Good morning and would you join
me this morning this Easter Sunday in the book of 1 Corinthians
chapter 15. 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and
I'd like to read verses 1 through 8 as we read about this passage
of scripture that declares the truth that's found throughout
the scriptures and that is the resurrection. The resurrection
of Jesus Christ and the promise of the resurrection of all his
lost sheep that are saved during time. those who were written
in the Lamb's Book of Life their resurrection has been promised
and We also find as we are going to look at several verses in
the Old Testament That those Old Testament Saints believed
in their resurrection. They witnessed resurrections
They were promised the resurrection and they believed in the resurrection
and we find that everybody That has ever been born again Excuse
me Has no problem in believing in the resurrection of Jesus
Christ. That is part of what we are given in the new birth,
that Jesus Christ is raised from the dead, and every time a believer
They are witnessing, attesting to the fact that Jesus Christ
is at the right hand of the Father, victorious, the victorious ruler,
the victorious leader, the victorious promised one is there making
intercession for us. The resurrection of the Lord
Jesus is declared throughout the Bible and is a cardinal declaration,
a cardinal truth of the gospel. There is no gospel without the
resurrection of Jesus Christ. There is no gospel without his
death, there is no gospel without his burial, and there is no gospel
without his resurrection. They must all agree. Here in
the book of 1 Corinthians chapter 15, once again the Apostle Paul
was used by the Holy Spirit to write to a church that was having
some difficulties. They had some folks come in that
were spreading things that were not true, and the only hope that
this church had of ever coming back to their original position
was the preaching of Christ. It was not preaching church truth. It was not preaching good works.
It was not preaching do this or do that. It was coming back
to Christ, and that's what the Apostle Paul is led to do. If
you'll just back up, I apologize, back up. to the 14th chapter,
I want to read one verse there that is brought out by the Apostle
Paul as he writes concerning his authority to write this,
and that is found in 1 Corinthians 14, 37, and then we'll be in
the 15th chapter there. 1 Corinthians 14, verse 37. If any man think himself to be
a prophet or spiritual, Let him acknowledge that the things that
I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord." In other words,
if you think you are a preacher or even a spiritual, your words
must agree with my words, with the words of the Apostle Paul.
For my words are taken as the very commandment of the Lord.
Paul spoke by inspiration and he only wrote what the Spirit
gave him. To disagree with Paul's letter
or letters, of the New Testament, you will find yourself fighting
against God. So the Apostle Paul is going
to go on to the next chapter here, and he says, Moreover,
in chapter 15 and verse 1, as he tells us, declares unto us
the essential of the gospel. Moreover, brethren, I declare
unto you the gospel which I preached unto you. Which also you have
received and wherein you stand you notice in that first verse
that it says I declare unto you Never do we find the Apostle
Paul making it a proposition making it an offer. It is a declaration
It is a scattering of precious seed. It is throwing broadcasting
the Word of God out to those about us those about him and
And then he says, by which also you are saved. It is through
this scattering of the precious seed of God that the Holy Spirit
uses to save us. If you keep in memory what I
preached unto you, and then he brings in a clause here, unless
you have believed in vain. If you've believed in vain, you'll
not believe me. If you've believed in vain, you
don't have any hope. Lot of those during his day just
as there is today that is a fashionable thing to be a Christian and they
have no New heart they have not been regenerated. They've just
consented or assented. They've been talked into it.
They've gone forward They've signed a card I was asked one
time by a merchant here in the Dalles if I would let the Gideons
come into the church and I said let me think about that and I
came back with a Gideon Bible and I asked him do you agree
with this and And in the front or the back, one or the other,
there was a place where you could sign your name and put a date,
and that was the day you made your decision for Jesus. I said,
do you believe this? And he said, yes, I do. And I
says, then you're not preaching the gospel. The gospel is not
signing a card. It's not going forward. It is
Christ Jesus, the Lord, that raises his people from the spiritual
dead. So many have believed in vain.
