Transformative Power of Christ's Resurrection

The resurrection of Jesus is relevant to you. Even if you don't believe anything about the story, this is why it's relevant to you. This is why I'm so glad that you're watching or listening or celebrating Easter with us. If he had not risen from the dead, life's greatest mystery, life's greatest mystery would have remained unexplained. The mystery of what happens when we die. [00:53:53]

And then came Jesus of Nazareth, this rabbi from Galilee who claimed to have been sent by God to explain what God is like and to explain how all of this works. And he didn't start with a conversation about what happens when you die. He started with conversations about the problem in the first place. And he claimed to have the authority and the power to forgive people of their sin. [09:08:55]

He validated his claim to be able to forgive sin. He validated his authority to forgive sin by reversing the consequences of sin. The consequences of sin is sickness and death. The consequences of sin. You're reminded every time you look in the mirror, the consequences of sin are happen every time. You have to find a Motrin. The consequences of sinner, when you get that bad report, the consequences of sin are when you visit someone in a hospital that no matter how good you are, you are dying. [11:03:04]

And then he staged the greatest demonstration of his power to reverse sin of all. And you know the story. One day he and his guys get word that his friend, not a stranger, his friend Lazarus, is sick. And instead of getting up and rushing to Bethany to heal his friend, you know the story He waits and he lets his friend die, and his friend Lazarus's sisters are heartbroken, Mary and Martha. [12:09:42]

And Jesus looks at Martha and says, Martha, I'm, I'm not, this isn't a Sunday school lesson. I'm not just, I'm just saying what you expect me to say. Look at me, Martha. Resurrection isn't a category. I am the resurrection. You're in the presence of re, I'm the resurrection and I am the life. Follow this 'cause. This is a little complicated. Not 'cause you can't follow it, but Jesus, this gets a little wordy. [16:47:19]

The one who believes in me will live even though they die. In other words, the person who believes in me will live again after they die. And she's not sure what he's talking about, but he is not done talking. He goes on, he says, and whoever lives follow me, Martha and whoever lives, in other words, whoever lives again, whoever lives again in the age to come, whoever lives again in the age to come after they've been resurrected, whoever lives again by believing in me. [18:03:48]

And whoever lives by believing in me will never die. There is no death after resurrection. There is no death in the new age, the new world to come. Now he can see the confusion on her face. I can see the confusion on your faces. It's like, whoa, whoa. You do. You gotta go over that again. So Jesus, he's, he's so great and so compassionate, he realizes, okay, I'm not gonna try to explain that again. [18:40:24]

And then he raised her brother from the dead. He resurrected Lazarus. He reversed. This is the point of the miracle. He staged it. He reversed the ultimate consequence of sin, which is death. So the thing is, back to the storyline, his followers should have known the grave couldn't hold him. He is the walking, talking, resurrection and the life. And that means, that means he is the resurrection in life for you and for me as well. [20:07:47]

And so some years later, the Apostle Paul, who was a Pharisee, who believed in resurrection, he just didn't believe Jesus was Messiah until he met Messiah. Then he went to Jerusalem and met Peter. And Peter's like, oh yeah, we saw him die. We met him afterwards. John's like, yeah, we saw him die. We met him afterwards. He talked to Mary, the mother of Jesus. He runs into James, the brother of Jesus. [21:24:46]

He says, but Christ Jesus has indeed, physically, literally been raised from the dead. And he is the first fruits. We'll come back to that in a minute. He's the first fruits. 'cause that's not language we use of those who have fallen asleep. Now, this is amazing. The apostle Paul, Peter, John, and Jesus all referred to death asleep. Why? Because people who are asleep wake up. People who are asleep rise up. [22:35:55]

He demonstrated the reality of resurrection. And then he goes on and says this. And then when he comes talking about Jesus second coming, those who belong to him, that at the end of this age, Paul says, here's how it works. At the end of this age, those who put their faith in Christ will rise or be resurrected as well. So consequently, when you follow the apostles and their teaching after Jesus rose from the dead, they don't teach that. [25:10:11]

The point is this, the resurrection of Jesus, the implications of the resurrection of Jesus are far reaching. But the implications for the resurrection of Jesus are personal. Because what God did, what God did for Jesus, he will do for you. And the fact that he did it for Jesus means he can do it for you. Resurrection is your destiny. The resurrection of Jesus is your guarantee, which means that the question that Jesus asked Martha, that day, is relevant to us as well. [28:33:19]