952. The Resurrection of His Body from the Tomb

I believe in the inspiration of the Bible about the old and the New Testament is the creation of man by the direct act of God, the incarnation and virgin birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ his identification as a son of God is vicarious atonement for the sins of mankind by the shedding of his blood on the cross and the resurrection of his body from the two his power to save men from sin.

The new birth through the regeneration by the Holy Spirit and the gift of eternal life. By the grace of God. The fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith are centered around these things. That's why we have agreed welcome to The Daily Platform from Bob Jones University today were continuing a study series based on the creed the students recite each day in chapel services, which is a summary of the doctrines of our Christian faith. Today's sermon will be preached by Dr. Greg Stites, a professor in the seminary and he'll be guiding us to the doctrine of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Please open your Bible this morning to Luke chapter 24 the last chapter of Luke's gospel. It is a real privilege for me to preach on the topic of the resurrection of his body from the tomb on this great day. October 31 which you know what that is right Reformation Day. This is the day. Historically, when Martin Luther nailed the 95 theses to the door at Witten word chapel and so it's a wonderful day to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus body from the tomb. In this last chapter, we have Luke's account of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, and at the end of this chapter, you notice starting in verse 33 that those who saw Jesus alive after his death. Our meeting together and with wonder and amazement they are sharing their stories. The Lord is truly risen.

He appeared to Peter.

Yes, he talked with us on the road to Emmaus and they spoke excitedly and with anticipation.

If he got onto verse 36 it says that Jesus suddenly stood in their midst.

Well, that shocks them out of their minds something they thought they were seeing adopts.

But Jesus columns them and assures them and shows them his physical body. His scarred hands and feet. He was there.

Lord, and he was truly alive.

I want to skip down to verse 45 and want to see what Jesus tells them. It says that Jesus opened their understanding that they might understand the Scriptures, and said unto them, thus it is written, and thus it behooves Christ, it was necessary for him to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And he are witnesses of these things I want to note is that Jesus calls them witnesses will he cause him the same thing. In acts 18 when he commissions them by saying you shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost account is come upon you, and he shall be witnesses unto me, what is the witness we think of the word witness.

You probably think of simply sharing the gospel with someone maybe sharing your personal testimony or explaining how somebody can have faith in Jesus Christ.

But the word witness is actually a juridical term and has to do with proceedings in a court of law. When a judge hears a case those who are seeking to exonerate the defendant call forth witnesses a witness in this context is a person who speaks on behalf of the defendant presenting evidence in his favor is the author of Jesus ministry.

He was on trial, both in the court of public opinion and before the condemning eyes of the Jewish religious leaders had no matter what Jesus did, no matter what many of what miracles acts of compassion. He performed they would not believe that he was the Messiah come to save them and so they rejected him they would not believe his testimony. So finally, to destroy him. The scribes and Pharisees, and members of the Sanhedrin arrested Jesus and stage of trial to find him guilty of blasphemy and when they had their verdict in hand. They brought Jesus before Pilate for execution on charges of insurrection and you know by reading the story that neither Pilate nor Herod in Luke's gospel would find Jesus guilty of that charge. The Jewish leaders manipulated Pilate therefore to sign off on Jesus's death. So Jesus was still condemned and crucified. So what's happening in Luke 24 in acts 18 when Jesus says you are my witnesses, here's what's happening.

Jesus is now risen and he summons his followers as witnesses to a court of law to go into the world and to make a case. Once again, for who he is and what he has done by offering fresh evidence that will vindicate him and acquit him of all charges.

What is this fresh evidence of the apostles testify to the world as they begin at Jerusalem and goaded Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth. What is this new evidence that exonerates the Lord Jesus from false charges, proving that he is indeed both Lord and Christ.

The evidence is the resurrection of his body from the two in almost every instance of the word witness in the book of acts refers to the apostles being witnesses of this new evidence. Jesus was publicly condemned and crucified for claiming that he was Messiah but they said we have seen him alive and now he calls upon you to embrace his death for your sins, and his resurrection for salvation when the disciples are seeking to replace Judas in acts one.

They look for a man who is ordained to be a witness of Jesus's resurrection. When Peter preaches a sermon in acts two. He refers to himself and to the other apostles as witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus and ask for the Holy Spirit gives the apostles great power to be witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus in acts five. The apostles declare we are his witnesses and their referring specifically to the fact that God exalted Jesus and the resurrection. We see this throughout acts we see it in acts 10.