Verse 3, for I delivered unto you first of all that which I
also received. He was convinced by the Holy
Spirit when he was saved that these things were true. I've
received them. I've preached them unto you. And we follow
the life of the Apostle Paul. We find that very shortly after
he was converted, he began to preach Christ. I preached unto
you unless ye have believed in vain, and I delivered unto you,
first of all, that which I also received, how that Christ died
for our sins according to the Scriptures." This is a cardinal
thing. Why did the Lord Jesus Christ
die? It was not to be a martyr. It
was not to be because he wasn't successful. I had a teaching
that Jesus Christ came to the earth, and since Israel didn't
accept him as king, that's Unscriptural because they would have forced
him to do that, but he wasn't his purpose since they didn't
make him king He had to go to the cross my dear friends the
Lord Jesus Christ intended to go to the cross from eternity
and that's he's delivered and How that Christ died for our
sins according to the scriptures that was absolutely essential
that is for the salvation of his people that he was buried
and rose again the third day according to the scriptures and
So the Old Testament scriptures are the ones he's talking about
here, and that's the ones we would like to go search out today
and see what the Old Testament says about that very subject.
But it goes on to say in verse five, and he was seen. He didn't
rise from the dead and go back to heaven unseen. He was seen
of Cephas, then of the 12, and after that he was seen of above
500 brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain unto
this present. Some are falling asleep. Some
have got old and died. They've got disease and died
They they passed from this life to the next life. They were brethren
They saw the Lord Jesus Christ in his resurrection and they
were confirmed in it and then in verse 7 after that he was
seen of James and then of all the Apostles and Last of all
he was seen of me also as of one born out of due time Now
I I believe that every believer From this time forward, from
the time of the Apostle Paul, he represents that, that every
one of his children, everyone that he saves, every lost sheep
that he saves and raises from the dead, they can also say that,
that last of all, he was seen of me also. We don't see a physical
form, but we see him in the scriptures like we've never seen him. We
see him in the preaching of the gospel like we've never seen
him. So this falls out to be true to us. And as one born out
of due time, it just seems like we shouldn't have ever had this,
but God is pleased to give it to us. We should have never witnessed
it, but God is pleased to give it to us. All right. Declares
all the essentials of the gospel here in these verses of scripture.
He the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ preached from creation
written in the covenant of grace before the world began was created
and necessary action of the Son of God in order to declare it
is finished and Paul delivered the same that was delivered unto
him and by God's grace received by him How now that word how
could be translated that or because or since? Christ died for our
sins according to the scriptures in the Old Testament scriptures
Christ died for our sins Christ died for sinners good news is
for sinners a sinner is a sacred thing for God hath made him thus
and Every promise, type, and prophecy recorded in the law
and in the prophets and in the Psalms concerning his suffering,
death, burial, and resurrection had their fulfillment in him. By the way of introduction, we
ask that what does the Old Testament record with regards to our resurrection
and to the Lord's resurrection? Well, we'd like to look at a
few verses. And first of all, we're going
to a New Testament Record in the book of Matthew chapter 22
where the Lord Jesus Christ is speaking about Old Testament
Saints in Matthew chapter 22 verse 23 Matthew chapter 22 and
verse 23 The same day came to him the
Sadducees which say that there is no resurrection and ask him
now this is that passage of scripture where they go to an Old Testament
law requirement that if a man died have no children his brother
shall marry his wife and raise up the brother and so and so
and so and so and they go down into verse 28 therefore in the
resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven for they
all had her verse 29 and Jesus answered and said unto them ye
do err not knowing the scriptures nor the power of God. There's
the two errors, the two errs that often could be assigned
to anybody that brings up a question about the gospel of the Lord
Jesus out of spite or out of envy or out of trying to do something that would disfigure
the very gospel of the Lord Jesus. For in the resurrection they
neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels
of God in heaven. But as touching the resurrection
of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you
by God, saying? Now, I read about the Sadducees,
and since they could find no resurrection in the five books
of Moses, they said there is no resurrection. Well, the Lord
Jesus goes back, have you not read that which was spoken unto
you by God, saying? I am the God of Abraham, the
God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. God is not the God of
the dead, but of the living. And when the multitude heard
