In 1 Corinthians chapter 15 Paul
opens with these words. Moreover brethren, I declare
unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have
received and wherein ye stand, by which also ye are saved, if
ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed
in vain. For I delivered unto you first
of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our
sins according to the Scriptures, and that he was buried, and that
he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. and that he
was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve. After that he was seen
of above five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater
part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After
that he was seen of James, then of all the apostles, and last
of all he was seen of me also, as one born out of due time. I deliver it unto you first of
all that which I also received how that Christ died for our
sins according to the scriptures and that he was buried and that
he rose again the third day according to the scriptures the third day
In this chapter, Paul deals with the reality of the resurrection
of Christ. That he truly died. That he was
laid in the grave, dead. And that on the third day he
rose again. And that all God's people will
die and will rise again in Christ. He deals with the reality of
this resurrection. And he makes it very plain that
if the resurrection was a lie, if Christ never truly rose again,
and if no man can rise from the dead, then the whole of the gospel
is pointless, it's worthless. We are of all men most miserable.
For we follow a lie, we follow something which is simply a way
of life in this world and then, as with all men, we would die
and enter the grave and never return. But the great hope of
the Gospel and the great truth that Paul would have us see is
that Christ did rise, that there is life beyond death, that there
is resurrection. that in Christ all God's people
have their sins blotted out that Christ died for them he died
because they were sinners he died to bear their sins he died
to bear the judgment of God against them in him He died to deliver
them from the captivity that their sins had brought them into.
He died to set them free. He died to wash them clean in
His blood, to blot out their sins, to make them righteous. to make them perfect without
spot and blemish so that they could be brought before the Father
brought before God and He could examine them and examine them
by law and find them not guilty. That He would look on them and
see them as perfect, as righteous, having the righteousness of God
in Jesus Christ. And that being found not guilty,
being found righteous, they would inherit with Christ an everlasting
eternal life. They would be one with Him, to
dwell with Him forevermore. That's the great hope of the
gospel, that's the fact and the truth of the gospel, that's the
message which Paul received according to the scriptures, it's the message
he preached and it's the life by which he lived. It's because
God came unto Paul, a dead sinner, and brought the life of the gospel
which was in Christ, which was in Christ because Christ delivered
us from the grave. It's because God took Paul and
made him to live. He quickened Paul, he made this
dead sinner to live and it's because God truly made Paul live
that Paul could go forth and preach this gospel in power.
Paul was not dealing with facts in the head. He was not dealing
with theories. He was not dealing with a mere
mental persuasion. He was not coming to his hearers
and saying, I've heard that there's a resurrection to come and I'm
convinced it's going to happen. He was one who'd already been
raised from the dead. He knew the resurrection was
true and real because the power and the life of the resurrection
had entered into Paul by God's grace, had taken Paul a dead
sinner and made him to live spiritually. He knew that these things were
real. And that's what caused him to
preach it and to preach it in power and to preach it with such
power that other dead sinners hurt and were brought to life. And being brought to life spiritually
they knew they had a sure and a certain hope that when they
died physically they would go the other side of the grave and
be risen again in Christ. Physically, truly on the last
day. The hope of the resurrection
is no vain hope. It's a hope which is testified
to, which is made a reality because of the life-giving work of the
Spirit of God in the new birth. Because Christ died, because
He rose again, God in His Spirit brings life through the Gospel
to dead sins. Now if He's done that to you,
You will know the reality of it and you will say Amen. You'll
know that Christ died. You'll know that he was in the
grave. And you'll know that on the third day he rose again according
to the scriptures. You'll know it. You'll know the
reality of it. And you'll rejoice in it. You'll
rejoice that Christ died. You'll rejoice that he was crucified. You'll rejoice that he bore your
sins. and blotted your sins out. You'll rejoice that he brought
in the righteousness of God for you. You'll rejoice that God
chose you under salvation. Because you'll know that you
never chose salvation yourself. You were running another way.
You didn't care for the cross. You didn't care for Christ. You
didn't care for his death. You didn't care what the scripture
said. So whether or not Christ died
according to the scriptures, or whether or not on the third
day he rose again according to the scriptures, didn't matter
to you because you didn't care. But there came a day when God
opened your eyes and made you to see, made you to behold a
saviour crucified for you, made you to behold a saviour risen
again. And you rejoiced in it. And you rejoice today in it.
