The Necessity of Christ's Resurrection!

Have you ever wondered why the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth was necessary? What about the results of the resurrection of our Lord? Have you thought much about what they are as stated in the Word of God? Now that we have addressed the subjects of the nature and evidence of the resurrection of Christ we can now explore why it happened and the consequences of it. The resurrection of Christ is not only the cornerstone of all Christian teachings, it is one of the epic events in all the universe! It is as significant as the creation of the universe, the fall of humanity into sin, and the death of our Lord Jesus for our sins! We then take up our continuing study at the third observation:

III. THE NECESSITY FOR THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST

Also answering, Why? But from another viewpoint

A. The sinlessness of His life, making it impossible that He should be held by death (Acts 2:24)

1. Acts 2:24, Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.
2. It was not possible for death to hold Christ as a prisoner because:
1. The character of God demanded His resurrection. He had died, the Sinless for the sinful. God must raise Him as proof of His complete satisfaction with the redemptive work of Christ.
2. The prophecies of the OT demanded His resurrection (Acts 2:25–27; Psalm 16).  

B. The vindication of the truth of all His claims (John 2:19; Matt. 12:38-40)

1. John 2:19, Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.
2. Matthew 12:38-40, Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. [39] But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: [40] For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

C. The sign of God’s approval (Acts 2:23-24, 31-33)

1. Acts 2:23-24, Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: [24] Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.
2. Acts 2:31-33, He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. [32] This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. [33] Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.

D. To show God had accepted Christ’s redemptive work in our behalf (Rom. 4:23-25)

1. Romans 4:23-25, Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; [24] But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; [25] Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.
2. The resurrection provided proof that God had accepted the sacrifice of His Son and would be able to be just and yet justify the ungodly.
1. Christ’s death as God’s sacrificial Lamb (John 1:29) was to pay the redemptive price for the sins of all people (Rom. 3:24) so that God might be free to forgive those who respond by faith to the redemptive work of Christ.
2. Christ’s resurrection is the proof—demonstration and vindication—of God’s acceptance of Jesus’ sacrifice (Rom. 1:4). Therefore because the Lord Jesus lives, God can credit His provided righteousness to the account of every person who responds by faith to that offer.
3. Now let the heav’ns be joyful, let earth her song begin, let the round world keep triumph and all that is therein; let all things seen and unseen their notes in gladness blend, for Christ the Lord hath risen, our joy that hath no end! –John of Damascus. The Day of Ressurrection. Osbeck, K. W. 1990. Amazing Grace

IV. THE RESULTS OF JESUS CHRIST’S RESURRECTION

Answering the question, What then?

A. With reference to Christ Himself:

1. It marked Him off as the Son of God in a unique sense (Rom. 1:4).
1. Romans 1:4, And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
2. To “declare” means to mark off, to define, to set apart (Acts 10:42; Heb. 4:7).  Christ was not made the Son of God by the resurrection, but declared such. Had Christ remained in the grave, there would have been no compelling reason to place faith in Him.
3. The empty tomb certified the deity of Jesus Christ (Matt. 12:38–42; John 2:13–22).

                                                              i.      Low in the grave He lay—Jesus, my Savior! Waiting the coming day—Jesus, my Lord!

Vainly they watch His bed—Jesus, my Savior! Vainly they seal the dead—Jesus, my Lord.

Death cannot keep his prey—Jesus, my Savior! He tore the bars away—Jesus, my Lord!

                                                             ii.      Chorus: 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! –Osbeck, K. W. 1990. Amazing grace

