April 17, 2022 –Easter Sunday

And through his blood, the forgiveness of sins. In Christ Jesus, brethren, your sins are forgiven.

Amen.

Amen.

Please take up the hymnal and turn to number 286. 286.

Please take up the bulletin and find Psalm 115.

I'm gonna ask Alyssa to play through that one time for us. Psalm 115.

In the wilderness, a lodging place for travelers,.

That I might leave my people and go from them, for they are all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men. And like their bow, they have bent their tongue for lies. They are not valiant for the truth on the earth.

For they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not know me, says the Lord. Everyone take heed to his neighbor and do not trust any brother, for every brother will utterly supplant and every neighbor will walk with slanderers.

Everyone will deceive his neighbor and will not speak the truth. They have taught their tongues to speak lies. They weary themselves to commit iniquity. Their dwelling place is in the midst of deceit.

Through deceit, they refuse to know me, says the Lord. Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, behold, I will refine them and try them, for how shall I deal with the daughter of my people? Their tongue is an arrow shot out.

It speaks deceit. One speaks peaceably to his neighbor with his mouth, but in his heart, he lies in wait. Shall I not punish them for these things, says the Lord? Shall I not avenge myself on such a nation as this?

I will take up a weeping and a wailing for the mountains and for the dwelling places of the wilderness, a lamentation, because they are burned up so that no one can pass through, nor can men hear the voice of the cattle, both the birds of the heavens and the beasts have fled.

They are gone. I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins, a den of jackals. I will make the cities of Judah desolate without an inhabitant. Who is the wise man who may understand this, and who is he to whom the mouth of the Lord has spoken that he may declare it?

Why does the land perish and burn like a wilderness so that no one can pass through? And the Lord said, because they have forsaken my law, which I have set before them, and have not obeyed my voice nor walked according to it, but they have walked according to the deceits of their own hearts and after the bales, which their fathers taught them.

Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, behold, I will feed them, this people with wormwood and give them water of gall to drink. I will scatter them also among the Gentiles whom neither they nor their fathers have known.

And I will send a sword after them until I have consumed them. Thus says the Lord of hosts, consider and call for the mourning women that they may come and send for skillful whaling women that they may come.

Let them make haste and take up a whaling for us that our eyes may run with tears and our eyelids gush with water. For a voice of whaling is heard from Zion, how we are plundered. We are greatly ashamed because we have forsaken the land, because we have been cast out of our dwellings.

Yet hear the word of the Lord, oh women, and let your ear receive the word of his mouth. Teach your daughters whaling and everyone her neighbor and lamentation. For death has come through our windows, has entered our palaces to kill off the children, no longer to be outside, and the young men no longer on the streets.

Speak, says the Lord, even the carcasses of men shall fall as refuse on the open field, like cutting after the harvester, and no one shall gather them. Thus says the Lord, let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches, but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, exercising loving kindness.

Judge.

That says, now let the vault of heaven resound. Six, three, five. Now let. Sing heartily, Lord. Please take up the Trinity hymnal and turn to number 290. Please prepare for the prayers of the people. We are on the commandments today.

So men, we need to jump on them. Maybe you need to do double duty today. Let us now pray together in unison. Oh God, from whom come all holy desires, all good counsel, and all just works. Give to us, your servants, that peace which the world cannot give, and also that we, being defended from the fear of our enemies, may live in peace and quietness through the merits of Jesus Christ, our Savior, who lives and reigns with you in the Holy Spirit, God forever.

Amen.

The Lord says, I am the Lord, your God. You shall have no other gods beside me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.

We ask that you would give us mercy and grace, that we would refrain from making idols or putting idols, anything that is not of you, that's not you in your place, but help us not to make idols, whether they are carved or of other things, that we would all give you the glory because you alone are God, you alone can serve and worship.

Let the Holy Spirit help us worship you in spirit and in truth, and not according to the tradition of the man.

You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain.

Thank you so much for the Lord Jesus Christ. We thank you that you have put your name upon us, and where we have been ashamed to speak the blessed name of the Lord Jesus Christ, forgive us, grant us to never take your name flippantly, but reverently and with joy.

I pray, Lord, that we would proclaim and herald the name of God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God help us, we pray in Jesus' name, amen.

Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Honor your father and your mother.

Our hearts to keep.

Our gracious God and Father, you have given us your commandments to teach us your ways and to make us holy and perfect like unto you. Father, as we think about this command to honor our earthly father and our earthly mother, we think of our heavenly father, of you, Lord, and our heavenly mother, the church, and as we think on these things, Lord, how we should honor our earthly father and our earthly mother in the same way that we honor you and the church.

