August 23
Job 8:1-11:20 | PS 38:1-22 | Prov 21:28-29 | 1 Cor 15:1-28
Our hope rests in the atonement for our sins and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. For this reason, the proof of His resurrection is often the focus of attack. The historical truths behind Jesus walking on the Earth cannot be refuted, as He has been verified by extra-Biblical sources, secular sources, even hostile sources. The events surrounding His death are clearly described: He was severely beaten, almost to death, then crucified, and stabbed in the heart to prove His death, before being placed in a tomb, by Himself for three days, before rising from the dead. Some skeptics have stated that He survived the account and got away. Medical experts have clearly shown the impossibility of such an event, as crucifixion was 100% successful. Also realize, that if the Roman soldiers failed to effectively kill the "criminal", they would be required to suffer the same fate. Others have stated that the disciples stole the body. But why would they do this? Their faith in Jesus cost them their jobs, their families, their social standing, often their very lives. Why would they risk everything for a dead Savior, when they received no earthly benefits? Adding further veracity to the account, is in each description, women played a central role in first witnessing the resurrection. Women were held in very low esteem in those days, their witness not even deemed worthwhile in a court of law. Yet, the Gospel accounts spoke forth the truth. They hid nothing, just spoke forth the events as they actually occurred. The eyewitnesses and the effects on them cannot be refuted. Paul, being one of the best examples, as he encountered the risen Lord on the road to Damascus in Acts 9, turned from Christian hunter, to one of the hunted practically overnight.
The importance of this is stressed as Paul states in the earliest recorded creed of the church in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, "For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time." The importance of the resurrection is further stressed in 15:12-14, "Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty."
For the Christian, we can know that all of our sins have been paid for, because it does not rest upon the perfection of our repentance or the perfection of our works, but instead it rests on the perfection of His life and His sacrifice. Having been paid for we live a life as recipients of His mercy and grace. We read in 1 Corinthians 15:20-22, "But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive." And in this life we need not fear death if indeed we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. We have received His promise, His guarantee, that if we cast our trust in Him, we will one day be with Him in heaven. This is our living Hope based on the death and resurrection of our living Savior. This is the basis of the peace that Jesus offers us. While the rest of the world is understandably anxious, the Christian can live in total peace knowing that we are always cared for by God, both on Earth and one day in heaven.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: