Today we remember the historical and biblical truths of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  There should not be any confusion or misunderstanding of the reason for setting this particular day aside from the rest of the weeks.  It does not have anything to do with ritualism or religious culture or traditions, at least on our part.  I wish to remind all of the Hopefuls that every Lord’s day is a day of remembrance of our Lord’s resurrection.  In particular, as we follow the historical events in our calendar, we trace the event of Christ’s crucifixion and subsequent event of His resurrection according to the calendar days and dates, we come to this particular season to consider such events more seriously.  We follow the Jewish calendar to find the day of Passover and relive the historical events in our time.  We have just completed the Passion Week with the remembrance of His pain and suffering, and today we rejoice over the fact and truth of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.  I desire to understand the nature of this resurrection by studying its background a bit more.  The word, 'resurrection' means, “A rising again; chiefly, the revival of the dead of the human race, or their return from the grave, particularly at the general judgment.”  1 Peter 1:3 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” 

First, the truth of resurrection presupposes that there was a shadow of death.  If there was no death, there was no resurrection, either.  Therefore, before we celebrate His resurrection, we mourn over His death first. 

(1) Isaiah says that He bore our griefs and carried our sorrows, which means that He was struck down by our sorrows.  He was despised and rejected by mere creatures, corrupt and depraved sinners.  He was wounded and bruised, oppressed, and afflicted.  He was brought as a lamb to the slaughter.  He was laid in a grave.  He died.  In His deplorable condition, while He was in the days of His flesh, “He had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears” unto the Father “who was able to save Him from death” (Hebrews 5:7). 

(2) There is a heavenly irony in it.  His death is not a further downturn of the destiny of mankind.  Who could possibly imagine that His death sent a dawn of new hope and blessedness to the dying human race?  1 Thessalonians 5:9-10, “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁰ Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.”  In particular, we should pay attention to the words, “for us,” in verse 10.  The preposition, “for,” could be translated “for the sake of” or “on behalf of.”  It indicates that His death cannot be in vain, for it benefits the people who are called “us.”  They are the ones who have received salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.  In other words, His death is our gain.  His death benefits us.  It removes something that we must receive and gives us something else that benefits us.  Thus, on the one hand there is sorrow of death, and on the other hand there is joy of salvation in His death. 

(3) The death and resurrection of Jesus is the core of the gospel.  1 Corinthians 15:1-4, “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; ² By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. ³ For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; ⁴ And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”  There is no Gospel of Jesus Christ without the preaching of His death and resurrection.  Paul was determined to know Jesus Christ only, and Him crucified.  Christ in the deity and glory of His person; but also as crucified, in the ignominy of His passion. This is the sum of the gospel, and contains all the riches of it.  Paul was so much taken with Christ, that nothing sweeter than Jesus could drop from His lips and pen.  It is observed that he uses the word Jesus five hundred times in his epistles.

(4) His death was the ground of His ascension and entrance into heaven as a priest.  Jesus Christ is our high priest.  The high priest could not enter within the veil without blood.  Animals' blood could not remove sins and impurities forever in completion.  In the Old Testament, there were many high priests and they had to offer sacrifices year after year.  However, Jesus Christ is the perfect High Priest who entered the heavenly sanctuary.  He is perfect because of who He is, and His sacrifice was perfect because He brought His own blood to the heavenly sanctuary.  An expiatory sacrifice was necessary to precede His ascension to heaven.  With His blood He was to enter.

Second, there are at least three benefits we enjoy through Christ’s resurrection.  (1) The foremost significant benefit is to overcome the power of death.  “As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22).  John 5:28-29 says, “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, ²⁹ And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.”  It is an eternal truth that, “If we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him” (Romans 6:8).  We shall live with the Lord forever.  (2) Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we can have sure hope of our future.  Psalm 16:9 says, “Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.”  What should be the answer to the psalmist?  Verse 10 says, “For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.”  Peter declared its fulfillment in Acts 2:31, “He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.”  Resurrection was fulfilled in Christ Jesus.  Paul relates the resurrection of Christ to our hope in 1 Corinthians 15:19, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.”  (3) The third benefit we need to think about is the benefit coming from Christ’s ministry of intercession for us.  If we should speak of Christ’s high priestly functions, we would say that they are oblation and intercession.  Probably, we cannot divide these two ministries from His high priesthood.  We cannot think of a high priest who does not offer sacrifices.  In the same manner, we cannot think of a high priest who does not intercede for the people of God.  Of course, oblation precedes the intercession.  The high priest must slaughter a sacrifice and enter into the sanctuary and sprinkle the blood of it with his finger.  Only then, propitiation is made.  Without the oblation he would have had nothing to present in his intercession.  1 John 2:1-2 says, “ My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: ² And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”  Christ is our propitiation, our sacrifice.  Then He is our advocate for intercession.  What He does as an advocate is grounded upon what He did as a sacrifice.  Hebrews 7:25 says, “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” 

All such benefits would not be available if the Lord had failed to live again.  The resurrection of Jesus is proof that He is our Savior and the ground of our unchangeable hope.

Lovingly,

Your Pastor

More Lively Hope

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