Father, give us the grace to do this. Give us the grace to show that honor in this lost and hurting world as an example of the grace you have given us. We ask this in Jesus' name.

You shall not kill.

Lord, have mercy on us and incline our hearts to keep this sure.

We are to love our neighbors. We pray, Lord God, that as we try to cleanse ourselves, we know that we cannot cleanse ourselves, but by Christ that we are cleansed, but we nonetheless are to seek to cease sin in our hearts and in our lives, destroyed, that we may be obedient in all areas unto Christ.

We pray that anger would be just eradicated from us, that we would be known for our peacemaking, our peacemaking through the work of the gospel, that our love for our neighbors. We pray that we would heed the words of Christ when he says, if we have angered our hearts towards a brother, that we stop what we are doing and prepare ourselves and go make it right, go reconcile our wrongs, and if somebody has something against us, we pray that we would really dig this out and flesh it through in our own lives, that we may properly worship you and honor your name.

You shall not commit adultery.

Have mercy on us.

Preserve us through the temptations of this world, that we would put to death the lust of the flesh and not give in, rather, your purity.

You shall not steal.

Our gracious heavenly Father, we know that all things are yours and all things come from your hand. We pray, Father, that you would keep us from stealing, whether that be stealing from our neighbors or from others.

Father, ultimately, we are stealing from you. This can be time or possessions or whatever it is that takes our minds and our hearts off of you and our worship, your son, our savior, Jesus Christ. We pray, Father, that you would give us thankful hearts for all that you have given us and that we would rejoice in it.

We ask this in Jesus' name.

You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

Not a place for the courthouse, but as a place for truth that's in all of us. We've spoken about our neighbors against our brothers, against our sisters, against each other. Pray that when we are speaking about each other, that we would do it in love and truth, that we know that every word that's spoken out of our mouth, we will be held accountable for.

May that strike fear in our hearts and lead us into a responsible way in which we speak about each other. I pray this in your son's name.

You shall not covet.

Lord, have mercy on us and incline our hearts to keep this your law.

We heavenly Father, we ask of our neighbors not to be jealous of what they might have to be satisfied with what you have given us, that we would be thankful and bless our neighbors. We pray that we would just glorify you in all of this by confessing that all we have is yours and borrowing it.

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul, mind and strength. Please stand. Please find the bulletin insert that has our Psalm of the month, Psalm 22. Please take up your Bibles and turn to John chapter 19.

I'm going to read the last part of the crucifixion account in all of chapter 20. Begin reading in verse 17 of John 19. And he bearing his cross went out to a place called the place of a skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, where they crucified him and two others with him, one on either side and Jesus in the center.

Now Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross and the writing was Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. The many of the Jews read this title for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city and it was written in Hebrew, Greek and Latin.

Therefore the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, do not write the King of the Jews, but he said, I am the King of the Jews. Pilate answered what I have written, I have written. Then the soldiers when they had crucified Jesus took his garments and made four parts to each soldier a part and also the tunic.

Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top in one piece. They said therefore among themselves, let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be. That the scripture might be fulfilled, which says they divided my garments among them and for my clothing they cast lots.

Therefore the soldiers did these things. Now there stood by the cross of Jesus, his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw his mother and the disciple whom he loves standing by, he said to his mother, woman, behold your son.

Then he said to the disciple, behold your mother. And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home. After this Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled said, I thirst.

Now a vessel of sour wine was sitting there and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop and put it in his mouth. So when Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, it is finished. And bowing his head he gave up his spirit.

Therefore because it was the preparation day that the body should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath for that Sabbath was a high day, the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away.

Then their soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with him. When they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear and immediately blood and water came out.

And he who has seen has testified and his testimony is true and he knows that he is telling the truth so that you may believe. For these things were done that the scripture might be fulfilled, not one of his bones shall be broken.

And again, another scripture says they shall look on him whom they pierced. After this, Joseph of Arimathea being a disciple of Jesus but secretly for the fear of the Jews asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus.

Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus. And Nicodemus who at first came to Jesus by night also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes about 100 pounds. And they took the body of Jesus and bound it in strips of linen with the spices as the custom of the Jews is to bury.

Now in the place where he was crucified, there was a garden and in the garden, a new tomb which no one had been laid. So there they laid Jesus because of the Jews preparation day for the tomb was nearby.

Now chapter 20, now the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early while it was still dark and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. And she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved and said to them, they have taken away the Lord out of the tomb and we do not know where they have laid him.

