You can sing that again real
soon. There is no aspect of gospel
truth revealed in this book that is more important than the doctrine
of the resurrection. Some folks give little thought
to the resurrection. Many imagine that it is fairly
insignificant and irrelevant and really does not matter what
you do or do not believe concerning the resurrection. And when I
speak of the resurrection, I speak of these three things, the resurrection
of Christ from the dead, the resurrection of our souls in
union with Christ in the new birth, and the resurrection of
the body at the last day. There are many who have the idea
that those things really are not terribly important. But if
you denounce the resurrection, if you deny the resurrection,
if you do not believe what this book teaches concerning the resurrection,
you have denounced, denied, and refused to believe the whole
word of God. Now this is so very, very important. I want you to hear every word.
God, make it sink into your soul. Everything in this book, the
whole of Christianity, stands or falls on the resurrection. Everything in this book, the
whole of Christianity, stands or falls with the resurrection. To deny the resurrection is to
deny that Jesus is the Christ. For he who was prophesied in
scripture as the Christ, the Messiah, is he who must rise
from the dead on the third day. Psalm 16 says so, as well as
many other passages. To deny the resurrection is to
deny that Christ has put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. For it was by his resurrection
from the dead that he was declared to be the Son of God with power,
and he was raised without sin unto salvation, being justified
in the Spirit. To deny the resurrection is to
declare that faith in Christ is but a sad hoax formed by men
to deceive men, and it is nothing at all. To deny the resurrection
is to deny the whole of the gospel. I live in hope of the resurrection. This is that which Paul calls
the blessed hope, the hope of the resurrection. Paul said in
1 Corinthians 15, 19, listen to this, if in this life only
we have hope in Christ, that is, if what we hope for in Christ
is just for now, just in this life, we are of all men most
miserable. What does that mean? If in this life only we have
hope in Christ, that is, we live here, we live in hope, we live
in faith in Christ, and then we die like a dog and that's
the end of it. If that's all there is to it, then we are of
all men most miserable. Well, Paul certainly does not
mean for us to understand that the believer's life in this world
is a sad, morbid life. Not at all. Not at all. I had a sad, morbid life. I know
what that is. Not this. Not this. I remember,
Brother Skip, our trip to Mexico, right after Sandy came here.
We were sitting out on Walter Gruber's deck after the meetings
one night. We'd finished eating. We were
sitting out there and just visiting, talking, enjoying one another.
Skip got real quiet. He may remember this, may not.
He was sitting over there. I asked him, I said, you all
right? He said, yeah, I was just thinking. He said, I've had an unusual
life. I've done about anything that men want to do, traveled
all over the world, and sitting here listening to you fellows
talk, I realized I've never known what it was to live. No, Paul's not suggesting that
the life of a believer is a sad, morbid life. He's not suggesting
that it's really more delightful and pleasurable if we could live
without faith. He's not suggesting that were
it not for the hope of eternal glory, were it not for the prospect
of heaven, the people of God would prefer not to live as they
do. He's not suggesting we would
really prefer not to live in obedience to our God, not to
live for the honor of God, not to live in submission to his
will and live as we do loving and caring for one another. No,
no. We don't serve God for gain.
When Paul says, if in this life only we have hope in Christ,
we're of all men most miserable, this is what he's saying. If
there were no eternal life in Christ, no everlasting bliss
of life with Christ in heaven, if there were no resurrection,
then the believer would be the most miserably frustrated person
in the world. The most miserably frustrated
person in the world. Why, if there were no resurrection,
we would never have that we most earnestly crave and desire. I'd
never know what it is to be conformed to Christ perfectly. I'd never
know what it is to be in communion with Christ perfectly without
interruption. I'd never know what it is to
live in exact, exact, perfect consecration to my Redeemer.
We would never see the end of our hope. We would never embrace
Christ and never be embraced by Him. we would never see our
Redeemer. If in this life only we have
hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. Such thoughts
are unbearable. I can't imagine anything more
distressing than to be without Christ. Nothing could be more
cruel, more miserable than to live in hope of seeing Christ. Being like Christ, spending eternity
with Christ, only to die like a dog. What a horrible thought. What a tormenting supposition.
