We could almost say that the
central theme of the apostles, shortly after
our Lord was crucified and ascended back to the Father, was the resurrection
of the dead. And when I say that their central
theme was the resurrection of the dead, I'm not saying that
they preached that to the exclusion of other things. We know that
the disciples preached the sin of man. The Apostle Paul said,
There is none that doeth good, no, not one. There altogether
become unprofitable. All have sinned and come short
of the glory of God. And John wrote, If we say we
have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. They
preached man's guilt and man's sinful nature. And the disciples
preached the sovereignty of God. Paul said, It is not of him that
willeth, it is not of him that runneth, it is of God that showeth
mercy. Paul said, If the Lord of the
Sabbath had not left us a remnant, we would be like Sodom and Gomorrah. And even when they were preaching
the death of the Master, they said, him being delivered by
the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, you with wicked hands
have crucified and slain. They didn't hesitate to preach
God's power and God's might and God's sovereignty. And the disciples,
of course, preached the substitutionary work of Christ. It was the Apostle
Paul who said, who said, I'm determined to know nothing among
you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. He said we have redemption
through His blood. Peter said we're not redeemed
with corruptible things but with the precious blood of Christ.
Paul declared that God was in Christ, reconciling the world
unto Himself. So they rang a clear note on
the substitutionary work of Christ. There's none other name other
than given among men whereby we must be saved. Other foundation
can no man lay than that which is laid, Christ the Lord. And
they preached the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. They
didn't hesitate to declare that if any man have not the Spirit
of Christ, he's none of His. They did not hesitate to declare
that if any man be in Christ, he's a new creature. that we
walk not after the flesh, but we walk after the Spirit, those
in whom and to whom there is no condemnation. And then the
disciples did not hesitate to preach the security of the same. Paul said, He that hath begun
a good work in you shall complete it, shall perform it, in the
day of the Lord Jesus Christ. In Romans chapter 8, verse 11,
and I wish you would turn there with me. But the disciples rang
a clear bell, and sounded a strong note, and blasted a loud trumpet
on this subject, the resurrection of the dead. In Romans 8, verse
11, Paul writes, But if the spirit of him that raised up Jesus from
the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead
shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth
in you. Christ redeemed our souls, and
Christ redeemed our bodies, and as he hath raised us by his power
from a spiritual grave, He will raise us by His power from a
natural or physical grave. Now this may come to you as something
new and unusual, but I want you to follow me through about eight
or nine verses of Scripture, and let me show you how that
the resurrection of the body was in the days of the Apostles,
that is, with the cross of Christ, their central theme. That the
persecution came because of this message, that the mocking came
because of this message, that most of the unbelief came because
of this message, the resurrection of the dead. Now in Acts chapter
1, verse 22, of course Judas had betrayed the Lord We're looking
at Acts 1.22 now. Judas had betrayed the Lord Jesus
Christ. He had sold him for thirty pieces
of silver. He had hanged himself, committed
suicide, and they were selecting a new apostle to take Judas'
place. Now I want you to hear what they
said about this new apostle. They said in Acts 1.22, beginning
from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken
up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his
resurrection. When they chose a disciple to
take the place of Judas, he was to be one who would be with them
a witness of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
Now in Acts chapter 2, turn over there, in the second chapter
of Acts, beginning with verse 31, when Peter preached on Pentecost,
Peter's message was largely a declaration of the resurrection of Christ.
They knew Christ had died. These people helped crucify Him.
They knew that He had been buried. I'm sure they made a pilgrimage
with the other people to the tomb. They knew that the stone
had been placed before the open grave, and that the seal of the
Roman government had been placed thereon, and guards put there
to guard it. So when Peter preached his sermon
on Pentecost, it was largely a declaration that Jesus Christ
was not dead, that he was not in the tomb, that he was risen.
And he said in Acts 2.31, he seeing this before, speak of
the resurrection of Christ. He is quoting David. that his
soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did seek corruption.
