4311

Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel, which I preached to you... 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 by Cephas, and then by the twelve, and after that he was seen by over five hundred brethren at once... Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach, and so you believe. (1 Corinthians 15)

The risen Christ does not merely offer life after death—He calls the dead to come out of the tomb today.

The Resurrection Is Good News That Must Be Preached

Jesus Christ is the most important figure in all history, and the resurrection is the most important event to ever have taken place. In his first letter to the Corinthian church, Paul makes it clear that the resurrection is good news. It is gospel, and it is good news that must be preached. The great and glorious news of the resurrected Christ needs to be declared, and when it is preached and received by faith, this good news brings salvation. The gospel sets the believer—the one who places their faith in the good news—on a firm foundation of eternal salvation.

Yes, there were skeptics some 2,000 years ago, just as there are skeptics today. But the empty tomb and the 500 witnesses of the risen Lord stand as a strong challenge to even the most ardent naysayer. There is an empty tomb in Jerusalem. He is not there. He is risen. He is alive. The evidence is available for any who will take the time to look into it.

I believe the evidence proves that Jesus of Nazareth was crucified, that He died on a Roman cross 2,000 years ago, on the eve before Passover, just outside the city of Jerusalem. His lifeless body was taken from that cross, hastily prepared for burial, and laid in a tomb immediately following His death. Then, in fulfillment of His own prophetic word and the word of prophets hundreds of years before He came, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day, victorious over sin and death. Jesus is alive.

Jesus Is the Resurrection

Not only is He alive because He experienced resurrection—He is alive because He is the resurrection. Jesus is the embodiment, the personification, the manifestation of the resurrection. Perhaps one of the best passages to show this is in the Gospel of John.

In John chapter 11, we read of a close and dear friend of Jesus named Lazarus, a man of the city of Bethany, a suburb just two miles east of Jerusalem. The opening words reveal that Lazarus had fallen ill and, as a result of that sickness, had died. In His life and ministry, Jesus had healed many people who were sick—those who were paralyzed, those with demons. If Jesus had been near Bethany, there's no doubt in my mind that He could have healed His friend. In fact, Jesus is so powerful that He could have healed Lazarus from afar.

But Jesus delayed. At that time of need, He did not go to His friend. And we learn that His delay was purposeful. Everything Jesus does is purposeful. Through the illness and ultimately the death of Lazarus, Jesus would be glorified, and it would be revealed just who He actually is.

"Lord, If You Had Been Here"

So Jesus came to Bethany when Lazarus had already been dead four days. As He approached the city, He was greeted by Martha, one of Lazarus's two sisters. She said to Him, "Lord, if you had been here, then my brother would still be alive." Clearly, Martha had some sort of faith in Jesus. She believed He had power, and as you read on, she even believed that "whatever you now ask of God, he will do for you." She had great faith in Jesus.

Maybe you have a form of faith today. Perhaps you believe that Jesus has some sort of power or some sort of spiritual pull. Jesus responded to Martha, "Your brother shall rise again." Now, Martha did believe in an afterlife. She said, "I know that he will rise again at the resurrection at the last day." Perhaps you too believe in an afterlife of sorts.

Do you know that 81% of Americans believe in some form of an afterlife? When polled by Gallup just a few years ago, they said they believe there must be something more than this. Another 9% say a life after death may exist. Only 10% of our population here in America says there is no such thing. So if you say, "I think there's something after this life," you're like 90% of Americans—just like Martha in this story.

"I Am the Resurrection and the Life"

Jesus responded to Martha's faith with these great words: "I am the resurrection and the life. He that believes in me, though he may die, he shall live. And whosoever lives and believes in me shall never die" (John 11:25). She said her brother would rise again someday in the distant future. Jesus looked into her eyes and said, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me shall never die." Powerful words.

Jesus didn't just experience resurrection 2,000 years ago, which we celebrate on the holiday we call Easter—though it should probably be called Resurrection Day. Yet some in our culture try to deny and disregard it. This morning, one of the first things I did was look at Google's website. Every year they make a special graphic for holidays, so I figured there had to be one for Easter. Instead, there was a picture of the labor leader Cesar Chavez—I guess it was Cesar Chavez Day, according to Google. Really? Completely disregarding that more than 200 million Americans believe Jesus rose from the dead and that this is the day we celebrate it.

More and more people try to disregard the fact that Jesus is alive. But as He says, "I am the resurrection and the life." He declares that if you put your trust in Him, then though you experience physical death in this life—and we recognize everyone will, ten out of ten people die—you will live eternally and never die spiritually. You will never taste what the Bible calls the second death, a judgment that will come. In just a few minutes, I'm going to give you the opportunity to put your trust in Jesus as the resurrection and the life.

Belief Alone Is Not Enough—Where Is the Proof?

But the story isn't done. Jesus asked Martha a great question, perhaps one of the most important: "Do you believe this?" Although Jesus is the resurrection and the life, simply believing that there is an afterlife is not sufficient. It may be good and right to believe such things, because it is true, but it's not enough. You may believe that Jesus was powerful and had some spiritual pull, yet believing He merely had power is not sufficient either.

You may ask, "Where's the proof?" Martha responded, "Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come to the world." But again, where's the proof? Let's see—are you really the resurrection and the life?

In verse 38, Jesus came to the tomb, a cave with a stone lying against it. There were probably many people gathered, for mourners would come for days to weep and wail. Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha said, "Lord, by this time he stinketh"—he's been in there four days. Jesus said, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"

I ask you today: What stone of unbelief is standing before you? What is hindering you from putting your faith in the resurrection and the life that is only in Jesus Christ?

"Lazarus, Come Forth"

As they opened the tomb, Jesus prayed, and then with a loud voice He cried, "Lazarus, come forth." And Lazarus came out, waddling, bound in grave clothes with a cloth upon his face. Jesus said to those gathered, "Loose him and let him go."

Perhaps you've wanted to come forth and follow Jesus, but you've been trapped in a tomb, bound up in grave clothes. Jesus calls us out of the tomb of death and commands us to be set free. His word is not given in vain. You were once dead in trespasses and sins, but Christ calls us to come out of the tomb.

Two Responses to the Risen Christ

In this passage we find two responses to the raising of Lazarus. Verse 45 says, "Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary and had seen the things that Jesus did, they believed in him." That's the first response, the right response. They came to comfort Mary and Martha, they saw what Jesus did, and they said, "That's enough for me. I believe. Jesus, you said you are the resurrection and the life, and you just proved it."

But verse 46 says, "Some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did." The chief priests and Pharisees gathered a council and asked, "What shall we do with this man?" From that day on, they plotted to kill Him after seeing Lazarus raised from the dead. And in chapter 12, verse 10, they plotted to kill Lazarus too. The guy just raised from the dead, and they say, "Let's kill him too." They had to get rid of the proof, to bury it.

That's the wrong response: to cover over the truth of the resurrected Jesus Christ with some form of pious religion that doesn't bring salvation, and then to try to bury and put to rest the reality of His death, burial, and resurrection. Jesus is the resurrection and the life, and He offers that resurrected life to you today.

How to Come Out of the Tomb

Today is the day to come out of the tomb. You may ask, "How do I come?" The Scriptures make it very clear.

First, we confess our sins—those things we have done against God that have held us back from Him. Second, we believe that Jesus died and rose again, taking our punishment upon Himself. Third, we accept that payment—Jesus has paid it all. Sin had left its crimson stain; He washed it white as snow. We receive the free gift of His grace, making us right once again with God. Fourth, we repent, turning from our sins to follow Him. Fifth, we follow Him publicly. You lived your sin very publicly; so we commit to follow Him publicly, so that people would know we've decided to follow Jesus—no turning back.

The last thing I would say is: don't wait. This is the perfect day to come out of the tomb, to be loosed from the grave clothes that have bound you, and to follow Jesus.

The Promise of Romans 10

Romans chapter 10 tells us that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. If you put your faith in Christ today, you are saved. "For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation... For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."

This last week I had two memorial services, and next Saturday I have another. It's interesting to see three totally different lives represented. One was a man who had lived a life that was not the best, and he was taken suddenly in the prime of his life—yet he had put his faith in Christ, and he is with the Lord today, rejoicing in His presence.

Another was a lady who died at 85. She had not responded to the gospel, though family members shared with her for many years—until just months before she died, when someone visited her in a nursing home and shared Christ. She came to faith and is with the Lord.

The third is for a man many of you know—Brian Clark. Brian had a simple, childlike faith in Jesus, and he loved Him. From the time I was a freshman playing football at Orange Glen High School, when he would cheer for me in the stands, Brian loved the Lord and followed Him. He died of cancer just a few weeks ago, and he's with Jesus in glory.

It doesn't matter where you're at on that spectrum. Perhaps you've hardened your heart for a long time, yet the Lord calls you to come forth. If you put your faith in Him, you are saved, and He will transform you.

Closing Prayer

Father, we thank you for the work that you're doing in this place. We thank you that you are drawing people to yourself, just as you said, that if you'd be lifted up, you'd draw all people to yourself. We thank you that you are transforming hearts and lives by your grace.

Lord, you transform things. The cross was the most brutal form of death ever imagined—the Roman government would not even allow Roman citizens to be crucified, because it was so terrible. Yet because of what you did for us on the cross, we now wear it as a sign, as a wonderful thing. Lord, you've transformed the worst possible death into something we rejoice in. And not only do you do that, but you transform those who are dead because of sin into those who are alive. We thank you for that.

God, we worship your holy name today. You are holy and worthy of all our praise. We pray for those who have put their faith in you today—they've put their trust in you and received new life. We ask that you would do a transformative work in their lives. Lord, shine through them to their friends, their family members, their friends at school or work, wherever they are. Thank you that you make all things new. We praise you today in Jesus' name. Amen.