We're going to observe the Lord's table together tonight. Would you turn back to Mark chapter nine? I love to think of the disciples questioning among themselves. I wonder how often that happened. What do you mean by that? Did you hear what he said? What does it mean? I've entitled the message for this morning, What the Rising of the Dead Should Mean. Now let's examine the events or the event that took place before he asked this question.

Look in verse two. Mark chapter nine, verse two. And after six days, Jesus taketh with him. I kind of like leaving that italics out. It was put there by the translators. I like it better like this. After six days, Jesus taketh Peter and James and John.

He took them. And he leads them up into a high mountain apart by themselves, and he was transfigured before them, and his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow, so as no fuller on earth can white them. Now put yourself in these men's place.

They saw the Lord, transfigured right before them. They saw, as Matthew says, his face shine as the sun. What must that have been like? Luke says his countenance was altered and his raiment was white and glistening radiant, shining like the rays of sun coming from his clothing. Can you imagine how dumbfounded they were as they observed this and were eyewitnesses of this?

Verse four, and there appeared unto them Elijah and Moses. These could be said to be some of the most illustrious figures of the Old Testament. Elijah, the great prophet. Moses, the giver of the law. Now, Peter and James and John aren't saying anything at this time. They're just watching. And here's Moses. Here's Elijah, and they're speaking with Christ while Peter and James and John are listening. And we know what they were talking about. Luke's account of this tells us, they spake of the decease which he should accomplish.

Have you ever been to a funeral and seen a dead person lying in the coffin? And somebody said, look what they accomplished by that. No. Death is not looked at as an accomplishment on any level. But with the Lord Jesus Christ, death was an accomplishment. He accomplished something by his death. John chapter 17 verse 4, right before he died, he said, I've glorified Thou on the earth. I've finished the work Thou gavest me to do. Listen to me. His death accomplished the complete glory of God. And he finished whatever it was the Father gave him to do. He finished the work. Oh, what an accomplishment.

Now, they're witnessing this. Verse five, and Peter answered. Nobody asked him anything, but he had to talk. He had to speak. He had to have something to say. And Peter answered, and he makes one of the most incredibly stupid, blasphemous statements ever uttered on planet earth.

I'm not taking that too far either. This is Peter. If you're ever afraid of saying something stupid, well, Peter said something a whole lot more stupid than you'll ever say, so don't worry about it. We're all going to say stupid things, dumb things, things that are contrary to the scripture. Peter did here. But he said, and Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it's good for us to be here.

Let us make three tabernacles, one for thee, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. We're putting you in some high company. You're right here with Moses. You're right here with Elijah. The Lord Jesus is utterly unique. There's no one like Him. Three tabernacles, one for thee, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.

What a horrible thing to say. Verse six, for he was not what to say, for they were sore afraid. He just had to say something. He was scared. Had to say something. Peter, you'd been better off not saying anything, but he said something. Verse seven. And there was a cloud that overshadowed them. And a voice came out of the cloud saying, this is my beloved son.

Hear him. Don't think of Moses and Elijah being on the same level as him. Hear him. Verse eight, and suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more save Jesus only. With themselves. Jesus only. We only see Him when we see Him only. Now where were Moses and Elijah at this time? Did they disappear? I don't know. But I know this, when they saw as they should see, they saw no man save Jesus only. He only is all in my salvation. Jesus only. Well, it sounds good together, doesn't it? Jesus only. He only is all my salvation.

Verse 9, and as they came down from the mountain, He charged them, He gave them commandment that they should tell no man what things they'd seen. Well, I'd want to tell somebody about it, wouldn't you? I mean, put yourself in their place. If I was in an experience like that and I saw the Lord glorified like this, and I hope I'm, I don't even know how to say this, but they witnessed somehow His deity bursting through His humanity at this time. They saw His face shine like the sun. They saw rays of light come from His clothes.

