The Resurrection - what it means to you

The preacher stood before the congregation and said "I have bad news, I have good news, and I have more bad news."
The congregation got quiet. "The bad news is: the church needs a new roof!" the preacher said. The congregation groaned.
"The good news is: we have enough money for the new roof."
A sigh of relief was heard rippling through the gathered group.
"The bad news is: it’s still in your pockets"
The story of Scripture is one of bad news and good news.
It starts off good. As a matter of fact God calls the creation Good and calls the creation of man Very Good.
God’s creation was good but it was marred by sin. All was beautiful and right until sin came into the scene.
Through the disobedience of Adam and Eve came decay, sin, and death.
Cosmically speaking everything got out of whack. We must have a healthy biblical view of how sin affected the creation.
Sin brought about changes even in the earth. Man would now suffer separation from God, physical death, decay, but something about the creation changed.
The relationship with the animal kingdom would change, and even agriculture would change.
The relationship between man and woman would change and not for the better.
DEATH-
Today the one consequence that I want to talk about is death. The physical death of our bodies because of the Fall in the Garden.
Our reality is that our physical bodies have problems, we get sick, we have physical ailments and problems.
God didn’t create us to be that way. God created us to be whole and right and healthy and to live forever.
Sin and Satan are an affront to this good plan. Death has come to destroy God’s good plan. Death is not something to be celebrated but is an intruder.
Death is not something that was meant to be. This was not how it was supposed to be.
Today – The Resurrection of Christ is God’s answer to this problem.
The Resurrection of Christ has cosmic dimensions and is bigger than we could ever imagine. It is something that brings about God’s implementation of His grand rescue plan.
We saw last week that Paul told us in Acts 17 that God has put the world on notice. God has demanded that all men repent – the world will be judged by Jesus Christ and the proof that this is true is His resurrection from the dead.
JEWISH HOPE:
To understand fully what is being told to us in the New Testament we need to dial back the time machine and go back to 1st century Palestine.
What were the Jews expecting in the time of Jesus?
There were giant expectations and folks were waiting in expectation on the coming of the Messiah.
Here are some basic hopes of the Jewish people:
1) Yahweh would return to Zion. In Ezekiel we witnessed the glory of God leaving the Temple.
The Jewish people knew that the end of exile would be marked by the return of God to Zion.
They were home in the Promised Land from Babylon but the 10 northern tribes have never returned and the Shekinah glory of God never returned to the 2nd Temple that was built during the return from Babylon.
2) The Nations or Gentiles would stream to Mount Zion to hear about the Law of God. The Gentiles would look to Zion for their authority.

3) Israel would be vindicated from their suffering at the hands of the pagans

4) The Messiah – the King from the House of David – would be enthroned and reign.

5) The dead that were faithful to the covenant would be resurrected to take part in this new Kingdom of God on earth.
JESUS – FULFILLS ALL OF THESE HOPES
No one in 1000 years would have imagined that that these promises would be tied up and bound together by a single person.
In other words instead of these things happening to the nation of Israel – they would happen to a representative of Israel.
1) Expectation #1 – Jesus was God in flesh – John 1:14 the Word became flesh and Tabernacled (Templed) among us.
Jesus Comes to Jerusalem in Luke 19:44 for the triumphal entry on the week of His passion.
He looks upon Jerusalem and says: This is the TIME OF VISITATION
This is a specific reference to God’s return to Zion and Israel. – God will revisit and return to Israel.
They have missed the point – Here is God in flesh – God has literally returned to Zion to make His visit and what will happen?
It was now what they expected. The visitation of God is not a positive event because He comes and finds the Temple becoming a den or robbers.
He cleanses the Temple right after this – he in Verse 14 of Luke 19 goes right to the Temple.
This is exactly what the Jewish people expected – Yahweh would return to Zion. He would return to the Temple.
