In his sermon on the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Jason Dohm emphasizes the historical facts of these events, highlighting Joseph of Arimathea's role in Jesus' burial and the angelic announcement of the resurrection. The sermon stresses the centrality of the resurrection in the Gospel, as portrayed by the New Testament authors, and argues that it should be given an exalted status at the core of Christian belief. The resurrection fulfills Old Testament prophecy, declares Jesus as the Son of God with power, and assures believers of their own future resurrection to glory. The sermon also explores the practical implications of the resurrection, encouraging believers to live confidently and joyfully in their faith, assured of their salvation and empowered by the same divine power that raised Jesus from the dead.

This is the day of crucifixion. Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him. When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth and laid it in his new tomb, which he had hewn out of the rock.

And he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb and departed. And Mary Magdalene was there and the other Mary sitting opposite the tomb. On the next day, which followed the day of preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate saying, sir we remember while he was alive how that deceiver had said, after three days I will rise. Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day lest his disciples come by night and steal him away and say to the people, he has risen from the dead so that the last deception will be worse than the first. Pilate said to them, You have a guard.

Go your way. Make it as secure as you know how. So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard. Now, after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat on it.

His countenance was like lightning and his clothing as white as snow, and the guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men. But the angel answered and said to the women, Do not be afraid for I know that you seek Jesus who is crucified. He is not here for he is risen as he said. Come see the place where the Lord lay and go quickly and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead and indeed he is going before you into Galilee. There you will see him.

Behold, I have told you." So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy and ran to bring his disciples word. And as they went to tell his disciples behold Jesus met them saying, Rejoice! So they came and held him by the feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, Do not be afraid, go, and tell my brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see me. Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came to the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened.

When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, saying, Tell them his disciples came at night and stole them away while we slept. And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will appease him and make you secure." So they took the money and did as they were instructed, and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day. Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. When they saw Him, they worshipped Him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.

Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen. Let's pray. Father, familiar texts can be sometimes taken for granted.

Refresh and renew the impact of the resurrection in our hearts today. Open our ears and our hearts. Let us be attentive to the word you have for us through your servant, Jason. We ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. The title this morning is the subject, the death and burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

And I hope it makes you happy. I hope the sermon makes you happy. Hearing God's word should always make us happy, but particular subjects and texts just lend themselves to our hearts leaping within us. This is one of those, so much of the good that comes to us from God, comes through the death and the burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. When we hear of these things, we are hearing about our riches.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, you are hearing about your riches. Your inheritance is before you as we study these things. I had originally planned to say that Christians don't think about the resurrection enough, but on reflection I don't think that's actually true. We think about the resurrection a lot. We pray to Jesus knowing that He is alive.

And we have Easter for crying out loud. And we talk of the resurrection and Jesus being alive almost every Sunday. What I think is actually true is that the resurrection isn't given the exalted status as being at the core of the Gospel that the New Testament authors give it. The New Testament authors give the resurrection of Jesus Christ an exalted status as being right at the core of the Gospel. It's not out on the fringes of the Gospel, at least not if you believe the New Testament writers.

It's right at the core. I hope that just preaching on the subject, seeing what the Word of God has to say about it, has us drawing the resurrection into the core of the Gospel, so that our understanding of it isn't disconnected from the writers of the New Testament and their understanding of it. Let me give you a sign that we don't give the resurrection the exalted status as being in the core of the Gospel that the New Testament writers give it. As elders we do a fair amount of baptism interviews and membership interviews. In any baptism interview and in any membership interview we ask the person being interviewed, give us an articulation of what the Gospel is.

We really want people who are being baptized or people who are coming into membership to have it really clear in their minds what the Gospel is. And inevitably we get really good articulations of the Gospel. They know that God is holy and can't even look upon sin. They know that mankind has lived in rebellion and defiance and is stained with sin and they know that Christ Jesus has shed His blood so that sinners can be reconciled with this holy God. And they personalize it.

They know that they themselves have lived in rebellion and defiance to God, and that they deserve hell. That if God were to give them what they deserve, that they would be banished from His presence and be given an eternity of torment. And that they have believed and laid hold of the blood of Jesus Christ, the work of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. But Paul and Peter and the New Testament writers don't stop there. Almost always baptism candidates or membership candidates stop there.