Your hope's in it. You know there's everlasting
life. And you know the significance
of the day on which Christ died, the day in which he was laid
in the grave, and the third day in which he rose from the dead.
Such is the significance of the death and the resurrection of
Christ that the Scriptures testify to it both explicitly and implicitly,
both clearly and in type and in figure, from cover to cover. The third day is such an important
day in history, in time, in eternity. that throughout the scriptures,
God draws our attention to it. So let us consider the third
day. But let us begin with the first
day. Because the third day followed
the first day, and the second day followed the first, and the
third followed the second. Right back in the beginning of
scriptures, we read of the very first day. when God created the
heavens and the earth. The very first day which points
us in figure to the day in which Christ died. Genesis 1.1 says,
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth, and
the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the
face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon
the face of the waters. And God said, let there be light. And there was light. And God
saw the light that it was good. And God divided the light from
the darkness. And God called the light day. And the darkness he called night. And the evening and the morning
were the first day. Well, there's a description of
the creation. There was darkness. And God said, let there be light.
And God saw the light that it was good and he divided the light
from the darkness. He called the light day and the
darkness he called night and the evening and the morning were
the first day. That was the creation. But it's also a picture of the
division, the dividing of the darkness from the light. of day from night, which God
has done and does throughout all time, and particularly at
the cross. When Christ came into this world,
he came into the darkness, as John chapter one tells us. He
came, the light of God came into the darkness. And the light of
God came into the darkness of this world, the sin of this world,
into this evil world, into this fallen world, into this world
which had turned its back upon God, unto a people in this world
who were in darkness. who'd fallen into sin, who'd
chosen to sin, who'd chosen the darkness, who loved the darkness
and hated the light and hated all things of God. He came into
this world of darkness, where you and I dwell. Sinners who love the darkness. And he came as the light of God,
shining in the darkness. to separate day from night, to
separate the light from the darkness, and to separate those who we
cause to be children of the light from those who we cause to be
children of darkness. John says, In the beginning was
the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The
same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by
Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.
In Him was life, and the life was the light of man. The life was the light of man. In Him was life. There's no life
anywhere else. Outside of Christ there's but
darkness, sin, and death. There is no life outside of Christ. And the life was the light of
man. And the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended
it not. Yet Christ came as the light. in the darkness. And the darkness
comprehended it not. And the people of this world,
when the light of God came in the person of a man into their
midst, rejected him. The darkness saw this man and
they comprehended it not. They comprehended the light not. They did not see him for who
he was. They did not receive him for
who he was. They did not want him for who
he was. They didn't want this man. They
didn't want his light. For the light would expose what
they were in the darkness. the light found them out the
light found out how guilty they were how deceitful they were
it found out how how much was hidden within in the darkness
so they could hide in the darkness and you can hide in the darkness
you can do this in the darkness and that in the darkness and
nobody sees because it's dark you can think this in your mind
You can nurture these evil, selfish thoughts in your mind and nobody
knows them, nobody sees them. They hear and see what comes
out, but you can control that at times. You do your best to
control what others see. But there's so much that's hidden
away. Evil thoughts, dark thoughts,
selfish thoughts, greedy thoughts, in the darkness. But when the
light shines in the darkness, everything's lit up. Go into
a dark room and shine a torch around and you'll see what's
hidden to the natural sight. And when Christ the light came
into this world, man rejected him because he exposed what man
was. And not just the worst of sinners,
but he exposed what religious man was. He came unto the Jews,
he came unto the scribes, the Pharisees, the Sadducees and
they hated him because they in their dark religion could appear
before man to be speaking of things concerning light and nobody
could tell. Nobody could tell that what they
did and what they said was actually godless. They'd received the
things of God from their fathers. They walked in the ways in which
he commanded, but their heart wasn't in it. They were darn. They did things in the motions.