Wouldn't you want to tell somebody about that if you saw it? I would. But he said, don't tell anybody about it. And Peter doesn't mention it again until 2 Peter chapter one, when he says, we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. He tells us about that experience in 2 Peter chapter one.

And I think it's interesting. He says, we've got something better than that. We've got the word of God. We've got the Bible. That's a more sure witness than even this experience. Aren't you thankful for the word of God? the Bible. I'm not dependent upon what men think. I'm dependent upon what God says in His Word.

Verse 9, As they came down the mountain, He charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of Man was risen from the dead. Now He had told them earlier, in the previous chapter, the Son of Man is going to be slain. And three days later, he's going to be raised from the dead. They heard this from the Savior's lips, but somehow it didn't register. And I can just picture them at this time, Peter saying to John James, did you hear what he said? Rising from the dead? What's that mean? What does the rising from the dead mean?

Now, from this account, we are confronted with Him. The issue is, who is Jesus Christ? And may I say that is the only issue. Who is Jesus Christ? Everything is determined by this. Who is Jesus Christ? He's not a mere man. Yes, he's man. He's the God man. And they were confronted with this at this time. Fully man, fully God, equal to God. They just witnessed this in the transfiguration. The writer to the Hebrews calls him the brightness of God's glory and the express image of his person, the one who upholds all things by the word of his power.

You know what that means? The very last breath you took is because he willed it. You weren't aware of it. He is. There's not a sparrow that falls to the ground without him. He's Lord. He's Lord. They witnessed this man whose face shined like the sun. His countenance was altered. They witnessed this. They saw it. I don't know how much they understood of it. Probably no more than you or I would.

But this same one who manifested his glory in such a majestic way was nailed to a cross. It's quite a contrast, isn't it? This one, so altogether glorious, was brutally nailed to a cross. How could one like this die? I don't know, but he did. I don't understand how Jesus Christ is the God-man and he could die. That's a mystery to me. But he did. He died a violent, excruciating death on the cross. When Joseph of Arimathea took his lifeless corpse down from the cross, it was cold. A dead body.

There's only one reason for death. The wages, of sin is death. Romans chapter 6, verse 23. There's only one reason for death. Sin. The death of Jesus Christ had something to do with sin. You see, the sins of God's people became his sins. For he hath made him sin for us. Who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. That's the only reason for death, sin. He didn't die because he was innocent. He died because he was guilty. That's why he didn't defend himself. He knew he was guilty.

He took upon him the sins of God's elect and bore them in his own body on the tree. And God, the justice of God, the law of God, the righteousness of God, put him to death. It pleased the Lord to bruise him. Don't miss that. It pleased the Lord to bruise him. That is why he died.

As Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus prepared The body for the burial of this they were sure, he was dead. This one whose countenance altered and his face shined as the sun died, nailed to a tree. And they put him in that tomb just as Isaiah prophesied in Isaiah 53, and there his body lays in darkness in that tomb, graveyard dead. When's the last time you saw a dead body laid out?

You knew there was no life in that body. Jesus Christ, dead. Now while dead, his body did not go through the process of decay. like mine and yours will. Remember when he said, thou shalt not suffer thy holy one to see corruption? His body did not go through the process of decay because the moment he died, complete satisfaction was made. The second he died, complete satisfaction to God was made. What was going on during those three days of death?

We don't know. But all of a sudden, as he lay in darkness in that borrowed tomb, all of a sudden, his eyes opened. His blood began pumping again by a heart beating once again. He breathed in air just like you and I do. And I kind of wondered, we don't know, In the darkness of that tomb, did that same light come out that came during his transfiguration? Maybe, I don't know. But we know this. He was raised from the dead. Graveyard dead. This can't be duplicated in labs where we can give life to something. He was raised from the dead. Turn back with me for a moment to Matthew chapter 27, verse 61, verse 62. This is after he was placed in the tomb, Matthew chapter 27, verse 62.