Peter therefore went out and the other disciple and were going to the tomb. So they both ran together and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. And he's stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there, yet he did not go in.

Then Simon Peter came following him and went into the tomb and he saw the linen cloths lying there and the handkerchief had been around his head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself.

Then the other disciple who came to the tomb first went in also and he saw and believed for as yet, they did not know the scripture that he must rise again from the dead. Then the disciples went away again to their own homes, but Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping and as she wept, she stooped down and looked into the tomb and she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet where the body of Jesus had lain.

Then they said to her, woman, why are you weeping? She said to them because they have taken away my Lord and I do not know where they have laid him. And when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there and did not know that it was Jesus.

Jesus said to her, woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking? She supposing him to be the gardener said to him, sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him and I will take him away.

Jesus said to her, Mary. She turned and said to him, Rabboni, which is to say teacher. Jesus said to her, do not cling to me for I have not yet ascended to my father, but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my father and your father and to my God and your God.

Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples whom she had seen that she had seen the Lord and that he had spoken these things to her. Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut, where the disciples were assembled for the fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst and said to them, peace be with you.

When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side and the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again, peace to you as the father has sent me, I also send you. When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, receive the Holy Spirit.

If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them. If you retain the sins of any, they are retained. Now Thomas called the twin, one of the 12 was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him, we have seen the Lord.

So he said to them, unless I see in his hands, the print of the nails and put my finger into the print of the nails and put my hand into his side, I will not believe. And after eight days, his disciples were again inside and Thomas with them.

Jesus came, the doors being shut and stood in the midst and said, peace to you. And he said to Thomas, reach your finger here and look at my hands. And reach your hand here and put it into my side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.

And Thomas answered and said to him, my Lord and my God. Jesus said to him, Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed. And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book.

But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God. And that believing you may have life in his name. This is God's holy and infallible word. Please pray with me. Oh Lord, we rejoice the glorious news of resurrection.

How you have conquered sin and death and how you have by your grace united us to yourself. Oh Lord, I pray that we would leave here with greater boldness and courage as your disciples did when they learned of your resurrection.

We ask these things in Jesus' name, amen. Please be seated. He is risen today and we rejoice in this great news that has come to the church. The first thing we're going to consider today is the empty tomb.

Mary Magdalene and the women went to the tomb on that early Sunday morning. And the synoptic gospels even identify others by name. There was Mary, the mother of James, sometimes referred to as the other Mary.

Salome and even Luke adds a lady named Joanna and there may have been others. John seems to focus on Mary Magdalene because of the dialogue that she has with the angels and with Jesus himself. They've come to anoint the corpse with the spices that had been prepared.

Can you imagine the pre-dawn pilgrimage that must've been so sorrowful? All of their hopes have been pinned on Christ and it looks like there's a great defeat. Imagine their uneasiness in coming to the tomb and finding the stone removed and lying on the ground.

History tells us that the tomb's entrance in those days had a groove in the base where the stone would slide into and settle down into to make it difficult both to move and to provide a seal. The stone was really in there covering the tomb.

We should recognize also that upon arriving and in the discovery of the empty tomb, Mary is fearful of grave robbing and vandalism. She comes and she's disheartened by the things that she sees but we know better, this is a glorious reality.

Christ is risen, he is not there. Two questions have to be asked. In light of Jesus' seemingly ability to walk through locked doors and walls, why does the tomb need to have the stone removed? In our text, he twice shows up unannounced at an assembly where the doors are shut and he's there in the midst of them.

The risen body of Christ, a real physical body, can do miraculous things but the stone had to be removed. First, the grave had been conquered. I want you to think about that for just a moment. The removal of the stone, no stone, no heavy stone could keep Christ in the tomb.

No Roman guardian could stand outside and prevent his exit. Death itself could not keep him in the tomb. So in first glance, at first observation, the tomb has to be empty because the grave has been conquered.

Christ has conquered sin on the cross and now he's conquered death. There's a secondary value to the tomb being opened. It allows the women to peer inside. Peter and John also could see what's going on there and Peter, firstly, would go inside the tomb.

We see some of his personality at work there. He comes and he enters in the tomb and he looks around this very small confined space, no doubt asking the question, where is Jesus? They have taken him, the Lord, out of the tomb, she would say.

We do not know, verse 12, where they laid him. Second and maybe most prominent in John's accounting are evidence and proofs of the resurrection. He recounts a number of things I'm going to go through pretty quickly to give us more evidence and proofs of the resurrection.

