1 THE STORY The Resurrection Luke 24/ Romans 8; I Corinthians 15 Introduction 1. Right now, literally as we speak, the National Scrabble Championships are going on in Buffalo, NY. I know you can hardly contain your excitement. I can t believe more of you aren t at home watching the matches on ESPN8. a. Anyway, in advance of the championships, Merriam-Webster announced that they had updated the Official Scrabble Dictionary to include some more contemporary words. A few of the more interesting words on their list include: i. Selfie if you don t take a selfie after you play selfie on the Scrabble board, then you re doing it wrong. ii. Dubstep If you don t know what Dubstep is, good for you! iii. Hashtag I assume they mean the actual word hashtag. The press release didn t say if they were adding a pound sign to the Scrabble letters. b. As I looked through their list of words, I was slightly disappointed to find out that one of my favorite made up words didn t make the cut. That word is eucatastrophe a word coined by linguist (and author) J.R.R. Tolkien. Granted, if you have enough tiles to spell Eucatastrophe, you are very obviously cheating. i. At any rate, Tolkien coined the word eucatastrophe to describe the moment that made the happy ending possible. Since most stories begin with a catastrophe, Tolkien believed they must end with a eucatastrophe a moment when the story began to turn towards the good. ii. Tolkien: Far more important is the Happy Ending. Almost I would venture to assert that all complete stories must have it Since we do not appear to possess a word that expresses this I will call it Eucatastrophe. the joy of the happy ending: or more correctly of the good catastrophe, the sudden joyous 'turn. [The eucatastrophe] is a sudden and miraculous grace: never to be counted on to recur. It does not deny the existence of sorrow and failure; it denies universal final defeat giving a fleeting glimpse of Joy, Joy beyond the walls of the world. iii. The eucatastrophe of a story changes everything. It assures that good will triumph over evil, that life will conquer death and that love will win out over hate. The eucatastrophe makes a happy ending possible. c. Today, we re going to talk about the Eucatastrophe of God s story the eucatastrophe of human history. i. From the beginning of The Story, it s seemed as though God s story has been dominated by sin and death. We sinned against God in the Garden, and death physical and spiritual death began to reign. ii. Even the men and women God called to serve Him weren t exempt from its effects. They lived and they died. Sin and death ruined everything. From the looks of what happened on the cross, they even appeared to have gotten the best of Jesus. d. The Friday Jesus died was arguably the most catastrophic day in human history. Sure, there have been days in history where more people have died. But, on the day of Jesus death, the Son of God died. We crucified and killed the Messiah. i. Jesus was beaten and flogged, mocked and abused, tortured and tormented. His followers scattered. The movement that had just begun to gain steam dissipated with His death. With His disciples hiding for their lives, it looked like everything Jesus did everything Jesus taught was destined to disappear into history.
2. As dawn breaks on that Sunday morning, some women head the tomb to prepare Jesus body for burial. He died so late on Friday afternoon that they weren t able to anoint Him the way their customs called for. By the time Joseph of Arimathea claimed the body, he only had time to wrap Jesus in a cloth before the Sabbath day of rest began. a. At the first opportunity, these women head to the tomb to take care of their teacher s body and pay their final respects. They re still in mourning, hardly expecting the eucatastrophe awaiting them there. i. Luke 24:1-12: But very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. So they went in, but they didn t find the body of the Lord Jesus. As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes. The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? He isn t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day. Then they remembered that He had said this. So they rushed back from the tomb to tell his eleven disciples and everyone else what had happened. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and several other women who told the apostles what had happened. But the story sounded like nonsense to the men, so they didn t believe it. However, Peter jumped up and ran to the tomb to look. Stooping, he peered in and saw the empty linen wrappings; then he went home again, wondering what had happened. b. The women see the empty tomb and hear the angel s message! Jesus is not there! He has risen just as He promised! They rush back to the Upper Room where the disciples are hiding to tell them the news. i. The remaining disciples can t believe what they re hearing! The idea that Jesus had come back from the dead shocked them. It s almost as if they hadn t heard anything Jesus had said to them over the past three years. They re not looking forward to a resurrection! They have no concept of it! ii. The women s words sound like nonsense to the disciples. They don t get it. They refuse to believe it. Only Peter dares to make the trip out to the tomb. He runs there and finds Jesus grave clothes empty, but he still doesn t understand what it means. Can t believe what the women are saying. c. Jesus soon leaves no doubt as to the truth of His resurrection. As the Eleven hear the story of two men who claim to have seen Jesus on the road to Emmaus, Jesus miraculously appears in their midst! i. Luke 24:36-40: And just as they were telling about it, Jesus himself was suddenly standing there among them. Peace be with you, he said. But the whole group was startled and frightened, thinking they were seeing a ghost! Why are you frightened? he asked. Why are your hearts filled with doubt? Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it s really me. Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost, because ghosts don t have bodies, as you see that I do. As he spoke, he showed them his hands and his feet. d. Jesus appears to the disciples, proving His resurrection to them. He shows them the nail marks on his hands and feet. The text even goes on to tell us that He ate a meal with them to prove He wasn t a ghost! i. Jesus had conquered death! He had defeated the grave. Like Babe Ruth calling a home run shot, Jesus had gone to the grave calling His resurrection. Not even death could defeat the Son of God. ii. The book of Acts tells us that Jesus spent the next 40 days with His disciples. He offered convincing proofs of His resurrection. He trained them for the mission ahead. He commissioned them to go out and tell the rest of the world about what He had done. 2