2. It was the seal of the divine approval upon all His claims (Acts 2:23-24).

B. With reference to the Believer:

1. Assures us of our acceptance with God (Rom. 4:25).
1. Romans 4:25, Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.
2. Justification is a divine act whereby an infinitely Holy God judicially declares a believing sinner to be righteous and acceptable before Him because Christ has borne the sinner's sin on the cross and has become "to us . . . righteousness" (1 Cor 1:30; Rom 3:24).  –The New Unger's Bible Dictionary
2. Assures us of all needed power (Eph. 1:19-22).
1. Ephes. 1:19-22, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, [20] Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, [21] Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: [22] And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
2. The resurrection of Jesus our Lord entitles us to conceive of God’s omnipotence not as mere unqualified power, but as power no less than infinite engaged in the work of man’s salvation from sin. In the resurrection of Jesus, omnipotence is exhibited as redeeming power, and in this omnipotence we, like Abraham, believe.”  --Wuest, K. S. 1997, c1984. Wuest's Word Studies From The Greek New Testament   
3. Grants to us the Holy Ghost (John 7:37-39; Acts 2:33).
1. John 7:37-39, In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. [38] He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. [39] (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
2. Acts 2:33, Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.
3. Jesus Himself had promised to send the gift of the Holy Spirit to His people (Luke 24:49; John 14:26; 15:26; Acts 1:4). But if Jesus is dead, He cannot send the Spirit; therefore, He must be alive. Furthermore, Jesus could not send the Spirit unless He had returned to heaven to the Father (John 16:7); so, Jesus has ascended to heaven!
4. Is a guarantee of our own resurrection and immortality (II Cor. 4:14; John 14:19).
1. 2 Cor. 4:14, Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.
2. John 14:19, Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.
3. Moody More Alive

Realizing that he would soon be gone from this world one day, Moody said to a friend, “Someday you will read in the papers that D. L. Moody of Northfield is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it.

“At that moment I shall be more alive than I am now. I shall have gone higher, that is all—out of this old clay tenement into a house that is immortal, a body that sin cannot touch, that sin cannot taint, a body fashioned into His glorious body. I was born in the flesh in 1837; I was born of the Spirit in 1856. That which is born of the flesh may die; that which is born of the Spirit will live forever.”  --Tan, P. L. 1996, c1979. Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations  

C. With reference to the world of men:

1. Guarantees the resurrection of all men (1Cor. 15:22).
1. 1 Cor. 15:22, For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

2. DEATH AND LIFE

Adam’s sin allowed death to claim every human’s life; Christ’s death challenged that claim and nullified it in the Resurrection. Adam “gave” us all death; Christ offers life to all. In other words, real life can only be found in Christ. At conception, we receive as part of our human inheritance the gift of death; at conversion, we receive Christ’s gift of eternal life. The choice is between death and life. How tragic that so many make the wrong choice. What will you choose -- life or death?  --The Life Application Commentary Series 

2. Assures them of the certainty of a coming judgment (Acts 17:31).
1. Acts 17:31, Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.
2. Having exposed the folly of idolatry, Paul goes on to state that for many centuries God overlooked the ignorance of the Gentiles. But now that the revelation of the gospel has come, He commands all men everywhere to repent, that is, to do an about-face.

This is an urgent message, because God has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Lord Jesus Christ, the Man whom He has ordained. The judgment referred to here will take place when Christ returns to earth to put down His enemies and begin His Millennial Reign. The positive assurance that this will take place is found in the fact that God raised the Lord Jesus from the dead. Thus Paul leads up to his favorite theme, the resurrection of Christ.  –MacDonald, W. 1997, c1995. Believer's Bible Commentary

3.  When God judges, it will be right. Judgment will be through a Judge who has nail-pierced hands, the One who has been raised from the dead. Paul always presents the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is a declaration to all men. It is by this that God assures all men there will be a judgment.  –McGee, J. V. 1997, c1981. Thru the Bible Commentary

Conclusion:

The New Testament obviously spoke frequently about our coming resurrection, which is made possible by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In fact, the writer of Hebrews stated that the “resurrection of the dead” is one of the elementary principles of Christ (Heb. 6:1–2).

Jesus said of Himself, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: [26] And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?” (John 11:25–26). The apostle Paul taught that just as we have been crucified with Christ, so we shall be raised from death as Christ was raised (Rom. 6:5, 8–9).

You have read the message, be encouraged about the resurrection day that lies ahead for you! If you have not trusted Christ as your Savior come to Him even now to save you from the eternal consequences of your sin—an eternal hell.

Consider carefully the resurrection of Jesus Christ, it is the cornerstone of the entire Christian faith:

1. The nature of the resurrection of Jesus Christ

2. The proof of the resurrection of Jesus Christ

3. The necessity for the resurrection of Jesus Christ

4. The results of the resurrection of Jesus Christ