. Do you suppose that person just fainted, and do you suppose if they were put in that tomb, in three days they’d come around and wake up and then be able to move that stone out from in front of the tomb and walk out? Does that even seem logical to you? Not at all, not at all. It doesn’t even make sense.
And yet, there are people who say, “Well, it’s something like that,” or others say, and you’ll hear more about this if you come back at six this evening, was that disciples stole the body, and they hid it. Now, you read your Gospels, and you’ll find that they bribed the Roman guards to say that, and the Roman guards probably needed a lot of money to be able to say that because for them to lose someone they guarded was usually a death penalty. It would have taken a lot of money to get them to lie about that. But no, it was not an imposter who died in Jesus’ place. They didn’t make a mistake. He didn’t merely sleep into unconsciousness, and they did not come and steal his body.
On the cross, the soldiers did not break His legs as they did the others who were crucified with Him because He was already dead. Pontius Pilate ordered and received a report that Jesus had died. Make no mistake about it.
The wages of sin is death, but Jesus Christ died for our sins. He took that for us. The Bible says, He, speaking of God, made Him, Jesus, to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.
Risen Christ Changes Lives Forever
Now, the apostles saw Him die. Some of them at least, perhaps not all of them, we’re not sure of that, but some of them we know were at the foot of the cross, and they watched Him die. They forsook Him when He was arrested. But on the third day, when they heard that He had risen from the dead, they didn’t believe it. Thomas particularly didn’t believe it, but others didn’t believe, “It can’t be true. We saw Him die. We know that He’s dead. There’s no question about it.” But then, during the course of the day and into the evening, different ones of them, and then at the evening time, all of them together, saw Him. They saw that Jesus was alive.
And their lives were changed forever. They spent the rest of their lives telling that story, and all of them except one, that would be John, were killed for telling that story. They wouldn’t change it. Many others throughout history have had their lives changed. I’m going to tell you about one.
I, myself, many years ago, in August of 1969, put my faith and trust in Jesus Christ, and my life was changed forever. But I’m gonna confess something to you that I don’t like to confess, but I think I’m going to do it because I think it’ll help you. That was August of 1969 and April of 1971, I went through a period of doubt and got through a period of wondering if I was really saved. “Why did you doubt?” Well, I’m going to tell you why. I doubt it for the same reason most people who question their salvation question it. I had sin in my life. “What about sin?” Remember a while ago when I told you to think about some sin you did, and I said you don’t you tell me about it? Well, I’m not telling you either.
I heard Dr. Monroe Parker, who later on became a great and dear friend of mine and a mentor to me. But I heard him give a sermon on the cross. He had a way of describing things. I do not have the gift that he had. I wish that I did, but he had a way of describing things so clearly and so vividly. So, you could see exactly what he was talking about in your mind’s eye. You could see it. I’m telling you, if he preached on Hell, you could feel the heat. If he preached on Heaven, you thought you were there. And he preached on the cross, you could see it in your imagination. You could see it. He had that ability.
He was preaching on the cross, and I had been working on memorizing 1 Corinthians chapter 15, verse 3.
1 Corinthians 15:3: “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;”
I’ll tell you what happened that day. I trusted the Lord to save me back in August of ‘69. This is April of ‘71, and as I listened to him describe the cross so clearly and so vividly, I thought about those words, “Christ died for our sins,” I put it together. I said, “That’s it, that’s it.” I never had another question, never had another doubt. I said, “That’s it. Christ died for my sin. It’s over. It’s forgiven, I’m saved, I’m sealed unto the day of redemption because of Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross. No doubt about it. Now, that changed me and extinguished any doubt that I ever had forever. And lives have been changed. Many lives have been changed by the truth of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That is the change that we are talking about.
Resurrection Gives Us Certainty
Let me give you another word, “certainty” – the faith of the Gospel gave you certainty in your mind and your spirit, assurance of salvation.
Simon Greenleaf Whittier was a Simon Greenleaf, I might say, was a law professor at Harvard University. He lived from 1783 to 1853. He was one of the most celebrated legal minds in American history. His work treatise on the law of evidence is still to this day considered the greatest single authority on evidence in the entire literature of legal procedure. He set out to disprove the resurrection of Christ. He was not a believer. He wanted to disprove the resurrection of Christ.