Instead of the glory returning to the Temple – the Temple is judged – the purpose for the Temple is over, Now God will dwell with his people through Christ.
Eventually God will dwell in each individual Christian through His Holy Spirit and make us His Temples.
The temple is judged on this day in April 30 AD and will be destroyed utterly by the Romans in 40 years never to be rebuilt.
The new Temple will be God’s people as His way to dwell on this earth.
2) Through Jesus we will see that the Gentiles will hear the good news from Zion. The Gospel spoken of in Isaiah 40-55 will be proclaimed and will start at Zion.
On Pentecost the Church will start and the good news that Isaiah will start out at Zion literally – from the Temple mount the Gospel will be preached and all the Gentiles will hear it.
We will pick up the book of Acts and find that all kinds of people are there at Pentecost and by Chapter 10 we find a pagan roman soldier becoming a follower of God through Christ Jesus.
3) Jesus will suffer at the hand of the pagans and be vindicated – we look a few weeks ago at Psalm 22 and how that Psalm ends in triumph.
Christ will be crucified at the hands of the pagans but be ultimately vindicated by God. He will not stay in the grave but be resurrected.
God will rescue Christ from the hand of the pagans.
4) We see that Jesus is enthroned.
A few weeks ago I preached sermon to you on how Mark’s gospel portrayed to us a coronation scene of a new King.
The irony is that this coronation occurs in the strangest way. The coronation of Israel’s king begins on Sunday of Passion week with the triumphal entry.
Jesus comes from the Mount of Olives riding on a donkey. This is all dripping with imagery of David and the new Davidic King.
Jesus will ultimately be crowned and announced as the king of Israel on the Cross.
The Cross will be His, as John puts it, LIFTING UP. He will crowned and announced as the King of the Jews.
This is the first time that we see Jesus identity come out loud and clear that He is the King of the Jews.
Ultimately his coronation ends with Resurrection and ascension into Heaven.
Romans 1: 3-4
3 concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, 4 who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,
According to Paul – Jesus ultimate declaration of His Kingship is through the resurrection of the dead.
5) The fifth and final hope of Israel was the general resurrection of the dead of the faithful.
Never would they have imagined that God would have raised up someone before the general resurrection.
God had raised Jesus before the general day of resurrection. This would have been mind blowing to them.
Why would God do such a thing? Why would he raise someone from the dead?
Imagine how the Jewish people had to deal with these new realities. They knew the OT scripture and God had fulfilled all those prophecies explicitly but He did so in a way they had never imagined.
This is Our HOPE – because God has done something Amazing in Jesus Christ that is really good news for us.
I want to switch gears here and talk specifically what the resurrection means to us
Why does it matter? Should you care that Jesus rose from the dead?
First of all, you know deep in your bones that things in this world are not right.
When you watch someone get sick and you watch their bodies break down you know that this is not right. There is more to the story.
The good news this morning is that God is going to put all this right.
We are going to be resurrected from the dead – Get a new body that never gets sick or decays.
1) The doctrine of 1st Fruits
Paul makes an argument to the Church at Corinth as to their hope in the Resurrection that may sound odd to our modern ears.
1 Corinthians 15: 20-24
20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. 21 For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own order : Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming, 24 then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power
Paul calls Jesus the first fruits of those who are asleep.
Adam brought death through disobedience in the Garden of Eden. Jesus brings about resurrection from the dead.
Christ is the first fruits of those who are IN CHRIST at his coming. What does Paul mean by First fruits?
Two feasts of the Jews celebrated the first fruits of the harvest.
Passover celebrated the first fruits of the Barley Harvest
Pentecost celebrated the first fruits of the Wheat Harvest.
Both feasts celebrated salvation history events in the story of Israel.
Passover celebrated God’s deliverance from Egypt and the first fruit celebration celebrated God’s promises that the Land would be fruitful.
The first fruit celebrated the harvest and looked forward to the hope that more was to come.
Let me go back to the feasts of Israel to explain this passage and I hope it will come alive to you.
