“Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.”- I Corinthians 15:12-17
It really doesn’t matter if it Easter or not we all need to be reminded of the basics. Did the resurrection really happen? Why do I need to believe it? What are the implications if I don’t? Quick answer- “if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.”-
If Christ’s resurrection is not an absolute fact, if Christ is still dead in a grave somewhere, then the whole Christian faith is nonsense (I Cor. 15:12-17 above). Since Jesus got up out of the grave, as He said He would, that means that everything else He said is absolutely true. The implications of that statement should affect everything about life.
The whole structure of the Christian faith is built on the evidences for the resurrection. Let me give you 4 other ideas to ponder as you reflect on the reason to believe this event is true all year through.
1. If Jesus remained dead, how can you explain the testimony of the disciples? What changed them from being afraid to becoming bold after the death of their leader unless their leader rose from the dead just as He said He would? All who died as martyrs, died with this testimony on their lips. Unless the disciples were telling the truth, they were all fools.
2. If Jesus remained dead, how can you explain the inability of the first century skeptics, people who had a firsthand stake in the matter, to come up with an alternative explanation? All they had to do was find a corpse present it and all would have been over. They didn’t because they couldn’t. In fact, they did try to hide the truth that they knew Matt. 28:11-15- “While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers and said, ‘Tell people, His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep. And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.’ So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.”
3. If Jesus remained dead, why did over 500 people say they saw Him alive? “He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then He appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared also to me.” I Cor. 15:5-8 We think we are so sophisticated. We think we are the only ones in the world to ever ask questions. They asked questions then as well, with one important advantage; the actual eye witnesses could be asked and their responses written down. The story checked out.
4. If Jesus remained dead, how can you explain the reality of the Christian Church and its phenomenal growth? Christ’s Church covered the world by the 4th Century and has continued to grow becoming the largest in the world still. The early church was an unstoppable force of faith, love and sacrifice…all on the basis of the reality of Jesus Christ.
Does this shed some light on the importance of the truth of the resurrection? I hope so. Because of the resurrection, if we are His, we are be forgiven… we experience God’s power…we understand the meaning of God’s Word and we will live forever.
This is the foundation of our Christian life…ponder it…ponder it often…for it is what will bring us assurance and contentment in the Lord.
God Bless y’all today.
In His Grip,
Pastor Mike