If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we're of all
men most miserable. But bless God, it is not so. It is not so. I live in hope
of the resurrection. I live with a confident, steadfast,
sure hope of the resurrection. Turn back to the book of Job.
You've got your place in John 11. Turn back to Job chapter
19. Job chapter 19. Now, this is not something new
when we talk about resurrection. This is not a thing that has
just cropped up in recent years. By recent years, I mean the last
2,000 or 3,000 years. It's not something new. It's
not something new. The Book of Job, if I understand
correctly, I'm not certain of this, but if I understand correctly,
the Book of Job is the oldest book in the Bible. This was written
before Moses wrote Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
The Book of Job is the oldest book in the Bible. We have it
placed here as it is by divine arrangement, arrangement of God's
providence, because it's considered a poetic book. And so it's set
in the first place of the poetic books. But the book of Job is
the oldest of the books of inspiration. Now, listen to what this man
said way back yonder in the beginning. Job chapter 19, verse 25. This man, Job, who lived in hope
of the resurrection, I know I know. That's pretty strong language,
isn't it? I know. Sometimes I say I know and I
don't know. But when Job said I know, he said it by divine
inspiration. He knew. I know that my Redeemer liveth
and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. And
though after my skin worms destroy this body, After I've gone to
the grave, this body's gone to the dust. Ashes to ashes, dust
to dust, air to air. My skin worms destroyed this
body. There's not anything left. You can't find anything. Bones
are even gone. Everything gone. Yet, in my flesh,
I'm going to stand up. This body that the skin worms
had destroyed. gone back to ashes and dust and
air and water. This body shall be gathered again. And in my flesh, in this, look
here, this body right here, right here, this body in my flesh,
shall I see God? Wow. Shall I see God? God, my Redeemer? whom I shall
see for myself, and these round brown eyes right here, with these
eyes, with these eyes, my eyes shall behold, and not another,
though my reins be consumed within me. In sickness, I'm calm. In sorrow, I'm peaceful. In trial and affliction, I'm
at ease. In bereavement, I'm confident.
And I hope to die in joy because I live in hope of the resurrection. Our assurance of the resurrection
is much more than belief in just a point of theological orthodoxy,
much more than just a doctrine. It is a doctrine of scripture,
but it's much more than that. It's a very personal thing. In
fact, the most personal thing in the world. When I talk about
the resurrection, I'm really not talking about a doctor at
all, but a person. When I think about the resurrection,
I'm not I'm not thinking about a doctor at all. I think about
a person. I'm thinking about Jesus Christ
himself, who is the resurrection here in John chapter 11. Verse
25, this blessed hope of the resurrection is not some fool's
philosophy. It's not a mere religious tranquilizer
by which we stupefy ourselves in the midst of trial. It's the
calm, confident assurance of my heart. It is the inevitable
result of faith in Jesus Christ. John chapter 11, Jesus saith
unto Martha, Verse 25, I am the resurrection. I am the resurrection and the
life. He that believeth on me, though
he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth
in me shall never die. Now listen to him. He points
this question to you and to me. Believest thou this? Do you really? Believest thou this? My subject
this morning is Christ, our resurrection. The Lord Jesus is the resurrection
and the life of all who trust him. and all who trust him shall
in the last day be resurrected from the dead with him. Now let me give you three reasons
why I live in the hope of the resurrection. I hope you can
know them and enjoy them by experience. I live in hope of the resurrection
because I've been resurrected with Christ representatively.
I live in hope of the resurrection secondly Because I have experienced
the resurrection I had been raised with Christ Spiritually and I
live in hope of the resurrection because I believe what God says
in this book. I Believe the revelation of God.
All right. Now I'll spend the bulk of my
time with the first one. The other two will follow easily
number one I live in hope of the resurrection first and Because
I've been resurrected in union with Christ as my representative. Let's turn to Ephesians chapter
1, or chapter 2. Ephesians chapter 2. While he lived on this earth
in obedience to God's law as my representative, I lived in
him. When the Lord Jesus died at Calvary
as my substitute, I died in him. And when he arose from the dead
the third day, I arose in him and with him. Ephesians 2, verse
4. 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. Well, Brother Don,
that's talking about the new birth. It sure is. It sure is.
