What Resurrection Proves ? ?

Acts 2:23-32

What the resurrection proves? Scores of books have been written to prove the resurrection but today on this resurrection Sunday we will look at what the resurrection proves. 1. Resurrection proves the Word of God. Acts 2 where the church was born.

V 23 Peter preaches about Jesus death V24 Jesus Resurrection. Then he quotes Psalms 16.

Acts 2:23-32, Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; ²⁴ whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it. ²⁵ For David says concerning Him: ‘I foresaw the Lord always before my face, For He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken. ²⁶ Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope. ²⁷ For You will not leave my soul in Hades, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. ²⁸ You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of joy in Your presence.’ 29 “Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. ³⁰ Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, ³¹ he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. ³² This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses.

The Old Testament, in Psalm 16 predicts the resurrection of the Messiah. If the Messiah doesn’t rise, if Jesus Christ doesn’t rise from the grave, the Bible is not telling us the truth. But the resurrection of Christ proves that the Bible speaks truth.

What does the resurrection prove then? The truthfulness of the Word of God. Paul preaches the same in Acts 13.

Acts 13:29-37, Now when they had fulfilled all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb. ³⁰ But God raised Him from the dead. ³¹ He was seen for many days by those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are His witnesses to the people. 32 And we declare to you glad tidings—that promise which was made to the fathers. 33 God has fulfilled this for us their children, in that He has raised up Jesus. As it is also written in the second Psalm: ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.’ 34 And that He raised Him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, He has spoken thus: ‘I will give you the sure mercies of David.’ 35 Therefore He also says in another Psalm: ‘You will not allow Your Holy One to see corruption.’ ³⁶ “For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and saw corruption; ³⁷ but He whom God raised up saw no corruption. Paul quotes from Isaiah 55.

Then Psalms 2 and 16 Paul, and based on three Old Testament prophecies, he preaches the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Scripture is at stake. If Jesus doesn’t rise, Psalm 2 is wrong, Psalm 16 is wrong, Isaiah 55 is wrong, any other Old Testament passage indicating the resurrection of Jesus Christ is wrong.

Acts 26:22-23, Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come— ²³ that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”

What did the prophets say?

What did Moses say in the Pentateuch? That the Christ was to suffer, and that by means of his resurrection from the dead, he should be the first to proclaim both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles. All the way back in the Law, all the way back in the Prophets, the Holy Writings, and the Psalms.

The Messiah will die and the Messiah will rise. Scripture is at stake when Jesus arose, then. All of these prophesies and many more were fulfilled and the Word of God was proven to be true.

Jesus Himself spoke about this.

John 2:19-22, Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” 21 But He was speaking of the temple of His body. 22 Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said. On the road to Emmaus Jesus spoke to the two disciples.

Luke 24:25-27, Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! ²⁶ Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” ²⁷ And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

The picture of a dead and risen Messiah is all over the Old Testament, every time there was a sacrifice of a lamb.

• Every time such sacrifice is noted in the Scripture, it speaks of a dying Messiah.
• Every time it talks about Messiah’s reigning, and ruling, and kingdom, it speaks about a living Messiah.

Therefore it is obvious that the one who dies must come back to life. It is all over the Old Testament.

1 Corinthians 15:3-4, For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: 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, 2. Proves the Deity of Jesus Christ. New Testament several people giving their testimony as Jesus as God.

Demons

Mark 5:6-7, When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him. ⁷ And he cried out with a loud voice and said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore[c] You by God that You do not torment me.” Born Blind in John 9.

John 9:35-38, Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, “Do you believe in the Son of God?” ³⁶ He answered and said, “Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?” 37 And Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you.” ³⁸ Then he said, “Lord, I believe!” And he worshiped Him.

Peter

Matthew 16:16, Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Thomas

John 20:28, And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”

Nathaniel

John 1:49, Nathanael answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”

Romans 1:1-4, Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God ² which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, ³ concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, ⁴ and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.

Romans 6:4, Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Acts 13:30, But God raised Him from the dead.

Ephesians 1:20, which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 3. Completion of the salvation of God.

Romans 4:25, who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.

It was God raising Jesus from the dead to affirm that what He did on the cross satisfied God’s holy justice. If God didn’t rise, then all he is Jesus Christ superstar, and His death is the death of an ordinary man, and has no saving value.

But God did rise from the dead, and He was raised by the Father for our justification. He was raised in order that in the sight of God we might be made righteous. In the sight of God we might be without sin, in order that our sin might be dismissed and forgiven.

Our justification includes bestowing eternal life. Part of being justified before God means that we receive eternal life. The bestowing of eternal life is dependent on the resurrection. As in Adam, all died, so in Christ shall all be made alive.

Because I live you shall live also. In other words, it was in the death of Christ and His resurrection that He granted to us eternal life. If He never rose then He showed He couldn’t conquer death. If He never rose, He wouldn’t be alive. If He wasn’t alive, He couldn’t give us life. But He did arise.

John 11:25, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in Me even though he dies, shall live again.” So eternal life is dependent upon the resurrection. That’s a component in the completion of God’s salvation.