In 1846, he published a work called “An Examination of the Testimony of the Four Evangelists,” which would be Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, by the rules of evidence administered in the courts of justice. He’s looking at it from a lawyer’s point of view. He’s looking at the report Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John gave as a lawyer in court would present it.
Here’s his conclusion, he said, “The master, their master, had recently perished as a malefactor. The sentence of a public tribunal or trial, they had every possible motive to review the grounds of their faith and these evidences of the great facts and truths which they asserted [talking about the apostles]. These motives were pressed upon their attention with the most melancholy and terrific frequency. It was, therefore, impossible that they could have persisted in affirming the truths that they have narrated had not Jesus actually risen from the dead. And if they had not known this fact as certainly as they knew any other fact, if, then their testimony was not true,” – listen – “there was no possible motive for its fabrication.”
Do you understand what he’s saying? If they made it up, there’s no reason for them to make it up. There’s nothing they would have profited by making it up. There’s nothing that could have brought them to say the things they said and to give the testimony they gave over and over and over if it wasn’t true.
It is true Jesus died on the cross. He was buried, and He rose from the grave, and that gives us assurance of faith. That gives us assurance of salvation. You don’t have to wonder, “Well, I hope I get to heaven.” Somebody said to me the other day, and they said it very sincerely. They weren’t trying to be argumentative or anything like that. They spoke very sincerely. They said, “Well, I don’t know if I’m going to get to Heaven, but I hope I at least get to the gate and they give me a hearing.”
Folks, you don’t have to have that uncertainty. You don’t. You place your faith in Jesus Christ to pay for your sins at the cross, who was buried, who rose again on the third day. And He said:
Revelation 1:18: “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”
You put your faith in Him. He’ll forgive your sins. He’ll save your soul, and He’ll give you everlasting life if the Gospel is true. And if the Bible is true, then Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, the Messiah, the Savior of mankind, died for our sins, was buried, and rose again. And we can follow Him, we can trust in Him, and we can live by His teachings. And we can know that He alone is able to forgive us our sins because He alone has paid for our sins. Jesus is the Savior and if He is the Savior, He gives us full assurance of the fact that the Christian life is the best life you could possibly live – that’s assurance.
The Resurrection Gives Us Hope
One final word I want to give you, the word is “hope.” We have hope because of His resurrection. We have hope in our own resurrection. Jesus said, “Because I live, you shall live also.” Hebrews 9:27 says, “And is appointed unto man wants to die.” We all have that appointment. Nobody gets out of this life alive.
Yesterday, we had a memorial service. One day, likely they’ll have one for you or me. Our time will come. It comes to everyone and yet, Jesus said this:
John 11:25: “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:”
John 11:26: “And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.”
Do you know what He said next? “Believeth thou this?” Do you believe this? He said that to Mary of Bethany, and she said, “Yea Lord, I believe that thou art the Christ, the son of God.”
John 6:47: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.”
John 14:19: “Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.”
John 5:28: “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,”
John 5:29: “And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.”
It is because of the testimony of resurrection that we have hope. We have hope for our own resurrection. We shared this yesterday. We have hope of seeing our loved ones who have gone ahead. Again, Paul tells us this in 1 Corinthians, chapter 4 verses 13 to 18. He says, “But I would not have you to be ignorant,” – don’t be offended by the word “ignorant.” We say that person’s ignorant and we usually mean that person is stupid, and that’s not what the word means.
To be ignorant simply means you do not know something. We’re all ignorant to some degree or another. You, every one of you, know things that I don’t know. Therefore I am ignorant of things that you know. Any honest person is going to have to say the same thing. I could learn from each one of you, have learned from many of you, and could learn from any of you. But, He says:
1 Thessalonians 4:13: “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.”
“I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep,” – Paul’s euphemism for those who have died. “That ye sorrow not, even as others would have no hope.”
Some people say, “Well, this life is all there is. There’s no resurrection. You live your life. You die, and it’s over. That’s it. There’s nothing else in that, there is no hope.”
If that’s true, then everyone you know who has died is gone. They’re gone forever. You never see them again. But that’s not true. It’s not how it is. Jesus said:
John 14:2: “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.”
