The Effect of Christ’s Resurrection

Introduction

I appreciate it so much. Good to be with you, as I’ve said uh in the previous two studies that we had. It’s just a joy and a blessing to be a part of you this week, and I trust that uh the time that we spend together will uh will glorify God. And I’ll just tell you this right uh right right up front that if I leave here and you don’t remember my name or my face, that’s quite all right. I just hope you remember some of the things that I have pointed out to you from the Word of God. And if that being the case, then I’m sure that our time will indeed uh be well spent. You know, mentioned in the previous studies uh that how long Sue and I have been married, uh, as even mentioned in the prayer.

Uh what I didn’t tell you is we were three and four when we got married. In case you’re trying to do uh try trying to do the math. I want to invite your attention this morning to the second chapter of the book of Acts. And I’m going to follow up a little bit what was said prior to our observing the Lord’s Supper. It’s kind of uh kind of goes along very well with uh what we want to talk about this morning. But I want to read to you and with you, and I’m reading from the New King James Bible, uh a portion of the sermon that is recorded that Peter preached there on the day of Pentecost. In verse 22, beginning, Acts chapter 2 and verse 22.

Men of Israel hear these words, Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs, which God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves also know. Him being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands uh crucified and put to death. Whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that he should be held by it. For David says concerning him.

For he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken. Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad. Moreover, my flesh also will re will rest in hope, for you will not leave my soul in Hades, nor will you allow your holy one to see corruption. You have made known to me the ways of life, you will make me full of joy in your presence. Men and brethren. Let me speak freely to you of the Patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, he would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne.

He foreseeing this spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ. That his soul was not left in Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus, God has raised, uh has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. And we’ll suspend our reading right there, and I’m going to challenge you to think about something. Put yourself in that crowd. How would you have responded to the sermon that you heard Peter preach? Peter preached that Jesus was raised from the dead. How would that have how would you have responded to that at that time and in that setting? You know, chances are that you would have viewed, as many possibly did at that particular time, you would have viewed this as an impossibility. You know, because after all, death is final.

We understand that, we realize that, we we see it almost every day in our life. Death is something that is final. Death is irreversible. But yet on this occasion, Peter is preaching that Jesus of Nazareth, whom you crucified, he said to those people in Jerusalem, whom you crucify, God has raised him from the dead. How profound a statement, how profound a challenge is that Peter presented to the people on that day. Because the concept, as we suggested a moment ago, is that death is irreversible. It’s not something that, well, you can change. I remember, and I mentioned this in class a little bit ago. I remember when I was twelve years old, and my grandfather, my paternal grandfather, died. We came down to the country, and at that time, down in the country where he was living at the time, he and my grandmother were living, it was not uncommon for the bodies to be brought back home to the house.

This is what they did with Grandad. They took him after he died to the funeral home, they prepared him, they put him in a casket, and then they brought him back to the house where he had lived. And they laid him out in the put the casket in the front room. And people that came to visit would come to the house. And I can remember, ladies and gentlemen, as a 12-year-old boy standing there, my first encounter with death. I can remember standing there by the casket and thinking. I believe Granddad is breathing. And I’d look at the chest. And I’d look at the eyelids, and I believe I saw an eyelid flash. But it didn’t. And I come to realize then, as everybody realizes, death is something that is irreversible.

But yet on this occasion, Peter was preaching that Jesus had in fact been raised from the dead. Now I want to tell you, if we talk about death being irreversible, this is why, ladies and gentlemen, that we cling to life so tenaciously. This is why we recognize just how valuable and how precious life is. Do you realize, and I’m certain that you do, of all of God’s creation, mankind is the only one that can recognize he’s going to die? Do you realize that you and I, as human beings, created in the image of God, are the only ones of God’s creation that know we’re going to die. Pigs don’t know they’re going to die. Dogs don’t know they’re going to die. Cats and parakeets and fish don’t know they’re going to die.

But you know, you and I know that. And yet many times we refuse to think about it. We don’t want to contemplate that we’re mortal, that we’re going to die. We refuse to consider it. And then when it begins to happen, uh, you know, the bodies begin to wear out. We want to take extraordinary measures to prolong our lives. Whether it’s the infusion of drugs and chemicals to keep us alive, whether it’s a life preserving machine, such as a breathing machine, we want all kinds of artificial means to keep us alive. Because we understand, or at least we think we do, that death is irreversible. And then we want to, after death, we want to preserve the body. We want to make sure that we’re filled with embalming fluid, that the caskets that are selected for us are sealed, that the vaults that were placed in in the ground are likewise sealed, and it’s to preserve the body.