And they really have got at most of the meat of the Gospel. But not all of it. Paul and Peter and the writers of the New Testament actually pulled the resurrection into that. In 1 Corinthians 15, when Paul summarizes his Gospel in the barest terms, in other words, he strips almost everything away, just down to the bare essentials, he highlights the resurrection. In fact, in 1 Corinthians 15, where he summarizes his Gospel, the whole rest of the chapter is given to expounding the resurrection and what it means and why it's so important.

This is our topic today, to connect ourselves with the New Testament writers and to draw the resurrection into its exalted place that the New Testament writers give it. So we come to this topic. Let's ask the Lord to help us. Jesus, we know that You are alive. We know that You are a living Savior.

As our living Savior, we want to bow ourselves before you and our hearts to worship you. We want to contemplate your rising from the dead to conquer death for your people. Oh, make us happy today. Use your word to increase our joy. Pray this in Jesus' name, Amen.

Well, the structure this week is going to be exactly like the structure last week, when the topic was the suffering and crucifixion of Christ. So here's the structure again. Number one, we'll be talking about the historical facts of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Number two, we'll be talking about the meaning of his death and resurrection. And number three, we'll be talking about the application of his resurrection.

What does it matter to me on Thursday afternoon? Or whatever time? What impact should this have on us? So number one, the historical facts of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Consider the history.

If you're taking notes on the handout, history fills in the blank. Consider the history. This happened. These are historical facts. Jesus was a real person who really died and really came forth from the tomb alive.

There's something very different from last week. Last week as we studied the suffering and crucifixion, you have the four gospel accounts and there is almost universal overlap. The differences and nuances between Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are almost nothing. So there is very little work to do to harmonize the four Gospel accounts. It's easy work at that.

The resurrection accounts are different from that. There is quite a bit of work to do and It's not easy work to do. There are apparent contradictions. But when you lay the Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John accounts side by side, and you work carefully and systematically through them, I think what you find is something that's very satisfying and good. So they can be harmonized, but it's hard work to do it.

There's a fair amount of work to be done. Matthew, the account that was just read, Matthew compresses it. And he's very selective. He leaves a lot out, but you don't get a sense of the things that aren't brought forward in his account. You find things that read like they're happening simultaneously, or one right on the heels of another, where there are actually gaps in between.

We'll hit some of those. What I'm getting ready to give you as I lay out the history of the Resurrection, the historical account of the Resurrection, is a harmonized account which takes these four accounts and gives you the fullness of them. When Jesus cried out with a loud voice and yielded up His Spirit, the temple veil was rent from top to bottom. It was torn in two from top to bottom. The earthquake and rocks were split and many bodies of saints were raised.

After the resurrection, these bodies of resurrected saints came into Jerusalem. The resurrection did not happen in peace and quiet. There was the temple veil being rent, there was earthquake rocks being split, dead saints coming back into the city. Jerusalem must have been something else during the time of the resurrection. God showed up for the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Did He ever make His presence known? A wealthy but secret disciple, he was afraid to openly own his discipleship to the Lord Jesus Christ before this time. Joseph of Arimathea, a council member who had not consented to Jesus' death, asked Pilate for Jesus' body and he laid Jesus' body in a new tomb hewn out of rock and he rolled a large stone against the door. Mary Magdalene, out of whom Jesus had cast seven demons. And other women followed along so that they would know the location of Jesus' body.

They observed where his tomb was. Then they went away and they prepared spices and fragrant oils for Jesus' body. Then they rested on the Sabbath day with the intent that they would come back after the Sabbath was over and prepare his body. However, Nicodemus, the one who came to Jesus by night, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea had already prepared spices and aloes. So before the Sabbath, they bound Jesus' body in strips of linen with the spices.

Nicodemus had prepared a hundred pounds of myrrh and aloes. They take these strips of linen and they prepare the strips of linen in the spices and They bind Jesus' body. Jesus was dead. Theories about swooning, or things like this, 100 pounds of spices and strips of linen bound Jesus' body. He was dead.

Nicodemus and Joseph prepared his body for burial. The chief priests and Pharisees had heard that Jesus had said that he would rise on the third day. So they went to Pilate and they expressed concerns that the disciples would steal his body away and then say that he actually had been raised from the dead. So Pilate gave them permission to use their own guard to secure the tomb. And that's what they did.

