CHRIST HAS RISEN

“KUA ARA A TE KARAITI”

“CHRIST HAS RISEN!”

Read in your Bible Luke 24 1-8 and Acts 2, 22-24. Also there are other references to look up through this study that will help you to understand this important subject.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the one great fundamental truth upon which the whole edifice of the true Christian Faith and the Gospel of Christ stands. It sets the Christian faith apart from all other religions. The physical remains of the founders of other religions are still in their tombs, but the tomb of Christ is empty! Paul stated it clearly in 1 Corinthians 15:20, “Christ has indeed been raised from the dead . . .”

Without Christ’s resurrection there is no Gospel. There is no forgiveness of sins. There is no hope of Heaven. There is no way for us to have a personal relationship with God. If Christ did not rise from the dead believers who have passed on before are lost, the death of Christ was futile, and the Christian faith is just another worthless religion. Along with the truth of the deity of Christ, His resurrection has always been the subject of Satanic attack beginning right from the time the event took place when the religious leaders concocted the story that His disciples had stolen the body while the guards were asleep (Matthew 28:11-13).

Its acceptance is necessary for our personal salvation – “If you confess with your mouth

‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be

saved’.” (Romans 10:9). It is the guarantee to every believer that because He lives we shall live also (John 14:19).

Furthermore, it is an important motivation for the genuine Christian for it is the guarantee that the believer serves and belongs to a risen, living Saviour who has the power to fulfil every promise He made -- to save, empower and keep those who put their trust in Him. Serving Him is therefore not a futile exercise (1 Corinthians 15:58).

THE FACT OF THE RESURRECTION

First of all, it was foretold in the Old Testament (Psalm 16:10): “You will not abandon Me to the grave, nor will You let Your Holy One see decay”. This Psalm was quoted by Peter on the Day of Pentecost, showing that it actually applied to Christ (Acts 2:27). 18

The prophet Isaiah refers to the resurrection in Isaiah 53:11: “After the suffering of His soul, He will see the light of life, and be satisfied” (NIV). “He shall see the travail of His soul and be satisfied” (KJV). This verse refers to Christ and could only happen through His being raised from the dead.

Then it was foretold by Christ Himself (Matthew 17:22-23): “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill Him and on the third day He will be raised to life. And the disciples were filled with grief.” (They failed to grasp the point of what Jesus was really saying).

His words to the unbelieving Jews were: “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19). He referred, not to the temple made with stone in Jerusalem but to the temple of His physical body.

It was declared by the angels at the empty tomb (Matthew 28:6, Luke 24:5-8): “He is not here; He has risen, just as He said. Come and see the place where He lay.”

Also we have His appearance to the fear-ridden disciples – (John 20:19-20). They were hiding away behind locked doors because they were expecting the enemies of Christ to come looking for them next.

Finally, His appearance to the two on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35): After Jesus had revealed Himself to these two people, they returned to Jerusalem and exclaimed to the remaining 11 disciples, (verse 34), “It is true! The Lord has risen . . .”

THE PROOF OF THE RESURRECTION

Here are just a few of the proofs of Christ’s resurrection: -PETER: How do we account for Peter’s boldness (who had previously denied Christ) in declaring that Christ was alive on the Day of Pentecost in the very city where the events occurred, apart from the fact that Christ was indeed alive? (Acts 2:22-36). Peter could easily have been disproved if the body was still in the tomb, and the Jewish religious leaders who were immediately responsible for His crucifixion, would have been quick to have produced the body. A short time later, before the Sanhedrin (Acts 4:8-12), what was the reason for Peter’s courage apart from the reality of the resurrection? He spent the rest of His life serving the Lord by preaching the Gospel and encouraging Christians. History tells us that he ended his days as a martyr under the reign of Nero in Rome in AD 64. PAUL: What other genuine explanation can there be for Paul’s conversion from being a fanatical persecutor of Christians to a preacher of the Gospel himself all within 3 or 4 years after the death of Christ apart from the reality that Christ was alive and had appeared to him? (Read this exciting account in Acts 9:1-22). Saul (as he was originally known) had spent the earlier years of his life committed to stamping out the Name of Christ and His Gospel and destroying anyone who bore allegiance to Him. But within days of his encounter with Christ he was out in the streets of Damascus preaching the message he had earlier sought to eliminate. He came to that city as a persecutor of Christians, but left as a committed Christian himself, and went on to evangelise much of the then-known world. As with Peter, he suffered untold hardship and was finally executed as a martyr. Hardly the actions of men with the high intelligence they possessed, had the resurrection been a myth. 19

