Okay, today we're taking a look
at this subject on the resurrection. Notice in Acts 24, verse 14 and
15, Paul says, This I confess unto thee, that after the way
which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing
all things which are written in the law and in the prophets.
And because I believe all things written in the law and the prophets,
he says, I have hope. I have hope toward God, which
they, that is those Jews themselves also allow that there shall be
a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and of the unjust. So I'm taking the title from
the first part of verse 15, I have hope toward God. I have hope toward God. Remember
from studying 1 Corinthians 15, the apostle says, if in this
life only we have hope toward God, we're of all men most miserable. The hope we have in the Lord
Jesus Christ is an eternal hope. The believer's hope is beyond
this life and extends to eternal glory. Faith is the substance
of things hoped for. THE EVIDENCE OF THINGS NOT SEEN. WITHOUT FAITH, IT'S IMPOSSIBLE
TO PLEASE GOD. WITHOUT FAITH, NO MAN SHALL SEE
THE LORD. THE HOPE WE HAVE NOW IS ALL WRAPPED
UP IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. FOR THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, HE
IS THE HOPE OF GLORY. THE LORD JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF
IS CALLED OUR HOPE. DID YOU KNOW THAT? THAT'S ONE
OF HIS NAMES. When the Apostle writes 1 Timothy
1, verse 1, he says that I'm an apostle by the commandment
of God our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope. He is our hope. Everything we hope for, salvation,
forgiveness, pardon, resurrection, regeneration, It's all found
through him and in him and by him. And we have a good hope.
The apostle writes this, now, our Lord Jesus Christ himself
and God, even our father, who has loved us and given us an
everlasting consolation and a good hope through grace. I am what I am. Can't you say
that? I am what I am by the grace of
God. The Lord Jesus Christ himself was raised from the dead TO GIVE
FULL EVIDENCE OF OUR RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD. HE IS CALLED THE
FIRST FRUITS OF THE RESURRECTION. HE'S A GUARANTEE OF OURS. OUR
LORD SAID, BECAUSE I LIVE, YOU SHALL LIVE ALSO. THE HOPE WE
HAVE IN CHRIST IS A GOOD HOPE. THAT'S A GOOD HOPE THROUGH CHRIST
BECAUSE HE IS OUR HOPE. OUR LORD SAID, I AM HE THAT LIVETH
AND WAS DEAD. BEHOLD, I AM ALIVE FOREVERMORE.
I HAVE THE KEYS OF HELL AND DEATH. You have a set of keys in your
pocket, no doubt, or your pocket book, no doubt, and they are
keys to a car or to a house. Why do you have those keys? You
own those things. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
owner of all things. The Father loves the Son and
has given all things into His hands. Now, throughout our study
in the book of Acts, the most dominant theme of all the preaching
of the apostles in the book of Acts, it's recorded for us, is
the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. RESURRECTION OF
THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. YOU REMEMBER, TURN BACK TO ACTS
CHAPTER 2. THEY WATCHED THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
ASCEND TO GLORY AFTER HE LIVED AMONG MEN FOR 40 DAYS AFTER HIS
RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD. AND THE APOSTLES, THAT'S WHAT
THEY PREACHED IN ACTS CHAPTER 2. Him being delivered, verse 23,
by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have
taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain whom God
raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was
not possible that he should behold nothing. So what did Peter preach? The death, burial, and resurrection
of our Lord Jesus Christ. Again, in Acts chapter 2, he
goes on and says, HE HATH SHED FORTH THIS WHICH
YOU DO NOW SEE AND HEAR." So Peter on Pentecost, he preached
the resurrection, the death, burial, and resurrection of the
Lord Jesus Christ. But let's go on, look at chapter
3, verse 13, THE GOD OF ABRAHAM,
ISAAC, AND OF JACOB, THE GOD OF OUR FATHERS, HATH GLORIFIED
HIS SON WHOM YOU DELIVERED UP, AND DENIED HIM IN THE PRESENCE
OF PILATE, WHEN HE WAS DETERMINED TO LET HIM GO, VERSE 14, YOU
DENIED THE HOLY ONE, THE JUST, AND DESIRED A MURDERER TO BE
GRANTED UNTO YOU, YOU KILLED THE PRINCE OF LIFE, WHOM GOD
RAISED FROM THE DEAD, WHEREOF WE'RE ALL WITNESSES THIS DAY. LOOK AT CHAPTER 4, ACTS CHAPTER
4, VERSE 2, BEING GREED THAT THEY TAUGHT THE PEOPLE AND PREACHED
THROUGH JESUS THE RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD. Acts chapter 10
turn over there Peter preaching when he preached to the Gentile
house of Cornelius in Acts chapter 10 Verse 38 how God anointed Jesus
of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power and went about
doing good healing all that were oppressed of the devil for God
was with him we are witnesses of all things which he did both
in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom you slew and
hanged on a tree, him God raised up the third day and showed him
openly." So they preached the resurrection of the Lord Jesus
Christ. One of the reference, Acts 13,
Acts chapter 13, the apostle Paul preaching here in Acts 13,
Verse 28, Though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired
they Pilate that he should be slain. And when they had fulfilled
all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree
and laid him in the grave. God raised him from the dead."