In acts 13 and in the apostle Paul's ministry specifically next 22. Now of course the apostles are preaching the good news of the vicarious atoning death of Jesus Christ for our sins and through the shedding of his blood on the cross. That is the truth that Dr. Olinger marvelously poke proclaimed last Wednesday but if you look carefully at the narrative the of the book of acts. The apostles are bearing witness primarily to the client. Acts of the gospel message. The resurrection, and that's the way it is. This morning for you and me. If you are a believer in Christ Jesus calls us as his followers to believe in and to bear witness to his resurrection from the dead to boldly declare. I believe in the resurrection of his body from the two Outlook if the resurrection of Jesus is at the center of the evidence that we are called to proclaim is as witnesses, but it is important that we understand the profound implications of belief in the resurrection. So this morning I want to impress upon you. These implications of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and their implication that that that go into directions. There are apologetically implications, and there are theological implications. So first let's deal with the apologetic coal implications of Jesus resurrection. What I mean by apologetically will a lot of you remember that in first Peter 315.

He says that we should be ready always to give an answer to everyone that asks us of a reason for the hope that is within us. And when Peter says to give an answer.

The word answer actually means a defense and once again the kind of defense you would give in a court of law to the Greek word obligee an apology and the sense of having to rush to apologize for something, but in the sense of giving a reason for it, proving it verifying that is what we are called to do.

You see, when we say I believe in the resurrection of his body from the tomb just like the original pass apostles. We are making a claim to historical reality.

Jesus did not merely rise in a spiritual sense the event of the resurrection was not a make-believe story to help invent a new religion called Christianity. Jesus was really dead and he really came back to life in time and space and that means there will be historical evidence, testifying to that historical truth. We can't win people to Christ on the basis of merely rational arguments but if we are in unwilling to engage skeptical people with defensible arguments. We give the impression that our gospel is not defensible and we miss our opportunity to point them to the word of God and the gospel itself. So here very quickly are some evidences of the historical reality of the resurrection.

First of all, the majority of historians affirm that there was a man named Jesus who lived and died by Roman crucifixion you say his death is evidence of his resurrection.

Yes, because in order for Jesus to really come back to life.

He had to be really dead in the first place. Historians also affirm the evidence that Jesus tomb was empty and the body was never produced in all four gospel accounts. Thirdly, there are women who first discovered the empty tomb, Mary Magdalene, Joanna mother, the Mary of James, this is powerful evidence of the truthfulness of the resurrection. You know why because at that time women were not counted as credible witnesses. In fact, the women were not even allowed to testify in a Jewish court of law. Don't be mad at me, I'm just the messenger. On that note.

So if the resurrection then were a hoax. If the disciples of Jesus were trying to invent a credible story they would not have made women the primary witnesses of their ally nobody would've believed them.

So the prominence of women in the story is to any critical historian, a piece of evidence that argue strongly for the truth of the account. Fourthly, there is also much historical evidence that the disciples really believed that they were in the presence of the risen Lord.

After his death, not a hallucination, not a vision. Then there's the conversion of Paul which historian still puzzle over how of first century Jewish Pharisee rabbinical. He trained could turn from a persecutor of those who believed in Jesus to defender of the resurrection, and that he could be so persuaded by the truth of the resurrection that he would be willing to suffer and to die for that claim. And when you read his letters. It's obviously he's not okay that's obviously not a lunatic.

He's a brilliant reasoning theologian who really believed that Jesus was alive and had appeared to him. The next proof is very fascinating to me. The fact that the claims about the bodily resurrection of Christ come seemingly out of nowhere. We see modern historians explain all religion by means of evolutionary development. Judaism is merely a version of ancient near Eastern pagan religion.

They will argue that Christianity is just the conflation of Jewish and Greek Hellenistic ideas, but in this line of secular thinking there is no good explanation then for why the early followers of Jesus believe that the Lord came out of the tomb, with a powerful physical resurrection body paganism held that once the soul of the body. The two would never meet again.

Judaism believed in a resurrection, but they they believe that the resurrection would only be at the end time and the body would simply return to its former state. But nothing not in pagan thinking during Jewish theology is consistent with the kind of resurrection you find in the New Testament the kind the early church proclaimed that explanation of the resurrected body comes out of nowhere and the most logical explanation is that they really saw Jesus alive and it finally we see the flourishing of the church throughout the world and I would dare say because were here today.

