Living the Power of the Resurrection
Devotional
Sermon Summary
Bible Study Guide
Sermon Clips
He didn't simply come as an example, but he came as the vicarious substitutionary agent of death. What's the difference? Well, there are a whole lot of people that have lived lives of exemplar. They say, well, just watch me, and maybe you can attune to something similar. That's not what Christ's death did. He didn't just come as an example. He came as a substitute so that you and I could be covered. Yeah, we can watch him and follow him, but covered from the penalty and the wrath of everlasting sin. [00:18:20] (36 seconds)
Because they think the same way. Watch this. It gets more profound. And some of us even think that way that the real you is what's housed on the inside of you to no effect of what happens to the shell of you. But saints of God, that's unbiblical because, watch this, Jesus died for all of you. [00:12:14] (26 seconds)
He says, put your finger in my handprints, the nail prints. Put your finger, your hand in my side, which means that his body still held visible imprimaturers of the crucifixion that had taken place days earlier. What am I saying? I'm saying that you are not just the inside of you, and this is the point that Paul was trying to get them to see, that you are all of you. God created you from beginning and to end. And so, because you are fearfully and wonderfully made, you don't get the opportunity to say what this is doesn't matter, but what I really am is on the inside. That's platonic dualism. That is not Christian thinking. [00:12:59] (49 seconds)
He says that he is telling or rehearsing to them again, but he also talks about the fact that it's handed down. I want to spend some time here because typically we don't get a chance to talk about this concept any other time than in resurrection season. So Paul uses a word, it's used some 115 or so times in Greek throughout the New Testament, but it's paradidomy. Paradidomy, it's the same term, we just saw it on last week where Pilate hands Jesus over to be crucified. In that sense, he places him in the authority of those who are over the crucifixion. But here, it takes on a different nuance. It literally means hand over, but here, it more so pictures the baton passing of a sacred tradition from one person to the next. So what Paul is saying, he says, I make known to you that which was given to me. It was handed down to me, and guess what? I'm handing it down to you. I don't want to stay here very long, but we live in a world where we need some traditions handed down. We live in a world where we need to make sure that the current and outgoing generation is still communing and handing things down to the generation to come. Why? Because things will get lost if we don't hand down what we... Don't think that everybody knows what you know. Don't think that everybody knows how to cook like you cook. Don't think that everybody knows how to worship like you worship. We've got to hand some things down so that they will not be lost because of time. [00:14:46] (103 seconds)
But perhaps also Paul has in mind the suffering servant of Isaiah 52 and 53. But the main point is this. Paul is making his case that Christ died, and it was prophesied that he would die according to the scriptures. But not only that, Christ was buried. He was buried, and this is connected not to his resurrection, but more so to his death. Why? Because the fact that he was buried was proof that he actually died. [00:19:45] (30 seconds)
You don't bury somebody who's alive. The soldier on the cross, he pierces the spear in his side, and out comes blood and water, which those in the medical field know is a sign of the body having reached a state where it no longer is expiring. And so that was proof. He did that, and that's why they buried him. Why? Because he really died. But then the text says that he was raised on the third day, according to the scriptures. Better translated, has been raised. In this particular aspect of the passage, Paul switches from past aorist tense in the Greek to a Greek perfect tense, which signifies a past completed action with results in the present and continuing on to the future. What am I saying? I'm saying this, that Christ has been raised, Christ continues to be raised, and Christ continues in an elevated state on into the future. That's what Paul says. He says, these things are past tense, but the raising of Christ happened in the past, but the effects and the results continue even to now. [00:20:15] (73 seconds)
something changed you may not know exactly what changed but but something changed there was a transformation that took place and then he says then to me as one untimely born he says basically he says i really should have been with the other apostles but god decided differently why because paul used him as a post -resurrection witness he was a staunch person staunch pharisee that was actually persecuting the christians he was the one who did not want to see them succeed he was not the one that did not want to see them of progress because he felt like they were um distracting or um uh dis um combobulating this uh faithful belief system of judaism and so he says i'm going to be the fur foremost persecutor of the church and so then then he meets jesus on the damascus road in acts chapter 9 and he says i'm changed and so that's the first category those who had been changed those who before christ had died and was resurrected were living and acting and thinking one kind of way but then after the resurrection he appears to them and their lives do a complete 180 but then the second category are those who see him all at the same time you say what's what's what's the significance of that because well any one person by themselves can hallucinate but hallucinations don't happen in groups and even if we all took the same stuff we're not seeing the same thing [00:23:49] (106 seconds)