God raised him from the dead. Now, it's evident, plain and
clear that the Lord Jesus Christ ever lives to intercede for us. One God, one mediator between
God and man, who is it? the exalted Lord Jesus Christ.
Now, how important is the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ? Well,
if you read Acts, excuse me, 1 Corinthians 15, it says, if
Christ is not raised from the dead and seated in glory, interceding
for us right now, we have no gospel message, we have no good
news, and we are yet in our sin. if the Lord Jesus Christ be not
raised from the dead. He was delivered for our offenses,
right? And raised again, why? Because he justified us, justified
by his blood. His resurrection is a guarantee
that the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is true, successful, finished,
and accomplished because he lives. We live in him. The Apostle tells
us in this verse 15, Acts 24, that there shall be a resurrection
of the dead, both of the just and the unjust. There will be
a glorious resurrection morning when the Lord returns for his
people who have been justified through the Lord's glorious blood
atonement justified freely by his grace through the redemption
that is in the Lord Jesus Christ. So there is going to be a glorious
resurrection and the life of those for whom the Lord Jesus
Christ died and put away their sin, but there's also going to
be a resurrection unto condemnation of the unjust, those not found
in Christ. This verse also tells us that
there will be a resurrection of the unjust. The prophet Daniel
wrote these words, many of them that slept in the dust of the
earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to everlasting contempt,
and to shame. The Lord Jesus said over here,
we read it earlier in John 5 29, some shall come forth, And shall come forth they that
have done good, let's go back, marvel not that I say marvel
not this for the hour is coming in which all that are in the
grave shall hear his voice, everyone. And they shall come forth that
have done good unto the resurrection of life. And they that have done
evil unto the resurrection of damnation. So there is going
to be a resurrection of all men everywhere without exception. Now there are just two groups
of people upon this earth. It's like when the Titanic sank.
You remember that? Titanic 1912, April 1912, when
the Titanic sank. And when they listed in New York,
put a list of the people on the boat, there were just two categories.
Saved and lost. That's true of all men everywhere.
