Christ’s resurrection is the cornerstone of our faith!
1 Corinthians 15 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost said this: Acts 2:31-36; 31 Seeing what was ahead, (David) spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. 32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact.
And on trial before the Sanhedrin for healing the lame man at the Gate Beautiful at the Temple, Peter said this.
Acts 4:10-12 10 then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. 11 He is “ ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.’ 12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
The resurrection of Jesus is the heart of the Christian faith, and the proof of the truth of the gospel.
Christ’s resurrection was all the proof Thomas needed of who Jesus really is!
John 20 27 (Jesus) said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
Christ’s resurrection is all the proof we need that Jesus really is the Son of god –
Romans 1:4 tells us that the gospel concerns God’s Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, 4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.
Christ’s resurrection proves that ALL of Jesus’s teaching is true. The Message translates 1 Corinthians 15 like this. Verses 13-20 “If there’s no resurrection, there’s no living Christ. And face it—if there’s no resurrection for Christ, everything we’ve told you is smoke and mirrors, and everything you’ve staked your life on is smoke and mirrors. Not only that, but we would be guilty of telling a string of barefaced lies about God, all these affidavits we passed on to you verifying that God raised up Christ—sheer fabrications, if there’s no resurrection. ….. If all we get out of Christ is a little inspiration for a few short years, we’re a pretty sorry lot. But the truth is that Christ has been raised up, the first in a long legacy of those who are going to leave the cemeteries. MESSAGE
Jesus is alive. Jesus is Lord! And that is all the proof we need that His death on the cross was an acceptable sacrifice for all our sin. The ransom has been given, the price has been paid. Christ has dealt with our past. Our sins have been forgiven!
The historical event of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is at the heart of the Christian faith. But what does the resurrection mean for us? How does it change our lives?
First, Jesus is alive today because God raised Him from the dead. So Jesus walks with us day by day. Indeed Jesus is alive inside us through the work of the Holy Spirit. So Jesus can hear and answer our prayers – because He is not a dead martyr but our Risen Saviour. Jesus makes a difference to our lives here and now in the present. He is our great High Priest.
Hebrews 7 24 but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. 25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.
Jesus promises us in Matthew 28:20 Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
We are never alone. Jesus is with us all the time and has promised never to leave us!
Second, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is proof for us that we will see Christ in glory and be with Him for eternity. The resurrection is our guarantee of heaven!
On the night before He was crucified, Jesus made this promise to his disciples.
John 14 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.
Because Jesus lives, we will live also! Christ’s resurrection is our guarantee of life beyond death and the happy certainty of Heaven.
1 Peter 1 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you,
So we don’t need to be afraid of death any more! Jesus is alive and because He lives, we will live also! Jesus gives us a future and a hope more wonderful than any of us can possibly imagine.
Third, the resurrection is Jesus’s victory not only over sin and death but also over the devil and all the powers of evil. And Jesus shares His resurrection life with us. Christ’s resurrection is the key to living the Christian life. The resurrection is the power we need to live the Christian life!
Romans 8 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
The Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead is living in us! Jesus shares His victory with us and so we can be victorious over sin and victorious over death and victorious over the devil and all his evil schemes!
So the historical event of the resurrection of Jesus Christ makes a difference to our past – all our sins have been forgiven. The resurrection makes a difference to our lives in the present – Jesus is with us and gives us the victory! And the resurrection makes a difference to our future – we have a living hope of a glorious inheritance. Christ is risen. He is risen indeed!