bodily not only that if Christ is not raised there is no future kingdom coming to there is no life after death and that we are men and women who are most miserable and so basically he doesn't say this but I must say it because this is the logical conclusion if then there is no bodily resurrection and then if Christ is not raised go ahead do your thing it's what you want to do do you do whatever you are big and bad enough to do do whatever because it will be of no consequence and you will have to answer to no one if Christ has been raised if if in fact Christ has not been raised then um you don't have to abide by rules and law you don't have to yeah you might do it just so you can survive but but no you don't have to do that you don't have to treat people nice you don't have to love one another you don't have to do any of that Paul says all of this is a farce if in fact Christ has not been raised but on the other hand if Christ has been raised then it changes everything about your understanding of reality it changes everything about the way you do what you do and how you do and why you do what you do it changes your perception of morality and what you think the future brings you and what to hope for and so while he's primarily yes talking to believers there are some things that an outsider can continue consider I said we return to the story from up top the father who was wrestling with this question that his daughter asked after being saved by this nurse who God had divinely sent in that direction he became interested he he's a Yale law graduate I mean he's a practicing well actually he's a journalist and so um he everything that he knows is intellection right and evidence -based and so what he does is he says well let me as a trained lawyer do my due diligence and so what he does is he drives to Wisconsin to see a well -known resurrection scholar by the name of Gabby 6 7 7 8 [00:28:35] (141 seconds)
maybe they're just crazy out of their minds and as we shared already she then explains psychologically that hallucinations don't occur in communion they occur individually and so she asks him a question personal question but she says how is your relationship with your father and he responded not good why she said well from my field and what I've studied all history's greatest skeptics had father wounds abusive or absent fathers why because it's hard to imagine a loving father father if you've never experienced one but there's more to that story I don't have time to get it all to you today but Lee whose name is Lee Strobel will go on to write one of the best -selling books in his journey of faith entitled the case for Christ and the last point I want to give you and that is the significance and celebration of the resurrection because of the resurrection saints life has purpose and true meaning life has purpose and true meaning because of the resurrection I have something to live for and look forward to in this world yes [00:34:19] (82 seconds)
but beyond this world and it's not so dreary and dreamy to where I don't know anything about what's going to happen. No, God has given me enough of the story in the end and the future to where I can hope. I can truly hope. I don't have to pray starlight, star bright, the first star I see tonight. No, I can hope because I'm expecting him to do something based upon what he's committed himself to be. [00:35:41] (32 seconds)
And for those of you who are saying that, oh, it's easy for me, I'm praying for your soul salvation. Yes, I am. But the resurrection gives you a case of the can't help it. And so when you understand what Christ has done, when you understand that he has bled and died on your behalf, then the only response you know is to live for him and love like he loves. But I got more because the resurrection also gives us inspiration to do good. [00:36:46] (34 seconds)
Ask a question about this sermon
Because they think the same way. Watch this. It gets more profound. And some of us even think that way that the real you is what's housed on the inside of you to no effect of what happens to the shell of you. But saints of God, that's unbiblical because, watch this, Jesus died for all of you. [00:12:14] (26 seconds)
He says, put your finger in my handprints, the nail prints. Put your finger, your hand in my side, which means that his body still held visible imprimaturers of the crucifixion that had taken place days earlier. What am I saying? I'm saying that you are not just the inside of you, and this is the point that Paul was trying to get them to see, that you are all of you. God created you from beginning and to end. And so, because you are fearfully and wonderfully made, you don't get the opportunity to say what this is doesn't matter, but what I really am is on the inside. That's platonic dualism. That is not Christian thinking. [00:12:59] (49 seconds)
He says that he is telling or rehearsing to them again, but he also talks about the fact that it's handed down. I want to spend some time here because typically we don't get a chance to talk about this concept any other time than in resurrection season. So Paul uses a word, it's used some 115 or so times in Greek throughout the New Testament, but it's paradidomy. Paradidomy, it's the same term, we just saw it on last week where Pilate hands Jesus over to be crucified. In that sense, he places him in the authority of those who are over the crucifixion. But here, it takes on a different nuance. It literally means hand over, but here, it more so pictures the baton passing of a sacred tradition from one person to the next. So what Paul is saying, he says, I make known to you that which was given to me. It was handed down to me, and guess what? I'm handing it down to you. I don't want to stay here very long, but we live in a world where we need some traditions handed down. We live in a world where we need to make sure that the current and outgoing generation is still communing and handing things down to the generation to come. Why? Because things will get lost if we don't hand down what we... Don't think that everybody knows what you know. Don't think that everybody knows how to cook like you cook. Don't think that everybody knows how to worship like you worship. We've got to hand some things down so that they will not be lost because of time. [00:14:46] (103 seconds)
But perhaps also Paul has in mind the suffering servant of Isaiah 52 and 53. But the main point is this. Paul is making his case that Christ died, and it was prophesied that he would die according to the scriptures. But not only that, Christ was buried. He was buried, and this is connected not to his resurrection, but more so to his death. Why? Because the fact that he was buried was proof that he actually died. [00:19:45] (30 seconds)