This is the affix, this is the fixation that we have with clinging to this life that we’re experiencing upon this earth. But whether we like to think about it or not, ladies and gentlemen, life is going to end for each one of us. It’s appointed for man once to die, and after this, the judgment, the Hebrew writer declares, we’re going to die. There’s nothing that we can do to preserve life. It’s going to occur. I want to go back if I can. I jumped ahead of myself a little bit. The living know they will die, Ecclesiastes 9 and verse 5. And then, furthermore, we say in Psalm 89 and verse 48, that all men are going to experience death. It’s going to happen. Come to grips with it.

And furthermore, we recognize, as we indicated almost a moment ago, that many, many years ago, many centuries before Jesus came, Job asked the question if a man dies, shall he live again? Is it possible? Is it at all possible, ladies and gentlemen, to reverse the irreversible? Is it possible to live again? Well, Jesus provided the answer for that. At a graveside in Bethany, at the death of his friend Lazarus. Jesus says to Lazarus’ sister Martha, he said, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me even though he dies, and who uh he who believes in me will live even though he dies, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe that Jesus answered Job? Jesus said, Yes, if a man dies, he will live again.

What Jesus is doing here, ladies and gentlemen, is promising to reverse the irreversible. And do you know the crowning achievement of that was the resurrection of Jesus. When he was placed in the tomb, and this is what Peter is preaching. This is what Peter’s talking about. The angel said, He is not here, for he is risen. Come and see the place where the Lord lay. Jesus was raised from the dead. And as a result of that, Jesus became the first fruits of all who sleep. 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 20. You see what the resurrection of Jesus did, ladies and gentlemen? It reversed the irreversible. The resurrection of Jesus showed us that, yes, man will live again. I want you to think about this. All of the great religious leaders who have ever graced this earth died and are in the tomb to this day.

Whether it’s Muhammad, whether it’s Gandhi, it doesn’t make any difference. Whether it’s Confucius, all of these are dead and decaying in the ground today. Not so with Jesus. Even all great social leaders, such as Abraham Lincoln or Martin Luther King, all of these who were able to perform great deeds upon this earth, all died, and their tombs are with us to this day. Not so with Jesus. Jesus reversed the irreversible. Furthermore, ladies and gentlemen, we need to understand some passages that talk about this. Many passages talk about the fact that Jesus was crucified, but he’s risen. Luke 24, verses 5 and 6. Don’t seek the living among the dead. He’s not here. He’s raised from the dead. 1 Corinthians 15 and verse 20. Christ is risen from the dead.

He lives, Hebrews 7 in verse 25, to make intercession for the saints. Christ lived. This is the hope that we have, ladies and gentlemen. This is the linchpin of our hope. This is the linchpin of our faith, the resurrection of Christ. In writing to the Corinthians, Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15, verses 3 and 4, that I delivered to you first of all that which you received. That Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, that he was buried. But that’s not all. That’s not the end of the story. He rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures. We find also, he says in 1 Corinthians 15, 14, if Christ is not risen, your faith is empty. Your faith is futile. It’s just simply not going to be any good at all.

And you’re still in your sins. We mention it being the linchpin of our faith. Do you realize, ladies and gentlemen, this is something that we have to believe? This is not something that is debatable. This is something that we must be must believe in order to be saved. Confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead. You will be saved. The resurrection of Christ is the cornerstone of Christianity. It’s the greatest miracle in history. This is why it’s often prophesied in the Old Testament. And you can read about some of these prophecies in the Old Testament, such as Psalm 16 and verse 10. You will not let Peter quoted that.

Jesus foretold it. He said, I will rise, I will raise it up in John 2 in reference to his body. He said, It will be raised the third day, Matthew 16 and verse 21, when he’s talking to Peter and the other apostles. This is something Jesus foretold. He said, You know what? My father loves me because I lay down my life that I may take it again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have the power to lay it down and the power to take it up again. Jesus often spoke of his resurrection to his disciples. He spent three and a half years preparing his disciples for the time that he would be crucified and be buried and be risen from the dead.