But it's declaring the new birth as the result of something that
preceded it. We were quickened together with Christ. Now you
can scratch your head all you want to. I can't figure anything
on this earth to understand any way to understand that, except
this. When Christ was quickened, we were quickened. When Christ
was raised, we were raised. Let's see if that's not what
it says. We were quickened together with Christ. By grace are you
saved. and hath raised us up together
and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ. Now we were
not made to sit down in heaven by the new birth. We were made
to sit down in heavenly places. Christ sat down in heaven as
our representative and we sat down in him. Hail sacred union
firm and strong, how sweet the grace, how sweet the song. One in the tomb, one when he
rose, one when he triumphed o'er his foes, one when in heaven
he took his seat, while seraphs sang all hail's defeat. Nothing in all the world is more
wondrous more profound, more mysterious, and more comforting,
and more assuring than the union of our souls with Jesus Christ. Union with Christ. Salvation,
ultimately, is just this. Union with Jesus Christ. It's
the very heart of this thing we call life. Union with Christ
is central to everything revealed in the scriptures. Without this
union, our souls with Christ and Christ with us, there's no
salvation. This union is an eternal union. Secret, unknown to us, until
it's brought to light by the gospel. But the union is real. The union is real. Now, we're
not left to guess about this. We were, according to Romans
chapter 8 verses 29 and 30, justified with Christ, sanctified with
Christ, and glorified with Christ before the world began. That's
what the book says, isn't it? Jude 1, we were sanctified in
Jesus Christ back in eternity. Back in eternity. Brother Don,
I can't understand that. Believe me, I understand that.
Nobody understands this. This is beyond the scope of human
intellect and certainly beyond the scope of speech to explain. But real? Oh, my soul, real. Indeed, it's real. We are one
with Christ from everlasting. We were blessed of God in Christ
with all spiritual blessings before the world began. Now I
didn't know anything about that until he called me by his grace.
But I was blessed with him with all spiritual blessings in him
from eternity. Not only that, 2 Peter 1 verse
9 tells us that we were saved by that grace of God given us
in Christ before the world began. And we found out about it when
life and immortality were brought to light by the gospel. Now that's
the language of scripture. Let me infest and squirm and
wiggle all they want to. That's the language of scripture.
Our union with Christ is a secret eternal union until it's made
known by God's grace. And our union with Christ is
a legal representative union. What's that mean? It means that
Christ represented us and represents us from eternity to everlasting
represented us all the days he was upon the earth and represents
us now in heaven legally. so that everything he has done,
he's done in our room, in our stead, in our name, as our covenant
surety, and God looks to him in his law and justice and to
him alone for complete satisfaction on our behalf of righteousness
and of atonement. This union with Christ is a living,
vital union. A union made manifest when Christ
is formed in us in the new birth. We were, like all others, children
of wrath, Paul said. That is, we lived under a sense
of God's wrath. We lived under a sense of divine
judgment. The wrath of God abiding on us,
the wrath of God crushing us down to hell because of our conscious
guilt. until Christ came and is formed
in us in what's called the new birth. The Lord Jesus takes us
into union with himself from everlasting. He took into union
with himself our nature when he came into this world in human
flesh. And he comes into us in a union of life in the new birth. so that we are made partakers
of the divine nature. Oh, wonder of grace this is. And it's an everlasting union.
It's an everlasting union. Our Lord Jesus prays like this
in John 17, that his final consummate desire, his final consummate
desire, is that we may be one. This union, everything, everything
in the scriptures, everything about salvation is central to
this union. Without it, there's nothing.