THE EARLY CHURCH: Another historic fact to be considered is the growth of the early Church in Jerusalem, in the close vicinity of the tomb where the body of Christ was lain. From just a few believers it grew to thousands within five years and then spread throughout the world of those days (Colossians 1:6). The Jewish religious authorities would have been most upset by such a startling phenomenon and would have done anything to have put a stop to it. As we have already seen, the easiest thing would have been to produce the body, but they couldn’t do it. Even they knew the tomb was empty; they just refused to accept the truth and instead concocted a story about the disciples stealing the body at night! 500 WITNESSES: Then we must consider the 500 witnesses that Paul mentions in 1 Corinthians 15:6. They were people who had personally seen Christ after His resurrection, most of whom were still living at the time Paul wrote. If you had had the opportunity to interview any of them, by the time you had spoken to the first ten you would be quite convinced of the validity of the resurrection. MANY OTHERS: Finally we should be aware that there are countless thousands of other lives that have been powerfully changed for the better down through the years and lives are still being changed today -- people whose lives would otherwise have been destroyed. Those rescued from drugs and alcohol addiction, heartbreak through destructive immoral lifestyles and broken relationships, as well as prison inmates are included. People of wealth from high society who have come to realise the ultimate emptiness of it all, to others from the dregs of humanity’s outcast – all brought to meaningful lifestyles through faith in the living Christ. THE EFFECT OF THE RESURRECTION

Most importantly, Christ’s resurrection proves His claims as to who He is and the efficacy and completeness of His sacrifice for us. John’s Gospel presents Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the true Messiah. The Bible tells us that, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God (for He was with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit), and the Word was God!” (John’s Gospel 1:1). This means that by nature of being, Jesus Christ is God! By nature of being we are human, but by nature of being He is God (Deity), one of the members of the Godhead (the Trinity). (Read also Revelation 1:17-18. Notice the words of Jesus, “I am the Living One – I became dead – but I am alive forever more”). He entered our world as a human being, becoming the unique God-Man – truly God and truly human. It was the only way He could become our sin-bearer, paying the penalty in our place. But, having done so, he rose in triumph over Satan, death and sin.

The main theme of John’s Gospel shows who Jesus really is. Chapter 20, verses 30-31 is a key passage and it says, “Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God (the Messiah), and that by believing you may have life in His name”.

Because Jesus Christ is who He claimed to be and is alive, the following blessings can be true in your life: --

 Justification from sin and peace with God (Romans 4:25, 5:1). Because Jesus has paid the price of your sin and won the victory, God can wipe out the whole record of your sin when you turn to Him and receive Christ as your personal Saviour (Hebrews 10:16-17).  Life-transforming power (Romans 6:1-5, 2 Corinthians 5:17). A new purpose and power for living a life of real meaning and purpose for God.  Keeping power – Eternal security (Romans 5:9-10, Hebrews 7:23-25). Knowing that you are saved for both this life and the next. THE CLIMAX OF THE RESURRECTION

Here are three future blessings that apply to all true believers: -

An Eternal inheritance for all who have trusted Christ and who therefore belong to Him (Romans 8:17, 1 Peter 1:3-5). As Creator Jesus Christ is the rightful owner of the universe and He wants to share His inheritance with His people.

Complete transformation from perishable to imperishable; from mortal to immortal. Ultimate victory over sin and death (1 Corinthians 15:51-58 and 2 Corinthians 5:1-5). To be forever with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, John 17:24).

HOW SHOULD YOU RESPOND?

If you are not a Christian, the message to you is the message that Paul gave to the man in charge of the prison at Philippi when he asked the question, “What must I do to be saved?” Paul’s reply was, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved” (Acts 16:30-31).

If you are a Christian, here are three things you need to do: - “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:1-4). Our minds are vitally important. What we feed our minds on determines our attitudes and priorities.  “Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:1-2). It is through the study of God’s Word and our obedience to it that our minds are renewed.  “Stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58). This is because CHRIST HAS RISEN! -- Editor