Please turn in your Bibles to Romans chapter 5 as we examine the reality of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ on this Easter morning 2002. And as you are turning there, listen to this story "What’s So Special About Easter?"
A group of four year old’s were gathered in a Sunday School class in Chattanooga. The teacher, looking at her class enthusiastically, asked, "Does anyone know what today is?"
One little girl knew. "It’s Palm Sunday!" she said.
"Very good," said the teacher. "And does anyone know what next Sunday is?"
The same little girl lifted her hand again. "Yes, next Sunday is Easter," she announced.
The teacher was very pleased with this little girl, and she complimented her effusively before asking a third question. "Now, does anyone know what makes Easter so special?"
It was the same little girl who again raised her hand and offered this answer: "Yes, next Sunday is Easter because Jesus rose from the dead..."
Before the teacher could compliment her, she kept on talking: "...but if he sees his shadow, he has to go back in for seven weeks."
Robert J. Morgan, Stories, Illustrations & quotes, p. 254
Now as cute and funny as that story is, many adults have no clue to what this day is all about. Now that may surprise some of you, but it is true. In fact, a couple of years ago a group of pollsters looked at the 60% of Americans who attended church the previous Easter Sunday, and 25% of them could not explain the significance of this event!
What was seen as cute and funny in that little girl is now sad and tragic in the lives of many adults who go to church on Easter and yet do not understand the significance of the simple truth that God became flesh and dwelt amongst us, went to the cross to pay the penalty for our sins and on the third day rose from the grave bodily for them, paying in full the penalty for their sins. The resurrection of Jesus Christ has no impact on their lives today, they don’t even know what it is all about!
Thus, this morning we are going to be looking at the significance of what Jesus Christ has done for us. You see, it truly is a matter of life and death for everyone of us. Erwin W. Lutzer, in his book One Minute After You Die, said:
One minute after you slip behind the parted curtain, you will either be enjoying a personal welcome from Christ or catching your first glimpse of gloom as you have never known it. Either way, your future will be irrevocably fixed and eternally unchangeable.
Thus, I see this as vitally important, that we understand what this day is all about and who Jesus is to us, why we need Him in our lives. Your eternal destiny rests upon it. With that said, let’s look at our text this morning in Romans chapter 5, beginning in verse 8.
To understand what Christ has done for us, we first must understand the condition that we are in. It is as Paul said in Romans 5:12, "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned." You see, when God created the heavens and the earth, it was very good! And God created man with a free will to chose, to make decisions, and man was instructed what he could and couldn’t do, and then had the choice to either obey or disobey. And things were going well until Adam and Eve decided to sin against God, to transgress the Words of God. It was at that point that man’s fellowship with God was broken, because of man’s sin.
In Isaiah 59:1-2 we see this point spoken of as we are told, "Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear." Man, created with a free will, decided to rebel against God and that was the thing that severed man’s relationship with God, it broke that relationship. Now man, being a descendent of Adam, has that sin nature of Adam transferred into his life. Man is born with a sin nature!
Now some don’t like that and they argue that this is not fair, they don’t believe it to be true. They don’t believe they should suffer the consequences of Adam’s failure, Adam’s sin. And yet, Romans 5:19 tells us "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners..." First of all, if you don’t want to accept that fact, even though the Scriptures teach it, if you were in the place of Adam, you would have done no better, you too would have rebelled against God!
And even if you want to negate the affects of Adam’s sin in your life, you still have the problem of your own sin, your daily sin against God. And thus, it is still your sin that separates you from God. Doubt that? Have you ever lied, cheated, stolen anything, involved in any immoral activity, thought of evil things, and-so-on? Of course you have and that sin has separated you from God!
Now some of you may be thinking that you are not perfect, and you are right. But you feel that your failure, your mistakes, your sin is not that bad and thus, God should accept you just as you are! But unless you are perfect, without sin, God can’t accept you. You see, He is holy, He is righteous, and there is no darkness in Him at all! Thus, to accept you in that sinful condition would make Him unrighteous, unholy, there would be darkness in Him!