How did they respond to that? What was the effect of that upon those disciples? This is what I want us to stop and consider this morning. I want us to consider the effect of the resurrection of Jesus upon those disciples who witnessed it. Upon those disciples in the first century, who were there when Peter preached the sermon that he did in Acts chapter 2. When Jesus broke the chains of death, when he gained victory over the grave, when he reversed the irreversible, what effect did that have upon those disciples? And then we’re going to conclude our study by talking about the effect that it has upon you and upon me. So let’s think about that. When I ask the question or I make the statement of the effect of the resurrection upon the disciples to whom Jesus appeared, you can’t have just a singular answer to that.

1. The Effect Before the Resurrection

This is not a one-dimensional answer that you can give. As a matter of fact, it’s threefold. And we’re going to look at the effect of the resurrection of Jesus upon the disciples before, during, and after the resurrection of Jesus. Now let’s think about the effect of the resurrection before it occurred. Now let’s notice many times Jesus talked about the resurrection. In Matthew chapter 26, however, just before he is arrested in the garden, Jesus said to his disciples, all of you will be made to stumble because of me this night. And Jesus tells the disciples, you know what? You’re going to stumble because of me. You know, what the disciples were saying basically was, prior to his resurrection, you know, Jesus, this is not going to happen to you.

Remember what Peter said in Acts chapter 16, I mean, uh, Matthew chapter 16 and verse 22? Peter said to Jesus, this shall not happen to you. Now the disciples were not stupid. The disciples were just simply ignorant. They were ignorant of what was going to occur, even though they’d heard this. They’d heard it time and time again from Jesus’ own mouth. While he lived upon this earth. I’m going to be put to death. The chief priests and the scribes and the Pharisees are going to put me to death. But you know what? After I’m buried, I’m going to be raised from the dead in three days. They said, No, Jesus, it can’t happen. It’s not going to happen. There’s no way to reverse the irreversible. It’s not going to occur.

This is the attitude that they had. You know, Jesus said after his resurrection when he was talking to two disciples on the road to Emmaus in Luke chapter 24. Jesus asked them, What is the matter with you? Have you not read what the prophets have said? And he opened their heart and their minds so that they could understand. They’d been ignorant of this. They just didn’t simply, they simply didn’t think it was going to be possible. Perhaps their conception of death prevented them from understanding. Furthermore, during this time they denied him. You remember what Peter said? Peter said in Acts chapter 20, oh, I’ll tell you what, Lord, I’m not going to be made to scatter. I’m not going to deny you. I’ll tell you what, all these others can deny you, but you can count on me.

I’m going to stick by you thick and thin. He said in verse 33 of Matthew 26, even if all are made to stumble because of you, I will never be made to stumble. Jesus, there’s not anything can happen to you that will cause me to stumble, cause me to deny you. But Jesus said, You know what, Peter, you’re going to deny me three times before the roaster crows this night. And you go on over a little further in Matthew chapter 26, and you see this exactly is exactly what happens. Verse 69, Peter said outside in the courtyard. This is during the trial of Jesus, prior to his death. He was being tried. He was going to be found guilty and put to death. And while he was outside, a servant girl came to him and said, You also were with Jesus in Galilee.

But you know what the Bible says? He denied it before them all. I do not know what you’re saying. Lady, I don’t know what you’re talking about. What do you mean I was? I don’t even know what you’re talking about. But now we read Australia’s denial number one. And when he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, this fellow, this is this guy over here, he was also with Jesus of Nazareth. But again, he denied with an oath. I do not know the man. Notice that, the man. The man. I don’t know this man. I don’t know the man. Let’s go back. Let’s go back to that good confession that he made outside the coast of Caesarea Philippi.

Whom do men say that I am? Well, some say that you’re John the Baptist, some Elijah, Jeremiah or one of the prophets. But who do you, Jesus asked these disciples, who do you say that I am? Peter said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. But now I don’t know the man. Not the Christ, not the Son of the living God, but I don’t know the man. Denial number two. And a little later, those who stood by came up and said to Peter, Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you. Now I want you to notice his speech here. Then he began to curse and swear, saying, I do not know the man. This is the attitude the disciples had.

Jesus had spent three and a half years with Peter and the other disciples, and yet when the when the rubber hit the road, and Jesus was on trial, they all forsook him and fled, and Peter denied him three times exactly the way that Jesus said that he would. How did they respond before his resurrection? When Jesus was condemned to death, they hid out in an upper room, afraid of the Jews, scared to death what was going to happen to them. As a matter of fact, they were so fearful they wouldn’t even attend his burial. They left that up to some women who had the courage to go and prepare his body for burial. And you know what? They thought, well, the movement is ended. This is all over.

