No Resurrection, No Death

I'd ask you now to take your Bibles and turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. 1 Corinthians chapter 15, you're reading the first 11 verses. Now, I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then He appeared to more than 500 brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles.

Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy 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. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. whether then it was I or they so we preach and so you believed let's pray Father as we look into your word today we pray that you would give us clear thinking we must understand the importance of the resurrection for if we do not understand it we cannot be saved so help us now as we consider the resurrection and the death of the Lord Jesus.

Help us to see their connections. Help us to see why both are important God on this day we pray that Christ would be exalted as we look in your word Help us now we ask in Jesus name Amen You woke up this morning, and as your brain slowly started to focus, or quickly, however your brain works in the morning, You said to yourself, oh yeah, that's right, today is Easter Sunday. I wonder what the subject of the sermon is going to be.

Now, I know that didn't happen. Because every one of you knew when your brain came into focus that we were going to talk about the resurrection of Jesus. In fact, anybody who got up today and went to church knew that today was going to be, the sermon was going to be about the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Now what's interesting about all that is that we rarely talk about the resurrection of Jesus any other time, whether in sermons or Sunday school classes or in conversation.

We spend a great deal more time talking about the death of Jesus, more about the cross than the empty tomb. Thinking on that fact this week, I came to realize that the death of our Savior occupies a very central part of our worship and what comes from this pulpit. But consider this fact. Every recorded sermon in the book of Acts focuses on the resurrection of Jesus.

The great British preacher Charles Spurgeon, who preached in London, way back in the mid-1800s, said this in one of his sermons. Reflecting the other day upon the sad state of the churches at the present moment, I was led to look back to apostolic times and to consider wherein the preaching of the present day differed from the preaching of the apostles. I was surprised to find that I had not been copying the apostolic fashion half as nearly as I might have done.

The apostles, when they preached, always testified concerning the resurrection of Jesus and the consequent resurrection of the dead. This is a doctrine which we believe but which we too seldom preach or care to read about Another author I was reading over the last few weeks a British author by the name of Adrian Warnock wrote this I have scoured the Christian bookshops, and although there are now several helpful books on the resurrection, there are fewer in comparison to other subjects. Why has this vital doctrine been so neglected?

It's a good question. Now, we should talk about the cross. It is the instrument of our salvation. However, without the resurrection, salvation is impossible. If Jesus was not raised from the dead, the cross would not save you. It would have no effect at all.

God, through the Apostle Paul, reminds us of the gospel that saves us. We just read it. he says that the gospel is that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures that he was buried that he was raised on the third day in accordance to this in accordance to the scriptures so he's saying to us the gospel has to include the resurrection he goes on to say later in that very same chapter and if Christ has not been raised your faith is futile and you are still and your sins. We need to talk more about the resurrection of Jesus for the very reason that it's necessary for your salvation.

So today I want to propose something. I want us to understand the intersection of the two. How should you understand the cross? How should you understand the resurrection of Jesus? For you need both. You need both.

Now understand why the death of Jesus is necessary. I want you to turn to Romans chapter 3. Very familiar passage, but the one I think that lays it out in stark terms so that no one can miss the point. Romans chapter 3. Now let me just say, as we begin to look into the word of God, I'm going to assert something. I've got to prove it, but let me assert something.

You every one of you sitting here today need the cross because you are condemned cursed and subject to the wrath of God Listen to me now Listen to me What I talking about here is extraordinarily important To be under the condemnation and the curse and thus the wrath, the anger of God is extraordinarily serious. And if every one of us is cursed, condemned and subject to the wrath of God, I think we need to listen carefully, wouldn't you? So I want you to listen to what the Word of God says.

We need to understand why the death of Jesus is necessary. Once again, turn to Romans 3, and let me bring you to the point where I'm going to start reading. The Apostle Paul is trying to prove a point. He's trying to prove a point here. This Apostle, as he's moved by the Spirit of God to write the Word of God, is moving toward this climactic point. And he begins by saying, what about people who've never heard about Jesus?

What about them? He says, they're condemned. They're condemned. You say, how could they be condemned? He says, because nature itself, without the Bible, nature itself shouts about this creator. And what does man do?

He suppresses that truth. and he knows that there's this creator. He knows there's a creator and he suppresses the truth. And he turns around and makes his own gods. And so they're condemned on the basis of the fact that the very little revelation that they have, which is so clear they're without excuse, they suppress. They don't want to hear it. They don't want to know about this God.

I'd rather not have that God. And then he turns his attention to people who do have the Bible. He says, what about you? Well, you have the Bible, and maybe you don't suppress the truth, but you just disobey it. You don't do what it says. You don't do what God says.

