Life, Death & Resurrection

Caloy Dio 2012.04.01

1 Corinthians 15:1-8 Now I would remind you, brothers,1 of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to youunless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day pin accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.

Introduction: Nearsightedness
I read in a medical journal recently that myopia, or nearsightedness has become prevalent problem all over the world. It now affects 30 - 40% of the population in the US and in Europe, and reaches 70 90% of the population in Asian countries. I am nearsighted myself, and if you are like me, you know that your vision is limited to seeing things just a few feet away. Under normal circumstances, I can barely see things at a distance. I can read a book, but I need to bring it closer to my face just to see the text clearly. I can read messages on my mobile phone, but I need to adjust the text size and make them bigger. Thats why I wear glasses. Some prefer contact lenses. If we want to see things clearly at the distance, we need to wear something to aid our vision. Without them, our vision is limited. We can be nearsighted in matters of faith as well. We read the Bible and we tend to interpret it within our limited range of vision, or even imagination. Rarely do we read the Bible to view whats up ahead, to see a vision of the future. Wed rather leave that to people who are gifted visionaries or specialists trained in seminaries. Were celebrating Easter this week. And we know that Easter is all about Jesus being raised from the dead. And often, when we think of the resurrection of Jesus, we associate with going to heaven when we die. This is a nearsighted view of Easter. Beyond it our visions begin to blur. We have cloudy ideas of heaven. We imagine it to be living eternally in the clouds, strumming harps, playing lyres and singing worship songs to God forever.

Easter is much more that that. The resurrection of Jesus Christ has a much richer meaning than the blurry images in our heads. We need to expand our vision further. But we need to wear a different set of spectacles to see it. Let's look at Jesus' life, death and resurrection from the view of God's big story of restoring the world to himself.

Jesus' Life, Death & Resurrection

Because Jesus Lived, Then the Kingdom of God has Come. Jesus main message is that the Kingdom of God is near. He called the Jews to repentance, and at the same time, he brought good news to the poor. What Jesus was claiming is that he is the Messiah. Messiah (Hebrew: Mashiah) means the anointed, designating a king or High Priest, who were traditionally anointed with holy anointing oil as described in Exodus 30:22-25 Messiah refers to a leader anointed by God, and in some cases, a future King of Israel, physically descended from the Davidic line, who will rule the united tribes of Israel[1] and herald the Messianic Age of global peace. In the context of 1st century Jewish society, when they were ruled by the 'gentile' Roman empire, and the people had a sense that they were still in spiritual exile, and therefore they were awaiting the time when God would dwell with them in the temple once more, they were expecting a holy and righteous military leader, one who descended from the line of David, to raise a holy army and defeat the Romans, bring about the restoration of the Davidic Kingdom and establish the Kingdom of God on earth, and rebuild the temple and bring about the return of Yahweh to dwell once more among His people. Faithful Jews look forward to the coming of the Messiah, who was meant to usher in the Messianic Age, the promised fulfillment of all the promises of God to the Jewish people. And when Jesus was here on earth, he lived as a demonstration that he was in truth the promised Messiah. He taught with authority. The Jews marveled at his teachings. The Jewish leaders were always on the defensive when he gave his teachings. He healed the sick. No one before Jesus ever demonstrated such miraculous power that crowds flocked to him to received healing. He commanded spirits, and even wind and the waves, and they obeyed him. What Jesus was basically demonstrating is that the rule of heaven has entered the world, and it was centered on Jesus. Jesus was where heaven and earth intersected. It was in Jesus that the authority of heaven was being implemented. And because Jesus claims to be the Messiah and has demonstrated it in power, then all men must acknowledge that indeed the Kingdom of God has come into our world. Therefore all people in the world must acknowledge him as Lord, and must bow down to him in submission. 2

Because Jesus Died, Then We are Saved Jesus knew he had to give his life, he had to die Many times Jesus forewarned his disciples that he was to go to Jerusalem to die. The disciples couldnt believe it because they could not accept a Messiah, a King who would save Israel from their pagan enemies, and the High Priest who would restore the temple and bring about the return of Yahweh to dwell with them, to die. Death is the victory of evil. The Evil One knew that Israel was the means by which the world is to be restored to a relationship with God. And he knew it would be thru the rule of the Messiah that God's rule will be established. So the Evil One had to ensure that the Messiah did not remain alive but should die, and frustrate the plans of God. But the seeds of sacrifice had been planted in the Law of Moses itself. God's forgiveness is given through an atoning sacrifice of a perfect offering. Jesus was human but did not sin, the perfect human sacrifice. So just as Moses' staff was raised to heal those who looked up to it in faith, so also those who are dying in their sin are forgiven, their relationship with God healed as they look up to Jesus on the cross. John 3:14-15 - And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. His death becomes the propitiation by blood of everyone who believes in Him. Romans 3:23-26 For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Because Jesus was Resurrected, Then We Have Hope of Life Eternal This something they never expected. No one, not even the evil one predicted that the dead Messiah cold live again. And by being raised from the dead, he has taken the victory over sin and death. The Evil one no longer has any power over Jesus. 1 Corinthians 15:20-28 - 20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For jas in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For God has put all

things in subjection under his feet. But when it says, all things are put in subjection, it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. 28 When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all. And by being raised from the dead, he inaugurated what every Jew was waiting for: the Messianic Age. There was a pause, however in the fulfillment of the Messianic Age. Because the Bible tells us that 40 days after Jesus was resurrected, he ascended into heaven. It was in heaven that Jesus sat down at the right hand of the Father as King of kings and Lord of lords. But he left his disciples a promise that he will return, just as he went to heaven. And when He finally returns, then the Messianic Age will be completed and fulfilled. 1 Corinthians 15:50-57 - 50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Since we have this hope, then we can live life on earth in the proper perspective. Life here is difficult. It is filled with pain and sorrow. We are subject to frustration. People hurt us. People try to put us down. But we have been given promises by our King that nothing that we do on earth for him will ever be wasted. 1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 - For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdenednot that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be

swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. Mark 10:29-30 - Jesus said, Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.

Implications of Jesus on my Life, Death & Resurrection

Because Jesus lived as the Messiah. I am a subject of the King. Jesus deserves my obedience. Because Jesus died as the Lamb of God. I am forgiven. I have been granted grace and am now adopted by the Father in Heaven as His child. I belong to Him. Because Jesus rose again as the Son of God/Lord of All. There is hope for the future. And therefore i can give up my life today, knowing that all my sacrifices are not in vain, but will have their just reward.