Now the next day that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees came together into Pilate, saying, This is the Pharisees speaking. This is not the disciples. You know, they should have all been waiting at that tomb, waiting for the stone to be rolled away, because the Lord told them on at least three definite occasions, after three days, I'm going to be raised from the dead. And they should have been waiting. Verse 63, saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said while he was yet alive, after three days I'll rise again. How come they knew so clearly about this and the disciples seem to have forgotten it? They knew.

Command therefore that the sepulchral be made sure into the third day. Lest his disciples come by night and steal him away and say unto the people, he's risen from the dead. So the last error shall be worse than the first. Pilate said unto them, you have a watch. Soldiers were placed there to make sure nothing happened. Go your way, make it as sure as you can. I love that. Do all you can to make sure this doesn't happen. Well, they did. How much did it work?

So they went and made the sepulchre, sealing the stone, setting the watch, and the end of the Sabbath as it began Dawn toward the first day of the week came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary and see the sepulcher 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 set it upon it. And set upon it, his countenance was like lightning, his raiment white as snow. And for fear of him, the keepers, those fellows that were hired to stay guard did shake and became as dead men. And that's how much ability they had.

They became as dead men as Christ walked out of that tomb. He who is called the light and the life walks out of the tomb. The angel said to Mary, why seek ye him that liveth He is not here. He is risen. Risen from the dead. Now all over this country, I bet this is the, I bet churches are crowded in Lexington, Kentucky like they've never been. That's one day a year where we think of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now here's the issue. What does it mean? What does the rising from the dead mean? It could be that everybody in here believes in his resurrection. Maybe some don't, but it's a fact.

It's a historical fact. 500 witnesses saw him at once. That'd stand up in a court of law, wouldn't it? Now, it was only believers he appeared to. You know, I love it the way he didn't appear to any unbeliever. Why should he? He appeared to 500 witnesses, though, who beheld him raised from the dead. After he was raised from the dead, he walked 40 days upon this earth and gave, as Luke says, many infallible proofs concerning his life. Now, this is a historical fact. He was raised from the dead.

Only God can raise somebody from the dead. What's it mean? Now, I want to try to answer that question this morning, if the Lord allows me. I hope you and I will give special attention to what this resurrection from the dead means. First, He is who He claimed to be. All of his claims would be meaningless if he did not rise from the dead. If he stayed in the grave, he is the most deluded, deceived man to ever live because of the claims he made of himself.

He said, I and my Father are one. Equal to the Father. Equal to God because He is God. He said, I am the way. The way that excludes and denies all other ways. I am the truth. The truth that excludes anything that's contrary to Him being the truth. I am the life. The only life God will accept is His life. I am the life. No man comes to the Father but by Me. He that has seen Me has seen the Father. Now, I want you to think about that claim. He that has seen me has seen God.

What if I said that? It would be so utter blasphemous. It would be so evil. But when he says it, all you can do is bow down and say, yes, Lord. Amen. He said, I am the resurrection and the life. He said, I am. I am the I am that spoke to Moses. If you believe not that I am, you'll die in your sins. What a claim. He is the virgin born, only begotten Son of God, the creator and sovereign sustainer of the universe.

And all of that is predicated on him being raised from the dead. The resurrection of Christ means God's eternal purpose is fulfilled. And I love the way Peter, on the day of Pentecost, the first gospel message preached after the resurrection of Christ.

How did he begin? Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God. Here's why this has happened. God's determinate counsel and foreknowledge. He begins there. This is God's eternal purpose taking place. In Acts chapter 4, verse 27, the early church said, with regarding to the death of Christ, both Herod and Pontius Pilate and the Gentiles and the people of Israel gathered together for to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be Why was Christ crucified? Why was he raised from the dead? Because of God's determinate counsel, his predestinating purpose.

This is God's eternal purpose. This is why the universe was created for this. I love Revelation 13. I love him more than I ever have. He's the lamb having been slain from the foundation of the world. And you can write this down. If he's a lamb slain from the foundation of the world, he's the lamb raised from the foundation of the world.