They used their own guard to secure the tomb. On the first day of the week there was a great earthquake for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning and his clothing as white as snow. And it scared the guards half to death." Matthew's account said that they became like dead men. It's worth noting that when the angel comes down and he removes the stone from the tomb and he sits on the stone, this glorious being, that he's not letting Jesus out, he's letting witnesses in.

That's what the stone being rolled away means. Jesus doesn't need help getting out of the tomb. In fact, Probably the same day, Jesus is going to just appear in the midst of the disciples. So the angel is not letting Jesus out of the tomb. He is letting witnesses into the tomb to see the empty tomb.

Very early in the morning, Mary Magdalene and other women came to the tomb bringing the spices that they had prepared, not knowing what Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea had already done. At this point, it's necessary to say that because of what we learn in the Gospel of John, Mary Magdalene and other women came to the tomb twice. First, early in the morning when it was still dark, they came and they saw the empty tomb and they ran to Simon Peter and John and Mary Magdalene said to Simon, Peter and John, they have taken away the Lord out of the tomb and we do not know where they have laid him. They had not encountered the angel at this point. They had only seen an empty tomb and ran to tell Peter and John, who ran to the tomb once they heard it, and they found the tomb empty with grave cloths just lying there.

So the grave cloths are there, but Jesus isn't there. The tomb is empty, just as Mary Magdalene and the other women had told them. Peter and John leave. Mary Magdalene stays, and she's outside the tomb, weeping. When she looked into the tomb again, she saw two angels and one of them said, woman, why are you weeping?

Then that angel comforted the women and told them not to be afraid. He said, why do you seek the living among the dead? I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for He is risen as He said. He told you He would be risen.

Come, see the place where the Lord lay, and go quickly and tell the disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee. There you will see Him. Behold, I have told you." Now the angel told the women that he is risen as he said. This points us back to a couple of texts where Jesus very explicitly told them, I'm going to die and then on the third day I'm going to rise again. Listen to these, Matthew 20 verses 17 through 19.

Now Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them, Behold we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day he will rise again." So what we studied last week in the sufferings and the crucifixion of Jesus Christ is exactly what Jesus told his disciples beforehand was going to happen. He would be delivered into the hands of the scribes and the chief priests. They would condemn him to death and turn him over to the Gentiles who would mock him and crucify him. And then he would rise on the third day.

Jesus knew exactly what was going to happen. He told his disciples exactly what was going to happen. Or listen to Mark 8, Mark 31 and 32. Jesus began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again." He spoke this word openly. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

So why was it that the Pharisees and the chief priests went to Pilate worried that the disciples would steal the body away. Because Jesus was speaking so openly that he was going to rise from the dead on the third day. They had heard it. They knew that Jesus had said this. This is what made them paranoid.

Boy, were they in for a surprise. So the women went quickly with fear and great joy to obey the angel and to tell the disciples. As these women were going, Jesus met them. Jesus said to Mary Magdalene, Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?

At first, she thought Jesus was the gardener. Until Jesus said, Mary. And then He said, Rejoice. The women recognized Him, and they bowed down, they held Him by the feet, and they worshiped him. By the way, we have a Savior who is alive.

We should hold him by the feet and worship him. What they did should be a model for those who have a resurrected Lord that we would hold him by the feet and worship him. Then Jesus reiterated what the angel had already told them. Go and tell my disciples to go before me into Galilee and I'll meet them there." They went and told the disciples, did the disciples believe? No they did not.

For the disciples at least at this point, seeing was believing. They did not believe the women Until the resurrected Lord Jesus appeared to two disciples on the road to Emmaus. They didn't recognize Him either. Makes me wonder what our resurrected bodies will be like. Then he revealed himself to them.

They immediately went back to Jerusalem and related this to his disciples. As they were relating it to the disciples, Jesus just appears in their midst. Then they believed. Paul actually says that Jesus was seen by over 500 brethren at once, of whom the greater part remained to the present. That is 1 Corinthians 15 verse 6.

Now think about that. 1 Corinthians 15 verse 6, Paul says after Jesus' resurrection, before His ascension, there was a time, there was an event, a moment where the resurrected Jesus Christ was seen by over 500 brethren at one time, and most of them, or a majority of them, were still alive at the time when he was writing 1 Corinthians. Hundreds of people who had seen Jesus Christ after the crucifixion, after the resurrection, were alive when Paul was writing 1 Corinthians. If any dare has ever been made to go and search out the evidence, Paul made it. Paul made it.