They went to the temple. They offered up sacrifices. They
said this, they said that. They appeared to be so good in
the eyes of men, but there was no truth in it. There was no
life in it. They had a form, they had an
outward form of religion, but there was no life in their religion. There was no light in it. And
when the light came and stood before them and exposed what
they were, that they were deceitful. Here they were leaders of the
people. Leaders of the people. Those
who were something in Israel, something in Jerusalem. Those
who should know. And they knew nothing. They knew nothing. John chapter
3. Very soon after the entrance
of the light into this world, we read this account of Christ's
meeting with a certain man. There was a man of the Pharisees
named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. The same came to Jesus
by night, in the darkness. And said unto him, Rabbi, we
know that thou art a teacher come from God, for no man can
do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus
answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except
a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus
saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he
enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born? Jesus
answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born
of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom
of God. That which is born of the flesh
is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel
not that I said unto thee, ye must be born again. The wind
bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof.
But canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth.
So is every one that is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus answered
and said unto him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and
said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these
things? Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen, and
ye receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly things
and ye believe not, how shall ye believe if I tell you of heavenly
things? No man hath ascended up to heaven,
but he that came down from heaven, even the son of man which is
in heaven. Art thou a master of Israel Nicodemus,
and knowest not these things? You're a leader, a ruler of the
Jews. You come to me in the darkness. You ask me about the things of
God, and I tell you, you'll need to be born again, and you don't
comprehend it. You don't know anything. But
I speak, we speak what we know and we testify what we've seen
and you receive it not. You see in the darkness of this
world religious man knows many things in his head and does many
things and says many things but when the light comes before him
it's like he's never heard it. He must be born again. What does
that mean he says? He's read it on the page of scripture.
Every professing Christians heard about the new birth and the need
to be born again. Multitudes of people go to worship
Sunday by Sunday and speak of being born again Christians and
they don't know what they mean. They've never been born again.
They don't know what Christ meant by being born again. Like Nicodemus,
they alter it, they change it to bring it down to some earthly
level that they can comprehend so they speak of being born again
and it's really just a decision that they make at some stage
and they decide to follow Jesus and they say from that day forth
I was born again. Well what man ever cause himself
to be born by his decision? You never chose to be born. God
caused you to be born of your parents. God ultimately brings
forth life. It's the same with the new birth.
God brings forth life. He says, live, and a dead sinner
lives. Yet religion says, oh, the new
birth comes when you make your decision. They're blind, they're
in the darkness like Nicodemus. Aren't thou a master in Israel
and knowest not these things? Aren't thou a teacher and a preacher
in the churches and you don't know these things? You're in
darkness. And when the light comes, you
don't comprehend, you don't understand, and in the end you reject. When the light comes and says
the new birth comes from God, He chooses when and how. He chooses when you will believe. He chooses how you will believe.
He chooses who will believe. he's chosen a people he preaches
the gospel to them he quickens them to life he causes them to
follow and it's not their will it's not their works it's not
their decision that brings it to pass and man says oh i'm not
having that and he rejects it and he despises it and he says
I'm not following that religion I'm not having that gospel and
ultimately he hates like the darkness hated Christ when he
came into the world and the darkness took Christ and it crucified
Christ and it nailed him to the cross And the light of God was
nailed to the cross whilst the darkness all around walked by
and mocked and jeered and sneered and spat upon him. And the light
was divided from the darkness. The darkness all round looked
and the light of God died upon the cross. when that light, when
that son of God was nailed to that tree for three hours there
was darkness upon the face of the earth because he took the
darkness of his people and it concealed his light as he bore
their sins whilst God judged it with fire and poured down
his wrath upon him and there was darkness And at the end he
cried out, it is finished. And the light of the sun returned.