On the other side of the globe, having believed in the death and resurrection of Christ, not because we were coerced into it not because somebody forced us. In fact, some of you even suffered and you even put up with rejection, even from your family because you believed in Jesus Christ and get you did the gospel of Christ, his death for our sins in his resurrection is still transforming the world that response to Jesus Christ has been taking place since his resurrection. Those are some of the apologetically implications from the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

Because the resurrection is a verifiable literal historical events. It bears the mark of historical evidence. Now there's a second set of implications. These are theological implications. I know we don't have a lot of time this morning to probe these and much death, but I would encourage you that just as many of you are learning about the wonderful implications of Christ death for your sins that you would grow in your knowledge and love of the implications of Christ resurrection, its nature and its glory and its hope. First, let's consider the nature of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, you know, Colossians 118. The apostle Paul refers to Jesus as the firstborn from the dead and later in first 2015, he calls Jesus, the firstfruits of those who are asleep in death will one day rise again. But how can Jesus be the first to have risen and Elijah raise the Sheena might woman son and in second Kings for Elisha and and Jesus raised gyrus's daughter and the widow sonnet neighing and and Lazarus didn't they come back to life before Jesus, but the difference is those who were raised again before Jesus all came back to life only to die again, these people had two funerals. Their resurrections were only signs pointing to a better resurrection Jesus resurrection was far better in nature better in kind because Jesus rose from the grave, never to die again. Paul says in Romans six, nine Christ being raised from the dead die of no more death hath no more dominion over him. Paul describes this resurrection body and first rent is for 15 he says that the body is sown or buried in corruption but it's raising incorruption it's buried in dishonor, but it's raised in glory it's buried in weakness but it's raised in power. It's buried a natural body, but it's raised a spiritual body or body animated by God spirit is a body of a completely different kind than our bodies that are subject to weakness and blemish and age, and decay, a body that never dies again and Jesus is the first to have that body. He's the firstborn from the dead, and it was a glorious event is a let's consider next the glory of the resurrection of Christ, the powers of sin and Satan and all the forces of evil inflicted there were such on Jesus Christ.

They crucified the Lord of glory, the son of God who had come to bring salvation was dead and buried. Sometimes I think about those three days. Jesus was in the tomb.

They must've been the saddest days in human history.

All hope is gone, the disciples, demoralized, devastated, scattered Satan and his forces had seemingly gained the upper hand. They had crashed and defeated the Messiah. I wonder if the world went on as normal. The pall of darkness settled upon the earth.

The birds stop their singing, but then Jesus burst forth from the tomb, never to die again conquering death and hell and sin forever. Seconds in the 110 says that this act of Jesus abolished death and brought life and immortality to light. Hebrews 214 says that Jesus destroyed the devil who had the power of death and Paul says in second and Colossians 215 that when the host of darkness rushed to defeat the Lord of glory, thinking they had won the day. Jesus victoriously defeated them all in military conquest. He made a show of them openly and triumphed over them. What more can Satan and sin and darkness do to Jesus Christ and that was their best shots. What more can you do to destroy someone who will not stay dead so this is the pivotal points. The decisive moment in human history.

This is where everything changed. You see the moment. Back in the garden when our sin and disobedience through our first parents brought death into the world and decay and sickness and sadness and brokenness and pain and sorrow. Ever since that time, God has been systematically bringing about the plan of the ages to reconcile all things to himself to undo the curse of the world, not merely to restore the world to its former glory but to make it better than it was before. And God would do this by destroying death making death obsolete by bringing life out of death. So during the entire Old Testament of failed messiahs. God was systematically and patiently preparing for the sun to enter the world as a human being through a virgin and when he was born in Bethlehem and lived a sinless life, he became our perfect representative. The only person of the humanity, who did not deserve to die. Yet he was sentenced to death, and became our sacrifice and went into the tomb and when he broke free from the bonds of death.

Humanity broke free from the bonds of death what God did in preparing since the Garden Had Finally Taken Pl. in Christ light had burst forth from darkness life had burst forth from death and immortality had sprung from decay Jesus's resurrection and 50 days later his pouring out of the spirit literally begin the last days all that is needed for redemption and reconciliation with God to take place has been secured. We simply have to believe it's with the resurrection we entered into the final era of salvation history. This is just the endgame and that is why we can turn to 1/3 set of theological implications of Jesus resurrection the hope that we have in the resurrection. Would you turn your Bibles over to first Corinthians chapter 15 that great chapter in Paul on the resurrection. Do you realize that if Christ is not raised from the dead.