To Understand First fruits we need to understand what happened at the Feast of Passover when Jesus was crucified.
Passover had a high Sabbath. On that Sabbath Jesus was in the grave.
On that very same day that Jesus was in the grave the Jews celebrated a feast that came on the heels of Passover and was really a part of that Passover celebration.
It was the feast of Unleavened Bread.
On That SATURDAY of the SABBATH grain was planted in the ground for the hope of a good grain Harvest.
A grain of wheat was buried symbolically to look forward to the grain harvest that was to come.
Now imagine that imagery – the day Jesus was in the tomb the Jews were planting grain the ground looking forward to the harvest later.
On Sunday of that Passover – the Day Jesus came out of the Grave the Jews celebrated the Feast of First Fruits.
They celebrated the first barley harvest in the Promised Land.
Now think about this image – On Sunday when Jesus came out of the Grave they were celebrating the barley harvest but looking forward to 50 days later when the grain harvest would come.
So this may make sense – Jesus was planted in the ground – rose from the dead and because Jesus came back from the dead we can now look forward when the great harvest will come.
We can look forward to the day when people will come out of their graves.
We LIVE IN THE IN BETWEEN TIME
We live in the time between the resurrection of Jesus Christ the First Fruits and the coming day of great Harvest when we will all be resurrected.
We know that things changed when Jesus rose from the dead – God has established His new Covenant and is bringing about the New Creation
But we are in this tension – we look expectantly to the future but the Bible tells us that our life in Christ begins NOW.
How do we work this out?
Acts 2:38 tells us that the those that were baptized into Christ received the Gift of the Holy Spirit.
This gift of the Holy Spirit was opened up on Pentecost that great feast of celebrating the 2nd Harvest of Israel the Grain harvest.
Now this new Harvest is being realized. These people who are becoming Christians are receiving New LIFE – NOW
So what does that role of the Spirit play? What does that mean to us?
2 Corinthians 1: 21-22
21 Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, 22 who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge
When we become Christians God gives us the Holy Spirit as a down payment. The word used here by Paul that is translated in the NASB as ‘pledge’ is the Greek word ARABBON
Arabbon is better understood as a down payment.
It is God’s way of guaranteeing us that we will be raised from the dead. If we become Christians now – God gives us the Spirit as a pledge, down payment to show that He will raise us from the dead.
Paul goes on to specify this role of the Spirit in Romans 8
Romans 8: 9-11
9 However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. 10 If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
Paul specifically tells us that if the Spirit of God dwells in us that He will be the one that energizes us and brings about our Resurrection from the dead.
The same Holy Spirit that was there at the empty tomb and brought Jesus back from the dead will work in us and bring us back from the dead.
The same Spirit that hovered over the watery chaos of Genesis and brought about order from that chaos will bring life back to our bodies.
2) In the in-between time we groan in expectation.
We are waiting people – we want God to come and put this world right.
We want God to come back and bring order to the chaos and give us new glorified bodies.
Romans 8: 18-23
15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba ! Father !" 16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. 23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. We are waiting and groaning for His return.
Earlier I talked to you about how the Earth has been cursed to and in some way the Earth will be put right.
Next week we will look in detail about what it will be like after we are resurrected –w hat will we do and how will we live.
But for today we are concerned with the fact that we are waiting in expectation.
We groan when we look at a world rocked with sin
We groan when we see people get sick that we love – we want God to make it right. The Holy Spirit within us groans within us.
Paul even goes back to the language of first fruits when he describes the Spirit’s role in crying out in our hearts.
Here is the awesome part – that same Spirit of God that articulates our cry to God – that helps us pray when we don’t have words for God – will be the same Spirit that will bring life to our bodies.
It will be this Spirit that will somehow bring about life to our bodies and set the world right.
God is not going to allow this Creation to keep rocking along like this but will make it right.
