Made Alive…No Longer Dead

Jesus’ resurrection is the greatest supernatural event in human history!

• The empty tomb and the appearances of Jesus together are powerful evidence of the fact of Jesus’ resurrection. When the early Christians spoke of Jesus being raised from the dead, they were claiming that something happened to Jesus, which had happened to no one else ever! God raised His Son from the dead and gave Him a new physical body that would never die again.
• Do you know why Jesus had to rise from the dead? Why is the physical bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ essential to our faith?

What the resurrection did not mean

• The resurrection was not meant to prove life after death.
• The resurrection was not the appearance of Jesus’ spirit or ghost. The term “resurrection” in that day and time meant receiving a new physical body after a time of death. It was never a way of talking about a ghost or spirit.
• The resurrection also does not directly prove that Jesus is God. But, the resurrection declared that what He did in His life and in His death was the work of God’s Son.
• Jesus had to rise from the dead because His resurrection had several purposes in the plan of God.

Purpose #1 for Jesus’ resurrection—to announce the beginning of the Kingdom

• The Jews expected the resurrection to happen before the kingdom was established. They just didn’t know that it would be a two-stage process—first, the Messiah resurrected, then later everyone else. Daniel 12:2-3; Isaiah 26:19; John 5:28-29

Purpose #2 for Jesus’ resurrection—to give all believers hope for our future.

We get hope from knowing about Jesus’ resurrected body.

• What stayed the same? Jesus looked like a normal human (not glowing). He talked, walked and preached a sermon at the same time, and had memory. He referred to Himself as having flesh and blood, could be touched, and could use His hands to eat.
• What was different? Sometimes it was hard to recognize Him. Jesus could appear and disappear at will. His body was physically robust after being severely beaten and crucified.
• Jesus is reigning over His Kingdom from heaven as God-man UNTIL He returns to set up His kingdom on earth. Acts 1:9-11

Jesus’ resurrection gives us hope for our future.

• The Bible teaches that when you as a believer die, you go immediately to be with Jesus. Luke 23:43; Philippians 1:23; 2 Corinthians 5:8-9; John 17:24
• You will be in God’s hand, in a prepared place, where you will receive comfort and be recognizable. Acts 7:59-60; John 14:2-3; Luke 16:19-31; Revelation 6:9-11
• You will get a resurrected human body like His. Perfect, sinless, robust, and designed for eternal life.

Purpose #3 for Jesus’ resurrection—Providing a solution to our state of spiritual death.

The need for life

• All humans are born spiritually dead in need of life. Ephesians 2:1-3, 12
• Jesus said that He came to give us life, abundant and full. We are made alive in Christ and are a new creation from that moment onward. John 3:3-6; 5:24; 10:10; Ephesians 2:5; 2 Corinthians 5:17

Restoration of life by the indwelling Holy Spirit

• It is the Holy Spirit who makes our spirits alive through His presence. John 14:16-17
• Resurrection brings life. And, this life of Christ is in you. “Christ in you” is a fact of your new existence. Colossians 1:27
• We are made alive…no longer dead. This begins a new adventure of learning how to live with Christ in us and depending upon Him to do anything of value.

You are made alive…no longer dead.

• Because of God’s great love for us, you can know and live with confidence that God’s life is now indwelling you forever. You are alive in Christ. Christ is alive in you. Now you can enjoy the life given to you by Christ Himself.
• The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the greatest event in human history. Life-changing. Life-giving. Because of His resurrection, we get eternal spiritual life now and the promise of eternal physical life in our future—a new physical body that far exceeds anything we have ever known here. And, this same Jesus is in His physical human body in heaven waiting for us to join Him there some day. That’s hope!

Let Jesus satisfy your heart with hope, healing, and love as you get to know Him and trust Him more each day.

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