Not some guy saw it and says that Jesus is alive but we don't know where he is, more than 500 saw him and most of them are alive, go find out yourself. This is all but a dare to go search out the eyewitnesses. Hundreds of live eyewitnesses to the resurrected Jesus. This is the history, a harmonized history of the resurrection. Number two, The meaning of His death, burial, and resurrection did not come out of the blue.

God said through the prophets that he would send a Savior that would die to cleanse His people, that He would be buried in the way that He would be buried, and that He would rise from the dead. We ended last week our contemplation of the sufferings and crucifixion of Jesus with a full reading of Isaiah 53, which is this great prophetic chapter about the suffering servant, a Savior who would die a substitutionary death in the place of his people. So I won't go back over that ground, but also in Isaiah 53 we have a prophecy about his remarkable burial. Listen to Isaiah 53 verse 9. And they made his grave with the wicked, but with the rich at his death, because he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth." Jesus was given a grave with the wicked.

He died as a criminal. He died being made sin. And undoubtedly, The Jews had intended for him to receive a shameful burial, but is that what happened? No. No.

He actually received an exalted burial because of this wealthy secret disciple Joseph of Arimathea, he gave him a grave with the rich at his death, just like Isaiah 53 verse 9 says. Listen to Jesus with these two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Luke 24 verses 25 through 27. Then Jesus said to them, O foolish ones, and slow of heart, to believe in all that the prophets have spoken. Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?

In other words, if you had believed what the prophets said, you wouldn't be surprised that Jesus had suffered and died in this way. If you believed the prophets, this is exactly what you would have expected. For Jesus to have suffered these things and then to enter into his glory through the resurrection. Now verse 27, and beginning at Moses and all the prophets he expounded to them and all the scriptures the things concerning himself. Don't you want to be there hearing Jesus preach himself from the law and the prophets?

I would love to hear that. One day we will. Turn to Acts chapter 2. This is all under the heading of Jesus' death and burial and resurrection being a fulfillment of prophecy. His death and burial were both prophesied in Isaiah 53.

Jesus spoke of himself and his sufferings and his glorification being the fulfillment of the prophets. He preached a sermon to these two disciples on the road to Emmaus. In Acts chapter 22, we get Peter's preaching on the day of Pentecost. I want to start in Acts chapter 2 verse 22. I'll be reading Acts 2 verse 22 through 33.

Follow along as I read. Peter preaches, 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. Him being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified and put to death, whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that he should be held by it." it was not possible that Jesus could be held by death. Verse 25, For David says concerning him, I first saw the Lord always before my face, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken.

Therefore my heart rejoiced and my tongue was glad. Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope. For you will not leave my soul in Hades, nor Will you allow your Holy One to see corruption? You have made known to me the ways of life. You will make me full of joy in your presence.

Men and Brethren, let me speak to you freely of the Patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried and his tomb is with us to this day. Therefore, being a prophet and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body according to the flesh he would raise up Christ to sit on His throne. He, for seeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that his soul was not left in Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. Therefore, being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear." The day that the Holy Spirit was poured out on the church, Peter preaches this sermon to the Jews.

He quotes Psalm 16 verses 8-11 where David says that God would not leave his soul in Hades nor would he allow his Holy One to seek corruption. And Peter says Jesus fulfills that in being raised from the dead. God promised to raise his Christ from the dead. Peter says, David is dead and buried. We have his tomb to today.

This was about Jesus who is the Christ. By the way, in Acts 13, Paul is preaching to Jews in Pasidian Antioch in the synagogue. He quotes the same passage from Psalm 16 and he makes the same point. This isn't about David. This is about the resurrection of the Christ, Jesus Christ from the grave.

So that is the first meaning of His death, burial, and resurrection. This is the fulfillment of prophecy as so many things in the life of Jesus Christ are. Number two. God declared Jesus to be his son with power by the resurrection. Romans 1.

Here's how Paul begins this great long letter to the Christians in Rome. To the Church in Rome. Romans 1, I'll be reading 1 through 4. Paul, a bond servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the Gospel of God, which he promised before through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning his son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead." Right out of the gate, The Apostle Paul writing to Roman Christians establishes Jesus as the Son of Man and as the Son of God. He's of the line of David as the Messiah was supposed to be.