Either saved in Christ, eternally by His grace, or forever lost
in Adam. There's just two categories of
all men. The same is true of all men. Saved or lost. alive or dead,
sheep or goats, those who have been justified by the grace of
God, and those who remain unjust and who will die in their sin. Those saved by the grace of God
believe the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, Because they've
been given life to hear, the Lord said, he that heareth my
word and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life,
shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto
life. All those who believe are justified
from all things, which he could not be justified by the law of
Moses. Those who refuse to believe the
gospel, who will not have the gospel, WILL DIE IN THEIR SIN,
AND THEY'LL BE RAISED IN THEIR SIN, STAND BEFORE THE JUDGMENT
SEAT OF CHRIST IN THEIR SIN, AND HEAR HIM SAY, DEPART FROM
ME, I NEVER KNEW YOU. HE THAT BELIEVETH ON THE SON
HATH EVERLASTING LIFE. HE THAT BELIEVETH NOT THE SON
SHALL NOT SEE LIFE, BUT THE WRATH OF GOD ABIDES ON HIM. NOW NOTICE
OUR LORD SAID, that have died will be raised
up. All who have died will be raised
up with hours coming in the which all that are in the graves shall
hear his voice." Now, I thought about this. How many billions of sinners
have died over the last 6,000 years? Now that's a big number. You
mean God knows where every one of those, there are nothing but
dust in the earth or in the sea? Yes, he knows every single one
of them and they'll be raised up. A great multitude. Now, I look
this up on that app that you have on your phone. I'm wondering
about how many people die each year in the United States. Well,
according to what The phone said 3 million people die each year
in the United States, 3 million. That's what was given in 2017,
probably more than that now. Over 10 million people in China
die every year. And then it said worldwide, 58
million people die each year. 58 million. Now multiply that thousands of
years. Wow, that's a big number. I'm
not very good with numbers, but that's a big number. All who
are in the grave shall hear his voice. Now we know that death
to this flesh is a certain fact. Everywhere you go and everywhere
you drive, one of the things I always look at and look for
are cemeteries. And this part of the country
is very unique in that we have so many family cemeteries. Out
where I grew up, you don't ever see that. You just have towns. Each town has a cemetery, or
each county has a cemetery. TO THIS FLESH IS CERTAIN, AND
WE'RE REMINDED OF IT EVERY DAY, ARE WE NOT? THIS BODY IS GOING
TO DIE BECAUSE OF SIN. THE SOUL THAT SINNETH SHALL SURELY
DIE. HOW DID WE BECOME SINNERS? IN
ADAM ALL DIED, IN ADAM ALL SINNED, AND WE'VE ALL SINNED AND COME
SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD. WE KNOW THE WAGES OF SIN IS WHAT?
DEATH. But thank God there's more to
that verse. The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ
our Lord. No one will deny the fact that
this flesh is going back to the dust. Neither should we deny
the fact that God's going to raise all the dust from the earth
whoever lived. Now God created Adam out of the
dust, right? It's no problem for God to give
that body that has died and went back to the dust to raise it
up again at the last day. He's God. God is a big God. I was listening to a preacher
this morning who follows our program, and I was heading back
home this morning and tuned in the radio to get the end of our
radio program. And I started listening to him,
and what he preaches is a big devil and a small God. He preaches an omnipotent devil
and a powerless God. That's just the opposite. God
is God. The devil is God's servant. The
devil doesn't do anything except God bids him do it. That's right. But death comes because of sin. Now, once in the end of the world
hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself,
and as it is appointed unto men, wants to die after that judgment. And that judgment is relative
to our union with Christ. Look back at Acts 17. Acts 17, verse 30 said, the times of ignorance,
times of ignorance God winked at, but now commandeth all men
everywhere to 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 everywhere, in that
he raised him from the dead." It's appointed judgment. There is no condemnation to those
who are in Christ. But outside of Christ there is
nothing but a consuming fire. The Father judgeth no man, but
hath committed all judgment unto the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, verse
15, Acts 24. We have hope toward God, which
they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection
of the dead, both of the just and the unjust. Now, two things
here. Who are those sinners who are
justified, and how are they justified? Who will be raised up perfectly
conformed to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ? Who are those
people? Well, let's see if we can find
out. Turn over here to the book of Romans, chapter 8. who will
be raised up and perfectly conformed to the image of the Lord Jesus
Christ and justified by His blood, those for whom He has chosen
in Christ. Romans 8, 28, and we know that
all things work together for good to them that love God, to
them who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He did
foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image
of His Son, that He might be the firstborn Among the brethren,
moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called, whom he
called, them he also justified, and whom he justified, them he
also glorified. What shall we say to these things?
Well, if God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared
not his own son to deliver them for us all, how shall he not
with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything
to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies. So how are we justified? It is
God that justify. Turn back a few pages, Romans
chapter 5, God commendeth his love toward us, verse 8, in that
while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us much more than being
now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through
him. How are those sinners justified?