This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses
of his resurrection." Then in Acts chapter 4, now stay with
me, this is very interesting. In the fourth chapter of Acts,
verse 1 and 2, the disciples were arrested, and they were
put in jail. For what? for preaching the resurrection
of the dead. That's why they were arrested,
that's why they were put in jail. Listen to it. And as they spake
unto the people, the priests and the captains of the temple
and the Sadducees came upon them, being grieved that they taught
the people and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the
dead. They arrested them and jailed
them for preaching through Jesus Christ the resurrection of the
body from the grave. Look at verse 31 of Acts chapter
4, right on over one more page. When these disciples were filled
with the Holy Spirit, what did they preach? They boldly preached
the resurrection of the dead. Listen, Acts 4.31, And when they
had prayed The place was shaken where they were assembled together,
and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake
the word of God with boldness. And the multitude of them that
believed were of one heart and one soul, neither said any of
them that all of the things which he possessed were his own. But
they had all things common, and with great power gave the apostles
witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, and great
grace was upon them all." And then in Acts 17, now this is
an interesting scripture. Paul is preaching to religious
people, temple attenders, ceremonial followers, and they accused him
of preaching strange gods. because he preached the resurrection
of the dead. Look at Acts 17, verse 18, and
listen to it. Then certain philosophers of
the Epicureans and of the Storics encountered him, and some said,
What will this babbler say? Others some, he seemeth to be
a setter-forth of strange gods, because he preached unto them
Jesus and the resurrection. This man's preaching strange
gods, talking about the resurrection of the body from the grave. He's
a babbler. And then in verse 32, right on
down the page, in verse 32, And when the people heard of the
resurrection of the dead, some mocked And others said, We will
hear thee again of this matter. But many of them laughed and
mocked at the thought of the dead rising. In Acts 23, verse
6, listen to this scripture. All the way through the book
of Acts, the disciples had trouble from the authorities, and trouble
from the religious leaders, and trouble from the people over
this subject, the resurrection of the dead. in Acts 23, verse
6. But when Paul perceived that
the one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried
out in the council, meaning, brethren, I am a Pharisee, the
son of a Pharisee, of the hope and resurrection of the dead.
I am called in question. That's what this This trial is
all about, he said, I'm preaching the resurrection. Now look at
1 Corinthians 15, and Paul shows us the importance of this doctrine,
the importance of preaching it, the importance of believing it.
In 1 Corinthians 15, beginning with verse 12, the Apostle says,
If Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some
among you that there is no resurrection of the dead. If there be no resurrection
of the dead, Christ is not risen. And if Christ be not risen, this
is how important it is, our preaching is vain and your faith is also
vain. Yea, and more than that, we are
found false witnesses of God. I'd rather be most anything than
to be a false witness of God. Because we testified of God that
He raised up Christ, whom He raised not up, if so be that
the dead rise not. If the dead rise not, Christ
is not raised, and if Christ is not raised, your faith is
vain and you are lit yet in your sins. Then they also which are
fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have
hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. And then
one other scripture in the book of Philippians, chapter 3, verse
10. Here is the Apostle's great desire. Now brethren, I know we want
to be pardoned of sin. We want to be forgiven of iniquity. We want to communicate and walk
with the living God. We want to be children of the
King. We want to be blood-washed of Christ the Redeemer. We want
to know that our names are in the Book of Life. But to sum
the whole thing up, we want to take part in the resurrection
of the dead. He said in Philippians chapter
3, verse 8, "...doubtless I count all things but loss, for the
excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord." for whom
I have suffered the loss of all things, and I do count them but
dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having
mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which
is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of
God by faith, that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection,
and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his
death, if by any I might attain unto the resurrection of the
dead. That's my desire. I want to take
part in the resurrection of that day, the resurrection of the
redeemed, the resurrection of those who will with Christ reign
eternally. Now Christ died, and so shall
we. His body was given to the whip,
His cheeks to the smiters, His hands and feet to the nails.
His nature suffered, it bled, and it died. And so shall we. There's no escape. The Scripture
says life is a flower that blooms for a while, and it fades and
is gone. The Scripture says life is a
fleeting shadow that is here for a little while, and then
soon forgotten. It is appointed unto men once
to die. I know that, and you know that.
