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Easter Sunday
The Meaning of the Resurrection
April 12, 2009

TEXT:  (Mark 16:1-9 NKJ) Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. 2  Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. 3 And they said among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?" 4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away-- for it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. 6 But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. 7 "But go, tell His disciples-- and Peter-- that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you." 8 So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. 9 Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.
The women found an empty tomb—empty because their Lord has risen!—it was a time of excitement and joy—and today the church rejoices and sings songs of joy--to understand what this resurrection means to each of us Christians—we need to go back to the Old Testament and read the Psalm of David that gives us a picture of the resurrection
 
(Psalm 16:8-11 NKJ) I have set the LORD always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. 9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope. 10 For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. 11 You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
 
Sheol was a place Old Testament people believed all of our souls went when this body died—it is the Hebrew equivalent of the Greek Hades—an unseen world—where your soul enjoyed either torment or reward—according to God’s will and judgment—Old Testament people knew that there would be no escaping the judgment of God—even in death the judgment would take place—this Psalm is a Messianic Psalm—which was fulfilled by the resurrection of Jesus—David saw clearly the resurrection of the coming Messiah—Jesus Christ
 
The resurrection shows that the demands of God were satisfied—the demands that man must live a life of perfection under the Law to inherit salvation—Jesus Christ in His human nature met those demands—otherwise God would not have lifted Him up in His resurrection from death—Jesus fulfilled the Law—and this set man free from the punishment of his sin—until the Law was fulfilled—until man lived a life of perfection—the Law could not change
 
(Matthew 5:18 NKJ) "For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.
 
When Jesus—the perfect man—died and was buried—God raised Him up—and this was a sign that Jesus’ perfect life was satisfaction of the Law
 
(Acts 2:22-24 NKJ) "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know-- 23 "Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; 24 "whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.
 
 
NKJ Acts 2:22 " Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know -- 23 "Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; 24 "whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.
 
Peter—John—James—all of the 11 disciples of Christ—witnessed the events leading to Jesus’ crucifixion and death—and they—and at least 500 others also witnessed the resurrection of Christ—after Jesus’ ascension—the Apostles testified of the things they had seen—for example Peter spoke these words to the people of Jerusalem
 
(Acts 3:13-15 NKJ) "The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go. 14 "But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 "and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses.
 
Paul was the only Apostle not to physically walk with Jesus—and he was the only Apostle to be formally trained as a Pharisee—and this is Paul’s opening greeting in his letter to the Romans—Paul really understood the spiritual identity of Jesus—Paul really understood that Jesus was the fulfillment of Scripture—Jesus was the One promised in the Old Testament
 
(Romans 1:1-4 NKJ) Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God 2 which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, 3 concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, 4 and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.
 
Paul really understood the meaning of the resurrection—and the power of that resurrection—without Christ’s resurrection there is no hope
 
(1 Corinthians 15:14 NKJ) And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.
 
Paul instructed Timothy with strong words—warning him to stay focused on the Savior
 
(2 Timothy 1:8-10 NKJ) Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, 9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, 10 but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,
 
Paul knew that from the birth of Christ—Satan fought—and killed to destroy His power over death—remember the killing of the babies by Herod?—King Herod was trying to kill Jesus before He could accomplish His mission—Satan had a hand in the destruction of those innocent children—just as he had a hand in the crucifixion of our Lord—Satan assaulted Adam and Eve in the garden called Paradise—and he was victorious—thus all mankind was covered with sin—and cloaked in death—and that’s why God sent us a Savior—His own Son—to defeat death—and bring us salvation
 
When Jesus was crucified—it appeared that the devil had won—Jesus—the Son of God—was dead—and He was buried in a tomb carved into a solid rock—but Jesus wasn’t taken against His will and killed by the workers of the devil—Jesus subjected Himself to death—as an offering for our lives—to give us hope—His perfect life was ended in death—because Jesus surrendered it to death—He did this to pay for our sins—so we could restore our sin-riddled lives to perfection when we stand before God
 
(John 10:17-18 NKJ) "Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. 18 "No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father."
 
He laid that life down for us—we are the sheep who hear His voice
 
(Hebrews 2:14-15 NKJ) Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
 
The devil has no power against us—because Jesus was resurrected—we need only call upon the name of our Lord—and He stands before God the Father to testify for us—God sees us through the perfection of the resurrected Christ
 
(1 John 2:1 NKJ) My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
 
Jesus triumphed over the Law—He defeated the devil—He defeated death—and His resurrection was God the Father’s public proclamation of His acceptance of His Son’s sacrifice for our sins
 
(Colossians 2:13-15 NKJ) And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.
 
When Jesus died—God caused earthquakes to rumble and shake open tombs—but the most important thing that happened for our understanding was that God tore the veil in the temple from top to bottom—that tearing of the veil was our signal that the day of sacrifice was over—God’s demand for perfection of the Law had been satisfied—no longer were fires of incense required by a priest to pray to God—the Holy of Holies was open to all men to speak to God—we now have an intercessor before God—our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
 
So much happened when God the Father resurrected God the Son
 
Jesus’ resurrection shook the world—nothing was ever the same—and He will shake it again when He returns to take us all to heaven—because that is where we—the believers—belong—and that is where we will go when this journey we call life comes to an end
 
(Philippians 3:20-21 NKJ) For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.
 
ALL GLORY BE TO GOD!