On the first day, God divided the light from the darkness. And he called the light day,
and the darkness he called night. And the evening and the morning
were the first day. On the second day, Christ having
died, the light having been divided from the darkness, Christ and
his people separated from the wicked in this world. On the
second day, Christ was taken down from the cross and laid
in the tomb. And as it were, the light was
concealed and hidden away and divided. In Genesis we read from
verse six, and God said, let there be a firmament in the midst
of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And
God made the firmament and divided the waters which were under the
firmament from the waters which were above the firmament. And
it was so. And God called the firmament
heaven. And the evening and the morning
were the second day. And the second day God took the
waters that he created and he split them. And he had waters
above and waters below. physically speaking, seas below
and mists above, with the heavens between. But he divided, he divided
some of the water from some of the water. There was waters above
the heavens and waters below. And they were divided by the
heavens. And when Christ was laid in the tomb, God laid his
people in him, with him, in the tomb also. And he took of that
generation of Adam, out of the offspring of Adam, out of the
human race, there were some laid in Christ, in the grave, in the
tomb, ready to rise again on the third day. And there were
others outside, in the darkness, who knew him not. There was water
above and water beneath, and what divided them was heaven. Heaven divided them. Man didn't
divide. Wasn't man's decision which caused
some to be in Christ and some not to be. It wasn't their decision
that caused them to be in Christ. Heaven divided the waters from
the waters. God said, let there be light. God said, this is my people chosen
in Christ from before the foundation of the world. God said, Paul
will be crucified with Christ. and I will raise him up the third
day and send him forth to preach my gospel. Did God say of you
that you are his, chosen in Christ, divided from the waters by heaven,
laid in Christ in the grave in the second day, ready to rise
again? For on the third day, Christ
and his people rose again. Third day. Third day in Genesis
is the first day we read in the Bible when life is brought forth. And God said, let the waters
under the heaven be gathered together into one place and let
the dry land appear. And it was so. And God called
the dry land earth, and the gathering together of the waters called
he seas. And God saw that it was good.
And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding
seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed
is in itself upon the earth. And it was so. And the earth
brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind,
and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself after
his kind. And God saw that it was good.
And the evening and the morning were the third day. On the third
day, God brought forth life. Christ rose from the dead. The light, which was divided
from the darkness, The life of God rose up, never to be slain
again. God brought forth life upon the
earth. You were part of it. This life
is testified in many ways through the scriptures. and the third
day upon which it's brought forth is testified in many ways. Here
firstly we see on the third day in Genesis 1, life brought forth
upon the earth. We see the life, the life, the
bringing forth of life on the third day, the third day of creation. From the very beginning God said
to this world, said in events, said in time, he said on the
third day there will be life. And what he did at the very beginning
was a picture of what would come about on the third day, following
the crucifixion of his son. Man took the light of God, he
who is life, and slew him, crucified him. But whilst it
was man that did it, truly it was not. God allowed man to take
it. That life, that son of God laid
down his own life that he might deliver his people. But they
took the light and they concealed it and they slew it. And the
life was hidden and it was divided. But on the third day it came
forth upon the earth. The stone of the tomb was rolled
aside. The disciples, the women, went to the tomb and found him
not. because the life had come forth from the earth. Secondly,
that life came through death. It came through death. There
could not be life on the third day except there was first death. This is what Paul goes on to
teach in 1 Corinthians 15, we read there at the beginning,
but as we read further in the chapter, he makes it plain that
there's no resurrection without death. The seed must be sown
in the ground, it must die before it then brings forth new life.
There must be death. and this third day followed the
first day the first day had to happen there had to be a division
there had to be a division of the light from the darkness there
had to be death now in genesis and chapter 42 we read an account
regarding joseph and his brothers joseph was given up by his brothers
Ormus is dead. They threw him in a pit. They
planned to kill him. They hated him. But then they
sold him to the Ishmaelites that took him down to Egypt. As far
as they were concerned, he was dead. But then there comes a
time of famine and God brings his brothers under him and they
know him not. And meanwhile, he's been promoted
to the highest place in Egypt. And they meet with him. and he
has as it were risen from the dead he's a picture of christ
his brothers are brought to him and he has as it were risen from
the dead and in genesis 42 verse 14 when they meet him we we read
this and joseph said unto them That is it that I spake unto
you, saying, Ye are spies, hereby ye shall be proved. By the life
of Pharaoh, ye shall not go forth hence, except your younger brother
come hither. Send one of you, and let him
fetch your brother, and he shall be kept in prison, that your
words may be proved, whether there be any truth in you. Or
else by the life of Pharaoh, surely ye are spies. And he put
them all together into ward three days. And Joseph said unto them
that third day, this do and live, for I fear God. He took these
who came to him who was once dead, and he put them in a prison,
much like Christ when he died and was laid in the grave was
put into a prison. And on the third day he came
forth, the prison gates were opened and he came forth living.
Well here they come unto a figure of Christ Joseph, his brethren.