But, my friends, Christ arose, and so shall we. The hymn writer
put it this way, Our inbred sin requires our flesh to return
to the dust. But as our Lord Jesus Christ
arose, so all His people must. As we stand before the open grave
of a loved one, and we watch the body of that precious loved
one lowered into the ground. We watch it with this hope in
our hearts, the hope based upon the promise of the Lord Jesus
Christ, because I live, ye shall live. And the hope that is based
upon the words of the Master spoken to Mary and Martha, thy
brother shall rise again. He that believeth on me, though
he were dead, yet shall he live. If you'll turn with me to the
book of Luke, chapter 24. Here our Lord appeared to his
disciples. And I believe just as strongly
as I believe in the existence of God. I believe just as strongly
as I believe in the sovereignty of God. I believe just as strongly
as I believe in the death of Jesus Christ. I believe just
as strongly as I believe in the intercession of Christ, that
the body shall rise from the grave, flesh and bones. It will retain its identity,
and we shall live on a new earth and in a new heaven forever with
our Lord. And this scripture convinces
me of that in Luke 24, verse 36. And as they spake, as they
thus spake, now the scripture says when Christ comes, we're
going to see him and be like him. What's he like? Jesus himself
stood in the midst of them and said to them, Peace be unto you. But they were terrified and affrighted
and supposed that they'd seen a spirit. Hadn't they seen him
down across? Hadn't they personally taken
his body down from that tree and wrapped it in a sheet and
placed it in a grave and covered it with spices? And he said unto
them, Why are you troubled? Why do thoughts arise in your
heart? Behold my hands and my feet. It is I myself. Handle me, and
see, for spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have."
And when he had thus spoken, he showed them his hands and
his feet. And while they yet believed not
for joy, he was showing them the nail prints in his hands
and his feet. And while they believed not for
joy and wondered, he said, Have you here any meat? and they gave
him a piece of broiled fish and of an honeycomb, and he took
it and did eat before them." The Bible does not say a great
deal about the resurrected body, but it says enough and shows
us enough of the body of our Lord Jesus Christ after He arose
from the grave for us to have some idea of what our bodies
will be like. All that Christ did for us in
life and death is to assure us of eternal life, of eternal existence. And if Jesus Christ redeemed
not our bodies, then His work was only half done. Now I want
to show you something else in the third place. All of the inspired
prophets in the Old and New Testament believed in and looked for the
resurrection of the dead. For example, Abraham, it is said
of Abraham, he accounted that God was able to raise up Isaac
even from the dead. Abraham believed and expected
the resurrection of the body from the grave. Job declared,
I know that my Redeemer liveth, and on this earth shall stand
in the latter day, and though after my skin worms destroy this
body, yet in a misty, floating, invisible condition I'll see
God." That's not what he said. He said, inspired of the Holy
Spirit, in my flesh I will see God. I myself, not another, in
my flesh. I'll see God." David, writing
of Christ, it is true, but he's also writing of himself. What
he writes of himself we call the Messianic Psalms, but he
was speaking of himself also when he said, Thou wilt not leave
my body in the grave. Daniel declared, Many who sleep
in the dust shall rise some to everlasting life and others to
everlasting contempt. Isaiah wrote, The dead men shall
live together, with my dead body shall they rise. Hosea wrote, Come, let us return
to the Lord. He hath torn us, and he will
raise us. He will raise us up, and we shall
live in his sight. and the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians
15. Turn with me there. I want you
to read it together. In 1 Corinthians 15, verse 51,
the Apostle Paul writes, Behold, I show you a mystery. We shall
not all die. Christ is coming some day. There
will be people living when He comes back. But we shall all
be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last
trump. For the trumpet shall sound,
and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be
changed. For this corruptible must put
on incorruption, and this mortal must 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 that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O
death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin, and
the strength of sin is the law, but thanks be to God which giveth
us the victory. through our Lord Jesus Christ. Turn to 2 Thessalonians, in the
book of 1 Thessalonians, chapter 4. 1 Thessalonians, chapter 4,
beginning with verse 13. Paul writes, I would not have
you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep,
that you 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 Jesus will God bring with Him. For this
we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive
and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent, that
word is precede, them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself
shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the
archangel, with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall
rise first. And 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. Wherefore comfort one another
with these words, if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection
of the dead. If by any means when that trumpet
sounds, when Christ comes again, when the archangel shouts, if
by any means, I might be with those that are raised in his
likeness, new flesh and bones, incorruptible, immortal, eternal,
glorified, just like Christ. Well, he tells me in the scripture
I read a few moments ago who will be raised in his likeness. And I want you to turn over there.