Turn back one more page, Romans 3, 24, and you could all quote
this one. Because I quote it all the time. Being justified
freely by His grace through the redemption that is in the Lord
Jesus Christ. Who are these who are raised
up? Those who are justified by the grace of God. We know this, all men everywhere
by nature are unjust, by birth, by practice, and choice. We're
sinners, unjust, and guilty before God, unrighteous before God. There is none righteous, no,
not one. How are sinners justified then?
By His grace. THROUGH THE REDEEMING BLOOD OF
THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. THE ONLY WAY SINNERS CAN BE JUSTIFIED
IS FOR THE LORD JESUS CHRIST TO JUSTIFY THEM THROUGH HIS BLOOD. CHRIST WANTS SUPPORT FOR OUR
SIN, THE JUST FOR THE UNJUST, THAT HE MIGHT BRING US UNTO GOD. WE CAN'T COME ANY OTHER WAY.
THE LORD SAID I'M THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE. NO MAN COMES
TO THE FATHER BUT BY AND THROUGH ME. So He justifies us by His
grace. Those chosen of God in eternity,
those cleansed by the blood atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, those
given spiritual life by God the Holy Spirit, quickened and made
alive, will be raised on that resurrection day and given a
new body just like our Lord's risen body. For the Lord redeemed
us body, soul, and spirit. I pray Paul writes this, I pray
God your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless
unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now he's coming back.
Turn to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. He's coming back to receive
his people to himself. 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 verse 13, I would not have you
to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep. those
who have died in the Lord, precious in the sight of the Lord is the
death of his saint, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have
no hope. For if we believe that Jesus
died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in him
will God bring with him. For this I say unto you by the
word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain in the coming
of the Lord shall not prevent or precede them which are asleep,
but the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with
the voice of an archangel, with the trump of God, and the dead
in Christ. Blessed are the dead who die
in the Lord, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain
shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the
Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. When
the Lord returns, Those for whom he died and those for who died
in the Lord, their bodies will be raised up and their souls
united with their bodies. Then believers who are living
will be chained in a moment in a twinkling of an eye at the
last trump. What kind of body will we have?
Well, the scriptures tell us, if you look back in Luke 24,
Luke 24, and this is referring to believers when God raises
them from the dead, those who are justified by His blood. In Luke 24, the risen Lord appeared
to those apostles, verse 36, Spake Jesus, stood, himself stood
in the midst of them, and said unto them, Peace be unto you.
And they were terrified, and were frightened, and supposed
that they had seen a spirit. And he said unto them, Why are
ye in trouble? Why do thoughts arise in your
heart? Behold, my hands and my feet, that is, I myself, handle
me and see, for spirit hath not flesh and bones as you see me
have." He had a real body, glorified body, without sin. And when he
had thus spoken, he showed them his hands and his feet, and while
they were yet not And yet, and while they yet believed not for
joy and wonder, he said to them, have you any meat? And he gave,
and they gave him a piece of broiled fish and honeycomb, and
he took it and he did eat. He had a real body and he enjoyed
real food. And we're going to have a body
just like his glorious body. Let me read this reference to
you. Philippians chapter three, verse 20. For our conversation
is in heaven, from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord
Jesus, who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned
like unto his glorious body, according to the work, and whereby
he is able even to subdue all things unto himself." So when
we go to the cemetery, and how many times have we done that?
I don't know how many times I've stood We plant our dear loved
ones who are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ and we put
their body Sown in corruption, raised in
incorruption. Sown corruptible, sown in dishonor,
raised in glory, as it says in verse 42 and 43 of 1 Corinthians
15. So also with the resurrection
of the dead, it's sown in corruption, it's raised in incorruption.
It's sown in dishonor, it's raised in glory. It's sown in weakness, it's raised
in power. And then he writes down in verse
51, 1 Corinthians 15, 51. Behold, I show you a mystery.