And he takes them as spies, as sinners. And he puts them into
jail. And on the third day he brings
them forth and says, this do and live. For I fear God, if
ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in the house
of your prison. Go ye, carry corn for the famine
of your house. But bring your youngest brother
unto me. So shall your words be verified,
and ye shall not die.' And they did so. And they said one to
another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that
we saw the anguish of his soul when he besought us. And we would
not hear. Therefore is this distress come
upon us. And Reuben answered them, saying,
Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child,
and ye would not hear? Therefore, behold, also his blood
is required. And they knew not that Joseph
understood them, for he spake unto them by an interpreter.
here they are he's put them into jail and he brings them forth
on the third day and says go and bring your brethren you'll
live he's gonna bring them life he's going to release them he
knows they are his brethren but then they realize that they betrayed
Joseph all those years ago and they're guilty And Reuben rebukes
his brethren unto his brothers, and says unto them, didn't I
tell you, don't sin against him, don't do this? Now his blood
is required. We're guilty of his blood. Because
in figure, he died. And there'd be no life, except
blood is shed. Christ had to die to deliver
his brethren. He had to shed his blood on behalf
of his brethren that they should live. Because his brethren, like
these brothers of Joseph, were guilty. His brethren are guilty. They're guilty sinners. They
have in their hearts put Christ to death. They've done the same
unto Christ as Joseph's brothers did unto him. They're guilty
of his blood. You and I in our hearts have
put Christ to death. We've taken as it were Joseph
and slain him in the pit and set away with him. And his blood
is upon our hands. His blood is upon our hands.
And we'll pay the price. We'll be thrown into jail. We'll
remain in jail forever. We'll die a lingering death unless
somebody pays the price for us. It's either our blood or somebody
else's blood. Behold also his blood is required. His blood is required. And the
glory of the gospel is that Christ Joseph, as it were, died in the
place of his brethren. He was the one that died, that
they should live. He was the one whose blood was
shed, that there shouldn't be. He was the one that died, that
they should live, and that they, on the third day, should be set
free from prison. Just do and live. Do what I say. Follow my words, Joseph says. Follow my words, Christ says.
Believe me. Do as I instruct you and come
back to me. Believe me and you will live. There must be blood. This life
on the third day only came through blood. Thirdly, this life came,
was wrought, outside of the camp. Outside of the camp of the Jews. Christ came unto the Jews. The
light came into the darkness. And the Jews, the rulers of the
Jews, received him not. In the end they cried out, crucify
him, crucify him. And they took him outside Jerusalem. And they sent him outside of
the camp and they crucified him. Hebrews 12 in Hebrews 13 we read
wherefore Jesus also that he might sanctify the people with
his own blood suffered without the gate let us go therefore
let us go forth therefore under him without the camp bearing
his reproach Where will we find him outside the camp? He's not
found in this world's religions. He's not found in this world's
corruptions of Christianity. Just as the Jews in Christ's
generation when he was born in this world had corrupted the
truth as were given to their fathers. Those truths that David
honored and David knew, the Jews in Christ's day, they had the
form of them, they had the skeleton, they had the words, they had
the outer shell, but they had none of the life. So today, so
many speak of Christ, so many speak of Christianity and say
they're Christian, and they've got nothing, they've got the
words, they've got the shell, they've got the form, but they
don't know Him, they've got no life. Then let us go forth outside,
without the camp, outside of their circles, outside of their
deceits, outside of their lies, outside of their false gospel.
Let's come unto Christ in the truth, in the true gospel, bearing
his reproach, outside of the camp, to find the one, the only
one, who brings life, and who brought life on the third day. Now just as we're exhorted there
in Hebrews to come without the count, where Christ suffered,
we read in the count in the Old Testament again, in all the Scriptures,
He suffered according to the Scriptures, He rose again according
to the Scriptures. We read in the count that points
us to this. 2 Samuel chapter 1 verses 1 to
3 we read this, now it came to pass after the death of Saul
when David was returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites
and David had abode two days in Ziklag, it came even to pass
on the third day that behold a man came out of the camp from
Saul with his clothes wrapped and earth upon his head. And
so it was when he came to David that he fell to the earth and
did obeisance. And David said unto him, From
whence comest thou? And he said unto him, Out of
the camp of Israel am I escaped. This man came unto David on the
third day, He came leaving Saul, following the death of Saul.
When Israel and its king had died, he left the camp of Israel. Out of the camp of Israel he
escaped. That which should have been God's
people, but were only God's people in name. whose leader was dead,
a people in which there was death. He came out of them, and he came
unto David, the true king of Israel. The true king. And he came unto David on the
third day, out of the camp from Saul, with his clothes ran earth
upon his head. And so it was when he came to
David that he fell to the earth and did obeisance. He worshipped.
