The Person of our Lord Jesus Christ His Work: His Resurrection.

Notes from Myer Pearlman. Knowing the Doctrines of the Bible. Pps 172-174

1. The Fact of the Resurrection

The Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Miracle of Christianity.  Once we establish the Reality of this event, discussion of all other miracles of the Gospels is unnecessary. This is the Miracle upon which the whole of Christianity stands or falls.

Christianity is a Historical Religion basing its teachings upon definite events that occurred in Israel about Two Thousand years ago.

These events are the Virgin Birth, the Ministry of Jesus Christ culminating in His Death Burial and Resurrection. The Resurrection is the capstone, for, if Christ be not risen, then he is not what he claimed to be, His Death was not an atoning death, then Christians have been deceived for centuries. Preachers have been declaring error and there is no hope of Salvation.

“But now is Christ risen, the firstfruits of them that slept.”

The Tomb was empty. see the place where Christ lay.

Watch www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSRG8jzOzDg

    2. The Evidence for the Resurrection.

The French skeptic taunted,"You Christians live in the fragrance of an empty tomb.” It is true that those who came to the tomb on that Easter morning to embalm the body of Jesus found the tomb empty. This fact cannot be explained apart from the Resurrection of Jesus. The Jews could have refuted the teaching of the First apostles by producing the body. But they did not and could not.

The Christian Church would not exist without the resurrection of our Lord. Jesus was not dead but alive was the Message of the Early Church.

What shall we do with the eyewitness accounts of those who saw the Lord Jesus after His Resurrection, who handled Him and ate with Him; hundred of whom the Apostle Paul said were alive till his day.. Many of them have given witness in the New Testament Epistles.

How shall we explain the Conversion of the chief persecutor of the church, Paul, if he did not see Christ on the road to Damascus.

'Christ Arose' is the Clear Message of the early Church and the Apostles and others were willing to lay down their Lives for the truth of the Message of the Resurrection.

Many have tried to deny the fact or evade the fact. The Jewish leaders contended that the disciples came and stole the body away. They even bribed the guards at the tomb to say such lies. How could the timid little band of disciples have wrested the body out of the hands of the Roman soldiers who were armed and guarding the tomb.

The disciples just dreamed this up was the explanation of the so-called scholars of our day. How could hundreds have the same vision and imagine that they were really seeing Jesus after His death. This weak explanations carries its own refutation.

The Resurrection of Jesus cannot be called into doubt any more than the historic certainty that Caesar was assassinated.

     3.The Meaning  of the Resurrection.

It means that Jesus Christ was all that He claimed to be.  the Son of God, the Saviour of the World and Lord of all.

The answer of the world to His claims was the CROSS; God's answer to the cross and His claims was the RESURRECTION.

It means that the Atoning Death of Christ was a reality and that man may find forgiveness for his past sins and so find peace with God.

Rom 4:24  it was for our sakes too. Faith, before long, will be placed to the credit of us also who are believers in Him who raised Jesus, our Lord, from the dead,

Rom 4:25  who was surrendered to death because of the offences we had committed, and was raised to life because of the acquittal secured for us.

The Resurrection was really the completion of the Atoning death of Christ for us. He rose again to show he had purchased our acquittal.

Now we have a Risen glorified and sympathetic High Priest in heaven interceding for us. Romans 8:3 and Hebrews 7:25

JESUS HAS COME BACK TO LIFE THEN WE SHALL LIVE ALSO.

The resurrection of Christ gives not only proof of the fact of Immortality but also CARRIES THE ASSURANCE OF OUR PERSONAL IMMORTALITY.

Joh 14:19  Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me: because I live, you also shall live.

2Co 4:14  For we know that He who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will raise us also to be with Jesus, and will cause both us and you to stand in His own presence.

Barnes Notes on v.14

Knowing - Being fully confident; having the most entire assurance. It was the assured hope of the resurrection which sustained them in all their trials. This expression denotes the full and unwavering belief, in the minds of the apostles, that the doctrines which they preached were true. They knew that they were revealed from heaven, and that all the promises of God would be fulfilled.

Shall raise up us also - All Christians. In the hope of the resurrection they were ready to meet trials, and even to die. Sustained by this assurance, the apostles went forth amidst persecutions and opposition, for they knew that their trials would soon end, and that they would be raised up in the morning of the resurrection, to a world of eternal glory.