And all of our salvation is eternally in him. This is God's eternal purpose. Your eternal destiny is determined by him. This is God's eternal purpose. Before there was a sinner, think of this, before there was ever a sinner, there was a savior. This is the eternal purpose of God, the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, his life, his death, his burial, his resurrection. He is who he claimed to be. And this is God's eternal purpose.

His resurrection from the dead speaks of a finished atonement. Now, what is an atonement? This is the simplest definition, I think, that can be given. At-one-ment. His atonement made me One with God. One with Christ. Full reconciliation. The complete putting away of sin. God was satisfied with the payment he made. The resurrection is proof of that. We don't sing Jesus paid a half, the other half I owe. Jesus paid it all, all the debt I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, he washed it white as snow. Full atonement. Now where remission of these is, that's from the full atoning death of Christ, where remission of these is, there's no more offering for sin, don't you try to bring one. Don't you dare try to bring something after what He has done. Why, that's blasphemous. What He did is enough. God is satisfied with what He did. Don't try to bring anything of your own. Forget doing. It's done. A full, complete atonement of Christ. It is finished and the resurrection is proof. The resurrection of the Christ is the very foundation of the gospel.

Turn with me to 1 Corinthians 15. I'd like you to look at this with me. You know, people talk about, well, I believe the whole gospel. I believe in the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Well, that's not really, that's just believing in a historical fact. It is a historical fact. I believe A lot of historical facts, but it goes a whole lot further than that if you understand it. Look in 1 Corinthians 15, verse one.

Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel, which I preached unto you. The message hadn't changed. First time I preached, I'm preaching the same thing, which also you have received wherein you stand. By which also you're saved, if you keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered unto you, as a mailman delivers a letter. He doesn't have anything to do with the contents. This is what God gave me. For I delivered unto you, first of all, that which I also received.

How that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures. Now don't miss that. It's not just that Christ died for our sins. If I stand up and say to you, Christ died for our sins, I'm not giving the gospel message. It's how that. Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures. One little example, the Passover.

God said, when I see the blood, I will pass over you. That's how the Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures. Not when you see the blood, when I see the blood. Not when I see your faith, or when I see your sincerity, or when I see your good works. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. That's how the Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures.

Go on reading, verse four. And that he was buried and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. This is the message of this book. This book only has one message. Jesus Christ and him crucified, how he died according to the scriptures. Now, the resurrection of Christ is The great truth of justification.

Let me give you a scripture. You can turn to this if you want, but I'm just going to quote it. Romans 4 25. He was delivered for our offenses. That's why he died. Our offenses. He was raised again for our or because of our justification. Now, justification.

If a judge justifies somebody, what's that mean? Doesn't mean he forgave him. Judge doesn't say, oh, I'm gonna forgive you of this. As a matter of fact, if we had a judge forgiving people, we'd get rid of him, wouldn't we? His duty is to make sure the law is honored. He was raised again for our justification.

If I'm justified, that means I don't have anything to feel guilty about because I don't have any sin. I stand before God just. I stand before God righteous. I stand before God as one who has never sinned. Nothing to feel guilty about. When I stand on judgment day, I won't be thinking, well, remember when I did this or remember? No, I didn't do anything. I stand before God perfectly righteous, having honored God's holy law. He was raised again for our justification. You see, when he died, full satisfaction was made, full payment of my sins. I now have no sins. I now stand before God justified.

The resurrection of Christ is the only thing that can satisfy the conscience. Let me give you the scripture. Peter said in 1 Peter chapter 3, The answer of a good conscience toward God by the resurrection of Christ from the dead. That's the answer of a good conscience.

Now, somebody says, now I have a clear conscience about this. I don't think I did anything there. I've got a clear conscience. No, you have a seared conscience. You have a conscience that's controlled by the fall, your fallen nature. Because with regard to anything I do, I can't say, well, my conscience is clear about that.