He worshipped. And here again we see a figure,
David here is Christ. And the man worshipping him came
unto him on the third day. Outside, leaving the camp of
this world's religion, he came unto the true king of Israel.
He left the dead king of Israel and the dead Israelites in this
world. He came outside of their camp,
he came on the third day to he who could truly bring him life. He left death and came unto the
King, King David, who could truly bring him life, and he worshipped
him. He came outside the camp, and life is only to be found
outside the camp. If he'd remained with Saul and
with the Israelites in the camp, he'd have perished with Saul,
he'd have perished with them, there was no life there. But
he was brought by God. to come unto David, the true
King, God's anointed, the only one who could bring him life.
And if you're to know life in Christ, then you need to come
on the third day unto Christ. Outside this world's religion,
outside the cap, turn your back on the falsehood and come to
the truth. come unto Christ hear him hear
his testimony throughout all the scriptures that he rose from
the dead the third day according to the scriptures why did this
man come to David on the third day because it's a picture of
the day in which Christ rose from the dead a picture of life
a picture of coming to the king the true king of Israel and worshipping
him in whom there is life. Have you come like that man,
with your clothes wrapped, knowing you're a sinner, with earth upon
your head, knowing you're earthy of this world? Nothing! Have
you come unto David, unto Christ, and fallen to the earth and worshipped? Fourthly, there is new life on
the third day, on the king's birthday. Because this day is
the day in which the king was born. Not his first birth, not
his physical birth, but the day in which he was born from the
dead. The day in which he came forth
again. Just as you have a day in which you're born physically,
but if you come to know Christ there's a day in which you're
born again, a day in which the resurrection, the third day brings
you to life. The king's birthday. And we read
of this king's birthday in a rather strange place. But it's still
the third day, it's still the king, and it's still his birthday.
And it's another example of the wondrous wisdom of God in how
he brings forth the gospel throughout all the scriptures. We read in
Genesis 40 and verse 20. regarding Pharaoh. We read there
that it says, and it came to pass the third day, which was
Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast under all his servants
and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and the chief
baker among his servants. servants. It came to pass the
third day, which was Pharaoh's, the king's, birthday, that he
made a feast under all his servants and he lifted up the head of
the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants. Now what day is this and what
king is this and what are these servants, who are these servants
and what's the significance of the butler and the baker? What
is this but the gospel in type and in figure? On the third day,
the king's birthday, Christ's birthday, there was a feast for
all his servants. He's made a banqueting feast
for all his people. Come unto me, live, feast at
my table. He made a feast for all his servants
and at that feast he brought forth wine and bread. The chief
butler were there and the chief baker were there among his servants.
The wine and the bread was delivered. It was lifted up because the
wine and the bread are the blood and the body of Christ. The wine,
the blood was shed on the first day when Christ was crucified.
His body, the bread was broken. The bread of heaven, the bread
of God was broken on the first day. And on the third day, the
wine and the bread were lifted up. They came forth from the
grave, life was in him. And he takes of the wine and
the bread and gives to his people in remembrance of his death forevermore. We see this in the Lord's Supper. Instructs his disciples, take
the bread, take the wine and remember me, remember me, remember
my birthday, remember the third day, remember the feast I've
made for all my servants, remember how I lifted up the head of the
chief butler and the chief baker among my servants, remember the
bread and the wine. this new life on the third day
on the King's birthday. Fifthly, this life is healing
life and it's yours in the King's house, in the King's house. We read out another reference
to this third day, in 2 Kings 20, verse 5, where we read of
Hezekiah. There we return again and tell
Hezekiah, the captain of my people, Thus saith the Lord, the God
of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears,
behold, I will heal thee. On the third day thou shalt go
up unto the house of the Lord. I've heard thy prayer Hezekiah. I've seen your tears. I will
heal you. On the third day you shall go
up to the house of the Lord. Has God said that to you? Has
he come unto you on the third day in the gospel, pointing you
to the resurrection, pointing you to Christ, and said unto
you, I've heard your prayer. I've heard your prayer for salvation. I've heard your longing to be
saved. Come and see my Son crucified
for you, laid in the grave for you and on the third day risen