So having said people without the Bible are condemned, people with the Bible are condemned, now he comes and he makes this climactic point. In chapter 3, verse 9. What then? Are we Jews any better off? There he's talking about the people who have the Bible. Those people who have the Bible, are they any better off?

No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, those are the people without the Bible, are under sin. As it is written, none is righteous, no, not one. No one understands. No one seeks for God. turned aside together they have become worthless no one does good not even one you can't miss the point there can you keeps going their throat is an open grave they use their tongues to deceive the venom of asps is under their lips there's lion snakes their mouth is full of curses and bitterness their feet are swift to shed blood in their paths are ruin and misery and the way of peace they have not known there is no fear of God before their eyes now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law so that every mouth may be stopped and the whole world may be held accountable to God for by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight since through the law comes knowledge of sin he's made the point now what's the point the whole world no excuses your mouths are stopped you stand before god you are guilty guilty guilty period there's no one righteous there's not even one and don't even try to make it up he says no one's going to be justified justified that term there means no one's going to be declared okay with god just by trying to obey what god says this it won't work because the only thing the law does is to condemn you.

My friend, your friend, a pastor that we know, Josh Haas, once said, you cannot find refuge in the law. You will not be declared okay with God by trying to obey the law because you haven't obeyed the whole thing. And it stands there and says, you disobey, you die. So no one here, no one, not a single person here can say, I'll do better, God, it's too late.

You're condemned. You're condemned. Galatians chapter 3 verse 10, I'll read that to you. For all who rely on works of the law, all who try to obey the law to be okay with God, are under a curse. For it is written, cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law and do them. It's not like, okay, I've got to like 85% on the test.

He says, no, you've got to get 100%. You've got to live by the whole thing. And if you don't, you miss any of it, you're under a curse. We're cursed. Ephesians 2, verses 1 through 3. And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked following the course of this world following the prince of the power of the air the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedient among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath like the rest of mankind.

We're subject to the wrath, the anger, the judgment of God. That's what God is saying to us. Now what does the cross have to do with all of this? What does the cross have to do with all of this? If you're still in Romans, chapter 3, let's keep reading. Watch what he says.

Here's the good news. We've got the bad news. Everybody's guilty. Everybody's condemned. What's the good news? Here it is.

But now, the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the law and the prophets bear witness to it, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. for there is no distinction for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified that is made right with God declared not guilty are justified by his grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood to be received by faith. Notice he says you can be justified. You can escape the condemnation.

God can declare you not guilty. You're justified. How? You're justified because Jesus is a propitiation by his blood. Propitiation. Oh my.

What does that mean? It means that his blood has satisfied the wrath of God. That God now becomes propitious towards you. That is, he looks on you kindly. Why? Because Jesus offered his life, his blood, in order to do that.

And you are justified because, note, Jesus has redeemed you. Okay? That's in verse 24. We have the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. By his death, he redeemed you, he bought you. And all of this is yours by faith.

That's how the cross works, you see. You escape the condemnation because you've trusted in the one who has given himself for you. And he has given a propitiation and he has redeemed you. He has bought you. He has claimed you. So that now you're no longer under the wrath of God.

In Galatians, again, I just read to you, you're under a curse if you don't obey the law. And what the answer Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law he says by becoming a curse for us For it is written curse is everyone who hanged on a tree What does the cross do Jesus bears the curse that's ours and so redeems us, buys us out of the curse. We're no longer under the curse of God if we trust in this one who took the curse for us.

And then what about the wrath of God? 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 verse 9. for God is not destined believers for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. So you see the benefits of the cross, do you not? The cross, Jesus' death has done all of these things, and much more, by the way. I've only talked about three, condemnation, curse, and wrath.

We're delivered from all those, but the blood of Jesus, the death of Jesus, has bought our forgiveness, has bought freedom from the enslaving power of sin, has brought us glory when Jesus returns, has brought us peace with God. We could go on and on. I've just given you three benefits of the cross. But that's how the cross is the instrument of our salvation.

But here's the question. What happens to the benefits of the cross if Jesus hasn't been raised from the dead? What happens to those benefits? All the things that Jesus accomplished at the cross. What if he never was raised from the dead? Well then, if he was never raised from the dead, then Jesus' death is just another death.

No doubt the most famous death ever recorded, but it's just another death. Another human being dying. Accompanied, of course, by incredibly tragic circumstances, but he's just dead. Right? Or, if he hasn't been raised from the dead, it's just another senseless death perpetrated by the tyrannical Romans. Let's quit drawing the pictures with that center cross elevated above the other two, right?

We all know that. You see them in the billboards. Two crosses and one in the middle. Signifying Jesus died between two thieves. But hey, let's face it. If he wasn't raised from the dead, put that cross down a little bit more.

He's no different than the other two guys on either side of him. If he isn't raised from the dead, then Jesus is just another sinner like you and me. He suffered the curse of sin and its death. just like me, just like you, no different just another human being if he wasn't raised from the dead then Jesus is not a savior but merely a martyr unjustly accused unjustly executed for his beliefs The story of his death is a story of heroism and nothing more His death is no different than the American hero Nathan Hale.

Remember him? We learned about him when we were kids. I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country, just before the British hung him. if Jesus has not been raised from the dead we might be inspired by his death but we certainly are not saved by it but listen if Jesus has not been raised from the dead listen to me now if Jesus has not been raised from the dead then the sentence of death for blasphemy is just and fair there's no other way of looking at it.

That's the most telling to me. He was killed because he was accused of blasphemy, because he made himself equal with God. He accepted the worship of people. And if he was not raised from the dead, then Jesus is no great teacher. He is a blasphemer who was fairly nailed to a cross. You cannot escape that conclusion.

If any of you here are saying to yourselves, yeah, but Jesus was a good guy. No, he wasn't. If he hasn't been raised from the dead, he's no good guy. He is a blasphemer of the worst kind. What else would you say about someone who in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount says, someday I will be judging you. and unless you put my words into practice, you will be condemned.

I'm telling you, would you say, anybody was a good teacher who said that? No. He's a blasphemer. That's the most telling of them all, if he has not been raised from the dead. You see then, without the resurrection, the cross is not an instrument of salvation. It cannot be.

There's no justification. There's no payment for sin. There's no redemption. There's no escaping from the wrath of God or the curse of the law. There's none of that if Jesus has not been raised from the dead. The cross, then, serves no purpose at all.

None. Well, then we need to understand why the resurrection of Jesus is necessary. Why is that necessary then? I think the first thing that we have to get a handle on, because I don't think many of us, or at least we don't think very deeply about it, what is the resurrection of Jesus? Turn to Acts chapter 4. Acts chapter 4.

Just the first four verses. There's something about the resurrection that is utterly different. In fact, it is something that is powerful and transforming. listen to this little narrative here about the apostles as they preach about the resurrection of jesus acts 4 verse 1 and as they were speaking to the people the priests and the captain of the temple and the sadducees came upon them greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in jesus the resurrection from the dead and they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day for it is already evening but many of those who had heard the word believed and the number of the men came to about 5,000.

Now what's going on here? Why should the Sanhedrin get so upset at what the apostles were preaching? Now most of the Jews of that day believed in the resurrection. They believed in a resurrection. They were committed to the doctrine of a resurrection. That was Jewish orthodoxy.

In fact, the Pharisees were committed to a doctrine of the resurrection. The disciples had even witnessed resurrections. They wrote in the Gospels about Jesus raising people from the dead. The most famous, of course, being Lazarus. So they and others had indeed witnessed corpses resurrected, physical life restored to dead people. Now the Sanhedrin, the council that arrested them, also believed in those kinds of resurrections.

They had, I mean, they read about Elijah and Elisha both raised people from the dead. Life into that corpse again, right? They believed in that. So why would the council arrest these men for preaching something that they too believed. Because the apostles were not preaching what the Sanhedrin believed They preached that the resurrection of Jesus was not listen carefully now the resurrection of Jesus was not the resuscitation of a corpse It was not God reversing the laws of nature.

That's not what they were saying. This message was different because it challenged the very core of Jewish belief, which saw that the resurrection, the final resurrection, happened on the last day. that resurrection to immortality was future. They were saying, yeah, there's a resurrection. You can read about it in the book of Daniel where the people come from the dust and they live forever.

They believed that. It was to be the last redemptive act of God for his people. The last final crowning redemptive act where God would raise people to live forever. but you see the disciples of Jesus preached that this resurrection that last day resurrection had already happened in the person of Jesus that's why they were so mad you see they weren't mad because they were saying hey our teacher's back that's not what made them angry what made them angry was that the apostles were teaching note note in your note what it says note carefully the words in verse 2.

They were greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus note, the resurrection from the dead. You know what they were saying? You know that final redemptive act of God? That final thing that he's going to do on the last day? He's done it already in Jesus. Oh man.

