Tag Archives: Easter

Resurrection Necessary For Faith: 1 Corinthians 15

The Sadducees – the liberal crowd of Christ’s day – came into the Church teaching that “the dead rise not”. They did not believe in a life after this life. There are a lot of people like this in our world today. They live in the now, for they believe there is no afterlife. Some of these people will even say that Jesus was a great teacher and a wonderful leader of a moral revolution. But Jesus died, like all founders die. The Apostle tells us:

1 Corinthians 15:16-17 … if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: 17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.

If Christ is not raised from the grave, then “your faith is vain”. The word “vain” is the Greek (mataia), which means “unreal, unproductive, ineffectual – without any standing in reality”. The fact that Jesus rose from the Grave is imperative to the Christian faith.

If Jesus Did Not Die And Rise Again,
He Is A Liar And a False Prophet

Throughout His ministry, Jesus was very clear that He was going to lay down His life for His people. We read in:

Mark 9:31 {Jesus} was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.”

And again:

Matthew 16:21 (ESV) … Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised…. Continue reading

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When Angels Preached The Gospel

Luke 24:1-12 Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulcher, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulcher. 3 And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: 5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, 7 Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. 8 And they remembered his words …

The Bible Is God’s Book!

People ask me why I believe that this Bible is God’s Book, written through the Prophets and Apostles. Why do I believe that “no prophecy ever came by the will of man; instead, men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21, CSB)? It is because I have experienced the power of this magnificent Book. God has given us – you and I – a Book written by His Spirit, and taught by His Spirit (John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13).

Every time I come to the Bible, if open to the Holy Spirit, I nearly always find something new.

For instance, as I read this story of the resurrection of Jesus, a message I have preached before, I thought “what could be new in this text?” then God answered. … Continue reading

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Resurrection Sunday Sunrise Service: What The Tomb Teaches Us

Mark 16:1-4 And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.

2 And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulcher at the rising of the sun.

3 And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulcher?

4 And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.

Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James (the mother of the Son of God), and Salome (perhaps one of Jesus’ sisters – Matthew 13:56) went to the Tomb following the end of the weekly Sabbath. It was their intention to finish preparing Jesus’ body for burial. The question foremost in their minds was,

“Who shall roll us away the stone
from the door of the sepulcher?”

A large stone covered the entrance to Christ’s grave, a cave borrowed from Joseph of Arimathaea. When the stone was put in place three days before, … Continue reading

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Resurrection Changes Everything

People die. This is the nature of life. Founders of businesses die, founders of religions die. The founder of Islam, Muhammad died in 632 AD. The founder of the Indian Independence Movement, Mahatma Gandhi died from an assassin’s gun in 1948. People die. The Scripture says:

Hebrews 9:27 … it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment

Today we commemorate the death of another Founder, and we will celebrate His death by partaking of what we call “Communion” or “The Lord’s Table”. There is one big difference in the death of Christianity’s Founder and the death of all others.

Jesus didn’t stay dead!

Executed on a Roman Cross after several hours of brutal torture, Jesus’ death was not a mistake nor a miscarriage of justice. Jesus told His disciples:

John 10:15 … I lay down My life for the sheep {His people}

The Great Shepherd, Jesus willingly allowed Himself to be slandered and railroaded into an execution. But Jesus told us:

John 10:17 … I lay down My life, that I might TAKE IT AGAIN …

Jesus promised that – though He would die willingly on that terrible Cross – that death would not be able to hold Him. On the Day of Pentecost – some 50 days after Jesus rose from the Grave – Peter preached:

Acts 2:22-24 (NLT) People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know. 23 But God knew what would happen, and His prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed Him to a cross and killed Him. 24 But God released Him from the horrors of death and raised Him back to life, for death could not keep Him in its grip.

Death could not hold Jesus. Jesus told us:

Matthew 12:40 (ESV) For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Jesus Christ died on that Cross so that we who believe in Him can have access to the Holy Father, Creator of all things. God the Father covered our sins by the death of Jesus. The Apostle says, … Continue reading

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Jesus Unclothed So We Can Be Clothed

Last week we looked at the crucifixion of Jesus. Darkness was over all the earth from the sixth to the ninth hour.

Luke 23:45 And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst.

In the midst of the darkness the veil of the Temple was torn into from the top to the bottom. The Evangelist Mark tells us:

Mark 15:37-39 And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. 38 And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. 39 And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.

The Centurion in charge of executing our Lord had seen many men and women executed by crucifixion in his lifetime. Most died begging for mercy. Some begged that their lives be ended quicker, for the agony of crucifixion is horrid. This Centurion heard Jesus as He quietly hung on that Cross. He heard Jesus tell the thief to His right, “Today shalt thou be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43). He heard Jesus, caring for His mother Mary, put her in John’s care (John 19:25-27). This hardened soldier heard Jesus say “It is finished” (John 19:30). But what moved that soldier’s battle hardened heart was our Lord’s final words:

Luke 23:46 … Father, into thy hands… Continue reading

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Resurrection Changes Everything

Christians disagree on many different things. As we study God’s Word we often have different interpretations of different texts. Sometimes these disagreements are so severe (or so we think) that we have divided ourselves up into what we call “denominations” (and don’t fool yourself – a “non-denominational” church is still a “denomination”). Christians even disagree about the day that Christ was crucified. Many believe that the Lord was crucified on “Good Friday”. Others, like me, disagree. I do not see how Jesus could have been crucified and Friday, and resurrect on Sunday, and yet His direct statement be true … Continue reading

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Three Days and Nights Ago

The prophets all spoke of this Jesus. He would be the Messiah Who would offer salvation to the world. If a scientist were to discover a cure for cancer or Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s the world would celebrate him and offer him the greatest adulation. Jesus Christ came to this earth to offer a cure for something greater than Cancer, greater than any disease you can think of. Jesus came to this earth to offer a cure for sin and death. He came to offer eternal life and supernatural cleansing to all who would believe. But how was Christ perceived? The prophets Continue reading

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The Greatest Sermon

We have all heard sermons that are memorial, but too often we hear sermons that are forgettable. On the day that Mary Magdalene and Mary Cleopas went to the Tomb of Christ they heard one of the greatest – and shortest – sermons ever preached. That sermon was preached by an angel. Continue reading

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Decisions Matter

We need to be responsible for our lives. We need to understand that every decision we make TODAY always affects our TOMORROW. Conversely the decisions we DO NOT make have an impact on our future selves. The decisions you make are very important. Continue reading

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