The Easter Message
Introduction
Today is Easter Sunday, and we are celebrating the resurrection of the Lord Jesus today. In reality, every Sunday is a commemoration of our Lord’s resurrection from the grave. We see an almost immediate transition to Sunday worship in the newborn church of the book of Acts. And the reason for this was that these early Christians wanted to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus upon the first day of the week. So the very concept of Sunday worship for the church is a tribute to the Lord Jesus who rose early on the first day of the week (Cf. Mark 16:9). But every year at this time, we emphasize and remember in a particular and special way the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
People respond differently when you talk about the resurrection of Jesus. There are those who want to disprove the fact of His resurrection. In fact, just a few months ago (in late February 2007) there was a national news story about a documentary produced by James Cameron for the Discovery Channel that claimed they had found the bones of Jesus and his family. This is just another example of the extreme skepticism about Jesus’ resurrection.
Some people are cautious about the fact of the resurrection of Jesus. For example, I heard a story about a man and his ever-nagging wife who went on vacation to Jerusalem. While they were there, the wife passed away. The undertaker told the husband, “You can have her shipped home for $5,000, or you can bury her here, in the Holy Land, for $150.” The man thought about it and told him he would just have her shipped home. The undertaker asked, “Why would you spend $5,000 to ship your wife home, when it would be wonderful to be buried here and you would spend only $150?” The man replied, “Long ago a man died here, was buried here, and three days later he rose from the dead. I just can’t take that chance.”
For those of us who believe, the resurrection of Jesus is not about cynicism or caution, but it is all about celebration and rejoicing in the risen Christ. That is the blessed truth of Easter.
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia says that…
The English word (EASTER) … does not properly occur in Scripture, although the King James Version has it in Acts 12:4 where it stands for Passover. There is no trace of Easter celebration in the New Testament… The Jewish Christians in the early church continued to celebrate the Passover, regarding Christ as the true paschal lamb, and this naturally passed over into a commemoration of the death and resurrection of Our Lord, or an Easter feast.
Easter then has come to refer to the celebration of our Lord’s resurrection. And while the various specifics of the Lord’s resurrection can be found in the four gospels, there is a valuable summary of the fact of our Lord’s resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15, which is the great resurrection chapter of the New Testament.
Jerry Vines said…
Most of Paul’s letter to the First Corinthians addresses problems in the local church there. There was the problem of division in the fellowship and Paul addresses that matter; there was the problem of personal sin in the lives of individual believers and Paul addresses that problem; there was also the problem of disruption in the fellowship or disruption in the services as it related to spiritual gifts and Paul magnificently has addressed that problem. He comes to one final problem that is in the church there and it’s probably the most serious of all because it is the problem of doctrine. … There were some in the fellowship of the Corinthian church who were denying the resurrection of the body of the believer. We know this is true because of what we find in verse 12 of this chapter. He says there, Now if Christ be preached that He rose from the dead, how say some among you (see, he’s talking to believers; how say some among you) that there is no resurrection of the dead?
In verses 13 thru 19, there are six “if”s that point us to the awfulness of a world without a resurrected Jesus. And as awful as that would be, the glorious truth remains that He did rise…
(1 Corinthians 15:20) But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
Because the resurrection of Jesus is a key component of the gospel message, Paul begins his discussion of the resurrection by talking specifically about the gospel. And he says…
(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:
In speaking of 1 Corinthians 15, F. B. Meyer said…
(These are) words which are altogether transcendent! How they thrill us and inspire! What memories they recall! How impossible is it not to feel their majesty. Surely no brain nor lip of man had begotten them! They bear the mintmark of heaven.
Now Paul is talking about the gospel. And the word “gospel” is the Greek term (Greek 2098) euaggelion, from which we get our word evangel or evangelist. It is a word that means “a good message,” or good news.
As he enters into this message about the gospel…
I. Paul Mentioned The Proclamation Of The Gospel
A. This Proclamation Involved The Declaration Of The Gospel
(1 Corinthians 15:1) Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye
have received, and wherein ye stand;
1. This Declaration Indicates That Paul Was Revealing The Gospel To Them
declare – Greek 1107. gnorizo, gno-rid'-zo; from a der. of G1097; to make known; subj. to know:--certify, declare, make known, give to understand, do to wit, wot.