2. The Response During His Resurrection

But it’s not going to happen. He’s dead. Now today’s the third day. He’s dead. It’s not going to happen. It was good while it lasted. As a matter of fact, in Acts John chapter 21 and verse 3, not only did the disciples decide they just go home, Peter said, Well, I’m going to take up my whole occupation. I’ll go fishing. And all the others said the same. So how did the resurrection affect the disciples? Before they didn’t believe it. It’s not going to happen. As a matter of fact, when Jesus was put to death, they ran like a bunch of scared cats. Now, let’s consider the response during his resurrection. Let’s notice what occurs now. When Jesus was raised from the dead, the angels rolled back the stone, the earthquake rolled back the stone, the angels were there.

The guards who were placed there by Pilate to make sure that the apostles did not come in and steal the body. These guards saw that. They saw the earthquake. They saw the removal of the stone. And the guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men. The guards witnessed the greatest miracle that ever occurred. And yet they became like dead men. They were scared to death. And they went out and they perpetrated a lie. They said, you know what, we fell asleep, and while we were asleep, his disciples came and stole the body. And so they began to spread that lie that was accepted among the Jews until the day that Matthew was writing his account. But what happened to the women who came to the tomb?

The women came to the tomb and observed that the tomb was empty, and they reacted with fear and great joy. They were perplexed and they were afraid. And they were terrified, some translations say. Why? Why is that? Why were they perplexed? Why were they afraid? Why was there fear? But yet at the same time, there was great joy. You know, this this this is this is amazing to me. I think sometimes we forget. The initial response that these people would have had would have not been unlike the responses that we have. Wait a minute. Hold on here. This grave is empty. This is too good to be true. But then, but then they would have responded, but it’s it’s it’s too good not to be true.

They were perplexed. They were confused. And they began to spread the word, you know, Jesus has been raised from the dead, his body is not here. Well, what did the disciples? They didn’t believe. Matthew chapter 16 and verses 12, verses 11 and 12. They didn’t believe the women. They didn’t believe the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Here is the ones who had been with him all of these years. They did not believe that he had been raised from the dead. I think. I think, ladies and gentlemen, we often forget how hard it was for the disciples to believe this. Now I know I making, I may be presenting this in such a way that it sort of cast a disparaging view of I don’t mean to do that.

I believe it would have been difficult. Think about the birth of Jesus. Think about the star that hung in the sky that guided the magi from the east to Bethlehem. Or to Nazareth, where Jesus was living as a child. Now we, you know, here’s a sign in the sky. Think of the chorus of the angels singing, you know, and appearing to the shepherds. You think of all of the events surrounding the birth of Jesus. Now the resurrection of Jesus occurs and it occurs with just a handful of people witnessing this. And then word begins to spread to the disciples, they don’t believe it. They simply do not believe that it happened. There’s no angelic chorus, there’s no star in the sky. There are no magi coming to offer gifts.

Just the testimony of some women. Well, they thought when Jesus actually appeared to them that they were seeing a ghost or they were seeing a spirit. They were perplexed, they were afraid, and they were terrified. Oh, and then there’s Thomas. We think of old doubting Thomas. You know, Thomas was shown the Lord, or Jesus allowed him to put his hands in his side and touch the wound from the spirit, put his hands and the scars on his hands. Thomas saying, and Thomas believed. We look at old doubting Thomas. Oh, but do you know what? Thomas was no different than many of the other disciples. Because Matthew 28 and verse 17, after Jesus appeared to them in Galilee, some doubted. They thought that what this was was just some idle tales of certain women.

3. How Did They Respond After the Resurrection

Do you notice how this can’t be answered one way? It’s a threefold answer. How did they respond before? They were scared to death. How did they respond during they didn’t believe that it happened? Just idle tales. Now it brings us to the third way that we look at this. How did they respond then after? After the resurrection. Luke says in Acts chapter 1 and verse 3 that Jesus presented himself alive after his suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during 40 days for nearly six weeks. Ladies and gentlemen, Jesus made himself visible. Jesus appeared perhaps a dozen or so times. And Paul, in 1 Corinthians 15, verses 1 through 8, he catalogs most of these appearances. He said he appeared to Peter and he appeared to 500 brethren.