When the Lord Jesus arose from the grave, he arose as our representative. All that he has done and all
that he has experienced, all God's elect have done and experienced
in him by virtue of our union with him. Turn to Romans chapter
five. Romans chapter five. Now, I've said this so many times,
I know that it sounds repetitious to you, but I want you to see
it for yourself. I want you to see it for yourself. I'm responsible to tell you the
truth and you're responsible to search the scriptures and
see if what I've told you is truth. If it is, rejoice and
come back here some more tonight. If not, make this your last visit
here. Just that simple. Either I am
speaking the truth of God or I'm a false prophet. There's
no in-between ground. Either I'm telling you what God says
in his word or I am a deceiver of your soul. There is no in-between
ground. Let's see if what I've said is
so. Everything Christ did, we did in him. Everything. Romans
chapter 5, verse 12. Wherefore, as by one man, sin
entered into the world, and death by sin. And so death passed upon
all men, for that all have sinned. Now Paul is by divine inspiration
laying groundwork for an argument that cannot be denied. Look in
verse 18. Therefore, as by the offense
of one, that's what it just stated in verse 12. By the offense of
one, our father Adam, Judgment came upon all men to condemnation
all men represented by Adam Even so by the righteousness of one
the free gift came upon all men unto justification and Verse
12. He said when Adam sinned we sinned
when Adam died we died Here he says when Adam sinned judgment
came on us because we send an Adam But there's another Adam
There's one called the last Adam. And the last Adam was really
the first Adam in whose image the man Adam was created by God
Almighty. And he was created by God to
be a similitude, to be a type, a picture of this last Adam,
the last one revealed, Christ Jesus the Lord. This Adam also
is a representative man. And there are people represented
in him, in union with him, just as we were in union with Adam.
Well, Brother Don, we all lived in Adam in the sense that we
were seminally in his loins. That's right. That's right. But
that was just a picture. Before ever any were created
in Adam, We were in the lands of Christ, the Redeemer. And
when he came in this world, we didn't cease to be represented
by him, by the obedience of one, by the righteousness of one.
The free gift came upon all men under justification of life,
not shall come upon, did come upon, did come upon. under justification
of life. Now, certainly the all here and
the all in the preceding statement are not the same. All who were
represented by Adam died in Adam and all who were represented
by Christ live in Christ. All who were in Christ similarly
were made themselves sinners by the doing of Adam and dead
by the dying of Adam and all who were in Christ similarly. in Christ as his, what's the
book called us? Seed. His seed. Not seeds as of many, seed as
of one. A seed shall serve him. Dad,
we're his seed. You're his seed, now I'm his
seed. One seed. One seed. One seed. All who are
in him are justified in him. For as by one man's disobedience
many, quite literally the many, were made sinners, so by the
obedience of one shall many, the many who are in him, be made
righteous. Now he's talking about something
future. Now he's talking about something future. As we were
made sinners in Adam, we died in him, judgment came on us in
him, and then we came into this world and were born sinners in
him. And as we were made righteous
in Christ, justified unto life in Christ by His obedience unto
death, the time comes in the new birth when we're made righteous
in Him. Read on. Moreover, the law entered
that the offense might abound, but where sin abounded, grace
did much more abound. that as sin hath reigned unto
death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal
life by Jesus Christ, the Lord. Not only did we live in Christ,
but his death as a penal sacrifice for sin was our death. Look at
Romans chapter six. Romans chapter six, verse six. Now, Our English translation
is unfortunate here. I'm sorry. I just have to tell
you what I know to be so, and you can check it out at your
leisure. If you wish to do so, I'll show
you. But this really ought to read in the past tense. There's
no reason that I can think of why the translators put it in
the present tense. Knowing this, that our old man was crucified
with him, quite literally, Knowing that our old man was at one time
with finality crucified with Christ That the body of sin might
be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sin and watch
verse 7 for he that is dead that is he that died is Freed has
been freed from sin He that died when Christ died You who died
in him, you have been justified from sin. Now, if we be dead,
that is, if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also
live with him. That's what our baptism testifies.
We died with him, and we believe that we should live with him.
That's what he dealt with in Romans 6, verses 1 through 4.
Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more,
death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he
died unto sin once, but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
Now watch this. Watch this and shout joyous praise
to God. Likewise, reckon ye also yourselves
to be dead. Dead indeed. Dead. How far can you take that,
Merle? Indeed dead. Dead. What? Dead. Dead to sin. Dead to sin. Sin can have no
effect on you anymore. You're dead to sin. You're dead
to sin. Is that what it says? But alive
unto God through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Oh, our Lord's resurrection,
like his life and his death, was our resurrection. This is
life. Now listen. The resurrection
of Christ is an indisputable fact of history and it is a matter
of record given in Holy Scripture with such clarity that to deny
it is to run full force in face of Scripture rather than bow
to Scripture. In 1 Corinthians 15, you don't
need to turn there, the Apostle Paul in that one passage was
inspired of God in writing to declare the gospel. It was inspired
of God to give six specific occasions when our Lord Jesus appeared
to men in the flesh after he was raised from the dead. That's
that's pretty good. That's pretty good evidence is
real. But that's not all. There are
at least 12 places in scripture, at least 12 times The Lord Jesus
appeared to men in the flesh after he arose from the dead.
Not all at one time, but 12 different occasions. Given by 12 different
witnesses, that is 12 different groups of witnesses. One of them,
500 at one time. Well, that doesn't prove it.
Well, I'm sorry for you. In any court, anywhere, that
proves it. In any court, anywhere. But for
you who've experienced the power of his resurrection, there's
no need to prove it at all. And to you who haven't, it can't
be proved. The bodily, physical resurrection
of our Lord Jesus necessitates the resurrection of all who are
in Christ. Let me give you five reasons
for this. I'll be very brief. I won't get to the rest of it.
We'll do it another time. Number one, that which has been done
for us mystically, spiritually, representatively, must be experienced
by us personally. If we were risen with Christ
in union with Him, we must be risen with Christ in the experience
of the resurrection. This must be. Were we justified
from eternity? and justified at Calvary, we
must be justified in time. Were we sanctified in eternity
and sanctified at Calvary, we must be sanctified in time. Were
we made to live with Christ from eternity and made to live with
Christ when He rose from the dead, we must be made to live
with Christ in time. Did our Lord Jesus arise from
the dead as our representative? We must rise from the dead in
union with Him. Second, we're members of Christ's
mystical body. In Ephesians chapter one, Paul
speaks of our Lord Jesus as our mediator and tells us that we
are the fullness of him that filleth all in all. The fullness
of him. What does that mean? Well, he's
the son of God. And without us, there's a big
vacuum in God. No, no, no. He is the God-man, our mediator,
Lindsay, a mediator and surety, a representative man who is responsible
for all whom he represents. And he, as our mediator, can
never be complete except all whom he represents are with him
in resurrection glory. Number three, the Lord Jesus. was raised, we're told in 1 Corinthians
15, 20, as the first fruits of them that sleep. The first fruits. Now, it doesn't always bear true
that when you go out and gather the first grains of corn, the
first years of corn in the late summer, that you're going to
get a bumper crop. That doesn't always bear true.
Sometimes when you go get them, you think, man, if this is all
there is, ain't much there. But Christ arose as the firstfruits,
perfect and full. And he arising as the firstfruits
is not the hope, but the assurance of full harvest. For he arose
in the perfection of manhood and Godhead, and we shall arise
in the perfection of that same manhood. The Lord Jesus, I've
already told you, is the last Adam. And Paul tells us, as we
read several times in the last few weeks in first Corinthians
15, that as we board the image of our first covenant head, so
we must bear the image of the last. We bore the image of the
earth. Oh, my God, how I bear the image
of the earth. But bless God, I shall bear the
image of the heaven. Just as surely, Larry Chris,
as you and I are like our father Adam, we shall be perfectly like
our Lord Jesus Christ, the last Adam. Just as surely. Number
five, our Redeemer, the captain of our salvation, has obtained
the victory of all that could hinder the glorious resurrection
of his people. What might keep us in the grave? What might keep us from entering
into glory? What might keep these bodies
from that blessed resurrection? Sin? You're dead to sin. The
law? The law satisfied. Death? Our
Lord Jesus conquered death. Hell? He defeated hell. The grave? He overcame the grave. Satan
himself Not at all. Not a chance. For our Savior
has conquered the fiend of hell as well. Turn to Hebrews chapter
2. Hebrews chapter 2. Verse 14. For as much as children are partakers
of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same.
for this purpose, that through death he might destroy. I love that word, don't you?