2. This Declaration Indicates That Paul Was Reminding Them Of The Gospel
declare – Greek NT:1107. to make known; to recall to one’s mind, as though what is made known had escaped him.
(From Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
C. J. Rolls said, “The declaration of the Resurrection is our brightest assurance; to discredit it is the blackest possible assumption.”
B. This Proclamation Involved The Discourse Of The Gospel
(1 Corinthians 15:1-2) 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.
preached – Greek 2097. euaggelizo, yoo-ang-ghel-id'-zo ); from G2095 and G32; to announce good news
(“evangelize”) espec. the gospel:--declare, bring (declare, show) glad (good) tidings, preach (the gospel).
1. Paul Is Talking About A Discourse That Is Delivered Personally In verses 1 and 2 he says “I preached unto you.”
the gospel (euaggelion) which I preached – 1 Corinthians 15:1. “the gospel which I gospelized unto you.” (from Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament)
2. Paul Is Talking About A Discourse That Is Delivered Publicly
(1 Corinthians 15:11) Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.
preach – Greek 2784. kerusso, kay-roos'-so; of uncert. affin.; to herald (as a public crier), espec. divine truth (the gospel):--preach (-er), proclaim, publish.
C. This Proclamation Involved The Delivering Of The Gospel
(1 Corinthians 15:3) For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our
sins according to the scriptures;
1. That Paul “Delivered” It Indicates That He Had Transported The Gospel Truth
Cf. (Acts 8:3) As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women
committed them to prison.
This word “committed” is the same Greek term as the word “delivered” in 1 Corinthians 15:3.
2. That Paul “Delivered” It Indicates That He Had Transmitted The Gospel Truth
delivered – Greek NT:3860. be entrusted to a form of teaching (the Jewish practice of entrusting a student to the teaching of a rabbi); pass on teaching and modes of conduct (for faithful observance).
(From Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament)
delivered – Greek 3860. paradidomi, par-ad-id'-o-mee; from G3844 and G1325; to surrender, i.e. yield up, intrust,
transmit:--betray, bring forth, cast, commit, deliver (up), give (over, up), hazard, put in prison, recommend.
II. Paul Mentioned The Particulars Of The Gospel
(1 Corinthians 15:3-4) 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:
Paul preserves for us a creed that was recited by the earliest Christians that contains the fundamentals of Christianity-that Jesus died, why? For our sin. That he was buried, that he was resurrected on the third day. This creed has been dated back by scholars from a wide range of theological beliefs to as early as 2-3 years after the life of Jesus. Here is a creed that emerges so quickly that it couldn’t have been the product of legendary development. [It’s] not the product of people over long periods of time attributing things to Jesus that didn’t really happen.
(From an interview with Lee Strobel by Laura Sheahen)
A. The Gospel Includes The Vicariousness In His Death On The Tree
(1 Corinthians 15:3) For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our
sins according to the scriptures;
1. That Christ Died Reminds Us Of The Passion (Suffering) Of His Death
2. That Christ Died For Our Sins Reminds Us Of The Purpose Of His Death
Every humanistic philosophy today accepts the fact that Jesus died. But there is no good news in that. The good news is Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. That is the good news, that his death accomplished something for us. It changed us, it delivered us, it set us free. That death had great significance in the mind and heart and eyes of God, and that is the good news. As Peter puts it in his words, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree,” (1 Peter 2:24 RSV). Or, to use the words of Isaiah, “He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed,” (Isaiah 53:5 KJV). (Ray Stedman)
B. The Gospel Includes The Verification Of His Death In The Tomb
(1 Corinthians 15:4) And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
buried – Greek 2290. thapto, thap'-to; a prim. verb; to celebrate funeral rites, i.e. inter:--bury.
1. The Word “Buried” Points To The Fact That There Was A Corpse See Mark 15:42-46
2. The Word “Buried” Points To The Fact That There Was A Crypt
Mention again the six “if”s in verses 13 thru 19.
