Christ has Risen

There are two stages of Christ‘s work of redemption: Humiliation (life and death) and exaltation (resurrection and ascension, seating at the right hand of God, and the second coming to judge the living and the dead). We already dealt with Christ’s humiliation, today we will look at the resurrection of Christ.

The Resurrection of Christ is at the heart of the gospel.

I Corinthians 15:1-4 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures…

A declaration of hope

Christ has risen! This is the hope of God’s people! In our study, we will be touching on the following truths concerning the resurrection of Christ:

• Proof of His Deity
• Vindication of His Person
• Acceptance of His Sacrifice
• Hope for His People

Let us first establish that it is a historical event

Luke 1:1-4 – The Gospel Introduction

Notice the following words: compile, handed down, eyewitnesses, investigated, everything carefully, in consecutive order, exact

Luke wrote so that Theophilus might have full certainty about the things he had been taught. According to Jesus Ryle, “Christianity is a religion built upon facts. Let us never lose sight of this. It came before mankind at first in this shape.”

Acts 1:3 – The Early Church’s Confidence

The same author of the gospel above used the following words: convincing proofs, speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God…

The apostles and early disciples did not base their testimony upon phantom-like appearances, but upon real, personal fellowship with the risen Christ (Luke 24:27). Luke has given his time inspired by the Holy Spirit to write convincing proofs about the gospel.

Acts 10:38-42 – Apostle Peter’s Sermon

In Peter’s sermon, we can observe that the resurrection was:

• Performed by God: God raised Him up on the third day
• Witnessed by His People: to witnesses who had been chosen beforehand by God
• Displayed through Fellowship: to us who ate and drank with Him
• Appeared with Command: He ordered us… to testify solemnly

I Corinthians 15:3-9 – Paul’s Chronological Testimony.

Observe here the testimony of apostle Paul in narrating the events of resurrection appearances.

• He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve
• more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time
• to James, then to all the apostles
• to one untimely born, He appeared to me also. 

According to Paul Washer, By listing Christ’s post-resurrection appearances in chronological order, the Apostle Paul proved that he believed Christ’s resurrection was a historical occurrence confirmed by eyewitness testimony (Washer 108).

He further notes that “…the resurrection of Jesus Christ was neither a myth nor a spiritualized event; it was a historical reality. To treat the resurrection as something other than real history is to deny the testimony of Scripture” (Washer 105).

The resurrection took place in history. Without it, the people of God have no hope to cling to. Paul is emphatic in the following verses:

1 Cor. 15:17, 19  And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins… If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. 

Because of its certainty, it is not only the hope of God’s people, but it is God’s basis and assurance that he will judge the world by Jesus Christ. This is indeed a sure challenge for the believers to preach repentance and motivation for the unbelievers to repent of their sins.

Act 17:30-31 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

If you do not know the LORD Jesus Christ, you must put your trust in Christ alone, only His once-for-all sacrifice is acceptable by the Father, not yours.

SOLI DEO GLORIA!

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Note: This lesson is from our weekly Youth Bible Study Based on Paul Washer’s Discovering the Glorious Gospel.

Cover from lehollaender

Reference:

• Washer, Paul. Discovering the Glorious Gospel. New Albany, Mississippi, Media Gratiae, 2016.
• Ryle, J. C. (1879). Expository thoughts on the Gospels : St. Luke. For family and private use, with the text complete and many explanatory notes. R. Carter & Bros.

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