I acted well there. I treated somebody the way I should have. I have nothing to feel guilty about. No, there's never a time when that's the truth. But I'll tell you this, the only thing that satisfies my conscience is the resurrection of Christ from the dead. Oh, I've got a clear conscience. If what he did when he was raised from the dead made me perfect before God, clear conscience. That's the only thing that makes a clear conscience. A good conscience. A good conscience is a conscience that has nothing to feel guilty about. I've got a good conscience because I've never sinned. Well, how do you say that?

The resurrection of Christ from the dead. That's what the resurrection means. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The resurrection of the Christ from the dead means this, listen to this scripture, Romans chapter 14, verse nine, for to this end, Christ both died and rose and revived that he might be Lord both of the dead and the living.

Christ is your Lord. He's not my Lord. Yeah, He is. He's your Lord whether you know it or not. You're in His hands and your eternal destiny is to be determined by Him. He's the Lord of the dead, those dead in sins. Oh, He's most especially the Lord of the living. We love Him being our Lord. God hath highly exalted Him and given Him a name, which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow and things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth And every tongue is going to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Now, I hope everybody in this room confesses this now, willingly. But if you don't now, you will one day because He is Lord.

His resurrection is the ground of our assurance. What gives you assurance that you'll be in heaven? That ain't hard to answer. Who is he that condemneth? It's Christ that died, yea, rather that's risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. What gives me assurance? The resurrection of Christ. Anything else? Nope. Nope. That's it. That's it. Nothing else. I need no other argument. I need no other plea. It is enough that Jesus died and that he died for me. Included in that is his resurrection.

His resurrection from the dead is the source of our spiritual life. Drew read this when he's reading Ephesians chapter 2 verse For, but God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ. By grace are you saved, and raised us up together with him. Why am I born again? Because I decided to become, no, because Jesus Christ died and was raised for me. That's why I'm born again.

I attribute all of my salvation to him. His resurrection from the dead is the defeat of death. Oh death, where is thy sting? Oh grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin. And the strength of sin is the law, but thanks be unto God would giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Death has been defeated. The resurrection of Christ from the dead is the utter defeat of Satan. He thought, for some reason, I like thinking about this, when Christ died, he thought, I've won. He was absolutely destroyed. His head was crushed. The resurrection of the Christ is the assurance of a future judgment.

Listen to this scripture from Acts 1731. God commandeth all men everywhere to repent. Change your mind. You're wrong. That's said to me and to you. Whatever you think naturally about God is wrong. Repent, because He hath appointed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom He hath ordained, whereof He hath given assurance to all men, in that He raised Him from the dead.

You're gonna be set, I'm going to be set. right beside Jesus Christ on judgment day. And if I'm not just like him, I won't be in heaven. His resurrection from the dead is the guarantee that all he died for will be with him forever, perfectly conformed to his image. What makes me think I'm going to be conformed to his image? He was raised from the dead.

And here's the last thing I want to say. The word Paul said in Romans chapter 10 is nigh thee. That is the word of faith which we preach. It's near you right now. But what is it? That thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead. Thou shalt be saved. You confess with your mouth, Jesus to be Lord. You believe he is Lord. You believe that? Do you believe he's the Lord? Not just a title. He's the Creator. He's the Lord of Providence. Everything that happens, He's in control of. He's the Lord of salvation.

And you believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead. Now, I'm not asking you what you think about yourself. Do you believe He's Lord? Do you believe God raised Him from the dead because God was completely satisfied with what He did and He's not looking for anything else? Do you believe that?

Then my dear friend, you shall be saved. You are saved and you will be saved on that great day. Thank God for the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Let's pray. Lord, we are so thankful for the resurrection of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. We're so thankful for what he accomplished in his death that is demonstrated by him being raised from the dead. Everything he came to do, he did. How we thank you for the glorious life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And Lord, we so earnestly await His return. We give thanks for Him. In His name we pray, amen.