Every time I begin a study of a new book of the Bible I do so with mixed feelings because, on the one hand, the book is a challenge. It is exciting because it is filled with thoughts that we need to make our own. And yet, at the same time, any book of the Bible, as the Holy Spirit speaks through i
Proper evangelism, proper missionary work, proper Christian activity is to go out with the Gospel, win men and women to Christ, and bring them into the fellowship of the church where they are then taught the things that are found in the Scripture. Christianity is a full-orbed doctrine and approach t
It’s easy to look back to the resurrection on Easter Sunday and say how marvelous it is that Jesus rose from the dead two thousand years ago, and then go home to your dinner and leave it at that. But if Jesus rose, and if He is the Lord that His resurrection declares Him to be, this is the Lord who
Jesus is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. His authority transcends all other authority. Now there are other legitimate authorities as well and we're instructed to recognize them. There is the authority of the state. There is the authority of parents. There is the authority of church officers
Now as we look at this commission, we see three parts to it. First, there is an announcement of Christ's authority, which we find in verse 18: "All authority is given unto me in heaven and in earth." Second, we find a command: "Go ye therefore and teach [make disciples of] all nations, baptizing the
In nearly every case where the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to someone after His resurrection, He gave them instructions to take the message to someone else. For instance, when He appeared to Mary Magdelene in the garden, Mary didn’t recognize Jesus at first. But when He spoke her name, she recognized
This leads me to the fourth and last point, which is the word “tell.” There's a wonderful sequence to these four words. If we come, if we see that the tomb is empty, if we are commissioned to go, then it is inevitable that we must have a message to tell. Good news must be told. If we don't tell it,
Now we've looked at two of the words of the angel’s message. We've looked at the invitation to come and the imperative to see. We’ve seen some of what that implies for us. The third word is “go” (v. 7). It’s a reminder that, blessed as it may be to stay near the tomb, nevertheless there is still wor
At the end of yesterday’s study, we gave two reasons why we should see the tomb. Today, we consider three more.The third reason we should come and see the tomb is that we might be reminded that we also will lie there. Unless the Lord Jesus Christ comes for His own before we die, we too must die. Th
Or again, there was the edict of Rome. The tomb had been sealed by Pilate's order. The soldiers were stationed at the tomb in order to guard it. Now, something had happened: the stone had been removed, and that meant that the seal had been broken, and Rome had been disobeyed. The women might have sa
“And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and behold, he goeth before yo
Finally, we are to remember the resurrection of Jesus Christ because if we do remember it, we will always have a satisfying Gospel. The truth of the resurrection of Jesus Christ satisfies. There is so much in life that is not satisfying. In some cases we may be satisfied for a time. But the pleasure
Third, we are to remember the resurrection because so long as we remember it, we will always have a scriptural Gospel. This means that our faith will not be a novelty. Instead, we will have a faith linked—as all true faith must be linked—to God’s great and eternal purposes in human history. This tru
Second, we should remember the resurrection because so long as we remember it, we will always have a supernatural Gospel. Aren’t you just a bit tired of all the human schemes for human betterment, particularly since they do not really seem to be solving the deep human problems or improving our cult
In yesterday’s study we said that people need a simple Gospel, not a simplistic Gospel—which we defined as one that is superficial and does not grapple with the deepest problems people have.But when I am talking about a “simple” Gospel, that is something else. It is a gospel that is simple because i
There are many facts in life that we are called upon to remember—appointments, vital pieces of information, names of acquaintances, even incidents from the past that are supposed to have significance. "Remember the Alamo" was a rallying cry to Texans at the time of the war with Mexico. “Remember the
But at the same time, Jesus’ death is not just a literal death; it is also a literal resurrection. A real resurrection with a real body and a real person standing there that they could handle and touch and furthermore the kind of person who could eat broiled fish to demonstrate the reality. It was n
Fourth, I want you to see not only that death is an enemy, not only is death the ultimate enemy, and not only is there an ultimate victory over death for us. But I also want you to see that there is a present victory now because the resurrection of the Lord transformed even the kind of death that we
Death involves every part of our being. When God said to Adam in the garden, “You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, because the day that you eat of it you will surely die,” the man ate of it and died. He died in every part of his being. He had a spirit and a s
Do we deny that death is an enemy because we think that somehow it is more spiritual to pretend that this is not so? I do not know. Try doing that with sin. Sin is not sin. See if that is more spiritual. Just pretend, because you do not want to face harsh facts, that homosexuality is alright, just a
I do not think I need to say a great deal about the importance of this chapter as concerning the resurrection. Next to the resurrection accounts as we find them in each of the four gospels, this chapter is of the greatest importance. What I have discovered to be quite interesting, however, as I have
We may be weak and utterly helpless, unable to resist temptation for a single minute. But He is strong, and He lives to give help and deliverance in every moment of our days. Victory isn’t a question of my strength, but of His power. His power is what I need. Torrey, whom I have just quoted, tells a
Second, the resurrection of Jesus Christ proves the deity of our Lord. When He lived upon earth Jesus claimed to be equal to God and that God, this same God, would raise Him from the dead three days after His execution by the Roman authorities. If He was wrong in this, His claim was either the ravin
Second, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is good news because it came after an apparent defeat. A victory is always good news. But news of victory after news that a battle has apparently been lost is even better.Let me illustrate this by the way in which news of the battle of Waterloo first came to