We shall not all sleep. There's going to be some believers
living when the Lord comes back. But we shall be changed in a
moment, and twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet, for the
trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible,
and we'll be changed. For this corruptible must put
on incorruption, this mortal put on immortality. So when this
corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal
shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass
the saying, death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where
is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
The sting of death is sin. The strength of sin is the law,
but thanks be unto God. who has given us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ. That's why we can say, precious
in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. That's why
we can say, blessed are those who die in the Lord. We take
the body of our dear loved ones and we bury it away, but we do
so with great expectation of a certain hope of eternal resurrection
of that body. There is a resurrection of the
just. glorified, conformed to the image
of the Lord Jesus Christ who'll be with him forever and ever
and ever. He's gonna make a new heaven
and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness and we're gonna
enjoy that new heaven and a new earth and a real body. I can't even, I can't even begin
to describe it or even imagine it. I believe it to be so. I believe it to be so. Now here's
the flip side. There's also a resurrection of
the unjust, those who die in their sin. Blessed are those
that trust the Lord, but cursed are those that trust their flesh.
Those sinners who die in their sin will be raised up in their
sin, will face God in judgment in their sin, and will be eternally
condemned in their sin. Now, they'll have a body, but
not like the believer, but they'll have a body of some sort, and
the scripture is silent on that, and so it's needless for us to
speculate. The book of Romans does say that
there are vessels of mercy aforeprepared unto glory, and vessels of wrath
fitted to eternal destruction. And that's so. Now turn back
to 2 Thessalonians. 2 Thessalonians chapter 1. 2
Thessalonians chapter 1. So there'll be a resurrection
unto life and the resurrection unto condemnation to those who
are not found in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is 2 Thessalonians
chapter 1 verse 7. And to you who are troubled,
rest with us. When the Lord Jesus shall be
revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire,
taking vengeance on them that know not God, that obey not the
gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting
Destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory
of his power everlasting and eternal destruction when he shall
come to be glorified in his Saints and to be admired and all them
that believe because our testimony among you was believed in that
day the Lord will come and separate the sheep from the goats the
tares from the wheat and Deviled from the precious. That's his
business. That's his business. Turn back
to Matthew 25. Matthew 25. When the son of man
shall come, verse 31. Matthew 25, 31. The son of man, when he comes,
is he coming? I like what the book of Revelation
said. Behold, he cometh. That means he's on his way. And
all the angels with him. Then shall he sit upon the throne
of his glory, and before him shall be gathered all nations.
And he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd
doth divide the sheep from the goats. And he shall set the sheep
on his right hand, and the goats on the left. Then shall the king
say unto them on his right hand, Come ye blessed in my father,
INHERIT THE KINGDOM PREPARED FOR YOU FROM THE FOUNDATION OF
THE WORLD. NOW LOOK AT VERSE 41, MATTHEW
25, 41, THEN SHALL HE SAY ALSO UNTO THEM ON THE LEFT HAND, DEPART
FROM ME, YOU CURSED, INTO EVERLASTING FIRE PREPARED FOR THE DEVIL,
and his angels. Verse 46, Matthew 25, these shall
go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal
life. May God give us grace right now
to believe the gospel. Remember what we read in John
chapter 5, he that heareth my word and believeth on him that
sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation,
but is passed from death unto life." Now let's close the message
by reading these words found in John chapter 6. Turn there.
John chapter 6, verse 37. John 6, 37. All that the Father
giveth me shall come to me. That's God's elective love, elective
grace. And him that cometh to me, I
will in no wise never cast him out, for I came down from heaven."
John 6, 38. not to do my own will, but the
will of Him that sent me. And this is the Father's will,
which has sent me, that all which He hath given me I should lose
nothing, but raise it up again at the last day." He's going
to raise us up at the last day, deliver us from our offenses,
raise us again for our justification. And this is the will of Him that
sent me, that everyone which seeth the Son, and believeth
on Him, may have everlasting life, And I'll raise him up at
the last day the Lord's coming back Those who have died in Christ,
they'll be raised up first and we which are alive Shall be changed
in a moment and twinkling of an eye. You don't change our
vile body fashioned like unto his glorious body and wherever
heaven is That's where He is. Because He is. He is eternal
life. He is our heaven. And He's going
to have what He bought. He bought us with His own blood.
He bought the church with His own blood. And He's going to
have what He bought. And take us home to glory. Because
He justified us by His grace in Christ Jesus.