Preaching on Matthew 28 reminded me how crucial, critical, and central the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is – everything we believe revolves around the truthfulness of the resurrection of Jesus. During my sermon preparation (and even while preaching my own sermon) I was struck at how my own faith is shaped by the resurrection of Jesus. His victory over death gives me such great hope for my own victory over death. I hope your faith is also strong in Jesus’ resurrection. Here are a few borrowed thoughts to consider that might help:
Resurrection
Well over three hundred verses are concerned with the subject of Jesus’ resurrection in the New Testament. We are told that this event is a sign for unbelievers (Matthew 12:38-40; cf. John 20:24-29) as well as the answer for the believers’ doubt (Luke 24:38-43). It serves as the guarantee that Jesus’ teachings are true (Acts 2:22-24; 1 Corinthians 15:12-20) and is the center of the gospel itself (Romans 4:24-25, 10:9; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Further, the resurrection is the impetus for evangelism (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 10:39-43), the key indication of the believer’s daily power to live the Christian life (Romans 6:4-14, 8:9-11; Philippians 3:10) and the reason for the total commitment of our lives (Romans 7:4; 1 Corinthians 15:57-58). The resurrection even addresses the fear of death (John 11:25; 1 Corinthians 15:54-58; cf. Hebrews 2:14-15) and is related to the second coming of Jesus (Acts 1:11; Revelation 1:7). Lastly, this event is a model of the Christian’s resurrection from the dead (Acts 4:2; 1 Corinthians 6:14; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) and provides a foretaste of heaven for the believer (Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Peter 1:3-5).
Mike