this, they were astonished at his doctrine. But when the Pharisees
had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were
gathered together. The Lord Jesus, by bringing up
that Old Testament passage of Scripture about Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob, is the God of not the God of the dead, but the
God of the living, telling them that the Old Testament taught
the resurrection. They were silenced, and it was
not a kind silence. They were indignant. They now
are going to make plans with the Pharisees to put this man
away, to have him taken and killed. But the Lord Jesus brings up
the subject about the resurrection, and he goes to the Old Testament
to do it. One of the most outstanding statements in the Old Testament
is found in the book of Job. Would you turn with me to the
book of Job chapter 19? Job chapter 19, verse 25 and
26. We find this preacher, this prophet,
this Job. So much of this book is written
about his Test is the challenge against him and those friends
that came who were not friends and then someone came along who
knew something and through that God was revealed to Job in a
way that he had never seen him before but here in the 19th chapter
Job shares this for I know that my Redeemer liveth and that he
shall stand in the latter day upon the earth and Job is sharing
here. I know something and I know my
Redeemer liveth and my Redeemer is the Messiah the Lord Jesus
Christ my Redeemer is the promised one the one that was promised
there at the Garden of Eden and Though after my skin worms destroy
this body yet in my flesh shall I see God Job attest to the fact
that he believed in the resurrection it would been revealed to him
that Through regeneration, just as it is to everyone that is
born again, there is no question in the minds of believers about
the resurrection, the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, or
the resurrection of themselves. At the end, if you'll turn with
me to the Psalm, Psalm 71. Psalm 71. Psalm 71, verse 15. Here we have another passage
from the Old Testament. And remember, this is the only
scriptures that the Lord ever used, the Apostle Paul ever used,
that Peter, James, and John ever used. The writing of the New
Testament was taking place at that time, but it was going to
be some years before it was put together. So the book they carried
around is what we know as the Old Testament. And they preached
all of their gospel out of the Old Testament. They preached
all the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ out of the Old Testament.
They preach all of the salvation that we have in the Lord Jesus
Christ out of the Old Testament. They preach that He is our sanctification,
that He is our righteousness, that He is our hope, that He
is our peace. All of these things come out of the Old Testament.
And here in the book of the Psalms, Psalm 71 and verse 15, We have these words, My mouth
shall show forth thy righteousness and thy salvation all the day,
for I know not the numbers thereof. I will go in the strength of
the Lord God. I will make mention of thy righteousness,
even thine only. O God, thou hast taught me from
my youth, and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works. Now also,
when I am old and gray-headed, O God, forsake me not. until
I have showed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power
to everyone that is to come. Thy righteousness also, O God,
is very high. Who has done great things? O
God, who is likened to thee? Thou which hast showed me great
and sore troubles shall quicken me again, and shall bring me
up again from the depths of the earth. All of these things that
the psalmist is writing about, he says, have showed me great
and sore troubles. We've had those in our life,
but as the psalmist says you shall quicken me again and shall
bring me up again from the depths of the earth shall there shall
be a resurrection of God's people and that's been promised throughout
the scriptures Daniel writes about this also in the 12th chapter
of the book of Daniel and there in verse 2 Daniel chapter 12
and verse 2 Many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth
shall awake some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting
contempt I've read that passage of scripture to several of my
friends that have another view of eschatology and they say well
we can't have that because it doesn't agree it doesn't agree
with their view of eschatology and Here it just tells us that
plainly, as we find even in the New Testament, there will be
a general resurrection, and there will be a general judgment. And
it's brought out, those on the right hand, those on the left
hand. Those are the sheep, those are the goats. This is what the
prophet Daniel was writing about. But he is saying, there will
be a resurrection, and it will be made from the dust of the
earth, and they shall awake, and some to everlasting life,
and to some to everlasting shame. In Ezekiel chapter 37, there
is a passage that we often go to when we are looking at a spiritual
declaration of spiritual resurrection here in the 37th chapter. But
we also notice here that there is a physical resurrection that
is talked about. The hand of the Lord was upon
me and carried me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me
down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones." Ezekiel
37, verse 1. And we know what's going on.
