Entering Into God’s Presence

Knowing God Through His Nature & Character

Resurrected!

To Study and Ponder

• Throughout the history of Judaism there has always been a hope and belief in the resurrection of the dead, usually occurring in the messianic age. Though there is little written about an afterlife before Jesus resurrected people, there is mention of the dead being raised.

  • There are three accounts of dead people being raised back to life:- The son of the widow Zarephath who was raised by Elijah. (1Kings 17:17-22); the son of Shunammite woman who was raised by Elisha (2Kings 4:30-37); an unknown man who was thrown into Elisha’s tomb was resurrected and stood up to his feet when his dead body touched Elisha’s bones! (2Ki 13:21)

  • David prophesied that the Messiah would not be left in the grave and that his body would not see decay! (Ps 16: 8-11)

  • Some kind of resurrection is mentioned in Isaiah 26:19, Ezekiel 37, and Daniel 12:2.

  • When Lazarus dies his sister Martha expresses her belief in a future resurrection “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” (John 11:23-24)

• Jesus repeatedly tells his disciples he will be raised from the dead (Mat 20:18-19; Mar 10:33-34; 14:21,27-28 Lu 24:7 etc.), but they were still shocked by the events of Easter morning and the forty days that followed! Meditate on the gospel resurrection accounts: Mat 28:1-20; Mar 16:2-20; Luk 24:1-53; Joh 20:1-21:25; Acts 1:1-11; 9:3-8; and 1Co 15:2-9.

• Jesus makes one of the most amazing statements in history: “I am the resurrection and the life.” Joh 11:25a He is the resurrection. He is the life! He goes on to say that “Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die” Joh 11:25b-26. Not only has he risen from the dead, but he is why we can hope to rise from the dead.

• The resurrection was the central message of the early gospel preachers. The apostles described themselves as witnesses “of the Messiah’s resurrection” (Act 1:22) and “testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 4:33). The book of Acts is filled with preaching about God raising Jesus from the dead. (Ten instances)

  • But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. Acts 2:24

  • You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. Acts 3:15 (Also Acts 5:30; 10:14; 13:37)

  • The centrality of the resurrection is clear in the extensive passage found in 1Co 15:12-57. which concludes thanking God for what was achieved through Jesus’ death and resurrection: “He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ” 1Co 15:57.

  • Paul is passionate about the need to know God raised Jesus from the dead .... And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 1 Co 15:17. Because Jesus was raised from dead, death as the consequence of sin was dealt with.

• Resurrecting dead people is not a problem for God! In the New Testament several instances are recorded and there are many more examples right up to today.

  • Jesus raised the son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:11-17), Jairus’ daughter (Matthew 9:18-26, Mark 5:1-20 and Luke 8:26-39), Lazarus (John 11:38-44)

  • Many people resurrected when Jesus died. (Matthew 27:50-53)

  • The believers in Acts saw people raised to life - Dorcas (Acts 9:36-42), Eutychus (Acts 20:7-12)

  • There are many stories of St Patrick raising people from the dead.

  • Modern day missionaries, Rolland & Heidi Baker have seen many raised from the dead in Mozambique, as told in their books “Expecting Miracles” (2007), “Compelled by Love” (2008)

• It took power for Jesus to be resurrected. Paul says God exerted his mighty strength to raise Christ from the dead. (Ephesians 1:19-20) In the New Testament the words “power” and “raised” and “resurrection” are used together many times and have application for our lives:

  • By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also. 1Co 6:14

  • it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 1Co 15:43

  • For to be sure, he was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God's power. Likewise, we are weak in him, yet by God's power we will live with him 2Co 13:4

  • I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Phi 3:10-11

  • having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. Col 2:12

• The hope of future bodily resurrection for believers is a major theme in the New Testament.

  • Jesus declares it – For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day. John 6:40

  • Paul says It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. 1Co 15:52 (read all chapter 15)

  • the writer of Hebrews says that the resurrection of the dead is one of the elementary teachings of Jesus. (Hebrews 6:1-2)

• Because he lives forever, the resurrected Jesus will return one day as King. We should live our lives preparing to welcome the Coming King.

• Apologetics materials that look at some of the evidence that Jesus rose from the dead:-

https://www.josh.org/wp-content/uploads/Evidence-For-The-Resurrection.pdf

http://www.bible.ca/d-resurrection-evidence-Josh-McDowell.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Od8U-Z_NVFA

Memory/Meditation

Lower Grades: But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead.   Ephesians 2:4-5 (NLT)

Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. John 11:25-26 (NLT)

Middle Grades: If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. Romans 10:9-10 (NLT)

I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.  Ephesians 1:19-20  (NLT)

Upper Grades: All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.  1 Peter 1:3-4 (NLT)

But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed.  1 Corinthians 15:52  (NLT)