I. INTRODUCTION
A. Text: Jn. 20:1-18 (Mt. 28:1-8; Mk. 16:1-11; Lu. 24:1-12)
B. In our study we will answer three questions that leave little doubt that this indeed was a crucial turning point for not only the Lord, but all believers as well.
1. Why was it impossible for the Son of God to remain in the grave?
2. Was the life and death of the Son sufficient to redeem man of His sins?
3. Why does the entire gospel, as preached by the Apostles depend on the resurrection?
II. DISCUSSION
A. It was impossible for the Son of God to remain in the grave! Why? In Acts 2:22-28 Peter quotes a Psalm of David (Ps. 16:8-11) which will answer this question. The Psalmist was rejoicing in the fact that the Messiah would be resurrected because it was necessary for Him to be resurrected. Let us examine three particular facts that will help understand this necessity:
1. "I beheld the Lord always before my face." Jesus could have come to earth to do His own will, just as Satan had chosen to do his own will, (Jude 6). But the Lord resisted that temptation and maintained His father's will. Jesus won the victory over His own will by not bringing any evil into this world.
2. "For He is on My right hand, that I should not be moved." Not only did Jesus choose not bring evil into the world, He chose not to be swayed by suggestions nor temptations brought to Him from without. Here is where man fell. Christ used God as His shield, just as we must us Christ as ours.
3. "Therefore My heart was glad, and My tongue rejoiced." The Lord had gained two victories: over His will and over temptation. Because of these two victories He will gain the ultimate victory: His soul will not be left in Hades. No wonder He rejoiced!
a. Why did He have to pass through Hades? To fulfill His mission. The penalty for taking the sins of the world on his shoulders was death, separation of body and Spirit.
b. Since He was victorious over every possible form of sin, from within and without, death could not hold Him. The resurrection is a demonstration and proof of this victory this perfect victory.
B. The life and death of the Son was sufficient to redeem man of His sins. The fact that God resurrected Him attests to His (God's) satisfaction with Christ's work. Passages such as Jn. 10:17,18 and Eph. 1:18-20, show not only was the resurrection Christ's wish, but in conjunction with the Father's will, the mind of the Godhood. Now to examine more carefully: God's endorsement of the resurrection, His rejection of man, and His plan to allow rejected man to be accepted.
1. God's endorsement through this entire study we have noted each time God has shown His pleasure with His Son's work.
a. At His birth the star, angels, prophecy, and wise men.
b. During His public ministry words from heaven at the baptism, the transfiguration, and the approach of the Greeks. Also miracles, signs and wonders performed to confirm Christ's word.
c. At the crucifixion earthquakes, opened graves, darkening of the sun, tearing the temple veil.
d. The resurrection then was the ultimate sign of God's endorsement.
e. The value of the resurrection as a Divine act:
(1) it was God's testimony of the perfection of Jesus' life on earth,
(2) it was God's testimony of the perfection of Jesus as a mediator for the sins of man,
(3) it was God's testimony of the perfection of Jesus' victory.
2. God's rejection of man by accepting Christ's perfect life, God rejects our imperfect life. He also rejects any man-made methods of salvation and accepts only salvation through Jesus Christ. Note that man was denied visual access to the resurrection, yet Paul called the act of the resurrection, "That working of the strength of his might." (Eph. 1:19)
3. God's plan for rejected man Christ's resurrection opened a new and living way for pitiful mankind. In addition to accepting Christ as perfect, God has allowed Christ's perfection to represent all of mankind.
C. The resurrection is the keynote of the Gospel, Rom. 8:34; 10:9; 1 Cor. 15:14-17.
Let the facts according to the NT be accepted as true.
1. At the sealed grave two questions arise:
a. Has the man of Nazareth succeeded in His great work?
b. Was He able to provide His declared purpose?
2. All questions are answered at the open grave. Mt. 28:6 By conquering the grave, Christ became the Victor to replace all Victors, past present and to come. If He had failed to accomplish His work, He would still be in the grave today!
III. CONCLUSION Restating the arguments for the historic facts of the resurrection.
A. Christianity then hinges on the fact that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead.
B. What if Christ did not rise?
1. His teaching was false or perhaps He was mistaken or deluded. Either way the teaching of passages such as Jn. 2:18,19 and Mt. 12:38,40 were lies or at least deceptive.
2. His work was a complete failure and Christianity as we know it today is the work of only the Apostles, the very ones who abandoned Him on the Cross.
3. His death had no atoning value.
4. There is no authoritative teaching concerning the after-life.
5. We have no footprints to follow, no Messiah to imitate, no Lord to emulate.
6. We have no helper in our struggle against evil and our mission to obey God. Remember, it was Christ who promised to send the Holy Spirit.
C. Without the resurrection, what would have caused the disciples to continue on?
1. Were they faking it, is Christianity a sham? Men will die for fanaticism,but not for fraud.
2. Did Jesus escape the cross? This not only invalidates His resurrection, but also His death. Secular history bears out the fact of His death, confirmed by the officials of the Roman government.
3. Did the Apostles only see visions of Christ after the cross, not the resurrected man? If so, it is the most amazing case of mass hallucinations every recorded: 10 appearances to as many as 500 brethren at once.
D. The supreme proof of the resurrection is the continued existence of the Church of Jesus Christ.
[END OF TWELFTH SERMON]