We've read this before, and it tells us that the Lord caused
him to look upon it, and he asked the question, will these bones
live? And he answered, I answered,
O Lord, thou knowest. Only the Lord knows those that
are His. only the Lord knows those he
will raise from the dead spiritual dead and only the Lord knows
where all his lost sheep are and they will be brought someone
like Ezekiel who will prophesy or preach to them of the great
things of God a successful God a glorious God a sovereign God
King God and he said Unto the Lord God unto these bones behold. I will cause breath to enter
into you and you shall live And he he prophesied verse 7 as I
was commanded and as I prophesied there was a noise and behold
now Ezekiel is going to admit if he was sitting here right
with us today He said I had nothing to do with what I saw. I didn't
go out there and try to shake their hands I didn't try to get
that go out there didn't invite them to raise up I just declared
the gospel unto them and God did this mighty work. He raised
them up Mighty army he raised up and we can certainly see it
here this spiritual resurrection how God finds us dead and there's
nothing good about us. We're dead bones and through
the preaching of the gospel God is pleased to do a work and the
spirit comes and it just all lays it out right here in this
wonderful passage of scripture and he prophesied and it tells
us in verse 10, so I prophesied of as he was commanded me and
the breath came into them and they lived and stood upon their
feet an exceeding great army now we're going to say this it
declares not only a spiritual resurrection but we also find
all it takes is the almighty power of God to raise everybody
he that has ever lived up There will be an exceeding great army
there will be many in the line of those who are called sheep
and there will be a host Many in the line that is called goats,
but they shall all be raised up In the book of the Psalms
again backing up to the book of the Psalms. Would you read
with me here in Psalm? 49 Psalm 49 the resurrection How important this is as we look
into the scriptures and what a cardinal truth it is and what
the children of God, the saved, the elect will always declare
is the resurrection, the promise of it. The Old Testament saints
believed it. They preached the resurrection
of the Lord Jesus Christ. They preached their own resurrection.
In Psalm 49 and verse 15, But God will redeem my soul from
the power of the grave, for he will receive me. Selah. Stop
and think about that. He will receive me. Though my
body is buried, he will redeem my soul from the power of the
grave. He will raise me up Hosea I will ransom them from the power
of the grave. I'll redeem them from death Hosea
13 and verse 14. Well, you turn with me over to
the book of Acts Acts chapter 24 Paul speaking about Old Testament
Saints in Acts chapter 24 in wonderful passage of scripture
as act as the Apostle Paul is bringing out the glory of the
resurrection as presented from the Old Testament Acts chapter
24 and there in verse 10 we have the one who's speaking then Paul
after that the governor had beckoned unto him to speak and answered,
forasmuch as I know that thou hast been of many years a judge
unto this nation, I do the more cheerful answer for myself. But this I confess unto thee,
that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the
God of my fathers. believing all the things which
are written in the law and in the prophets. The apostle Paul
thought he believed that, but he believed in another God. But
God raised him up. God gave him the spiritual resurrection. God quickened him. God gave him
the new birth. And as a result of that, we have
this. So I worship the God of my fathers,
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David. believing all the things
which are written in the law and the prophets. I have hope
toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall
be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust. I herein do exercise myself to
have always a conscience void of offense toward God and toward
men. So as he shares here, I have hope toward God, which they themselves
also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead,
both of the just and the unjust. As he brings us out from the
Old Testament, he says these folks in the Old Testament They
believed in the resurrection. They believed in the resurrection
of the just and the unjust. They believed in a general resurrection.
And that's what he preached. That's what the Apostle Paul
preached. He believed the Old Testament scriptures. In the
book of Hebrews, there is an interesting verse of scripture
about our dear brother Abraham. Now Abraham was asked to do something
that most of us have never been asked to do. I'm thankful. But Abraham is a picture of the
faithful and he says by faith Abraham Hebrews chapter 11 verse
17 Hebrews chapter 11 verse 17 it says and by faith by faith
Abraham when he was tried offered up Isaac And he that had received
the promise offered up his only begotten son. You remember there
in the Old Testament, book of Genesis, he was ready to raise
his knife over him and slay him. He bound his son. His son said,
asking him, he says, I see the fire and I see the wood, but
where is the lamb? Where is the sacrifice? And Abraham
said, God will provide himself a lamb for the sacrifice. We
have, it just breaks down in two. God will do it and he'll
provide his lamb, the Lord Jesus. Well, Isaac is a picture of that.
