Sunday's Sermon - Why Is the Resurrection of Jesus Important? (The Resurrection Provides Validation)

Although we all know that Easter is about Jesus Christ being raised from the dead, we may not be quite as clear about the  meaning and significance of this pivotal event in human history. For that reason, for five Sundays in the months of April and May, we’ll consider this question: Why Is the Resurrection of Jesus Important? During this series, we’ll consider the following topic: 

• April 7 - The Resurrection Provides Validation
• April 21 - The Resurrection Was Physical
• April 28 - The Resurrection Offers Hope
• May 5 - The Resurrection Is Good News
• May 12 - The Resurrection Anticipated the Holy Spirit

We started this series on Sunday when we considered how the resurrection of Jesus Christ provided validation for his life and ministry. A recording and the text of the sermon are below. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. (EDST)

Well, Easter is over for another year. And as we move forward, I’ve got a few questions for you, and please feel free to raise your hands. How many of y’all ate some ham before you went to bed last Sunday? And how many of y’all had some contact with an Easter egg hunt, either directly or vicariously? And how many of y’all, sometime during the day, remembered how Easter was either when you were a kid or had little children living at home? I know, for me, I can never make it though Easter without remembering that powerful the smell of vinegar or that wonderful the taste of a stale marshmallow peep or that incredible feeling of being really uncomfortable wearing the carefully coordinated outfit my mom had put together, including a brand new pair of Buster Browns that she told me I’d grow into. Now, for me, this was Easter. But of course, that was last week, not today.

Unless, that is, you happen to follow the official church calendar. And if you do, you already know that today is called the second Sunday of Easter. You see, just like it was for Christmas, for the church, Easter isn’t just a day; it’s a season: one that started last Sunday and that will end on May 19, the day we remember the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. And I’ll tell you, since that’s the case, I thought it might make sense to spend the five Sundays I’ll be in the pulpit talking about the reason for this particular season, namely why the resurrection of Jesus is important. You see, during this time, we’ll look at five different aspects of this pivotal event in human history and for each, we’ll consider why it’s significant and how it might impact our lives. 

And this morning we’ll start by talking about how the resurrection provided and still provides validation; in other words, how it points to something so solid and trustworthy that it can shape not only what we believe and trust, but ultimately what we might decide to do. You see, we’re going to focus on how his resurrection provides validation for Jesus in three different ways. And for each, we’ll use some scripture to consider what it meant back in the day and how we might apply it ourselves. 

And I’ll tell you, when talking about how the resurrection relates to Jesus back then and to us right now, first, I believe it validates the life Jesus lived. In other words, it establishes that what he taught is certainly worth learning and how he lived is certainly worth following. I mean, in a sense, it was sort of like God giving his own stamp of approval on what Jesus said and did. And based on what he wrote right at the beginning of his letter to the Romans, I think that’s something that the Apostle Paul also believed. Just listen to what he wrote:

From Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus.

God chose me to be an apostle, and he appointed me to preach the good news that he promised long ago by what his prophets said in the holy Scriptures. This good news is about his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ! As a human, he was from the family of David. But the Holy Spirit proved that Jesus is the powerful Son of God, because he was raised from death. 

Jesus was kind to me and chose me to be an apostle, so that people of all nations would obey and have faith. You are some of those people chosen by Jesus Christ. [Romans 1:1-6, CEV]

Now that’s what Paul wrote, and you know, I think what he was getting at is pretty clear. You see, for him, because he was raised from the dead, God demonstrated for all to see that Jesus was exactly who he claimed to be. I mean, on one hand, it certainly showed his humanity, you know, that he was a human from the family of David. And that just makes sense; my gosh, he wouldn’t have needed to be raised if he hadn’t died. And death is part and parcel of being human, isn’t it? And so, on one hand, the resurrection actually demonstrated Jesus’s humanity. But for Paul, it did more than just that, because, on the other hand, it also established his divinity. You see, it showed to everybody that Jesus was and is “the powerful Son of God.” And it demonstrated that he has the same authority to call us just like he called Peter and Andrew, James and John to leave their jobs and their families in order to follow him. You see, in this way, the resurrection provides validation for the life Jesus lived.

And I’ll tell you why I think that should be important for us. You see, because God caused him to rise from the dead, we can believe what he did and said. For example, because of the resurrection, when we read about how he walked on water and stilled storms, how he healed the lame and restored sight to the blind, how he cast out demons and cleansed lepers, we can believe that Jesus came with great power and authority, certainly enough to help us when we feel overwhelmed and lost. And you know, because of the resurrection, when we read about how he said that ultimately the poor and the hungry, the crying and the persecuted were going to be blessed and when we read that in the end, nations are going to be judged based on how they treat the hungry and the thirsty, the stranger and the naked, the sick and the prisoner and when read that he said, “The Son of Man did not come to be a slave master, but a slave who will give his life to rescue many people” [Matthew 20:28, CEV], when we read this kind of stuff, we can believe that’s exactly what he meant. I’m telling you, in a world where often we don’t know who’s telling the truth, we can believe Jesus, what he did and what he said. Why? Because, the resurrection validates the life Jesus lived. Now, in my opinion, that’s the first thing it does.