We've already said first, the empty tomb. Second, what about Jesus's orderly exit? Look at verse six. Then Simon Peter came following him and went into the tomb and he saw the linen cloths lying there.

And the handkerchief that had been around his head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. Now, this is striking to me because Jesus, even in his triumphant exit from the tomb, most likely folds up the laundry and puts it in its proper place, leaving it behind.

No doubt, enclothing himself with garments that are fitting a risen Christ and king. What about Mary and the women and John and Peter observing the tomb? There is no recording anywhere in the scripture of the particular details of how Jesus was raised.

Have you ever thought of that? We don't have any idea what happened, but there is evidence that is entirely Trinitarian and it's working. It's a Trinitarian operation. In Galatians one, Paul says, the father, Paul, an apostle, he would say, not for men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God, the father who raised him from the dead.

So Paul says in Galatians that the father raised him from the dead. Paul would say elsewhere in Romans eight, the Holy Spirit, he would say, but if the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his spirit who dwells in you.

And it may be surprising to remember from John chapter two, Jesus himself said, destroy this temple. And in three days, I will raise it up. The operation of father, son, and Holy Spirit is the how of the resurrection and a greater testimony to Christ's deity.

There's something else. Throughout history of scripture and special revelation, there has been a demand, a plea that the savior, that Christ would be raised. Look at verse nine. It says, for as yet they did not know the scripture.

What did they not know? That he must rise again from the dead. Psalm 16, the miktam of David speaks to the life of David, but even greater so speaks to the life of the Lord. What does it say? For you will not leave my soul in shale, nor will you allow your Holy one to see corruption.

Resurrection in the Psalms. Psalm 110, the most oft quoted Psalm in the New Testament. The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand till I make your enemies, your footstool. Christ, the man who lived on earth is the Lord referred to by God himself.

God calling God, Lord, sit at my right hand till I make your enemies, your footstool. Implication, resurrection. Psalm 110, verse four. The Lord has sworn and will not relent. You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

How can one be a priest forever? Well, he must be a man to represent man before God, but he must be God to represent God to men. A priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Psalm 110 speaks of resurrection.

And what about Daniel 12? In a time of hopelessness, the Old Testament prophet says, and at that time, your people shall be delivered. Everyone who was found written in the book and many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt.

The resurrection of the righteous in Christ to glory, the resurrection of the wicked, those not in Christ to shame and everlasting contempt. There's also the testimony of the angels. Can you imagine the scene?

Mary is surprised by all that's happening and she looks again into the tomb and there are two angels. Woman, why are you weeping? Because they've taken my Lord away. And then she looks again and she's talking and she supposes this man to be a gardener.

The next evidence of proof of resurrection is not just an empty tomb, but Jesus himself there, right there with her. He says to her, Mary, Jesus was standing there. And then Mary in verse 18 comes and tells the disciples that she had seen the Lord and that he had spoken these things to her.

What an astonishing turn of events. It should be noted, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the greatest apologetic defense of our faith. How can it be refuted? If these things be true, how could it be argued against?

And then Jesus himself appears to the disciples. Look at verse 19. The same day at evening being the first day of the week when the doors were shut, where the disciples were assembled, that teleportation that we talked about earlier in Sunday school for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst.

How is it possible that the body that was raised from the grave could pass through walls and close doors? Such as the glorified body of Christ. He stands in the midst of them and pronounces his blessing and his peace to be on them.

He shows them his hands and his side. The glorified body of Christ bears the marks of his atoning work. Then he commissions them. He sends them out. He says in verse 21, as the father has sent me, so I also send you.

And then there's Thomas. Look at verse 24. Thomas was not present in this earlier meetings. And he says in response to them saying, the other disciples saying, we have seen the Lord. He says, unless I see in his hands, the print of the nails and put my finger into the print of the nails and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.

In verse 26 and following, we learn that Jesus would say to Thomas, reach your finger here. Look at my hands. Reach your hand here and put it into my side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing. I have to ask you, do you believe?

Do you believe that Jesus is risen? Do you believe the testimony of these eyewitnesses? Do you believe the recording of scripture, holy inspired scripture? Do you believe these things are true? All the doubts of Thomas are answered.

He responds in each of those questions with proofs. Put your finger here. Reach your hand here. Touch my side. Put it in the side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing in and Thomas exclaims, and we with him.

Oh, Jesus, you are my Lord and my God. And Thomas, this declaration speaks for all of us. So joyfully, so zealously. And there's something very encouraging to the church and to the Christian today. In verse 29, it says Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed.