That's bad news. You know why? Because if Jesus had been raised in that way, the final redemptive act of God for his people already occurring in this Jesus, that means they were wrong when they executed him as a blasphemer. Because here he is sharing in the resurrection of the righteous and the last day. They were not, the apostles were not proclaiming the return of their beloved teacher Jesus, but rather that the longed for resurrection that you're looking forward to, the ones that you're looking forward to, it's happened already in Jesus.

Oh, that was too much. That is too much. The future had arrived God has acted decisively in the resurrection of Jesus because it is the emergence of the new order It's the emergence of this new order of life. God did not merely cause a disturbance in the normal cause of events, not merely the reversal of natural law, but he had ushered in something entirely new.

That age, when everything was supposed to be right with God, has happened in that person. That age of peace and righteousness had begun in Jesus. Begun in Jesus. Jesus is alive now. Never to die again. That's what they were preaching.

And that's what we're to believe. Because Jesus is alive now and forever. How does that intersect with the cross and our salvation? Turn to Ephesians 1. Now look. This morning, there is no way I could exhaust how the resurrection intersects with the death of Jesus and gives us salvation.

I couldn't do that. Because it's on every page of the New Testament. It's on every page of the New Testament. So I'm just going to kind of just skip the rock. Bing, bing, bing. That's all we're going to do.

Okay? We're not going to dive in. We're just going to skip the rock across the surface. And just a couple things. Here's one. Ephesians chapter 1.

Notice this. By the way, this is one reason why I want you to read the book. Okay, I'm not selling it. I don't get anything from this book. Okay? But I want you to read it.

Because it points out something that's very true. I want you to listen carefully. You follow as I read. And I want you to note how many times the Apostle Paul says in Christ or through Christ or connects us to Christ. All right? Ephesians 1, 3 through 14.

Watch. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before him in love. He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ according to the purpose of his will to the praise of his glorious grace with which He has blessed us in the Beloved in Him we have redemption through His blood the forgiveness of our trespasses according to the riches of His grace which He lavished upon us in all wisdom and insight, making known to us the mystery of His will, according to His purpose which He set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time to unite all things in Him, things in heaven and things on earth.

In Him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of His glory. In Him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, We're sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. You see all the in hymns and through hymns?

What's the point? The point is all that Jesus accomplished on the cross, all the things he mentions here, our adoption, our redemption, our forgiveness, our inheritance, the Holy Spirit, all of those things are what? In him. They are all in him. And because he is alive, we are joined to him so that those become ours. We are in him.

By faith, the Holy Spirit unites us to Jesus so that we are in him. And thus all of those things are ours because they are in him. Do you see that? If he weren't alive, none of them would be ours. None would be ours. But because he's alive and by faith we are united to him, they become ours too.

That's why he says he's given us every spiritual blessing in Christ. You see? The benefits of the cross are ours because he lives. Turn to Romans chapter 4. Okay? There's one more after this.

It's only three skips of the rock. Romans 4. Here the Apostle Paul puts them together. Right, bam. 4, 23 through 25. But the words, it was counted to him, quoting the Old Testament, Genesis, were not written for his sake, meaning Abraham.

Were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in Christ, who believe in God, who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. Here Paul puts the death and the resurrection together. Just blatantly puts them together. Jesus was delivered over to death for your transgressions.

This was death by design. Death by design. Jesus was delivered over to death. By whom? By Herod? By Pilate?

By the Pharisees? By the priests? They did not hand Jesus over to death for our transgressions. God did that. God handed him over. How do we know that?

Because in the very first sermon after the resurrection, The Apostle Peter makes this assertion. This man, referring to Jesus, this man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge. And you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. And the design was not merely for God to show off his incomparable power.

He didn't find some murder victim to raise from the dead. He, that is God, delivered his son over to die for our transgressions, to deliver you from the penalty that your transgressions deserve, the things we've talked about earlier. God handed over Jesus because we are sinners who have transgressed the law of God. He condemned sin and carried out the execution necessary to pay the penalty for those sins, but he executed the sentence on another. he executed the sentence on Jesus so that by faith you don't have to suffer the consequences.

You do not pay. And mind you, unless you have entrusted yourself to Jesus, you now, sitting here this morning, are under the sentence of condemnation. Your only hope is Jesus. According to this verse, he was turned over. He was handed over. That's the grace of God.

God himself handed over his son the prophet Isaiah these words ring in my head the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 53 says about God and the suffering servant and it was your will to crush him. Crushed his own son for us, you see. That's what Paul is saying here. But then note, and he was raised for our justification. That is, his resurrection secured our standing with God.