C. The Gospel Includes The Victory Over His Death In The Triumph
(1 Corinthians 15:4) And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
1. Paul Points Us To A Phenomenal Event – The Resurrection Of Jesus
rose again – Greek 1453. egeiro, eg-i'-ro; prob. akin to the base of G58 (through the idea of collecting one's faculties); to waken (trans. or intrans.), i.e. rouse (lit. from sleep, from sitting or lying, from disease, from death; or fig. from obscurity, inactivity, ruins, nonexistence):--awake, lift (up), raise (again, up), rear up, (a-) rise (again, up), stand, take up.
2. Paul Points Us To A Proven Event – The Resurrection Of Jesus
See 1 Corinthians 15:5-8
(Acts 1:1-3) The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, {2} Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: {3} To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
In 1874, Robert Lowry wrote…
Low in the grave He lay, Jesus my Savior, Waiting the coming day, Jesus my Lord!
Up from the grave He arose,
With a mighty triumph o’er His foes, He arose a Victor from the dark domain,
And He lives forever, with His saints to reign. He arose! He arose!
Hallelujah! Christ arose!
III. Paul Mentioned The Product Of The Gospel
A. The Gospel Has Produced A Learning Within Our Lives
(1 Corinthians 15:1) Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye
have received, and wherein ye stand;
1. The Word “Received” Indicates An Acceptance Of The Gospel
received – Greek NT:3880. to receive something transmitted; to receive with the mind; by oral transmission: by the narration of others, by the instruction of teachers (used of disciples). (From Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
2. The Word “Received” Indicates An Association With The Gospel
received – Greek 3880. paralambano; from G3844 and G2983; to receive near, i.e. associate with oneself (in any familiar or intimate act or relation); by anal. to assume an office; fig. to learn:--receive, take (unto, with).
B. The Gospel Has Produced A Loyalty Within Our Lives
(1 Corinthians 15:1) Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye
have received, and wherein ye stand;
1. We Are Persistent In The Fight
2. We Are Persevering In Our Faith
stand – Greek NT:2476. to be of a steadfast mind; one who does not hesitate, does not waver; in a figure, of one who vanquishes his adversaries and holds the ground; also of one who in the midst of the fight holds his position against the foe; to persist, continue, persevere: (so as not to fall from thy faith). (From Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
C. The Gospel Has Produced A Liberation Within Our Lives
1. Paul Talked About A Genuine Liberation
(1 Corinthians 15:2) By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
Paul’s qualifying phrase—if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain—does not teach that true believers are in danger of losing their salvation, but it is a warning against non-saving faith. So a clearer rendering would be, “… if you hold fast what I preached to you, unless your faith is worthless or unless you believed without effect.” The Corinthians’ holding fast to what Paul had preached (see 11:2) was the result of and an evidence of their genuine salvation, just as their salvation and new life were an evidence of the power of Christ’s resurrection. It must be recognized, however, that some lacked the true saving faith, and thus did not continue to obey the Word of God. (John MacArthur)
2. Paul Talked About A Grace Liberation
(1 Corinthians 15:8-10) And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. {9} For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. {10} But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
Jesus appeared to Paul as it were to one untimely born. Ektroma (untimely born) ordinarily referred to an abortion, miscarriage, or premature birth—a life unable to sustain itself. In Paul’s figure, the term could indicate hopelessness for life without divine intervention, and convey the idea that he was born without hope of meeting Christ. But the use of the term in the sense of an ill-timed birth, too early or too late, seems to fit Paul’s thought best. He came too late to have been one of the twelve. (John MacArthur)
Conclusion
Ben Haden tells the story of a group of four-year-olds who were gathered in a Sunday School class in Chattanooga. The teacher looked at the class and asked: “What special day was last Sunday?” A little four-year- old girl held up her hand and said, “Last Sunday was Palm Sunday.” The teacher exclaimed, “That’s fantastic, that’s wonderful. Now, does anyone know what today is called?” The same little girl held up her hand and said, “Yes, today is Easter Sunday.” Once again the teacher said, “That’s fantastic. Now, does anyone know why we celebrate Easter?” The same little girl responded and said, “We celebrate Easter because Jesus rose from the grave,” and before the teacher could congratulate her, she kept on talking and said, “but if he sees his shadow, he has to go back in for seven weeks.” (From PastorLife.com)
(Revelation 1:18) I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
(1 Corinthians 15:20-22) But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. {21} For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. {22} For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
We serve a Risen Savior, and that is the gospel truth!