But that’s not all it, because, second, I think it also validates the work Jesus came to do. But let me be clear, I’m not referring to all the specific actions he took while he was here on earth. Instead, I’m talking about the bigger work he came to accomplish, you know, the sort of thing the Evangelist John had in mind when he wrote about how “the Word became a human being and lived here with us” [John 1:14a, CEV] and the kind of mission that would, again according to John, move Jesus to say from the cross, “Everything is done!” [John 19:30b, CEV] You see, I think it was this kind of work that Paul had in mind when he wrote this to the Romans:

Abraham was certain that God could do what he had promised. So God accepted him, just as we read in the Scriptures. But these words were not written only for Abraham. They were written for us, since we will also be accepted because of our faith in God, who raised our Lord Jesus to life. God gave Jesus to die for our sins, and he raised him to life, so that we would be made acceptable to God. [Romans 4:21-25, CEV]

Now that’s what Paul wrote, and just think about what it means. During his time on earth, Jesus accomplished exactly what he was sent to do. I mean, he fulfilled God’s promise, and I’m talking about a promise that he made all the way back to Abraham, you know, when he said that we can be acceptable, that we can be righteous, that we can enter a full relationship with our creator because of our faith and our trust in God, the one who raised Jesus to life. You see, by giving his Son and our savior to die for our sins and to be raised to life, God has made us acceptable; he’s made us righteous. And in this way, the resurrection provides validation not just for the life Jesus lived, but also the work he came to do. 

And I’ll tell you, I think that’s also important for us to remember. You see, we can trust that Jesus’s mission really was accomplished. In other words, we can trust that, without our permission or help, we have been made acceptable to God through Jesus’s death and resurrection. And we can trust that, regardless of our fears and frustrations, regardless of our disappointments and doubts, regardless of whatever we might be facing, as Paul wrote, 

In everything we have won more than a victory because of Christ who loves us. I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love—not life or death, not angels or spirits, not the present or the future, and not powers above or powers below. Nothing in all creation can separate us from God’s love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord! [Romans 8:37-39, CEV]

I’m telling you, we can trust that, through Christ, we are acceptable to God. Why? Because the resurrection validates the work Jesus came to do. And, for me, that’s the second thing it does.

And third, I believe it also validates the mission Jesus has given us to accomplish. In other words, just like it gives us reason to believe the life he lived and to trust the work he came to do, his resurrection challenges us to decide whether or not we’re going to take up the mission Jesus wants us to accomplish. As a matter of fact, we know exactly what we’re supposed to do because of the resurrection. Let me show you what I’m talking about. According to the Evangelist Matthew, after the crucifixion, this was what happened: 

The Sabbath was over, and it was almost daybreak on Sunday when Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. Suddenly a strong earthquake struck, and the Lord's angel came down from heaven. He rolled away the stone and sat on it. The angel looked as bright as lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards shook from fear and fell down, as though they were dead.

The angel said to the women, “Don't be afraid! I know you are looking for Jesus, who was nailed to a cross. He isn't here! God has raised him to life, just as Jesus said he would. Come, see the place where his body was lying. Now hurry! Tell his disciples he has been raised to life and is on his way to Galilee. Go there, and you will see him. This is what I came to tell you.”

The women were frightened and yet very happy, as they hurried from the tomb and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and greeted them. They went near him, held on to his feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus said, “Don't be afraid! Tell my followers to go to Galilee. They will see me there.” [Matthew 28:1-10, CEV]

You see, from both the angel and the resurrected Christ himself, those women were given their mission, weren’t they? They were commanded to tell the disciples, to tell them about the resurrection and to tell them that they would see Jesus again. That’s what they were told to do, and that’s exactly what they did. And you know, this was also the same thing Jesus himself commanded those same disciples to do, when they’d all gotten together on a mountain in Galilee and he said to them, 

I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth! Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world. [Matthew 28:18b-20, CEV]

You see, whether you’re talking about the women at the tomb or the disciples on a mountain, the resurrection provides validation for the mission that Jesus gave his followers to accomplish. 

And I believe what was true for them is also true for us. You see, like them, this is something we can decide to do. But suppose, just suppose that instead of seeing this mission as a burden which we have to do whether we like it or not; what if we see it as an opportunity we’ve been given? I mean, just think about it; because of the resurrection, God has given us the opportunity to let others know about the kind of life Jesus lived and the lessons he taught and the love he demonstrated. But that’s not all. Because of the resurrection, he’s also given us the chance to show folks who may be struggling just to put one foot in front of another, people who are desperately chasing all kind of ideas and values but coming up short, I’m talking about men and women who feel totally lost and absolutely alone, man, God has given us the chance to show them what it feels like to understand the love and the grace and mercy of God and to trust that in spite of our weaknesses, in spite our fears and in spite of our doubt, we’ve been accepted by him. Just imagine what difference this change in attitude might make. You see, this we can decide to do. Why? Because, the resurrection validates the mission Jesus has given us to accomplish. And, for me, that’s the third thing it does.

Now, as we pass through the season of Easter, we’ll talk about other reasons the resurrection is important. But, when you think about it, those things only matter, because, when Jesus was raised from the dead, God gave us something that’s so solid and so trustworthy that it can shape what we believe and what we trust and what we decide to do. You see, that empty tomb validates the life Jesus lived. And it validates the work Jesus came to do. And it validates the mission Jesus has given us to accomplish. And I’ll tell you, that’s one reason I believe the resurrection is important; you see, it provides validation.