John 6, beginning with verse 39. Now listen to it. You know, I like that scripture
where Paul said, without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. And I say unto you, without controversy,
great is the mystery of the resurrection. And I'm going to read to you
tonight in answer to this question, who will be raised in his likeness? Who will be raised in a glorified
state? The lost are going to be raised,
but that which is filthy shall be raised filthy. That which
is unholy shall be raised unholy. That which is corruptible shall
never put on incorruption in unbelief. If you die in your
sins, Christ said, you can't come where I am. But he tells
us there's some people who are going to be raised in an incorruptible,
immortal, glorified body of flesh and bone, bearing the likeness
which it bore here, exactly like Christ. And he gives us four
identifying marks of those that will be raised, four characteristics. First of all, he says in verse
39, now don't get mad at me, will you, promise? But he says,
I'm going to raise from the dead, all that the Father giveth me."
In verse 38, he said, I came down from heaven, this was my
mission, not to do my own will, but the will of Him that sent
me, that's why I came. I came to do the will of Him
that sent me. And this is the Father's will
which hath sent me, that of all which He hath given me I'll lose
nothing. but raise it up again at the
last day. I'm not going to lose his soul.
I'm not going to lose his body. I'm not even going to lose his
little finger. I'm not going to lose a fingernail or a hair
from his head. Of all that he hath given me,
I'll lose nothing. He didn't say I'll lose no one. He said I'll lose nothing, nothing
about him, body or soul or spirit. I'm going to raise the whole
man. Christ redeemed the whole man. Christ redeemed all of me,
everything I possessed. He redeemed my eyes and my ears
and my head and my heart. He redeemed my soul and my spirit
and my body. And He said, of all that my Father
hath given me, I'll lose nothing, no part of Him. I'll raise Him
up at the last day. His covenant people have been
identified with Him and represented by Him since eternity past. And His covenant people identified
with Him and represented by Him and chosen in Him and redeemed
in Him will be trophies of His grace in eternity future. And
not any part of them, and not any possession of theirs, shall
be left to perish. Now that's the first identifying
mark of those whom he will raise. He said, I'll raise all that
my Father hath given me. I'm going to raise them and lose
nothing. Now the second thing that he says about them, this
is the Lord speaking, this is the Master. The second thing
he says, he says in verse 40, and this is the will of him that
sent me, that everyone that seeth the Son and believeth on him,
may have everlasting life, and I'm going to raise him up at
the last day." Who's he going to raise? All that the Father
has given him. And he's going to raise everyone
that what? Seeth the Son. Now, I have read
in the old books about different verses of Scripture that have
been blessed of God to the conversion or enlightening of certain men. John Gill says that he was reading
the Bible one day and he came across this verse, ìAdam, where
art thou?î And he said for days and weeks and months he couldnít
get away from that scripture. ìAdam, where art thou? Where
art thou?î And the Holy Spirit took that scripture and broke
his heart and brought him to Christ. ìAdam, where art thou?î
And then Charles Spurgeon, the great Puritan preacher, said
that the verse of Scripture that God used to bring him to knowledge
of Christ was Isaiah 45, 22, which says, Look unto me, for
I am God, and be ye saved. There's none else. I am God.
Look unto me, and be ye saved. Brother Herringdean, who published
for many years, Arthur Pinck's complete works, many, many, many
books that have gone around the world, and everywhere you find
a believer, you will find a person at one time or another in his
life has come across something written or said by Arthur Pinck.
But Herringdean said the verse of Scripture that Mr. Pinck sent
to him that changed his whole theology was John 6, verse 44,
which says, No man can come to me except my Father which sent
me draw him. Dr. N. B. Magruder, our friend
in Louisville, and I were talking one day, and I asked him, what
verse of Scripture? And I know all of the Scriptures
inspired of the Holy Spirit, no Scriptures of any private
interpretation, and man shall not live by bread alone, but
every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God. But I said
there's usually one verse of Scripture that God hangs on your
heart, that God puts beneath your feet. that God implants
in your mind and soul that you just can't get away from. And
God gives you a special blessing through that verse. He said,
John 6, 40, And this is the will of Him that sent me, that every
one that seeth the Son, seeth the Son. Why you say, Preacher,
a lot of people saw Him. This is not talking about seeing
Him physically. A lot of people claim to see him in a vision.
That's not what they're talking about. Or seeing him in a dream.
That's not what it's talking about. They've got statues of
him all over Mexico, but that's not what it's talking about.