In Habakkuk 1:13 we are told of God, "You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on wickedness..." It is not that God doesn’t see evil, but He can’t look upon it with approval. So we do have a problem, as Paul said "...‘There is none righteous, no, not one.’" And if you still think you have a chance to make it on your own, listen up. Paul tells us in Romans 3:23, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." That word "sin" is an archery term, meaning missing the mark, the bull’s eye! You have fallen short of perfection!
Now granted, some people are better than others. For instance, a person who helps those in need as compared to a murderer. One is doing better than the other, so the rational is, that God will accept one over the other. WRONG! The key is that ALL have sinned, and that sin has separated us from God.
Let me illustrate to you what I mean. The north rim and the south rim of the Grand Canyon are only some 10 miles apart as the crow flies. Standing on the north rim of the Grand Canyon are 3 people, and each will attempt to jump the distance to the other side. If you miss, you have about a 7,000 foot drop to the canyon below!
So the first man get’s a running start and jumps, going out only about 10 feet and then he falls into the canyon below, to his death, he obviously did not make it. The next man was in better shape, and he got a good running start and jumped, and he made it out 5 miles, into the center of the canyon, but he too fell short and came crashing down to his death in the canyon below.
The third and last man was an Olympic athlete, he was in great shape. He looked good, he was strong, he was powerful, and it truly looked like if anyone would make it, he would. So he got a good, long running start and then jumped, farther and farther he traveled, making it only 10 feet from the south rim of the Grand Canyon. But, even though he was very close, he still missed the mark and he too came crashing down into the canyon below, to his death!
Now the question we need to ask ourselves is this. "Did anyone make it?" And the answer is "No!" You see, as Paul said, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23. Or in this case, all fell short of making it to the other side. You see, it doesn’t matter how close you come, you still will come up short, you will not make it on your own. You will never hit the mark of perfection, you will come up short!
Now in that condition, the outlook is not good, for Paul tells us "For the wages of sin is death..." Romans 6:23. But God’s love for us is rich, it is deep and as Paul tells us "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8. While we were in rebellion against God, living in sin and not seeking Him, Christ went to the cross for us. But why? What was the purpose of the cross?
In the Old Testament God instructed His people to offer sacrifices for their sins, for the atonement of their sins. Now the Hebrew word for "atonement " in the Old Testament is KAPHAR, which means "covering." And that was the problem, the blood of these animals could never take away your sins but only cover them for a short time, until we sinned again.
But, in the New Testament, the word for "atonement" is the Greek word KATALLAGE and it literally means "making one." Thus, this word speaks of the reconciliation of man to God through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice. You see, you could not become one with God through the sacrifice of animals, but the sacrifice of Jesus Christ has reconciled man to God! Thus, the purpose of the cross was to reconcile man back to the living God as Peter tells us, "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit." I Peter 3:18.
Now, our sins have been cast as far as the east is from the west, to be remembered no more. We no longer have our sins covered by animal sacrifices, but put away through Christ’s sacrifice. And that is what Paul was saying in Hebrews 9:11-15, where we read "But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance."
The eternal God became flesh for us, for He had compassion upon us, upon our condition that we were in. And the Greek word that is used for "compassion" speaks of getting into the skin of another. And isn’t that exactly what Christ has done for us? He got into our skin so He could pay the penalty for our sins.
Now also understand that no man could accomplish this on his own. You see, it had to be a perfect sacrifice, without spot or blemish, without sin! And thus, sinful man could not atone for his own sin. But our gracious God reached down and lifted man up by His sacrificial death.
Peter put it this way in I Peter 1:18-21, as he said "knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God." Notice, you can’t buy your way into heaven, you can’t work your way into heaven, but the blood of Christ applied to your life will cleanse you of all your sins, you will be perfect, not on your own merit, but in Christ, as His righteousness is imputed to your life by faith. And thus, Paul says "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." TLB. Romans 6:23.
Now there is another point we need to understand. It was not only the death of Jesus Christ but His resurrection that gives us assurance of eternal life through Him. And I want you to listen to the point that Paul makes regarding this, the resurrection of Jesus. In I Corinthians 15:12-19 we read "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. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up-- if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable."
If you deny the resurrection of Jesus, if it never happened, we are in trouble! Paul tells us we are still lost in our sins. But folks, the tomb is empty, Christ has risen, and Paul continues on by saying "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." I Corinthians 15:20-22.