Listen carefully. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed. We sang about the resurrection today and in your eyes and in your voices, you believed it. You said it and you sang it and you believed it was true.

Christ says, blessed are you who believe in this way, who have not had the privilege of putting fingers in the imprints of nails or reaching hands into sides. Blessed are you who have not seen and yet believed.

But there's something else I want us to consider today. And that is the centrality of the resurrection in early Christian preaching. In fact, it seems to be a cornerstone, a centerpiece of the apostolic method of gospel proclamation.

To be an apostle, it says in Acts 1 .22, you have to be an eyewitness to the resurrection of Christ. It's an essential criterion of apostleship. In that text, Luke records, one of these men, they would say, must become with us as a witness to his resurrection.

And remember Peter's sermon at Pentecost in Acts 2. This Jesus being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified and put to death, whom God raised from the dead, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that he should be held by it.

Peter goes on to quote Psalm 16, which we've already cited in his Pentecost sermon. In Peter's second sermon, he said in Acts 3, you killed the prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses.

In context, by the resurrected Christ, the lame man having faith in him is made strong. The faith that comes through Christ has given this lame man in Acts 3, this perfect soundness in the presence of you all, Peter would say, because of Christ and his resurrection.

This man is healed. In Acts 4, the chief priests, the captain of the temple and the Sadducees arrest the disciples because they were greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.

And we learned something of the efficacy of this resurrection message in Acts 4, for many of those who heard the word believed. When they heard about the resurrection of Christ, they believed. And the number of men came to be about 5 ,000.

I'm gonna read a couple more quick excerpts for you from Acts. In Acts 4, verse 10, it says, let it be known to all of you that Jesus, by the name of Jesus Christ, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, these things have happened.

In verse 33, it says, and with great power, the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, and great grace was upon them all. And I wanna stop here and pause. We need to preach the resurrection more.

We reserve it for Holy Week. We talk about it for Holy Week more. It has to be a central part of our gospel witness and proclamation of Christ and him crucified. Sometimes we leave it off with him still being on the cross.

Christ was crucified, dead, and buried, but he is risen. He has ascended. In chapter 13 of the book of Acts, this theory is continued to being proved true about Paul and his preaching. This is what he says.

In chapter 13, verse 26, Paul says, men and brethren, sons of the family of Abraham, and those who among you who fear God, to you the word of this salvation has been sent. To those who dwell in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not know him, nor even the voices of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, have fulfilled them in condemning him.

Though they found no cause for death in him, they asked Pilate that he should be put to death. When they had fulfilled all that was written concerning him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb.

And the greatest understatement ever, but God raised him from the dead. Continues, and he was seen for many days by those who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses to the people.

And we declare to you glad tidings, that promise which was made to the fathers. God had 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.

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. Still don't believe Psalm 16 is about resurrection. Paul says, therefore, he also says in another Psalm, you will not allow your holy one to see corruption.

In chapter 17, very obvious, Paul's discourse at the Areopagus at Mars Hill. Chapter 23, chapter 24, chapter 26. The content of the message is resurrection. And I'd like all of you to turn with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 15, really quickly.

1 Corinthians 15, Paul says, moreover brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand. By which also you are saved. If you hold fast that word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.

For I deliver to you first of all that which I also received that Christ died for our sins. Now he was seen by Cephas and then by the 12. And after that he was seen by over 500 brethren at once of whom the greater part remained 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. For I'm the least of the apostles who am not worthy to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church of God.

By the grace of God, I am what I am. And his grace toward me was not in vain. How much more proof do you need? How central is the message of Christ's resurrection to our faith? It's utterly essential.

In John chapter 11, the resurrection is seen as an essential part of the gospel. Do you remember what Jesus would say to Mary and Martha surrounding the events related to Lazarus? I am the resurrection and the life.

He who believes in me, though he may die, yet he shall live. Many of you learned to share your gospel using Romans chapter 10. And Romans 10, nine says essentially that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

There's another element. I want this to start moving a little bit toward application for us today. Christ's resurrection guarantees our resurrection. Romans eight again, if the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his spirit who dwells in you.

First Peter one says, blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope.

How?

Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. How do we have an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled that does not fade away because of the resurrection of Jesus? It's reserved in heaven for us who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation, ready to be revealed.

And the last time, finally, I want you to think about your own body today. The resurrection gives us a proper view of our bodies. Turn back to first Corinthians six, since you're right there in first Corinthians 15, turn to first Corinthians six, beginning in verse 12.

All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them.