“If it were not so I would have told you,” – if it wasn’t the truth, I’d tell you what the truth was. You can believe in Him. He said, “I go and prepare a place for you.”
John 14:3: “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”
“I will come again,” – four words. He’s going to, “Come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am,” – where is that? Heaven, the Father’s house. “Where I am, there you may be also.” He said:
John 14:4: “And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.”
John 14:5: “Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?”
John 14:6: “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
Paul says:
1 Thessalonians 4:13: “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.”
1 Thessalonians 4:14: “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.”
“For if we believe,” – listen – “If we believe that Jesus died and rose again,” – that’s what we’re talking about today. Jesus died and rose again. “If we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus,” – those who have died believing in Him, – “Will God bring with him.” He’s going to come and He’s going to bring with Him all those who have died believing in Him.
The body has died, it’s gone into the earth, and the spirit has gone to be with the Lord. He will bring those spirits back with Him when He comes. That’s not all.
1 Thessalonians 4:15: “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.”
“For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord,” – by the Word of God. You have God’s word on it. “This we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent,” – or go ahead of – “shall not prevent them which are asleep.”
1 Thessalonians 4:16: “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:”
“For the Lord himself,” – not another – “shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:” – their body will rise, their spirit coming with Him will be reunited with the body, and they will live again.
During our Sunday School hour, we looked at that in this same chapter, 1 Corinthians chapter 15, where we’ve been reading this morning. You can read the rest of the chapter. The resurrection body is changed. “Well, preacher, what if they weren’t buried? What if they were cremated?”
Well, let me ask you this question, two questions. Number one, what if they were buried, but they were buried many years ago, in the bodies decayed and turned to dust? How would that be different? It wouldn’t be, would it?
Let me ask you something else. If God can make man from the dust of the ground, do you suppose He could resurrect somebody from ashes? It kind of makes sense, doesn’t it? You see the truth of the matter is nothing is too hard for the Lord.
1 Thessalonians 4:17: “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
“We which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds,” – the dead in Christ shall rise first, spirit and body reunited, given a new body, a resurrected body. Read the rest of 1 Corinthians 15, you’ll read about that.
“Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds,” – then we which are alive shall be caught up together with them in the air. Some will still be living when this happens. When Jesus comes there’ll be some still living, some believers in Christ. And when that happens, they’ll be caught up together with them. With who? Those who died with faith in Christ will be caught up together with them in the clouds. To do what? “To meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” Where are we going to be? He’s going to take us home. He’s going to take us home.
John 14:1: “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.”
John 14:2: “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.”
John 14:3: “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”
“Where in my Father’s house? Where there are many mansions. My father passed away years ago, and I was reading that passage. I read the word “mansions,” and I heard some people say, “Well now, that word is translated as “mansions” in your King James Bible. That’s not really what it means. It doesn’t really mean mansions; it means one big house with many rooms.”
So, I did a study on it. I wanted to know. I did a study, and I studied the Greek, and I looked at the English, and I looked at all that, and I studied it, and you know what I found out? That word “mansion” means a mansion. That’s what it means, exactly what it says in your Bible. It doesn’t mean anything else. “In my father’s house are many mansions, if it were not so I would have told you so. “Where is He going to take us?”
“Where I am there you may be also.” He’s taking us home. He’s taking us to the Father’s house, where we’ll be with Him forever. That’s hope. That’s hope.
The Testimony of the Resurrection
The testimony of the resurrection is true, and it is then we have hope of seeing our loved ones again, being with Him forever. If the testimony of the resurrection is true and it is, we have hope for a better world. Do you think this world is going to get better? Well, let me tell you what Peter says about that 2 Peter chapter 3 verse 13:
2 Peter 3:13: “Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.”
No, this world’s not going to get better. There’s going to be a new one, a new Heaven, and a new Earth. John in Revelation 21:3-5 wrote of the new Heaven and the new Earth, he said:
Revelation 21:3: “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.”
Revelation 21:4: “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”
Don’t miss this, “God shall wipe away all tears in their eyes; and there shall be no more death,” – no more funeral homes, no more cemeteries – “there shall be no more death, neither sorrow,” – nothing to feel sad about, “nor crying,” – nothing to weep over. You’re going to love this, “neither shall there be any more pain.