3 3. Now, I think it goes without saying that the Resurrection is a big deal! From a historical standpoint, this is the moment when everything starts to change. People begin to understand that Jesus is more than a mere teacher or religious leader. More than that, the Resurrection is the cornerstone of our faith! Without it, Christianity would be nothing! a. Apostle Paul wrote about the significance of Jesus resurrection. He identified it as the most important thing we believe! In his letter to the church in Corinth, Paul said the reality of the Resurrection defines our faith. i. I Corinthians 15:3-8: I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him. b. According to Paul, Christianity is built on the three key assertions that Jesus died, Jesus arose, and Jesus appeared. Let s take those assertions one by one. The first is that JESUS DIED. i. There s no resurrection without a death. There s no miracle on Sunday without the tragedy that happened on Friday. ii. The Gospels assure us that Jesus died. The Romans, in fact, verified it. They drove a spear under Jesus ribs and pierced His heart. Pilate s guard went to confirm the death when Joseph of Arimathea asked for the body. Jesus was certifiably dead. c. The second essential belief Paul mentioned there in I Corinthians 15 is that JESUS ROSE. The face that Jesus rose from the dead validates His power. It proves His identity as the Son of God. i. The fact of the matter is that Jesus tomb was empty on that first Easter morning. Matthew s gospel tells us that the religious leaders stationed Roman soldiers at Jesus tomb. After Jesus resurrection, they paid these soldiers to say that Jesus disciples had stolen the body. Even those who opposed Jesus had to admit that His body wasn t where He was supposed to be. ii. Jesus tomb was empty, that much is certain. No one ever claimed anything other than that. We believe it s because He rose from the dead, a resurrection that led His disciples to worship Him as God. d. Jesus died. Jesus rose. The third core belief is that JESUS APPEARED. After His resurrection, He appeared to hundreds of witnesses. i. At first glance, this doesn t seem as important as the other beliefs. Why does it matter that Jesus appeared? Why should we care that so many people saw Him in His resurrected form? ii. It s important because it roots our faith in fact. Here in this passage, Paul lists over 500 witnesses who saw the Resurrected Christ. The faith we proclaim isn t some myth or fairy tale. Our faith is historical reality. It actually happened! People saw it happen! Once upon a time a real time and a real place Jesus rose from the dead! e. No wonder Paul says the Resurrection is so important. Without the resurrection, we have no faith. Without the resurrection, we have no truth. Without the resurrection, we have no hope. TS For the rest of our time today, I simply want to remind you of what Christ s Resurrection means for us, the difference it makes in our lives. I want to do that by looking at two specific promises the New Testament makes in regards to the Resurrection.
4. First of all, Jesus Resurrection promises us A BETTER LIFE. Simply put, the fact that Jesus lives changes our lives. a. The resurrection promises us a better life because it holds out the promise of redemption. The resurrection proves to us that anything that anyone can be redeemed because of what Christ has done. i. We quote the familiar words of Romans 8:28 very often. That s for good reason. These words offer us hope in the midst of suffering. 1. Romans 8:28: And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them. 2. Those are great and comforting words, aren t they? We get the assurance that God will take everything that happens to us everything! and use it for His glory. 3. But, are those words actually true? Sure, they sound good, but so do the messages on cat posters. Just because we want something to be true doesn t mean that it is. What assurance do we have that God can actually do that? ii. Well, the cross is the ultimate assurance, isn t it? Nothing more heinous than the cross. If God can redeem that level of suffering if He can use it for His purposes then there is nothing in our lives He can t use. 1. God took Jesus death and used it to give us life. The fact that He can do that shows us we can trust Him to use whatever life throws at us. He can redeem anything. iii. Even greater, the empty tomb assures us that Jesus can redeem anyone. Paul talked about this truth in Romans, as well: 1. Romans 5:9-10: And since we have been made right in God s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. iv. We can have a relationship with God because of what Jesus has done. b. The resurrection promises us a better life because it holds out the promise of Christ s presence. Because Jesus lives, we know that He walks alongside us. His Spirit empowers us to live a new life. i. Again, Paul talked about this in Romans. After telling us about the new life available in Christ, Paul talked about that that new life looks like: 1. Romans 8:10-11: And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. ii. Did you catch what Paul said there? He said that the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead lives in us! The Spirit who has resurrection power dwells within those who have accepted Christ! 1. Have you ever stopped to consider that? The Spirit you received at baptism is the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead. That same power lives within you! 2. God didn t give us that kind of power just so we could come to church and occupy a seat. He gave us that power so we could do something with it! He gave us the Spirit to empower us to live a new life! What an incredible promise! iii. But, I think we could all admit that we don t always live like people who have the Spirit of God living in them. 4