It's talking about what it's talking about when he said, Abraham
saw my day. Abraham saw Christ as the substitute. When Abraham had his son Isaac,
lying on that altar about to slay him as a sin offering, and
the voice of God said, Do thy son no harm. Look over there
in the bushes, and he saw a ram caught by the horns. He brought
that ram, lifted his son off the altar, put the ram in its
place. He saw Christ as the substitute. He saw Christ as the representative. He saw Christ as the Redeemer. It's to see him like Job saw
him, yea, even before he ever came to this earth, when Job
said, I know my Redeemer liveth. It's to see him as the apostle
Peter saw him, when he said, we know who you are, you're the
Christ, the Son of the living God. Christ said, he that seeth
the Son, I'll raise him up at the last day. Have you seen him?
Not just Jesus the Son of Mary, not just Jesus the healer, Jesus
the teacher, have you seen the Lord Jesus Christ as the substitute
of sinners? Have you seen Him in His glory
as the God-man? Have you seen Him in His power
as the representative of all His covenant people, bearing
our guilt, our shame, and our sin? Well, look at verse 40 again.
I'll raise him up. who sees the sun, and here's
the third mark of the believer who will be raised, and believes
on Him, and believes on Him. We believe that He's God incarnate. We believe that He's the perfect
man. We believe he died as our substitute. We believe that he arose again. We believe that he is at the
right hand of God, our intercessor. We believe that he will come
again. Do you believe that? I have hope of the resurrection
because I believe that. I've seen the Son. Why, they
said this is Jesus. Look at verse 42. Is not this
Jesus? The son of Joseph? They never
called him Lord. They didn't know him as Lord.
They'd never seen him as Lord. They saw him as Joseph. They
saw him the son of Mary. They saw him the carpenter. Who
is this fellow? Why, this is Jesus. The apostles
saw more than that. They saw God in the flesh. And then here's the last characteristic. He said, I'm going to raise some
people up. All that my Father hath given
me, I'll lose nothing but raise Him up at the last day. Everyone
that seeth the Son, I'll raise Him up. All who believe on Him,
I'll raise Him up." And verse 44, "...no man can come to me," that's
savingly, in a believing manner, that's spiritually, That's an
unconditional surrender to Christ as Savior and Lord. No man can
come to me except the Father which has sent me draw him, and
I'll raise him up at the last day. Questions like this are
easy to answer if we'll let God speak. If we'll quit speaking
for God and let God speak to us, who will Christ raise? He tells us. He said, at the
last day I'm going to raise some people in my likeness, in my
image. I'm going to raise them in a
glorified state. I'm going to raise those whom
I've represented from the covenant council halls of eternity. I'm
going to raise everybody who with eyes of faith has seen the
sun. I'm going to raise everybody
who with a heart of faith hath believed the Son, who puts no
question mark on his deity, no question mark on his perfection,
no question mark on his sin offering, no question mark on his resurrection,
no question mark on his ascension, no question mark on his glory.
They believe on him. And those who by the powerful
providential wooing of the Father have been drawn to the Christ
said, I'm going to raise him up. He is not defeated. He's a victorious Lord. He did
what he came to do. We don't worship a frail, frustrated
Savior. We worship the conquering, all-powerful,
victorious Son of God who said, I'm going to raise some folks
from the dead. All that I might attain unto
the resurrection Our Father, bless the Word, make it powerful,
convincing as only the Holy Spirit can make it, breaking down the
walls of prejudice and tradition and natural reasoning and human
wisdom, and open these eyes to see beyond this empty, materialistic
world, like Abraham, to see that city built of God. We're dwelling
in a tent in a tabernacle so frail it'll soon be torn down
by the winds of time. But we have a house not made
with hands, eternal in the heavens. And oh, that day, that great
day, that glorious day, that Christ-glorifying day when we
shall stand forever in His likeness, raised from the dead to die no
more. Grant, O Lord, our humble prayer
that we might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. In
Christ's name we ask it. Amen. Why don't you come lead
us, please, if you will, in a closing hymn. What number? Number 505. Let's stand together and sing
505. When all my labors and trials
are o'er, And I'm safe on that beautiful shore, Just to be near
the dear Lord I adore, Will for the ages be glory for me. Oh, that will be glory for me,
glory for me, glory for me. When by His grace I shall look
on His face, that will be glory me.