But notice here in verse 18, it says, of whom it was said
that in Isaac shall thy seed be called. Verse 19, accounting
that God was able to raise him up even from the dead. From whence also he received
him in a picture, in a figure. What a beautiful declaration
we have here as Isaac is a picture or represents the Lord Jesus
Christ and Abraham the father is telling us that he believed
with every fiber of his being. If he had to, if he was required
to, the Lord would raise his son from the dead and truly the
father from heaven was rewarded, was blessed when his son, the
Lord Jesus, was raised from the dead. God the father never had
any other ideas about it the covenant of grace never had any
other ideas about it that there would even be a possibility of
a failure But we find that this was going to be it Accounting
that God was able to raise him up even from the dead now in
the Old Testament there are three accounts of people being raised
from the dead and We have the widow of Zarephath's son, raised
by Elijah in 1 Kings 17, verses 17-24. We have the Shunammite
woman's son, raised by Elisha in 2 Kings 4, verses 18-37, and
both of these widows were Gentiles. The widow of Zarephath and the
widow of the Shunammite woman. But a very interesting passage
of scripture is mentioned in 2 Kings chapter 13. This is the third incident of
a resurrection of a dead person raised again to life. In the
book of 2 Kings chapter 13. 2 Kings chapter 13. We have a desperate time going
on at this time. And there is a Jewish man that
has died. Elisha died and they buried him.
And the bands of the Moabites invaded the land at the coming
end of the year. Seemed like an ongoing yearly
thing the Moabites invaded. It came to pass as they were
burying a man There was a Hebrew man that died, that behold, they
spied a band of men, and they cast the man into the sepulcher
of Elisha. They're so nervous, they're trying
to get this man taken care of, he's died, he needs to be buried,
he needs to be put in a sepulcher, they're carrying their, they're
scared, and they see some men coming, and so they just cast
the man into the sepulcher of Elisha, what difference should
that make? He's dead, he won't even notice.
When the man was let down and touched the bones of Elisha he
revived and stood up on his feet what a picture we have here of
touching the Death of the Lord Jesus how God is purpose to raise
his people to life It's just an amazing verse of scripture
not much else is said here Two verses. Elisha died. That's going to happen to all
of us. Even this wonderful prophet, he died. He is buried. That's
probably going to happen to all of us. Doesn't matter how you
decide to have that taken care of. And the Moabites, there's
always an invasion coming into the land. And here it is. They
were burying him. They spied the band. They cast
the man into the sepulcher of Elisha. And the man was let down. Touch the bones of Elisha. How
wonderful it is to touch the death of the Lord Jesus and be
revived and stand upon our feet and serve the living God. So
we have those three occurrences in the Old Testament that took
place. Resurrections are witnessed.
There are seven accounts of the resurrection in the New Testament.
The first one is the widow of Nain's son. And the second one
is Jairus' daughter, Luke 7. 11 through 17 is the widow of
Nain's son. Luke 8, 49 through 56 is Jairus'
daughter. And in John chapter 11, we know
the account of Lazarus being raised by the Lord Jesus. He
raised these three. That's the record we have. If
he did more, we don't have the record. It wasn't necessary for
us to have it. The Lord was pleased to give
us what we have. Matthew chapter 27, as well as in the other Gospels,
we have the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. and at that
same time there was a resurrection of the saints. A number of saints
came out of the tomb and went into Jerusalem and that's in
Matthew 27 verse 50 through 54. The saints in Jerusalem, they
came out of the tombs, they came out of the graves. In the book
of Acts chapter 9 we have the apostle Peter Raising Tabitha
and in the book of Acts chapter 20 there was a young man sitting
up in a window and it was nice and warm up there and he grew
weary and tired as Paul preached the gospel to the Saints and
he went to sleep and he fell out of the window and he died
when he hit the ground and The Apostle Paul went over and raised
him from the dead. So we have those records that
are found in the Old Testament and Now the record we're looking
for is the record with regards to our Lord Jesus Christ in the
Old Testament For it tells us there in the book of 1st Corinthians
chapter 15 that he was buried and rose again according to the
scriptures We would direct your attention to the book of the
Psalms chapter 16 Psalm 16 Psalm 16 and there in verse 10 Psalm 16 and verse 10 we have
this wonderful passage now the reason that we have some information
and know what to do with it how to deal with this passage of
scripture is it's brought out in the New Testament I Am I'm
just so thankful that the Lord was pleased on some verses that
are contained in the Old Testament that they're brought out in the
New Testament, and the folks that bring it out say, this is
what that said. One of those accounts is found
in the book of Acts chapter 2, the prophecy of Joel. This is
what Joel was writing about. How many people say, well, that's
not quite right, it doesn't quite agree with my theology, and they
will argue with it. The disciple said, that is the
fulfillment. I'm gonna leave it stand. Well,
let's look here in Psalm 16. It says, thou, for thou will
not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thy Holy One
to see corruption. Now there is only one Holy One. That's the Lord Jesus. That is
God Almighty in Christ Jesus. the promise made here by David
about his son to come, the Lord Jesus. Through the loins of David,
the Lord Jesus came into this world as the God-man, the man
Christ Jesus. Let's go to where this is spoken
of in the book of Acts chapter 2. In Acts chapter 2, we read
about the fulfillment of this. And even as it's brought out
here in Acts chapter 2, David understood this. As he wrote
those words so long ago in the book of the Psalms, in Acts chapter
2, beginning with verse 22, we have these words, David believed
in the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was a born-again
believer, and every born-again believer has never had any difficulty
with the resurrection of Jesus Christ, or with their own resurrection,
or with the resurrection of everybody else in the world. They do understand
that there is the resurrection of the just and the unjust. The
resurrection is not a time to sort out and say, are you or
are you not? It's already identified. Well,
here in the book of Acts, chapter 2, verse 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 you yourselves also know. Him, this one Jesus of Nazareth,
being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of
God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain.
whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because
it was not possible that he should beholden of it. For David speaketh
concerning him. I foresaw the Lord always before
my face, for he is on my right hand. that I should not be moved. Therefore did my heart rejoice,
and my tongue was glad. Moreover also my flesh shall
rest in hope. Because thou wilt not leave my
soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see
corruption." The Apostle Peter is quoting the Psalms and David
had this to say that has made him to to me the ways of life. Thou shalt make me full of joy
with thy countenance. Men and brethren, let me freely
speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and
buried, and his sepulcher is with us unto this day. We can
leave this place and go out and find it. Therefore, being a prophet,
and knowing that God had sworn with an oath unto him, that of
the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise
up Christ to sit on his throne. He, seeing this before, spake
of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in
hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. David of old, the
sweet psalmist of God, David of old, the king, had written
this, and he saw ahead of time, and he spoke of the resurrection
of Jesus Christ. Verse 31 here. Jesus hath God
raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. 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
you now see and hear. For David is not ascended up
into the heavens, but he saith himself, The Lord sent unto my
Sit thou at my right hand until I make thy foes thy footstool
verse 31 again He seen this before in Old Testament times during
his reign during his writings spake of the resurrection of
Jesus Christ The Lord Jesus mentions this again, another prophet in
the Old Testament, someone else that was going to attest to a
picture was shared with us in the book of Matthew, Matthew
chapter 12. In Matthew chapter 12 verse 40,
we find the Lord goes back to the Old Testament and there was
an incident that took place that Jesus said, this is a witness
of my resurrection. Matthew chapter 12 and verse
40 For as Jonah 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. The Lord Jesus brings up this
man Jonah that we have this book of recorded in the Old Testament
and he spent three days and three nights in that great fish's belly
and then he was spit out The Lord Jesus would spend three
days and three nights in the heart of the earth, or in the
tomb, or in the sepulcher with a great stone put in front of
it, but at the end of that time the earth could not hold him
any longer. He would be thus spewed out,
he would be raised up, and he would come out of that tomb victorious
over every enemy that he went into that tomb against. In the
book of Hosea, would you turn with me to the book of Hosea,
that Old Testament book, so full of the gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ, Hosea chapter 6. I've just almost got to the point
I call it the gospel according to Hosea, the gospel according
to Obadiah, the gospel according to Ezra. It's just the gospel
shared with us in these Old Testament passages. In Hosea chapter 6
and verse 1, come and return us, excuse come, and let us return
unto the Lord. For he hath torn, and he will
heal us. He hath smitten, and he shall
bind us up. After two days will he revive
us, and in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live
in his sight. Certainly the prophet had an
eye to Christ in his resurrection, as the firstfruits of them that
sleep. He had an eye also to the spiritual resurrection of
every sinner that is made to hear the voice of the Son of
God and live. And no doubt there is an eye
also to the future resurrection of the body from the same cause
and by the same power, a resurrection of our body. In the second day
we shall be raised up. What a statement about our spiritual
resurrection. And in the third day we shall
live in His sight. What about our physical resurrection? The
promise is made. Just as the Lord Jesus Christ
came forth from that tomb and has been preached about in the
Old Testament as well as in the New Testament, we have this promise
that His people will also be raised to newness of life. The
words of 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 4 that he was buried
and rose again the third day according to the scriptures.