5 1. That s why we continue to fall into the same old patterns of sin and disobedience. God s Spirit calls us to walk away from those things, but we listen to another spirit that tells us we can never change. 2. That s why we fail to step out in faith when we need to. God s Spirit calls us to live radical lives for the Kingdom. But, we live by another spirit that tells us we re not good enough to do anything for Him. 3. We need to better understand the Spirit that works within us. Rely on Him more. Trust in Him more. This is what Paul prayed for the church in Ephesus: 4. Ephesians 1:19-20: I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God s power for us who believe Him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him in the place of honor at God s right hand in the heavenly realms. iv. The very same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives in us. We must not lose sight of that fact. We don t have to do life on our own. That s the promise of the Resurrection! 5. Still, there s an even greater promise tucked away in the empty tomb. The Resurrection also promises us A BETTER DEATH. a. Certainly, the Gospel has ramifications for this life. As we just saw, God gave us His Spirit so that we might do something. And yet, we cannot forget that our faith is primarily focused not on this life, but on the next. It s a faith that looks forward to what Christ is going to do in eternity. i. I Corinthians 15:17-19: And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world. ii. Our faith is not just concerned with here and now. It is a future faith a future hope! Our hope is not just for this life it s for a better life after death! b. Throughout I Corinthians 15, Paul tells us that Jesus resurrection guarantees our own. Without Jesus return from the grave, we wouldn t even know such a thing was possible. Yet, His Resurrection shows us that God is already in the process of destroying death once and for all. i. I Corinthians 15:21-23: So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back. ii. Because Jesus resurrected, we don t have to sit around wondering if there s a life after death. We don t have to guess what waits for us on the other side. The empty tomb shows us exactly what we can expect. iii. The grave is not the end! The tomb is not the conclusion of our stories. Jesus didn t stay in His, ensuring that we won t stay in ours. c. Yet, resurrection is just part of the good news. Paul goes onto tell us that when the end comes, God will give us new bodies. It s not enough for Him just to bring our old, rickety bones back to life. God is going to remake us! i. I Corinthians 15:42-44: It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies.
6 d. Notice the phrases Paul used there to contrast the new bodies God will give us with the ones we currently have: i. Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. Our bodies wear down. We lose our strength. Each and every one of us has an expiration date. And yet, Paul tells us that the new bodies God has in mind for us are glorious. They won t age. They won t break down. At our resurrection, we ll be given bodies that never quit on us. ii. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. The bodies we have now are susceptible to disease and weakness. We know people who have struggled with such horrible things as cancer, Alzheimer s, cystic fibrosis. There s no end to what can go wrong with us. And yet, Paul tells us our new bodies will have a strength we can t even imagine. iii. They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. Our natural bodies have a weakness to sin. We don t always do the good we intended to. And yet, Paul says our new bodies will be spiritual. No more tendency to sin. That means no more mistakes you have to undo. No more regrets about the things you ve done. Sin and all its consequences will be undone when God gives us our new bodies. e. In fact, this is the exact picture the end of the New Testament paints when it talks about our eternal home with Jesus. On the day we get our new bodies on the day Jesus defeats death once and for all time all the weakness and the brokenness of this world will end. Jesus will make everything better: i. Revelation 21:3-4: I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, Look, God s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever. f. Jesus resurrection gives us the hope of a better life. We receive a better life now through His Spirit, who redeems us and empower us. We don t have to be who we were because of what Jesus has done. i. Even better, we have hope of a better life to come an eternal life with our Resurrected Lord. Because Jesus lives, we know we will live. His resurrection guarantees ours. Conclusion: 6. We ve spent the past month talking all about who Jesus is and what He s done. As we ve traveled through the gospels together, we ve learned a lot about Jesus. a. We ve seen that He is the centerpiece of history. We ve seen that He was no ordinary man. We ve seen that He was the One and only Son of God, the Messiah sent to save the world. We ve talked about His sacrificial death and His history-altering, life-changing resurrection from the dead. i. But, as we walk away from the biblical accounts of Jesus life, know this: there s a big difference between knowing about someone and actually knowing them. We know a lot about celebrities and world leaders, but we don t actually know them. ii. The same can be true for Jesus. We can know a lot about Him without actually knowing Him. So, the question I want to leave you with is Do you know Him? Have you experienced the power of His death, burial, and resurrection? iii. The New Testament writers tell us that it is in baptism that we come to know and experience the better life (and death) that Jesus has for us. Writing to the church in Rome, Paul penned these words: 1. Romans 6:3-5: Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined Him in His death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was
raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. Since we have been united with Him in His death, we will also be raised to life as He was. iv. Baptism offers us a glimpse of Jesus death, burial, and resurrection. Going down into the water illustrates how Jesus went down to the grave. Coming out of the water is a powerful reminder of the way Jesus Himself came out of the tomb. Baptism allows us to identify with Christ s death and resurrection. b. Some of you are sitting here today and you haven t made that decision. You know about Christ, but you haven t come to know Him yet. You haven t united yourself with Christ in baptism. i. If you want to make that decision today, then I want to invite you to head back to the double doors. Someone is waiting there to take you to the Prayer Room 7