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This week as I was thinking about the story of easter I was struck by how life changing it is.

As a result of Jesus rising from the dead everything in the history of the world is now different.

Now that sounds like an overstatement, it sounds like I’m exaggerating. It must be admitted there are some things that do not live up to the hype.

  • products on a late-night infomercial, doesn’t always live up to the hype.
  • Not every movie your friends recommend lives up to the hype.

The best example of this is the wizard from the wizard of oz. The wizard, who is supposed to be powerful and able to fix everyone's problems:

  • He’s able to give the lion who is afraid of his own shadow courage.
  • The scarecrow, who intellectually challenge a brain.
  • the tin man who doesn't have a heart, compassion.
  • And take Dorothy back home.

They spend the whole movie trying to get to this all-powerful wizard only to find out that he is a sad old man.

The solution the wizard offers is basically, help yourself.

  • The lion realized he had courage the whole time.
  • The scarecrow came to realized he could think the whole time.
  • The tin understood that he had a heart the whole time.
  • And all Dorthey had to do was to click her heels and say, “there’s no place like home.”

But the story of Jesus is not the story of a magician who gets by thorough sleight of hand.

The story of Jesus is the story of the king of the universe who came to the earth to save his people from death.

What I want to do today is to read an account the story of the resurrection, and then talk about things the resurrection of Jesus provides.

Matthew 28: 1-10

1 In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.2 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. 3His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow 4 And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. 5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. 6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7 And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. 8 And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word. 9 And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him. 10 Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.

Here we see David looking passed his own life to the life of the promised Messiah. He was looking forward to the glorification that would come as result of the resurrection of Jesus.

What the resurrection provides

  1. Resurrection confidence
  2. Resurrection assurance
  3. Resurrection priorities

Resurrection Confidence

Act 2:22-24

22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:23 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.

 

Not long before the events being described here the government arrested Jesus, which caused Peter and the rest of the disciples to run for their lives.

But now, Peter is boldly proclaiming the gospel to the very people whom he dined Jesus in front.

The question we must ask is, where did this confidence come from? Peter goes from pretending that he never met Jesus to being willing to die for Jesus.

The only explanation is the resurrection. What we see here is resurrection confidence

  • This is the kind of confidence that doesn’t care what other people think.
  • This is the kind of confidence that doesn’t care what other people say.

Resurrection Assurance

Romans 4:25 “Who (Jesus) was delivered for our offences and was raised again for our justification”.

The word “justification” here has to do with the effectiveness of the work of Jesus on the cross.

That is, the fact that the Father raised Jesus from the dead is a demonstration of the Father’s acceptance of the sacrifice of Jesus.

Therefore, the wrath of God is no longer against us because it was fully absorbed by Jesus on the cross.

This means that I am assured of Heaven because Jesus is the author and finisher of my faith.

What does that mean for me?

In your life there will be times when you lack assurance of God’s love. You’ve had bad week, you said things you shouldn’t have said. You done things you shouldn’t have done, and now you feel unworthy of the love of God and secure about your salvation.

However, since Jesus rose from the dead, we can be assured that our salvation is secured not because we are fine upstanding citizens.

No, we are assured because Jesus lives, and because our lives are connected to him by faith our lives are secure.

Objection.

Someone might object, saying, “what about obedience?”

If we all we have to do to go to heaven is repent and believe the gospel, then what about obedience?

The security of our salvation can’t be based on our obedience because no one can obey perfectly.

Jesus rising from the dead is proof that the Father has accepted Jesus’ perfect obedience.

Priorities

Because of the resurrection we have been set free from the bondage of material possessions.

Because the resurrection is proof that there is more to the world than what we can see, touch, taste, and smell.

Freedom from bondage works two ways:

  1. freedom from,
  2. and freedom to.

We are free from the need to validate ourselves by the things we own. We are also free to give ourselves to the things that really matter. The resurrection tells us that all our sacrifices will one day be rewarded.

2 Corinthians 4:17 “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.”

The bad things we suffer here are nothing compared to our reward in Heaven. Why?

  1. Because what is our time here earth compared to eternity? “for our light affliction which is but a moment” 17a If we have seventy years of affliction, that’s still nothing compared to our future in Heaven which last forever.
  2. Because our reward in Heaven more significant that our affliction here on earth “worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” 17b. Notice the word play he uses, the lightness of our earthly afflictions compared to the weightiness of our reward in Heaven.