for you. Be healed. Take of his blood,
bathe in his blood. Be healed of all thine iniquity. All your sins, wash them. Wash
yourself in my Son's blood. Behold, I will heal thee. I've
heard your prayer. I've heard your tears. I've seen
your tears. Behold, I'll heal thee on the
third day in my Son, in Christ, risen with him. You will go up
into the house of the Lord. Has he said that to you? Have
you gone up? Again in Esther we read a similar
thing. Now it came, Esther 5 chapter
1, now it came to pass on the third day that Esther put on
her royal apparel and stood in the inner court of the king's
house and over against the king's house and the king sat upon his
royal throne in the royal house over against the gate of the
house. She went into the king's house on the third day, healed,
restored, forgiven. There's healing life in the king's
house. Sixthly, this life is to be found
in Christ, in his sight. If you've got this life, he won't
leave you at a distance. He'll lead you into his house
and he'll bring you into the very presence of Christ himself. He'll bring you into the very
presence of the Son of God, you as His bride will be brought
under Him, you'll be one with Him, you'll live and reign with
Him as the Bride of Christ, there is life in His sight. Hosea chapter
6 verses 1 and 2 reads as follows, Come and let us return unto the
Lord, for He hath torn and he will heal us. He hath smitten
and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive
us. In the third day he will raise
us up and we shall live in his sight. He's torn, but he'll heal you. He's smitten, but he'll bind
you up again. After two days, he'll revive
you. And on the third day, he'll raise
you up and you'll live in his sight. Have you been torn? Have you been torn by the guilt
of sin? Have you been smitten? Has God
convicted you? Has God brought you low? Has
God shown you your need of salvation? Has he healed you? Has He bound
you up? Has He lifted you up? Has He
taken you as one who was dead? One without hope? One who was
lost? One who could not save himself?
One who could make no decision? One whose decision was always
the wrong decision? One who could do no works to
make yourself right before God? One who was lost and full of
iniquity? Has He taken you and healed you and bound you up? as he raised you up, shall you
live in his sight. Again, John's Gospel, chapter
2, verse 1 and 2, tells us, on the third day, there was a marriage
in Cana of Galilee. And the mother of Jesus was there,
and both Jesus was called and his disciples to the marriage. We saw with Pharaoh, on the third
day was his birthday and he made a feast for his servants and
all the servants were gathered and here we read of a marriage
in Cana of Galilee where the mother of Jesus is there and
he's called and his disciples and there's a bride and there's
a bridegroom on the third day and they were there with him
in his sight. Lastly, seventhly, on the third
day this life is the life which was promised. Promised throughout
all the scriptures and brought to fulfilment. Matthew 16, 21,
as with the other gospels, tells us, from that time forth began
Jesus to show unto his disciples how that he must go unto Jerusalem
and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and
scribes and be killed and be raised again the third day. as
the scriptures have testified. He began to preach, he began
to declare, he began to say that these things must come about.
I must go to Jerusalem. I must suffer many things. I
will be killed, but I will be risen again the third day. Acts 10 tells us, In verse 34,
then Peter opened his mouth and said, of a truth I perceive that
God is no respecter of persons, for in every nation he that feareth
him and worketh righteousness is accepted with him. The word
which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by
Jesus Christ. He is Lord of all. That word
I say ye know, which was published throughout all Judea and began
from Galilee after the baptism which John preached. How God
anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power,
who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed
of the devil, for God was with him. And we are witnesses of
all things which he did both in the land of the Jews and in
Jerusalem, whom they slew and hanged on a tree. Him God raised
up the third day and showed him openly, not to all the people,
but unto witnesses chosen before of God. even to us who did eat
and drink with him after he rose from the dead. Him God raised
up the third day and showed him openly to witnesses who did eat
and drink with him after he rose from the dead. As Paul said in
our chapter, 1 Corinthians 15, I deliver unto you first of all
that which I also receive, how that Christ died for our sins
according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that
He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. He rose again
the third day according to the Scriptures. Did He rise for you? Did you rise with Him? Is there
life in His sight? Has He led you by His Gospel,
the same Gospel that Paul heard, the same Gospel that Paul preached?
Has He led you by that Gospel to His Son, to the third day,
to the life, to the light of God which shone in the darkness? Amen.