The Resurrection

These are the three greatest words ever spoken.

Matthew 28:6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

Mar 16:6 And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.

Luke 24:6 He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,

Now John says he wasn't there in the tomb.

John 20:5 And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. (The faster running disciple)

7 And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. (everything neat and in order)

But it also says later on:

John 21:14 This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead.

I feel so badly for our brothers and sisters who fall pray to the erroneous teaching of the church that the death of Jesus Christ is what brought us victory. The death paid for our sins but the victory came three days later when Jesus Christ got up from the dead.

Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Yet how many people wear a cross? Suppose he had been hit by a truck, would we all wear a truck around our necks, or a machine gun, or any of many things that could have killed him would wear those symbols? How did this teaching come about you may ask, that is an honest question and deserves an answer which we will now look at.

1 Corinthians 2:2  For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

Now you have to determine why Paul is saying that. In the context Paul is talking about not using worldly wisdom to try to spread the word. There was a great deal of strife and division in Corinth. People are looking for a way to appeal to others using worldly wisdom which just genders strife and division. Paul is trying to straighten out this strife and contention by saying trust in God not worldly wisdom. He explains he taught them only what they could handle in 2:2. He does not say that was what he wanted to teach them just that was all they could handle till they got straightened out. Look at chapter 3.

1 Corinthians 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.

This what he said was happening in chapters 1 and 2

2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.

It seems clear that Paul wanted to teach them more but they could not handle

3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

4 For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?

5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?

6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.

7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.

In verse 4 he is talking about what was said in chapter 1.

1 Corinthians 1:12 Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.

13 Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?

14 I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius;

15 Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name.

16 And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other.

17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.

The cross represents all that Christ accomplished not just the crucifixion. You have to be very short sighted to stop at the resurrection. If you stop there then you end up in Romans 6

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

You can see right here in Romans the glory comes from being raised.

The Newness of life is in the resurrection not death of Jesus Christ.

So many places it talks of Jesus having been raised. To see how many I could come up with I typed raised from the dead into a search engine on blueletterbible and got this:

Acts 3:15, Acts 4:10, Romans 6:9, Romans 7:4, 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 2 Timothy 2:8, Acts 13:30,34, Acts 17:31, Romans 4:24, Romans 6:4, Romans 8:11, Romans 10:9, Galatians 1:1,  Ephesians 1:20, Col 2:12, 1 Peter 1:21

Those are the ones that speak about Christ being raised. If Christ stayed dead We'd be with him in death not newness of life.

The word raised appears 42 times if I counted right beginning in Acts through the the rest of the bible.

It was a big important thing to site it that many times.

I am really thankful that Christ laid down his life for us. The agony he went through for you and me must have been unbearable almost. He did ask that "this cup" could be taken away from him.

Mat 26:39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

That does not change the fact that the victory came once he got up. The resurrection is what they taught. Look at Acts 4.


Acts 4:2 Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead.

If they had stopped at the death of Christ they would have had far fewer problems. The people being grieved are the heads of the temple. The same group that tried to denied that Jesus arose.

Act 1:22 Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection. 

They are setting down the requirements for Judas's replacement. They were and when we Speak In Tongues are witnesses of the resurrection not the dying of Christ. Our use of the power of holy spirit is because he got up!!

 Act 4:33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.

Again the witness of the resurrection. These witnesses had to be their use of the power of holy spirit. Healing people raising the dead. setting the captives free from the spiritual wickedness from the exercised power of the devil. It doesn't say that the power ended in the first century, so that means we must still have that same power available today. If we don't see it don't blame God he hasn't changed we just choose not to use it or we have never been shown how to use it. Most Christians have used it without realizing they used it.

Act 17:18 Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection.

So apparently Paul was teaching not Christ and him crucified to everyone but the resurrection from the dead was being taught by him.

Act 17:32 And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of thn the ressis matter.

The Mocking Birds They were there in Acts 2 accusing the men who had just used the power they had received and demonstrated by speaking in tongues. They accused them of being drunk on new wine.

Rom 1:4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:

Again it is because of the resurrection

Phil 3:10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

Again Power in the resurrection not in the death.

1 Peter 1:3 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,

There are more but I think the point is made. Even maybe more important there are no verses I recall about there being power in  his death. There is that verse from Corinthians if pulled out of context can look like will should stop at the death but if you read the entire context it is clear Paul wanted to teach more but they were not ready for the meat of the word.

Ephesians 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were (being) dead in (to) trespasses and sins;

2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

You see the 2 words in () those are how those words should be translated.

There is no talk of the power of the death of Christ the power comes from and is in the resurrection. The word quickened means to make alive and it is because the grace of God that we get quickened. The father loved Christ and raised him he had lived sinless life and yet he did die for us so when he was raised we were raised with him.

8 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

We are dead to sin and we are at least suppose to live in the spirit. How could we live if he had not been raised?

I'd like to end in Ephesians with that great prayer for us in chapter 3.

Ephesians 3:14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;

19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

All of this because he was raised after our sins were paid for. He got up and we have newness of life.