Brother Bob Ponce read that passage back in the office last week,
in Ezekiel 28, in that lamentation of Tyre, who is at least a representative
of Lucifer and the fall of Satan. And the Lord God speaks of him
as the deceiver and the corruptor and all those things. And he
says, and he shall be no more. The destroyer of hell is the
destroyer of Satan, and that's our redeemer. That he might destroy
him that had power of death, that is the devil, and deliver
them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject
to bondage. Look at Colossians chapter 2,
verse 13. being dead in sin, in your sins,
and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together
with him, having forgiven you all trespasses, blotting out
the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was
contrary to us, and took it out of the way." Blotting out the handwriting
of ordinances. What's he talking about? That's talking about ceremonial
law, the Passover and the priesthood and the sacrifices and the holy
days and all. Those things weren't against
us. They didn't say anything against us. Those things all
spoke in favor of forgiveness. What's the handwriting of ordinances
that was against us? It's the law of the commandments. Love God with all your heart,
all your soul, and all your being. And that law says Larry Baird
must go to hell because he don't. Love your neighbor as yourself.
That law said Bill Rodgers got to go to hell because he doesn't.
He doesn't. And Christ nailed it to his cross. And that same law says done. done, and now Larry Brown, Bill
Raleigh, Don Fortner love God with all their heart, soul, mind,
and being, and the neighbors as themselves, for Christ has
done it, and we did it in Him, nailed it to His cross, having
spoiled principalities and powers. I can't imagine what went on
when the Lord Jesus, with His own blood, Entering once into
the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. I
can't see what the angel saw, but he spoiled principalities
and powers, making a show of them openly. Making a show of
them openly. What a picture. You've seen the
movies of the ancient conquerors. They'd come riding back into
the city of Rome and they would drag a train of captives behind
them, making a show of them openly. That's the picture. The Lord
Jesus, as it were, with his long, mighty chain, with which he banned
the old serpent, the devil, and cast him into the bottomless
pit, drags him through the heavens, triumphing over him and all that
was against us, having obtained eternal redemption for us. Above
all else, the covenant engagements of Christ as the surety of God's
elect cannot be complete until the hour of our resurrection
when Christ comes again to be glorified in all his saints. I believe and live in hope of
the resurrection because I was raised with Christ when he arose
from the dead. I believe and live in hope of
the resurrection because I have experienced it in the new birth. We just read about it. I've been
raised from the dead. I've been raised from the dead.
Christ lives in me. Oh, yes, I know he lives because
he lives in me. And the reality is nobody knows
he lives until he lives in you. This is the first resurrection. The hour has come and now is
when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of Man and they
that hear shall live. Oh, Son of God calls the dead
now to hear your voice and live. Blessed and holy is he that hath
part in this the first resurrection on such the second death hath
no power And I believe in the resurrection I live in hope of
the resurrection Because I believe the record God has given Concerning
this matter of the resurrection. Let's turn to just one passage
2nd 2nd Thessalonians chapter 2 chapter 1 excuse me Verse 7. To you who are troubled, rest
with us. Be easy. Oh, God teach me to be at ease
in this world. When the Lord Jesus shall be
revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire
taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not
the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished
with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord
and from the glory of his power, when he shall come to be glorified
in his saints and to be admired in all them that believe. because
our testimony among you, because the gospel was believed in that
day. Oh, soon Christ shall come and
the dead shall rise. And we who rise with him in life
shall arise as he takes vengeance on his enemies, destroys the
earth and destroys death and hell and Satan and all the wicked
who must be damned forever. We, his saints, raised in his
likeness, shall admire him. Admire him forever. Just about the most delightful
thing I know is to sit in admiration of somebody. Just admiration. Frankly, I would rather experience
the joy of admiring than of being admired. My pride can't take
much of the latter. But admiring? Oh, admiring? Admiring, I never get tired of
that. Admiring, I look for opportunities. Admiring, it's rare. But soon, Ron Wood, we shall
forever admire him when we're raised in his likeness. No wonder
the psalmist said, then shall I be satisfied when I awake with
thy likeness. Then let's sing, there'll be
no dark valley.