The Reality of the Resurrection
From The Pastor's Pen in the March 2005 Voice of the Valley, the monthly newsletter of Valley Bible Church, by the Reverend Frank C. Emrich. Reposted here with permission.
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"I do not think that anyone, anywhere, at any time brings dead people back to life."
That blunt assessment comes from John Dominic Crossan, a leading figure in the Jesus Seminar, and one of the most influential authors on religion in post-Christian America. Thomas Sheehan, another fellow of the Seminar, put it even more directly: "Jesus, regardless of where His corpse ended up, is dead and remains dead." The claim that Jesus actually rose from the dead on the third day is perhaps the greatest scandal of authentic Christianity in the face of modern secularism.
The enemy of our souls plants seeds of doubt in the minds of "experts," and "historians" who attempt to debunk the resurrection as myth. And yet the story continues to stand up to scientific scrutiny. Dr. Luke states it best in Acts 1:3 when he says there are "many infallible proofs."
How important is the resurrection? Without it, Christianity is just another well-intentioned religion. It's a fad, a trend, a movement lacking any eternal significance. Because of the empty tomb, Christianity offers eternal hope.
How important is the resurrection of Christ from the dead? It is the center of everything we believe. Listen to what the Apostle tells us in I Corinthians 15:13-14:
But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, [and] your faith also is vain.
Think of it this way: if Christ rose from the dead, you can't be too dedicated to Him. We have all heard the saying, "He is so heavenly-minded he's no earthly good." That is one of the biggest lies ever told. Our LORD was the most heavenly-minded person to ever walk Earth, and He did the most earthly good of anyone who has ever lived. We can never be too heavenly-minded. If we believe in the resurrection, we will walk the walk of Christ.
Peter said in I Peter 1:3:
Blessed be the God and Father of our LORD Jesus Christ, Who, according to His great mercy, has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
We are a living hope! Over the years I have performed many funerals where people had no hope. I have seen too many people throw themselves on the casket, sobbing in hysteria. They had no hope that they would ever see their loved ones again. But we have a living hope that we will see each other again. We will be in eternity forever. Our hope is because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
There are people who claim that they can sell you all kinds of retirement benefit packages which will assure you that you will be taken care of after you stop working, but there is no retirement package like the one Jesus Christ offers you. My retirement is going to be up in Heaven!
As we approach the Easter holiday, take the time to think about what Christ has done, and will do, for you by His resurrection. Think about the fact that you and I not only have the living hope of resurrection and reunion, but we have available resurrection power for daily living (Ephesians 1). Take those thoughts into your everyday living. Let your joy spill into your relationships, family, friends, job, and everywhere else. The resurrection is the center of everything and the center of our lives.
And ask God to teach us as we study throughout the month of March the reality of resurrection from I Corinthians 15.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I do not think that anyone, anywhere, at any time brings dead people back to life."
That blunt assessment comes from John Dominic Crossan, a leading figure in the Jesus Seminar, and one of the most influential authors on religion in post-Christian America. Thomas Sheehan, another fellow of the Seminar, put it even more directly: "Jesus, regardless of where His corpse ended up, is dead and remains dead." The claim that Jesus actually rose from the dead on the third day is perhaps the greatest scandal of authentic Christianity in the face of modern secularism.
The enemy of our souls plants seeds of doubt in the minds of "experts," and "historians" who attempt to debunk the resurrection as myth. And yet the story continues to stand up to scientific scrutiny. Dr. Luke states it best in Acts 1:3 when he says there are "many infallible proofs."
How important is the resurrection? Without it, Christianity is just another well-intentioned religion. It's a fad, a trend, a movement lacking any eternal significance. Because of the empty tomb, Christianity offers eternal hope.
How important is the resurrection of Christ from the dead? It is the center of everything we believe. Listen to what the Apostle tells us in I Corinthians 15:13-14:
But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, [and] your faith also is vain.
Think of it this way: if Christ rose from the dead, you can't be too dedicated to Him. We have all heard the saying, "He is so heavenly-minded he's no earthly good." That is one of the biggest lies ever told. Our LORD was the most heavenly-minded person to ever walk Earth, and He did the most earthly good of anyone who has ever lived. We can never be too heavenly-minded. If we believe in the resurrection, we will walk the walk of Christ.
Peter said in I Peter 1:3:
Blessed be the God and Father of our LORD Jesus Christ, Who, according to His great mercy, has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
We are a living hope! Over the years I have performed many funerals where people had no hope. I have seen too many people throw themselves on the casket, sobbing in hysteria. They had no hope that they would ever see their loved ones again. But we have a living hope that we will see each other again. We will be in eternity forever. Our hope is because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
There are people who claim that they can sell you all kinds of retirement benefit packages which will assure you that you will be taken care of after you stop working, but there is no retirement package like the one Jesus Christ offers you. My retirement is going to be up in Heaven!
As we approach the Easter holiday, take the time to think about what Christ has done, and will do, for you by His resurrection. Think about the fact that you and I not only have the living hope of resurrection and reunion, but we have available resurrection power for daily living (Ephesians 1). Take those thoughts into your everyday living. Let your joy spill into your relationships, family, friends, job, and everywhere else. The resurrection is the center of everything and the center of our lives.
And ask God to teach us as we study throughout the month of March the reality of resurrection from I Corinthians 15.
posted by JASmius at 11:21 AM
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