What is the Gospel?
-composed of two parts: the death of Jesus and the Resurrection of Jesus
-1st Christ died for our sins
-2nd He was raised on the third day
-His death and raised dealt with our sin
-His resurrection illuminates His death
-These two doctrines of the death and resurrection of Jesus are both Biblical (according to scripture)
-Old Testament foretold of Jesus (historical)-Their historicity is vouched for each case-he will rise
-New Testament is to ascribe it not to Jesus Himself (He Rose) but to God the Father (He was Raised)
2. Why did God raise Jesus from the dead? Epistle to the Romans
-Roman 1:4 Jesus Christ was “declared to be the Son of God with power…by resurrection from the dead.”
-Christ public ministry was 3 years
-The apostles believed he was the predicted Messiah
-But, when he told them of his suffering and death, they were conflicted as they thought Jesus would be the reigning over Israel physically not dying for Israel
-Then Jesus was arrested, tried, condemned, crucified, and all their hopes were shattered
-They wept in bereavement, bewilderment, bitterness, and despair
Transition
-Then God raised Him from the dead
-Jesus powerfully designated God’s Son by the resurrection
-Jesus never predicted His death without adding that He would rise
-Jesus knew His death would not be the end-now they knew too
-The resurrection became the burden of their message
“This Jesus you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men, but God raised him up” (Acts 2:23, 24; Act 3:15; 4:10; 5:30)
***On the cross Jesus may have seemed defeated, but God reversed man’s sentence and by the resurrection publicly vindicated Him.
-It was the resurrection that convinced Saul of Tarsus that Jesus, whom he had been persecuting as an imposter, was true after all
3. God raised Jesus to Confirm the Efficacy of His Death
-He “was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification” (Romans 4:25).
-Jesus foretold his death a a fact, but indicated His purpose
-Jesus said that He was going to give His life as ransom for many, and that His blood would be shed for the forgiveness of our sins
-Fact= Jesus died is irrefutable fact
-God confirmed the satisfactoriness of His Son’s death by raising Him from the dead
-The resurrection was God’s own proof that Jesus had not died in vail
-If Jesus had not been raised, we could never have known if His sacrifices for sin had been accepted
“If Christ has not been raised your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished” (1 Corinthians 15:17-18).
-Christ has been raised, to show that He did not die in vain
-We do not believe in vain
-We are no longer in our sins, but justified from them
-Those who have died in Christ have not perished, but are with Christ in glory
God raised Jesus to complete the salvation of His people
-Romans 6 vs. 4-5 and 8-11
-These verses make plain that God is concerned not only with the justification of His people but with their sanctification; not only to bring them into His favor—forgiven and accepted sinners—but to transform them into Christ-likeness
-We belong to Christ because we have become one with Him by faith, then we have died with Him to sin and risen with HIm to newness of life
-The merit of His death and the power of His resurrection have both become ours
-One day our bodies will rise too
-We shall be raised from physical death also and clothed with new, glorious bodies like Him
-Each stage of our salvation is tied to the resurrection of Christ
-Jesus is our justification, sanctification, and glorification
-Our acceptance before God, our growth in holiness, and our acquisition of new bodies on the Last Day
-Jesus resurrection from the dead: proof of justification, power of our sanctification, and the pattern of our glorification
-Jesus resurrection is a vital foundation of the Christian religion
-Christian faith is not only “the faith of Christ crucified,” but “the faith of Christ risen”
Questions:
-Are you doubtful about the deity of Jesus?
-Examine the evidence for the resurrection
-God raised Jesus from the dead to demonstrate the deity of His Person
-He was powerfully designated God’s Son by the resurrection
-Are you doubtful about the deity of Jesus?
(Are you accepted before God and your sins forgiven?)
-Then look at the empty tomb
-God raised Jesus from the dead to confirm the efficacy of His sacrifice
-Are you doubtful about the possibility of victory?
-God raised Jesus from the dead to complete your salvation
-You need to be convinced that Jesus is alive
-If you belong to Him, you have risen with Him
-In the power of the resurrection you and I can be “more than conquerors