• a) The Holy Spirit.

If Jesus hadn’t arisen from the grave, He never would ascended back to the Father. If he hadn’t ascended back to the Father, He never would have sent the Holy Spirit. He himself said that He could not send the Holy Spirit until He had gone back to the Father.

John 16:7-13, Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. ⁸ And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: ⁹ of sin, because they do not believe in Me; ¹⁰ of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; ¹¹ of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. ¹² “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. ¹³ However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

When He comes He’ll bring all things into remembrance. When He comes, He will place you into the body of Christ. When He comes, He will become the guarantee of your eternal life. When He comes, He will take up residence in you, and you will become His temple.

When He comes, He will empower you for service.

When He comes, He will guide you. When He comes, He will instruct you in the Word of God. He will be the anointing that teaches you so that you need no human teacher. The whole ministry of the Holy Spirit was dependent upon the resurrection of Christ. If He didn’t rise, He couldn’t descend, if He couldn’t descend, He couldn’t send the Spirit.

No resurrection, no ascension; no ascension, no Holy Spirit; no Holy Spirit, no church. When we talk about the resurrection proving the completion of the saving work of God, we are talking about the heart of Christianity.

Jesus had to rise to give us eternal life. Jesus had to rise to go back to the Father to send us the Holy Spirit.

• b) Forgiveness of our sins.

If Jesus hadn’t arisen from the dead, then we would know the Father was not pleased with His sacrifice. Jesus was raised from the dead, taken to the right hand of God, seated at the throne of God on His right hand, affirmed by God as having perfectly accomplished our redemption, then there is forgiveness of sins.

Hebrews 2:17, Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

Hebrews 10:12-14, But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, ¹³ from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. ¹⁴ For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.

• c) Interceding for us.

His resurrection is inseparably linked to His work of intercession as He presents His petitions on behalf of the weak and tempted Christians and intercedes for them before the throne of grace.

1 John 2:1-2, My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. ² And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.

Hebrews 4:15-16, For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶ Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 7:24-25, But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. ²⁵ Therefore He is also able to save [h]to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. He is always at the right hand of God. Satan is there accusing us. He is there defending us. He is our lawyer, our advocate, our defender. If He didn’t rise from the dead, He would have ascended, if He didn’t ascend, we have no defender there. We have no one there pleading our case. We don’t have the Holy Spirit in us pleading our case with groanings which cannot be uttered because He couldn’t go back and send the Spirit, and we don’t have Him there advocating on our behalf, either.

The resurrection, therefore, is necessary not only for forgiveness of sins, but for perpetual intercession, that we might never be tempted above that we are able, and that there always will be a way of escape. Spiritual gifts.

Enabling abilities that the Spirit of God gives to every Christian so that we can serve God.

Ephesians 4:7-11, But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. ⁸ Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.” ⁹ (Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also [d]first descended into the lower parts of the earth? ¹⁰ He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) ¹¹ And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,

What does the resurrection prove? It proves that the Word of God is true. It proves that the Son of God is deity. It proves that the salvation of God is complete. 4. The establishment of the church of God. Our Lord said He would build his church.

Matthew 16:18, And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

What are the gates of Hades? It’s a Jewish expression meaning Death. I will build my church and death won’t stop it; not your death, and not mine. Jesus was, in effect, saying, “I’m going to die, but I’m going to rise. Death is not going to stop me from building my church.”

Ephesians 1:20-23, which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, ²¹ far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. ²² And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, ²³ which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

When Jesus rose He took His seat, He became the head of the church. The resurrection is essential to the establishment of the church. If there’s no resurrection, there’s no church. The Messiah Himself is not complete without His body. He is a head without a body. The church is his completion. Church was born in the resurrection. It was the resurrection that transformed the apostles from scattered, fearful, faithless doubters and cowards into world- changing apostles. The little band of disciples, maligned and persecuted, grew to fill Jerusalem with their teaching, and soon turned the world upside down. Jews meeting on Sabbath for centuries and millennia all of a sudden became Christians meeting on Sunday.

Sabbath was no more the day, Sunday was, because Jesus arose, and the church has marched through time triumphant in the power of its risen Christ.

Conclusion

His resurrection is the guarantee of our eternal heaven.

John 14:1-3, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. ² In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. If there’s no resurrection, there’s no place prepared for us. If there’s no place prepared for us, there’s no heaven for us. Everything depends on the resurrection.

You take out the resurrection and you have cut out the soul of the Christian faith, and you have non-Christianity without the resurrection. All of God’s complete, redemptive plan depends on this key, reality. Jesus will either be back to take you to the place that He has prepared for you, or He will be back to send you to the place He has prepared for the devil and his angels.

He will be back either to gather you into His heaven or to send you to the hell that is outside of His presence forever. He will be back to pour upon you eternal blessing or eternal punishment. You will arise from the dead someday to the resurrection of life in His presence, to the resurrection of damnation out of His presence.

All gospel realities hinge on His resurrection, and your eternity is at stake. You can make your choice!