You see, Christ has risen from the dead, and to deny the resurrection of Jesus we would have to deny all historical facts, for we were not there to witness them. But, the resurrection of Jesus was verified by many witnesses. Jesus, after He rose from the dead on the third day, as the Scriptures said would take place, and as Jesus told His disciples, appeared to many different people at different times. Listen to some of those He appeared to:
1. TO MARRY - JOHN 20:16
2. TO THE TWO DISCIPLES ON THE ROAD TO EMMAUS - LUKE 24:15
3. TO THE 10 DISCIPLES - LUKE 24:36
4. TO THE 11 DISCIPLES - JOHN 22:26
5. BY THE SEA OF GALILEE - JOHN 21:1
6. TO THE 5OO BRETHREN - I CORINTHIANS 15:6
7. TO JAMES - I CORINTHIANS 15:7
8. TO PAUL - I CORINTHIANS 15:8
You see, if there was any doubt that the disciples made this up, they could have checked out their story by going to the eyewitnesses, many of whom Paul tells us were still alive when he wrote his first letter to the church in Corinth. If it was a lie, it would have been exposed of very quickly and that would be the end of it. But it was not a lie, but a historical fact!
And the resurrection, as I have said, is very important to our faith. It is the heart of the Apostolic teaching, "Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection." Acts 1:21-22. It is a fundamental fact of the Gospel, "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." I Corinthians 15:3-4. There is no Christian faith without the resurrection, "And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty...And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!" I Corinthians 15:14, 17. By it, Jesus was proven to be the son of God, "concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead." Romans 1:3-4. And faith in the resurrection is essential for salvation, "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. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." Romans 10:9-10.
Dr. Simon Greenleaf of Harvard University, a very verbal skeptic of Christianity, had written a set of books called "The Laws Of Legal Evidence." He was challenged by his students to apply these books to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He accepted the challenge, and in the process he became a Christian. His conclusion was, "The resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of the best established events of history, according to the laws of legal evidence administered in the courts of justice."
Also, listen to this story of Josh McDowell, a very strong skeptic to Christianity:
Josh McDowell entered university as a young man looking for a good time and searching for happiness and meaning in life. He tried going to church, but found religion unsatisfying. He ran for student leadership positions but was disappointed by how quickly the glamour wore off. He tried the party circuit, but he woke up Monday mornings feeling worse than ever.
He finally noticed a group of students engaged in Bible study, and he became intrigued by the radiance of one of the young ladies. He asked her a reason for it. She looked him straight in the eye, smiled, and said, "Jesus Christ."
"Oh, for heaven’s sake," he retorted, "don’t give me that garbage about religion."
She replied, "I didn’t say religion; I said Jesus Christ."
The students invited him to intellectually examine the claims of Christ and the evidence supporting Christianity. He accepted their challenge, and after much study and research, finally admitted that he couldn’t refute the body of proof supporting Christianity. McDowell received Christ as his Savior, and his research became the background for his book Evidence That Demands a Verdict.
One of the major factors in his conversion to Christianity was his inability to ignore the historical resurrection of Jesus Christ, a point he made later to a student at the University of Uruguay who asked him, "Professor McDowell, why can’t you intellectually refute Christianity?"
"For a very simple reason," replied McDowell. "I am not able to explain away an event in history - the resurrection of Jesus Christ."
Josh McDowell, The Resurrection Factor, pp. 2-7
You can’t deny the fact that Jesus Christ was a historical figure, God incarnate as the Bible says. And that He went to the cross to pay the penalty for our sins, rising from the dead on the third day according to the Scriptures. All you can do is reject that free gift of life, and in doing so you have set a painful eternity for yourself.
But, if you have received Christ, you are saved from the wrath to come and will enter into everlasting life with Him. We have been reconciled to God through Jesus Christ, what a tremendous promise that God has for us. I don’t think you can leave here this morning not knowing what the resurrection is all about unless you are sleeping or dead! If the person next to you looks asleep, give him or her a pinch and you will find out which one they are, either dead or asleep! No, don’t do that, but make no mistake about it, the choice is yours to make, to either accept or reject Jesus Christ into your life, but also understand that the choice you make has eternal consequences attached to them. Choose Christ, enter into life with Him, and make this Resurrection day 2002 a truly special day in your life if it is not already!