He had a genealogy of flesh through King David. He would assume David's throne, David's eternal throne, which was always meant for him. And, not just as the son of man, the son of David, but as the son of God. He points right at the resurrection and says the resurrection is God declaring Jesus Christ to be his son with power. We know that God's justice was satisfied by the death of Jesus.

Do you need to know that? You better know that. That God's justice was satisfied. That there is not more justice to be rendered. Some sins covered, but others not covered.

Is this justice partially satisfied or fully satisfied? We know that it was fully satisfied. How do we know that? Because the tomb is empty. God declared Jesus to be His Son with power, to be the Son whom He loved with power by raising Him from the dead.

The sacrifice has been accepted. Jesus said it is finished on the cross and it is finished And we know that it is finished because the tomb is empty. God raised him from the dead to declare, this is my son, I have accepted the sacrifice. God put a great big exclamation mark on the identity of Jesus and on the work of Jesus by emptying that tomb. God put his stamp of approval on Jesus Christ and his atoning work by raising him from the dead.

So number one, Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection were the fulfillment of prophecy. Number two, God declared Jesus to be his Son with power by the resurrection. Number three, The resurrection of Jesus means that all who are in Him will also be resurrected to glory. What does the resurrection mean? It means that if you are in Him, you will be resurrected to glory.

The resurrection of Jesus means that all who are in Him, all without exception who are in Him, will also be resurrected to glory. Therefore, the resurrection is at the heart of the Good News. It means that there is hope for you. And not just hope, eternal glory is waiting for you. Turn to 1 Corinthians 15.

Can you believe I made it this far into the service without getting to 1 Corinthians 15, which is really the resurrection chapter in the Bible. If you have to pick one chapter which most thoroughly develops Jesus and His resurrection and what it means for you and me as believers, assuming you and me are believers. 1 Corinthians 15 is that chapter. I want to begin at the beginning of the chapter where Paul starts by declaring, this is my gospel and he gives you this very bare bones condensed summary of what his gospel is. The resurrection is right here.

And then I'll be reading through verse 23. So, 1 Corinthians 15, 1 through 23. I'll stop a place or two or three or four and make comments. It's actually four, I know exactly where I'm commenting and what I'm saying. That's the good news.

1 Corinthians 15, starting in verse 1. Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preach to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved if you hold fast that word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. Paul identifies and summarizes and condenses his gospel. And he identifies the substitutionary death of Christ for sinners and his burial and his resurrection as core to the gospel that he's been preaching.

Paul's been preaching this gospel, he calls it his gospel. He's been preaching his gospel all over the known world and he summarizes it and condenses it here, and it's that Jesus died for sinners, and that he was buried, and that he was raised from the dead. The Gospel is not just that Jesus died for sinners. And then, he talks only about the resurrection. For the rest of chapter 15, he is going to give the resurrection an exalted place.

I don't mean that we should exalt the resurrection over the death of Jesus Christ. I'm just pointing out that in this chapter, Paul condenses his Gospel to the irreducible core, and then he gives the resurrection an exalted place. The resurrection should have an exalted place in our Gospel, Because it has an exalted place in Paul's gospel right alongside the death and burial. Continuing in verse 5. And that he was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve.

After that he was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remained to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that he was seen by James, then by all the apostles, then last of all he was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time. Paul himself saw the resurrected Lord. Paul himself saw him. Continuing in verse 9.

For I am the least of all the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain, but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preached, and so you believed." Now Paul is marrying his gospel to the gospel of the rest of the disciples and apostles. He was saying, so we preach and so you believe. So the gospel, his gospel that he summarized, he's saying is the gospel.

No one's preaching another gospel. Verse 12, Now if Christ is preached that he has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty, and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up if in fact the dead do not rise.

For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile. You are still in your sins. Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.

Think about what he's saying here. He's saying that if the resurrection isn't real, go find something else to do with your life. The Gospel totally falls apart without the resurrection. The promises come to nothing without the resurrection. Your hope falls flat without the resurrection.

Verse 20. You are to be pitied without the resurrection. Verse 20. But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by man also came the resurrection of the dead.

For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order, Christ the firstfruits afterward those who are Christ's at his coming." Christ is the firstfruits as the representative head of His people. You were born with a representative head And it wasn't Jesus Christ. It was Adam who plunged our whole race, the human race, into sin and rebellion. And your heart was bent against God.