This morning we have no hope at all. We are going to die and suffer eternal damnation conquered and defeated by sin and Satan. If it's not for the resurrection. That's what Paul says in first rent is 15. Look at verse 19. If in this life only we have hope in Christ ever clinging to a dream that there's nothing to all of this, we are of most men to be pitied. What changes us from a state of misery to a state of triumph. The next lines in this chapter but now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept for since by man Adam came death, by a man, Jesus Christ also came the resurrection of the dead.

For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all and that all who believe on him shall be made alive. This is our hope with your believer in Christ this morning. This is your hope that we will be made alive through our faith in Jesus Christ in our closing moments. Let me give you just a glimpse of the hope that we have in the resurrection we have hope. First of all, of new life. Paul says in Romans six that we who believe in Christ Jesus have been united with him. We have brought into an intimate union with Christ, so that what is true of him is now true of us. Paul says that we are crucified with him, and buried with him, but we also arose with him. And now we live with him.

We walk in newness of life. We place our faith in Christ death and resurrection. It's like we ourselves have come out of the grave to live a new life, a transformed life. Peter says that God has birthed us into the family of God, characterized by a whizzing hope which comes from the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Paul says that God made us alive with Christ, and he did this by raising us with Christ and seeing us with Christ in heavenly places. Not only do we have this hope of the new life we also have the hope of a justified life. Paul says that Jesus was delivered up to die for our trespasses, but he was raised from the grave for our justification. Justification means that I'm standing righteous in the sight of God.

Now how can I is a sinner stand as righteous in the sight of God is God zap me with righteousness know he does something much more profound. He places me into union with Christ, so that when Christ died I died when Christ burst forth of the grave. Having paid the settled of the penalty for sin.

I myself burst forth from the grave in Christ with my sins forgiven because of the resurrection. I now live as righteous, justified in the sight of God and what seals that truth for me is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And because I am justified in God's sight of the sun.

I have hope of eternal life. Do you know why. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ. You don't just get eternal life, but you right now already have eternal life. You know why that is it because we are in him and Christ being raised from the dead, dies no more death no longer has dominion over Kim in what that means death no longer has dominion over me and what is more, Jesus is going to give me a body like his glorious resurrection body DCI described here in first rent is 15 starting at verse 51.

Paul says behold, I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, others will not remain in the graves, we shall be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed, will have a body like Jesus Christ's for this corruptible body must put on incorruptible body in this mortal flesh must put on mortal flesh.

So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, death is swallowed up in victory. Jesus lives and so shall I death by staying is gone forever. He who deign for me to die lives. The bands of death to sever, he shall raise me from the dust. Jesus is my hope and trust in you know what that means.

It means that right now we can know of London's life abundant life. Don't live a defeated, boring, depressed Christian life. I know things happen in their hard.

I know that sad things happen sometimes to you and your family. I've been there, because we are sinners in a fallen world.

But you as a believer are united with Jesus Christ and he's not still dead.

He's alive and we are alive in him and his resurrection life to the spirit courses through us. The truth is if you are a child of God you can walk with Christ. You can know victory over sin. You can walk in obedience.

You can know peace and joy. You can live life in the spirit. Why because Jesus is alive and you are alive in him and that is why Paul climaxes this great chapter on the resurrection with these triumphant words which dare to mock at death. He says oh death where is your sting Ň where is your victory. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ, and then he turns to encourage you and to me and me.

Therefore, my beloved brother and be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for as much as ye know that your labor, your trial what you're doing here to follow the Lord is not in vain in the Lord. So let us believe in and celebrate and rejoice in the resurrection of his body from the tomb father use the Scripture to convict our hearts and change our love for you and for your resurrection for your namesake. We pray Christ's name.

You've been listening to a sermon preached by Greg strikes Prof. in the Bob Jones University seminary you been listening to The Daily Platform.

I'm Steve Pettit, president of Bob Jones University and I invite you to join us at our beautiful campus in Greenville, South Carolina to see how you can be prepared academically and spiritually to serve the Lord through one of our more than 100 undergraduate and graduate programs. For more information about Bob Jones University, visit www.bg.edu or call 800-252-6363 join us again tomorrow as we continue the series summarizing the doctrines of our Christian faith here on The Daily Platform