The sign of a successful journey often is the return from that
journey. The Lord Jesus Christ came in
a great journey to this earth with one thing in mind, and that
was to accomplish what had been promised in the covenant of grace,
that he would lay down his life a ransom for many. In other words,
the Lord Jesus ran into a burning building. filled with all his
children. He heard their cry and took upon
himself all the heat, saving every last one of them, losing
not one of them, and yet was required to pay the last, that
was their eternal death. He continued on in the building. He continued on in the fire.
He continued on until it burned completely out. The children
all gathered around where he was laid, And as He promised,
He came forth without even the hint of their sin smell on Him. He was presented to them, and
that at one time, five hundred at once. And then accepted back
on the Father's throne with great honor, the honor of a victor,
joining the thief on the cross. The thief on the cross is there
present with Him in glory. He had promised him, today you'll
be with me in paradise. And all of those from that time
clear back to Abel. They're all there. And patiently
waiting for all his elect ones to arrive for the great marriage
supper of the Lamb. He is long-suffering, not willing
that any should perish, any of the elect should perish, but
all should come to repentance. So the resurrection of the Lord
Jesus Christ, we celebrate that every day. We celebrate that
every first day of the week. That was the reason they assembled. They celebrated the resurrection
of the Lord Jesus Christ the first day of the week. We don't
put any hope in a day, but we are thankful for the resurrection
of Jesus Christ. And we try to declare that every
time we preach the gospel. He is the reason he is the resurrection. He is the truth. He's the life
He's all we have and over here in the book of 1st Peter 1st
Peter chapter 1 Read with me in 1st Peter chapter 1 and there
in verse 3 1st Peter chapter 1 in verse 3 Blessed be the God
and father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to his
abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope."
Now, what is our lively hope? We don't have much in us to think
about. Boy, we get to introspecting and we find out, my goodness,
oh, wretched man that I am. But what is it that gives us
a lively hope? And that's a living hope. This
lively hope is by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The Lord Jesus Christ promised
to come forth from the dead. The Old Testament, we find people
that were raised from the dead. As an example, we have the promise
of people in the Old Testament that they would be raised from
the dead, as Job, as Abraham mentions. And then we find here
that the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ Promise the
promise of it is fulfilled and the promise of the fulfillment
of that the resurrection of all his people Notice there in verse
4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and Fadeth not
away reserved in heaven for you who are kept by the power of
God through faith and the salvation Ready to be revealed at the last
time last time so the promise of God's resurrection in Christ
Jesus was made in old in old the old Eternity the promise
was in the covenant of grace. It was recorded throughout the
Old Testament and then we find that in retrospect looking back
as the Lord Jesus Christ did as the Apostles did Peter mentions
it the Apostle Paul mentions it believed in the resurrection
and looking forward to that and We have the same hope today.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ promised to us that all our sin
was taken care of by Him who is our salvation. He paid the
very last. He took care of it all. There's
not be one sin held against us. And therefore, at that great
day, when that last trump is sounded, the dead in Christ shall
rise first, and they which are alive and remain shall be caught
up with Him. And as he brings out in that book of Matthew that
the judgment of the sheep and the goats, the judgment of the
nations or the peoples there, that here on the right hand,
welcome to the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of
the world and depart from me ye workers of iniquity. There
will be a resurrection of everyone that has ever been born on the
face of the earth. Some to life everlasting and
some to eternal condemnation. But there will be that resurrection.
And all those that Jesus Christ went into the house that was
on fire and was consumed by that fire, the justice of God, those
he died for and paid for, those will be in the line that says,
welcome to the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of
the world. Why? Why is that so true? It's begotten
us again into a lively hope. by the resurrection of Jesus
Christ from the dead. We have no problem with the resurrection
of Jesus Christ or the resurrection of God's people or the resurrection
of all people when we have the resurrection of Jesus Christ
sealed in our heart by the new birth. May God bless you and
keep you until we are able to come together again. Our Father
in Heaven, we thank you so much for your word that is an encouragement
to us, that you promised before the world began that your coming would come for
a purpose, and that in that purpose you would be crucified, that
you would be buried, that you would raise again the third day
according to the scriptures. And we thank you in Jesus' name. Amen.