You were waging a war against God. And you were just following in the footsteps of your representative head, Adam. There is another representative head, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the firstfruits, who has also paved a path for his people to walk in. And it is a path that leads to bodily resurrection and glorification. Because he lives in a glorified resurrected body, every one of his people will live in a glorified resurrected body.

Because he conquered death, Death is a victory for you. Think about that. If you're a Christian, if you have true faith, death is actually a victory for you. It's a liberating and a glorifying because of what Jesus has won for you. Listen again, skip to the end of the chapter, verse 54, 54 through 57.

Look at these words, 1 Corinthians 15, starting in 54, So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. Oh Death, where is your sting? Oh Hades, where is your victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul is writing that Jesus, By being raised from the dead, by dying and being raised from the dead, Jesus has plundered death, the grave, sin, and hell. He robbed blind. Jesus through his resurrection, robbed blind death in the grave. Jesus robbed blind sin and hell and He hands you the victory. He hands you the victory.

Verse 56, The sting of death is sin and the strength of sin is the law but Thanks be to God who gives us the victory. Jesus conquers death. He robs it blind and He hands you the victory. That's why Jesus said this to Martha in John chapter 11. It's the chapter where Jesus bodily raises Lazarus from the dead.

John chapter 11, 25 and 26. I am the resurrection and the life. I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.

Do you believe this? It's followed by a wonderful confession of faith. Oh, that your confession of faith was as good as Martha's in John chapter 11. Jesus is the resurrection. He is the resurrection.

That's why Peter wrote that God the Father has begotten Christians to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Our hope is through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. To an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time." Wow, I wish we could just exposit that text. But here's the main point. God is full of mercy.

He's giving you a living hope by making Jesus alive. It's reserved in heaven for you. He keeps you for it. He has laid it up as an incorruptible inheritance that doesn't fade away. No one can touch your inheritance.

It's secure. Your inheritance of glory, eternal glory, is secure and no one can touch it. It's incorruptible. It never fades away. You have it through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Third, I know I'm leaving a number three to go to a number three, but you understand. Those were subheadings. Now we're on the third main heading, if you're following the outline. The application of his resurrection. We just talked about The second main point, the meaning of his death, burial, and resurrection.

Now we're talking about the application of his resurrection. What does it matter to me on Thursday night? How will this impact me on Tuesday morning or any other time? Consider your present and future. So if you're taking notes on the handout, present and future, fill in the blanks.

Consider your present and future. I want to give you three applications for your life. Number one. Wow, I am working in threes today, aren't I? Number one, if you are in Christ, Your salvation is absolutely secure.

If you're in Christ, your salvation is absolutely secure. We're getting ready to come to John chapter 10 and are moving through the Gospel of John. And Wow, is this a set up for that? No one can take you from his hand. God is satisfied with the death of his Son.

The sacrifice has been accepted and Now he has gone to prepare a place for you. This is John 14. I go to prepare a place for you. In my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you.

In the Gospel of John, something that we keep encountering Jesus' teaching is that eternal life is the present possession of the believer. How many times have I said that in John? Many times. Eternal life is not something that is out there that we are striving towards. Eternal life is the present possession of all who truly believe.

You are not waiting for it. You have started eternal life. You are in the midst of eternal life. Here is an implication of that. We don't need to fear death at all.

We just saw in 1 Corinthians 15, death is victory. Jesus has robbed it blind. You don't need to be afraid of it. Jesus has conquered it and handed you victory. Listen to Hebrews 2, 14 and 15.

Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, Jesus himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. The author of Hebrews, Hebrews 2, 14 and 15, say that it was necessary for Jesus to partake of flesh and blood so that through His death, he could destroy the devil who had the power of death. So he's saying the same thing that we just saw in 1 Corinthians 15. And release those through who fear of death were all their lives subject to bondage. In other words, people are naturally subject to the slavery of fear to death.

Christians have been released from that bondage. Christians have no reason to fear death. You should not fear death. Jesus has purchased your confidence and boldness in the face of death. Claim it.

Lay hold of it. Rejoice in it. That was number one. If you are in Christ, your salvation is absolutely secure. Through death, Jesus has destroyed him who had the power of death.

You've been released from the fear of death. Live that way. Think that way. Number two, Because Jesus is raised from the dead, all who are in Christ by faith have all the help they could ever need. The resurrection means you have all the help you could ever need.