You don't bury somebody who's alive. The soldier on the cross, he pierces the spear in his side, and out comes blood and water, which those in the medical field know is a sign of the body having reached a state where it no longer is expiring. And so that was proof. He did that, and that's why they buried him. Why? Because he really died. But then the text says that he was raised on the third day, according to the scriptures. Better translated, has been raised. In this particular aspect of the passage, Paul switches from past aorist tense in the Greek to a Greek perfect tense, which signifies a past completed action with results in the present and continuing on to the future. What am I saying? I'm saying this, that Christ has been raised, Christ continues to be raised, and Christ continues in an elevated state on into the future. That's what Paul says. He says, these things are past tense, but the raising of Christ happened in the past, but the effects and the results continue even to now. [00:20:15] (73 seconds)
something changed you may not know exactly what changed but but something changed there was a transformation that took place and then he says then to me as one untimely born he says basically he says i really should have been with the other apostles but god decided differently why because paul used him as a post -resurrection witness he was a staunch person staunch pharisee that was actually persecuting the christians he was the one who did not want to see them succeed he was not the one that did not want to see them of progress because he felt like they were um distracting or um uh dis um combobulating this uh faithful belief system of judaism and so he says i'm going to be the fur foremost persecutor of the church and so then then he meets jesus on the damascus road in acts chapter 9 and he says i'm changed and so that's the first category those who had been changed those who before christ had died and was resurrected were living and acting and thinking one kind of way but then after the resurrection he appears to them and their lives do a complete 180 but then the second category are those who see him all at the same time you say what's what's what's the significance of that because well any one person by themselves can hallucinate but hallucinations don't happen in groups and even if we all took the same stuff we're not seeing the same thing [00:23:49] (106 seconds)
bodily not only that if Christ is not raised there is no future kingdom coming to there is no life after death and that we are men and women who are most miserable and so basically he doesn't say this but I must say it because this is the logical conclusion if then there is no bodily resurrection and then if Christ is not raised go ahead do your thing it's what you want to do do you do whatever you are big and bad enough to do do whatever because it will be of no consequence and you will have to answer to no one if Christ has been raised if if in fact Christ has not been raised then um you don't have to abide by rules and law you don't have to yeah you might do it just so you can survive but but no you don't have to do that you don't have to treat people nice you don't have to love one another you don't have to do any of that Paul says all of this is a farce if in fact Christ has not been raised but on the other hand if Christ has been raised then it changes everything about your understanding of reality it changes everything about the way you do what you do and how you do and why you do what you do it changes your perception of morality and what you think the future brings you and what to hope for and so while he's primarily yes talking to believers there are some things that an outsider can continue consider I said we return to the story from up top the father who was wrestling with this question that his daughter asked after being saved by this nurse who God had divinely sent in that direction he became interested he he's a Yale law graduate I mean he's a practicing well actually he's a journalist and so um he everything that he knows is intellection right and evidence -based and so what he does is he says well let me as a trained lawyer do my due diligence and so what he does is he drives to Wisconsin to see a well -known resurrection scholar by the name of Gabby 6 7 7 8 [00:28:35] (141 seconds)
maybe they're just crazy out of their minds and as we shared already she then explains psychologically that hallucinations don't occur in communion they occur individually and so she asks him a question personal question but she says how is your relationship with your father and he responded not good why she said well from my field and what I've studied all history's greatest skeptics had father wounds abusive or absent fathers why because it's hard to imagine a loving father father if you've never experienced one but there's more to that story I don't have time to get it all to you today but Lee whose name is Lee Strobel will go on to write one of the best -selling books in his journey of faith entitled the case for Christ and the last point I want to give you and that is the significance and celebration of the resurrection because of the resurrection saints life has purpose and true meaning life has purpose and true meaning because of the resurrection I have something to live for and look forward to in this world yes [00:34:19] (82 seconds)
but beyond this world and it's not so dreary and dreamy to where I don't know anything about what's going to happen. No, God has given me enough of the story in the end and the future to where I can hope. I can truly hope. I don't have to pray starlight, star bright, the first star I see tonight. No, I can hope because I'm expecting him to do something based upon what he's committed himself to be. [00:35:41] (32 seconds)
And for those of you who are saying that, oh, it's easy for me, I'm praying for your soul salvation. Yes, I am. But the resurrection gives you a case of the can't help it. And so when you understand what Christ has done, when you understand that he has bled and died on your behalf, then the only response you know is to live for him and love like he loves. But I got more because the resurrection also gives us inspiration to do good. [00:36:46] (34 seconds)
Chatbot
-
I'm an AI bot trained specifically on the sermon from Apr 22, 2025. Do you have any questions about it?