He appeared to James and Paul catalogues a lot of this. Jesus did. Jesus made a number of appearances. He appeared to Mary and Peter and the disciples on the road to Emmaus, all of the apostles, to Thomas, and to the 500, and Paul said, many are still alive to this day. But you know what? I got to thinking about this, ladies and gentlemen. I come to realize that Jesus often appeared to people in small groups. Jesus often appeared to people in remote areas. Jesus often appeared to people behind closed doors. But you know, as far as the record goes, he never one time appeared to an enemy. As far as the Bible record is concerned, he never one time appeared to his uh detractors. He never, you know, he didn’t show up at Pilate’s Praetorium.

You know, where he was condemned. He didn’t show up there and say, hey fellows, look, you know, you remember me? You remember me? Hey, I’m the I’m the one you put to death. You remember? I’m the one that you scourged and beat nearly half to death. Here I am. Take a look. He didn’t go to Annas and Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin and say, hey, look, I’m the one you spit in my face, and I’m the one that you took out to the Romans, and they put this crown of thorns on, and I’m the one that carried that cross through Jerusalem, and I’m the one that you put the nails in the in my hands and in my feet. He didn’t appear to any of those. Why didn’t he appear?

Is that not something that you’ve often thought about? Why didn’t Jesus appear to his enemies? Why didn’t he just say, hey, everybody, take a good long look? You put me to death, but here I am. No. He appears to these disciples. And he appears to these disciples, and he goes behind these closed doors and appears to these disciples. Why didn’t he just call attention to himself in front of all his enemies? I believe there’s a reason for this. I believe there’s a good reason for this. And I’m reminded of what Jesus told in the 16th chapter of the book of Luke when he was given the story of the rich man and Lazarus. And how that the rich man had died and he was in torment.

And he said to Father Abraham, send Lazarus back, that he can testify to my brothers so that they don’t come to a place like I am. And what was it Abraham said? No. They’ve got Moses and the prophets, and the rich men said, But they will believe if one rose from the dead. And you know what? Abraham’s response was? No. If they don’t believe Moses and the prophets, they would not be persuaded though one rose from the dead. It wouldn’t have made a dime’s worth of difference if Jesus stood in Polish Pretorium. It wouldn’t have changed the heart of Piate. It wouldn’t have made any difference if Jesus stood before Annas and Caiaphas. It would not have changed their heart. In order to believe, you have to want to believe with all of your heart, mind, and soul.

You shall know of the teaching Jesus said in John 7 and verse 17. Whether I speak of myself, you’ll know if what I’m telling you is the truth, because that’s what you want to know. He appeared to these disciples because they wanted to believe. It wouldn’t have made any difference. I’ll tell you something. I don’t believe what we have, but if we have anybody in here this morning who is not a believer, if Jesus were to walk through those double doors in the back and walk down to this table, that wouldn’t change your unbelief. Because if you don’t believe the writings of the scriptures, you will not be persuaded though one rose from the dead. Jesus appeared to the disciples. He made about a dozen appearances.

And these appearances of his resurrection declared him to be the Son of God. It confirmed what God said on the Mount of Transfiguration. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And I want you to know something, ladies and gentlemen. The resurrection of Jesus on the apostles after they witnessed that resurrection was so overwhelming that no apostle ever denied him again. Peter denied him three times, we read about a moment ago, but after the resurrection, Peter gave his life for the Lord. He never denied him again. No apostle did. So magnificent and compelling was the resurrection of Jesus that these disciples were infused with courage never seen in them before. You remember in Acts chapter 2 when they were told to quit preaching and teaching in the name of Jesus?

Peter and John answered in verse 19 of Acts 4 whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than God you judge. That’s the same man that said, I don’t know what you’re talking about. This is the same man that cowered in fear when these women came up to him and said, You were with Jesus. Now he tells the officials in Jerusalem, we’re going to preach Jesus. For we cannot, verse 20, but speak the things which we have seen and heard. They were told again in chapter 5 to stop it, Peter said in verse 29, we ought to obey God rather than men. It infused them with courage. It changed the way that they looked at their lives. Furthermore, ladies and gentlemen, after the resurrection, the message of the resurrection of Jesus became the cornerstone of all their preaching.

You know, sometimes we wonder today what we need to be focusing upon. Now I realize there are a lot of peripheral issues that we need to discuss. There are a lot of doctrines that we need to address. There are a lot of moral issues that we need to address, but the foundation of all that we believe and all that we teach, the foundation of this congregation and our belief and our hope is anchored in the resurrection of Jesus. Do you realize, ladies and gentlemen, you can’t be saved without the resurrection of Jesus? We could be saved if Jesus never turned the water to wine at Cana. He did. But if he had not, we could still be saved. We could be saved if Jesus never healed a blind man, but he did.