How so? Listen to Ephesians 1, 18-20. Ephesians 1, 18-20. It's a long sentence by Paul. So I'm starting in the middle of the sentence.

Don't be disturbed by that. Don't worry about the rest of it. The point is in what I'm reading. Ephesians 1, 18-21. The eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling what are the riches the glory of his inheritance in the saints so this is about the riches of our inheritance verse 19 And what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named not only in this age but also in that which is to come.

The riches of our inheritance, part of them, is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us. The greatness of the power that you see at work in the resurrection. At work in the resurrection. Brothers and sisters, resurrection power is being exerted for you. That's what Paul is trying to do here.

He is trying to convince us that the mighty power that would bring a dead Jesus out of the grave is at work today to help you. That's what Paul is teaching. Jesus Christ has been raised and that power didn't stop with the resurrection of Jesus. It is being exerted on behalf of His people to uphold them and to sustain them. Jesus is in glory at His Father's right hand.

What is He doing? Listen to Romans 8.34. Who is He who condemns? It is Christ who died and furthermore is also risen who is even at the right hand of God who makes intercession for us. So who wants to condemn you and face off with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ died and he was resurrected and he is sitting at the right hand of his father and he's praying for you. Woe to the condemners! That's what Paul is saying. Woe to any who would bring condemnation on the people of God. Jesus is at His Father's right hand praying for you, and God is exerting resurrection power to uphold and sustain you.

In Philippians 3, Paul says that he counted all things rubbish that he might gain Christ and know Him and the power of His resurrection. Paul cast aside all the things from his past that were some gain to him. He counted them rubbish to know Christ and to know the power of the resurrection in his life. He believed that resurrection power was being exerted by God his Father on his behalf to uphold and to sustain him. Read Acts.

Was Paul's hope disappointed? No, it was not. Paul's hope was Happily fulfilled. This is why I say what we all know. We're not memorializing a dead hero.

Yay, Jesus was good. Yes, Jesus was good. And Jesus is alive. And resurrection power is being exerted to uphold me and to sustain me today because I have laid hold of him and his work by faith. Number three.

Because our Savior has conquered death and secured our resurrection, we can and should live for God. Because our Savior has conquered death and secured our resurrection, we can and should live for God. We're not spending any of our time, any of our energy trying to work for that. That's already done. That's already done.

We are free to live for Him now. We are not in bondage to sin anymore. Paul already told us, Jesus robbed sin blind by dying and being raised from the dead. And He handed us the victory. And now we're free to live for Him.

Listen to the last verse of that resurrection chapter, 1 Corinthians 15. I stopped just short of it to save it for now. Listen to the last verse of 1 Corinthians 15. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. So he starts that verse saying, Therefore my brethren, this is the end of fifty seven verses talking about the resurrection.

Because of the resurrection, brethren, be steadfast. Because of the resurrection, brethren, be steadfast. Because of the resurrection, brethren, be immovable. Because of the resurrection, brethren, always abound in the work of the Lord. Because of the resurrection, brethren, know that your labor is not in vain.

Glory awaits you. Work and live to his glory because all that has been secured. It's waiting for you. It's an incorruptible inheritance that doesn't fade away, as we read in 1 Peter 3. 1 Peter 3.

Turn to Romans 6. We'll just close with Romans 6. Romans 6, verses 8 through 11. Romans 6, verses 8 through 11. Romans 6 verses 8-11.

Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him. Knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all, but the life that he lives, he lives to God. Likewise, you also reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts." I'll stop there. I went one verse further than I intended to go, although it was excellent. Christ died, and He was raised for his Father's glory. Paul says, you too, believer. You died with Christ and you are raised for His glory.

Get busy living for His honor. Cast aside the sin and every weight which so easily entangles you and run with endurance. Live for Him. We are free. We are free from everything that would hold us back for living to the glory of God.

We are free from those things. Christians are alive to God and dead to sin. Just reckon yourself dead to sin and make progress. Go forward. God, Thank you that the tomb is empty.

You have declared Jesus to be your son with power through the resurrection of the dead. Help us, help us to Live as free as we are. Help us to live unencumbered by sin, unencumbered by illegalistic working for salvation. The work is finished. Help us to run the race with endurance.

Living that Christ might be seen is great. Pray this in Jesus' name, Amen. This name. Amen.