By raising Jesus from the dead, God proclaimed to the whole world that Jesus had exhausted the wrath of God for those who would trust him. God exhausted his wrath on his son. You see? and the resurrection is the proclamation, I am satisfied. And if you trust in Him, you're justified. I'm telling you, I'm satisfied with the price He paid. The resurrection secured your justification, that is, your right standing with God.

Imagine a prisoner sitting on death row, but there are people working feverishly for his clemency. They petition the governor, and the governor listens to their case. They convince him that they're right, and so he pardons the guy on death row. He writes out the pardon. He sends it to the warden, who then releases the prisoner. Question, when was the prisoner's freedom secured? well we might argue that the people arguing his case secured it we might say that the governor secured his release but in reality the prisoner was not released until the pardon the governor's proclamation arrived at the prison and so it is this public proclamation the resurrection secures our justification.

Jesus died for our transgressions, but it was his resurrection that secured our right standing with God. It's the proclamation, I am satisfied. There's nothing more. That's all there is. Nothing more to be done By the way the resurrection secured your justification because a Christ faith justifies Just flip your page back to chapter 3 Look at verse 22 Verse 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.

Through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. You can only believe in Jesus if he's alive. you can only believe in Jesus if he's alive. Only as the living Lord can he save you. He's alive and ready to save you, you see. And you know what? The righteousness that justifies is embodied in the living Christ.

1 Corinthians 1, verse 30. You know why I love that verse? Here's why I love that verse. because you've heard me say this a million times. This is the verse that gives me permission to preach every Sunday. You know why? Because I can lay awake Saturday nights reviewing my week and I'll tell you, I could write a record of all the times I have failed my God. what right do I have to preach?

You know what right I have to preach? It has nothing to do with how well I did. Here it is. 1 Corinthians 1, verse 30. And because of Him, that is, and because of God, you are, note, in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, That is, righteousness and sanctification and redemption. Do you see that?

If you're in Christ, His righteousness is yours. His holiness is yours. His redemption is yours. God does not extract Jesus' righteousness and put it in a reservoir of merit so that I can turn the spigot on and get a little bit of righteousness. No. I am righteous because I'm in Christ.

He is my righteous. He is my righteousness There And on those days when I tempted to torture myself and say you not good enough to preach I just look and I say there my righteousness And it would not be mine if he was not alive. You see, in Christ is my righteousness. and God looks at us through his living perfect son who is our righteousness you see Jesus was raised for our justification because he is our righteousness one last third skip of the stone 1st Thessalonians chapter 1 some of you are wondering if we're ever going to get back to 1st Thessalonians here we go 1st Thessalonians chapter 1 verses 9 and 10 should sound familiar to you.

For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God and to wait for his son from heaven whom he raised from the dead. Jesus, what? Who delivers us from the wrath to come. You can have confidence on the day of judgment because this Jesus whom God raised from the dead will deliver you from the wrath of God.

On the final day, when judgment breaks loose, the flood of God's wrath will go right by you. Because Jesus is there to deliver you from the Father's wrath. you see then that without the resurrection the death of Jesus would accomplish nothing if Jesus did not come out of that tomb your faith is futile and you are still in your sins you must have both his death and his resurrection some of you are here this morning and you don't believe that Jesus' death is anything. It's tragic, sad, but it's nothing.

I say to you that Jesus has been raised from the dead. And unless you entrust yourself to Him, and then He applies to you what He has won at the cross. Unless that happens, that same living Lord Jesus Christ, you'll be looking at Him right in His eyes. Hear me now. And you will not escape judgment. It'll be too late then.

But listen, this living Lord Jesus Christ stands and offers. He stands here right now through the preaching of His Word, and He offers to you peace and comfort in right standing with a judge who will not overlook anything. Why would you not want that? He stands here and offers it to you. This living Lord Jesus Christ stands and says, here it is. Just entrust yourself to me and I will save you.

Some of you have done that. Because Jesus is raised from the dead you can have confidence You can walk in this world knowing that God loves you Because His risen Son guarantees it Oh, listen. The resurrection of Jesus is not just something for Easter. It's our life. We need it. Father, thank You for Your Word.

Thank You for the good news of the Gospel. which offers us freedom and peace, confidence, joy, all because of what Jesus, not because of what we have done, but entirely because of our resurrected Lord Jesus. Father, would You take Your Word today and use it in hearts to turn them away from their ways of sin to embrace Jesus and to find in Him hope. Lord God, for those who have trusted You and what You've done in Jesus, give us hope.

A hope that will never die. We ask this in the name of the living Lord Jesus. Amen.