Today is a special day in the life of the church. It’s a day where we remember the resurrection of Jesus Christ. I believe that everyday we should remember this not just one day because it is the heart of the Gospel. The resurrection is the key to your life. It is the key to your believing. It is the key to your understanding about God. It is the key to that unlocks the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And it is the foundation to everything we believe and do as believers in Jesus Christ.
When you examine the preaching ministry of Peter and Paul, you see that the resurrection is at the heart of the Gospel. Paul raised a question in 1 Corinthians 15:12-16 when he said, “Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. 14 And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. 15 Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up--if in fact the dead do not rise. 16 For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen.” In other words, if there is no resurrection, why are we preaching there is? If there is no resurrection, why are we preaching that Christ was raised from the dead? Why are we preaching at all? Because if “Christ is not risen,...our preaching is empty and your faith is empty” and we are “found false witnesses of God.” If there is no resurrection and Christ did not rise from the dead, then we’re liars and the world is right! And we all might as well go and worship the Easter bunny with them. But Christ did rise! And if you don’t believe that basic truth then you are still in your sins—you are not saved.
Listen to what the New Testament proclaims about this wonderful truth that is at the heart of the Gospel: In Matthew 17:9 after Jesus was transfigured before Peter, James and John he said: “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead.” If there is no resurrection then why did Jesus say this? He believed He would rise on the third day. The angel repeated that truth in Matthew 28:6 when he said to the women: “He is not here; for He is risen, as He said.” In the next verse, Matthew 28:7, the angel told the women to “go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead.” In John 2:19-22 Jesus said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." 20 Then the Jews said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?" 21 But He was speaking of the temple of His body. 22 Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.” The first sermon preached after Jesus’ resurrection was on the day of Pentecost in Acts chapter 2. In verses 22-24 Peter said, “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know– 23 Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; 24 whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.” In chapter 3 of Acts, as Peter is speaking to the people following the healing of the lame man, he says, “You denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses” (vv.14-15). In chapter 4 as they are before the rulers, elders and scribes, giving an answer to this healing, Peter says in verse 10: “Let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole.”
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the heart of the Gospel. It is the heart of the Bible. The Old Testament spoke of it as well as the New. In Psalm 16:10 David says, “For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.” “Peter applies David's hope of Psalm 16:10 to Christ in Acts 2:27-28, indicating that these verses prophesied that Christ would be resurrected (Acts 2:24ff.). This was not fulfilled by David because David died and was buried (Acts 2:29); instead, this passage spoke of the resurrection of Christ (Acts 2:31; cf. Acts 13:35)” (Paul Enns, The Moody Handbook of Theology).
The New Testament gives us a fuller explanation of the death and resurrection of Christ and places great emphasis on His resurrection. Paul makes reference to the resurrection of Christ in Romans chapter 6 and 7 when speaking of the new life of the believer. In chapter 6, verse 4 he says, “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” In verse 9 he says, “Knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him.” In chapter 7, verse 4, he says, “Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another--to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God.” When Paul writes to the Thessalonians he recounts his time with them and their response to the gospel. In verses 9-10 of 1 Thessalonians chapter 1, he says, “For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.” To Timothy Paul says in 2 Timothy 2:8, “Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel.” The resurrection is the gospel! And as we have been learning in the past several weeks, it is the message of the church. God left us here for one purpose—to preach Jesus who has been raised from the dead! We have talked about using the law as the convicting power of sin. We have talked about preaching the bad news of coming judgment. Now I want to talk about the most essential element of the gospel—the resurrection. It is sad that the church uses only this day to bring recognition to it because it is the heart of the gospel. And if we’re preaching the gospel regularly then we are speaking of the resurrection of Jesus Christ regularly because we are certain of the resurrection. I want to invite you to 1 Corinthians chapter 15 where Paul talks about the resurrection with this kind of certainty.
Paul says, “1 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you--unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. 6 After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. 7 After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. 8 Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. 11 Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed. 12 Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. 14 And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. 15 Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up--if in fact the dead do not rise. 16 For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. 17 And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! 18 Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable. 20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”
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