We are hoping for our revelation of being sons of God so that the entire Creation that is under bondage will be released.
3) We are waiting as aliens – we want our Lord to return because our citizenship is of another place.
Acts 1:11 sets up this hope and expectation
Christ returns to Heaven and we are told that He will COME AGAIN. This word used in the Bible for Christ’s Return over and over again is the Greek word
PAROUSIA – this word has a specific meaning and was used in two ways during the time of the Bible and I think it will help us understand our hope in Christ.
Literally Parousia means to be near or to be with
It also means Presence – that the second coming means that in some way Christ’s presence will be here in a more visible and concrete way.
2 meanings of Parousia in the ancient world :
1) God’s presence in healing or rescue
A good example of this would be when God healed Hezekiah and delivered Israel from the Assyrians. This is a classic example of God’s presence by rescue or redemption – or vindication
2) Imperial Visits of Rome
One way that Parousia is used is when the Emperor would come and visit a Roman colony.
The Romans were king at planting cities all around the world they looked just like Rome and those cities carried Roman culture with them.
You could find these cities in Palestine, Britain, or even Spain.
The Romans would then populate these cities with Roman Colonists that were charged with bringing Roman culture to that area.
Sometimes the Roman Emperor or a high official would visit that colony – this visitation was called a Parousia – He would come and they would meet him outside the walls- and then in victorious procession go with the Emperor into the city and celebrate his coming.
Now we can see that Paul borrows from this imperial language in the New Testament.
Philippians 3: 20-21
20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ ; 21 who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.
Paul tells us that we are like these colonial outposts but we are bringing the rule of Heaven to Earth.
Every Church that Paul plants across the empire are outposts of Heaven. Just like the Lord’s Prayer of bringing God’s will to earth as it is in Heaven - that is the role of the Church – God’s rule coming to earth in us.
We are citizens waiting for our Lord and God – we are waiting for the true King.
When he comes we will be transformed.
When the Parousia –or Coming happens our bodies will be transformed
We will be transformed into conformity with His Body.
Do you want to know what your resurrected body will be like?
According to Paul just look at Jesus’ body – Jesus body was resurrected and glorified.
His body had some continuity with the old body – He still had scars from the crucifixion but something was different.
He could eat – they could touch Him, but he could walk through walls. Amazing stuff- a corporeal body but an enhanced body- not confined to our space and time dimensions.
A body that will never get sick, tired, or break down. The body God had always wanted us to have.
John talks about Christ’s coming – His Appearing and how we should be ready
1 John 2: 28
28 Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming.
And what will happen if we are ready for this coming of Christ – This Appearing of Jesus
1 John 3:2
2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.
We will be able to See Christ just as He is at his coming because we will be made to be like Him – our new bodies will be like His glorious body.
Paul tells us that He is coming – Our King will return and it should be a time of victory and excitement like no other party that has ever happened.
1 Corinthians 15:24 told us earlier that when He Comes we will be raised – When Christ returns – when He is revealed we will be resurrected from the dead.
Now we can put it all together with Paul’s exhortation to the Church at Thessalonica:
1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.
Paul wants them to know that those that have already died are going to be okay.
The Lord will descend – Remember in Acts 1:11 the Angel promised that He would return just like He left – he will come down from the sky.
The King returns to vindicate the colony of Heaven the Church
We will hear the shout – the trumpet of God – the dead in Christ will rise First
Those that are in the graves will be raised up to new glorified, resurrected bodies.
Imagine that picture of people coming from the graves – those that have had ashes scatter over the oceans bodies coming back together miraculously.
And we are that are still here when he returns will be transformed – somehow – Caught UP together would be synonymous with Paul said in Philippians 3 the idea of transformation
We will be like Christ and we will be with Christ forever.
What a hope – what a wonderful to consider that we will be with Him forever with these new bodies.
And we will have tasks it will not boring.
Are you ready for this? Will you rejoice when He comes? Or will you shrink back?