My wife is the most wonderful woman I’ve ever known, and I mean that sincerely. I don’t think she’s listening so I’m not trying to impress her, but she, and this is not a commercial, by the way; she’s into essential oils. I’m telling you this for a reason, not to sell you anything. She has some of those products that are used for pain, and she said, “Well, take some of this. Rub it on for pain.” I said, “What do I do?” She said, “Rub it on where it hurts.” I said, “I’d have to take a bath in it.
You know, I wake up in the morning. I think I take inventory of what hurts today. Now, some of you don’t understand that because you’re not old enough. Some of you are old enough, you know exactly what I’m talking about. But you know what? No more pain.
“For the former things are passed away.” No more pain. John goes on:
Revelation 21:5: “And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.”
Because of the testimony of the resurrection, we have hope for eternity with our Lord. The testimony of the resurrection is true. Paul wrote in verses 17 to 20 of this same chapter:
I Corinthians 15:17: “And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.”
I Corinthians 15:18: “Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.”
I Corinthians 15:19: “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.”
Listen to his next word:
I Corinthians 15:20: “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.”
There’s been a time and a place in your life when you realize that you, like all the rest of us, have sinned against God. You’ve broken His law; you’ve disobeyed His will. If you come to the realization that the wages of sin is death which is to say, because we sin we must die, that’s what Romans 6:23 said, but that’s only half the verse, the rest of the verse says this, “But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” God is saying, “Wait, I don’t want you to die, I want you to live, and I want you to live forever, and I want you to live with me forever.” God is saying, “I love you. I love you.” God says, “I love you.” I know God loves everyone. No, God loves you. You need to understand that.
Romans 5:8: “But God commendeth [or sent forth] his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
God says that, “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth, the Lord Jesus, and believe in thine heart,” – listen – that God hath raised him from the dead,” – do you believe that God raised him from the dead? You obviously believe that He died, and why did He die? For your sins.
Romans 10:9: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
Saved from what? Saved from sin. Saved from the penalty of sin. Save from the wages of sin. Saved from death. Saved from Hell. Saved to live eternally. It doesn’t end there:
Romans 10:9: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
Romans 10:10: “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
A couple of verses later, verse 13 says:
Romans 10:13: “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
If you’ve trusted the Lord to save you, thank God. Oh, thank God. That is the most important thing you will ever do. If you have not, my question is, my challenge is, will you trust Him now? Will you trust the Lord to save you? Do you believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins? Will you trust Him to forgive your sins and to give you eternal life? Will you do that?
I’m going to tell you, there’s no better time than right now to open your heart, no better time than right now to believe that Christ died for your sins according to the scriptures, according to the Bible. And that He was buried, and He arose again the third day. What do you need to do? Trust him now.
If you already know the Lord as your Savior, then you are a child of God. Your reservation is made in Heaven. There’s a place at the table with your name on it. Rejoice! If you have any questions or doubts, I can relate. I’ve already told you about that. Why not come? In a moment when we sing another hymn, why not give your heart and life to the Lord Jesus right now?
Or, you say, “Well, preacher, I’m saved, no doubt about it. But there are some things that ought not to be in my life.” What a wonderful time for you to come and pray and get things right with the Lord.
There’s a spiritual need in your life. You come when we sing. I’m going to stand right down here, don’t wait. Don’t see what anybody else is doing. Don’t wonder what you should do. What you should do is leave your place, come meet me down here, and let us help you.
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Father, thank you so much for blessing us. Thank you for this time we’ve had together here this morning, this resurrection celebration time. Help us, Lord, to open our hearts. Help us to trust you as Savior. Lord, if there’s a soul here who hasn’t already trusted you, may they open their heart and believe now on Jesus Christ to forgive their sins, to save them, to give them everlasting life.
For those who have trusted you, bless us, and strengthen our faith. Help us to walk daily and live for you and to bring others to come and know you. Father, bless and move in this invitation time. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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About the Speaker
Dr. Michael L. McClure
Senior Pastor
Dr. Michael L. McClure, our lead pastor, is known for his in-depth knowledge and effective teaching style of biblical truths applicable to everyday living.