We could be saved if Jesus never walked upon water, he did. But we could be saved had he not. But we could not be saved without Jesus being resurrected from the dead. This is the very basis of our hope, the very basis of our salvation, and this is what people in this county and this state and this nation and this world needs to hear. This is the foundation of Christianity. This is what our belief and our hope is based upon. You look at every sermon that was preached throughout the book of Acts, and you’re going to find the linchpin of that sermon is the resurrection of Jesus. Whether it’s chapter 2, chapter 3, whether it’s chapter 4, 5, 7, even chapter 17, to the Athenians in Athens, Greece, on Mars Hill, the Areopolis.

Paul was preaching the resurrection of Jesus. Now, ladies and gentlemen, we’re faced with that concept. We’re faced with that belief. You know, Paul asked Agrippa in Acts 26 and verse 8, why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the dead? You know, there are many people who find this to be an incredible message. There are many people who find this to be an unbelievable message. I like what Pascal said about this. He said, What reason have they for saying that we cannot rise from the dead? What is more difficult to be born or to rise again? That which has never been should be, or that what has been should be again. It is more difficult to, is it more difficult to come into existence than to return to it?

4. Why I Believe in the Resurrection of Jesus

Habit makes one appear easy to us. Want of habit makes the other impossible. And he says, in conclusion, that’s a popular way of believing. I want to close our thoughts this morning by telling you why I believe in the resurrection of Jesus. And it’s not hard. And you may, and I hope you don’t take offense to this, you may feel that it’s somewhat subjective, and that’s okay. But the way I have phrased the statement is subjective. Why I believe in the resurrection of Jesus. I believe, ladies and gentlemen, because the overwhelming evidence is too profound to disbelieve. The appearances of Jesus, the record of these appearances, the courage of the apostles, the existence of the church. The change that took place in the life of Saul of Tarsus.

The laying down of their lives for this message. The evidence is overwhelming. And the tomb of Jesus is empty to this day. I believe in the resurrection also because it fits perfectly God’s pattern and character. It is consistent with the God about which we can read from Genesis through the book of Revelation. God’s character, ladies and gentlemen, extended in Christ Jesus is one of love and grace and second chances. You know, Thomas was told in John 20 and verse 29 that he was blessed because having seen he believed, he said, Blessed are those who believe and have not seen. That is us. This is, you know, Jesus, as he hung on the cross, the enemy’s the detractor said, Come down from the cross and we will believe you.

Come on, just get off of that cross, and we’ll we’ll believe that you’re the Christ, the Son of the living God. Just come on down. It didn’t work that way. God was not going to take him down off the cross. God was going to let him die for the sins of the world and see fit to raise him for our justification. This is consistent with the character of God. I believe because of the evidences, and I believe because of the nature of God’s character. You know, we’re to be saved. We’re saved by our faith. This is what saves us. We’re not saved by sight. We don’t walk by sight. You know, we’re justified by our faith. And this is consistent with that. I believe, ladies and gentlemen, because I desperately want to believe.

I want to believe that with all of my heart. I want the answer to the question that Job asked in Job 14 and verse 14, if a man dies, shall he live again? I want the answer of that to be yes. And Jesus gave us the answer to that. And the answer was indeed yes. And this is part of our hope. Romans 8 and verse 23, not only that, but we also who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. Which Paul points out in Philippians 3 and verse 21 would be the resurrection of our bodies. The changing of these bodies into a glorious body. I want that to be true.

Don’t you? I want to know and I want to believe, and I want to cling to the fact that many of these people that you worship with over the years, people who have built character and built churches, people who have meant so much to you and to this congregation who have passed on. I want to know and believe and trust that their bodies are not just simply molding in the ground, that one day there’ll be a resurrection. And I’ll see them again. Because when the Lord returns, he’ll bring with them those who have died in the Lord. That’s something I cling to. That’s something that I want to believe. And I believe because it’s consistent with the nature of God. And I desperately want it to be true.

And furthermore, I believe because of the nail prints and the wounded side. You know, I’ve often wondered why. Obviously, the scourging marks were gone. Jesus would have been beaten nearly half to death or three-quarters of the way to death by the scourging of the Romans, but yet when his body was resurrected, there’s no evidence that those scourging marks remained. But you know what remained? The scars in his hands. The scar in his side. These remained. And I’ve often struggled with that and I’ve often wondered about that. But you know what? I.