The Glorious Truth of the Resurrection - Part 2 of 2

The Baptist Bible Hour now comes to you under the direction of Elder Lacerre Bradley Jr., pastor of the Cincinnati Primitive Baptist Church.

O for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer's praise, God the praise of my God and King, the triumph of his grace. This is Lacerre Bradley Jr. inviting you to stay tuned for another message of God's sovereign grace. I'd like to be able to send you a copy of our publication, The Baptist Witness. There are articles that I believe will be a blessing to you in your study of God's Word and a complete schedule of all of the stations carrying this broadcast.

When you write, please mention the call letters of the station over which the program comes to you or the website where you are receiving it. Our address is the Baptist Bible Hour, Box 17037, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. We continue the message today, The Glorious Truth of the Resurrection. The text is 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verse 4. And that he was buried and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. In the first section of this message, we have considered what we would lose without the truth of the resurrection. And we've come to the point of looking at the 19th verse of this 15th chapter where Paul indicates that if in this life only we have hope, we are of all men most miserable. And then we will come to look at verse 32. Verse 32, Paul says, If after the manner of men I have fought with the beast at Ephesus, what advantage is it me if the dead rise not?

Let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die. Now we don't know whether Paul literally fought with animals or whether he's talking about some of the false teachers who challenged him and referring to them as beast. But whatever it was, there was a difficult time for him in the battles he encountered at Ephesus. He said, If the dead rise not, if Christ is not risen and therefore his people will not be raised from the dead, what advantage is it?

What benefit? Think about how much the apostles suffered. He was beaten five times with 39 stripes. He was imprisoned. He was in shipwreck. He endured all kinds of hardships.

He said, It's of no advantage if Christ did not rise from the dead. Might as well eat, drink, follow the same philosophy that's out there in the world. The whirling says today, I want to live life to the fullest. I want to satisfy every desire. I want to live the good life. I want more. I want more money. I want more things. I want more entertainment. I want more pleasures.

I want whatever it is I desire, I need to do it because life is short and I want to soak it all up before I reach the end. Eat and drink for tomorrow you may die. That would be the conclusion if Christ had not risen from the dead. But having considered what we would lose without the resurrection, I want us now to think about what we have because of it.

We have good news. Without His resurrection we really have no gospel. But we can rejoice because when they went to the tomb, when the woman went that early morning, when Mary went there and the angel said, He is not here. He is risen. He's gone. The clothes are neatly wrapped up.

The napkin is in place. But Jesus is not here. How we thank God for an empty tomb. Mohammed died somewhere around the year 600. And every year millions of people make a pilgrimage to visit his tomb. Buddha's body was cremated. Ah, but my friends, we've got something superior to all of the religions that men have pursued. All of the ideas and philosophies that they have advanced because we are talking about Jesus Christ who is alive. We don't make a pilgrimage back to a grave and mourn that the remains of our leader are there.

No. He came out of the grave. He bodily arose from the dead. In this 15th chapter, after describing the basics of the gospel, Paul says in verse 5, And that he was seen of Cephas and then of the twelve. Peter saw him. The twelve saw him. After that he was seen of about 500 brethren at once. And an attorney will tell you if I'm able to get an eyewitness to testify on behalf of the individual that I'm representing, we've got something extremely positive.

When people are just guessing and speculating and saying I think this and I think that, that's one thing. But when somebody says I was there on the spot, I saw it, this is what I saw. The testimony of one eyewitness is of great importance in a court of law. This says 500 people saw him.

What a testimony. 500 eyewitnesses at once of whom the greater part remained under the present. But some have fallen asleep. Some have since died. But the greater part were living when Paul wrote this. And after that he was seen of James, then of all of the apostles and last of all he was seen of me also as one born out of due time. Seen even of the apostle. The Lord blessed him, caught him up into the third heaven and he saw Jesus.

This is what we have. We have the truth of a risen Savior. We have adequate evidence. We have the testimony of those who saw him and knew he was alive. The book of Acts chapter 1 verse 8. We read about those who saw him when he ascended back to glory. But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and in Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth. And when he had spoken these things while they beheld, he was taken up and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold two men stood by them in white apparel which also said, Amen of Galilee, why stand ye here gazing up into heaven? The same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. They see Jesus. He speaks to them. His feet begin to lift off the ground and they watch him as he ascends through the air and through the clouds and out of sight and they're still just standing there looking up.

The angel said you don't need to be gazing into heaven. This same Jesus, you've seen him go away but he's coming back. Someday he will return.

He will come back to this earth. The Thessalonians were confused and thought that their relatives who were believers but had gone on before were somehow going to miss the resurrection. And that's why Paul writes to them in the fourth chapter verses 13 to 18 saying that we sorrow not even as others which have no hope because Jesus is coming back. And the dead in Christ shall rise first and they that remain shall be caught up together and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Therefore he says in the 18th verse comfort one another with these words.

Acts chapter 5 verse 29. Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said we ought to obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. And it wasn't a problem for the God who is the creator of heaven and earth who spoke and brought this earth into being.

The sun, the moon, the stars took dust and created a body and breathed into him the breath of life and Adam became a living soul. It was not difficult then for him to raise his son Jesus Christ from the grave. So he says the God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a prince and a savior for to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.

Aren't you glad to know that? He raised him up to give repentance. If you've repented today it's an evidence of God's grace having moved upon you. And to give the forgiveness of sins you could never put away your own sin. You could never atone for your sin. You could never do enough good works to put one of them away. But Jesus Christ forgives our sin completely because he suffered on the cross.

What you and I could never have paid for. If we had ultimately come at the final judgment to be condemned and cast into hell itself. Spending eternity in hell would never have removed the first sin. But Jesus suffered at Calvary for the sin of all of those who are his.

Put them away forever. Then Acts chapter 7 verse 55, Stephen was being stoned because of his testimony and his faithful preaching. But he being full of the Holy Ghost looked up steadfastly into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing on the right hand of God. And said behold I see the heavens open and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God. There were those then who saw him soon after the resurrection. There were those who saw him when he put in various appearances. There were those who saw him on the day of his ascension back to heaven. The apostle Paul saw him as the Lord revealed himself to him in a special way.

And Stephen saw him when he was dying, looked into heaven and saw Jesus there on the right hand of the Father. What a way to die. There's a certain dread of death. We sing the hymn sometimes, how sweet to die.

And it is in many ways. It's a home going for the child of God. But any one of us that would have our hearts start pounding in an unusual way at the moment would say call 911. I want to go to heaven but not right now. There's a desire to live.

There's a certain dread of death. Oh but what a blessing that though Stephen was being stoned he had the privilege of looking into heaven and seeing Jesus ready to welcome him home. We have then with the resurrection of Jesus Christ we have good news. We have the gospel message. We have victory. The victory of Christ.

Not defeated, not swallowed up by death, not conquered by Satan but his victory over death and sin. We turn to the book of Revelation chapter 1 verse 5. And from Jesus Christ who is the faithful witness and the first begotten of the dead and the prince of the kings of the earth unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his father to him be glory and dominion forever and ever.

Amen. Verse 18. I am he that liveth and was dead.

These are the words of Jesus addressing these letters to the seven churches of Asia. He said I am the one that was dead but behold I am alive forevermore. Amen. Alive forevermore.

Amen. And have the keys of hell and of death. Because of his resurrection. Because he conquered the grave. Because he finished the work given of the father to do. We now have triumphant songs being sung in heaven.

Revelation chapter 5 verse 9. And they sung a new song saying thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof for thou was slain. Here is an acknowledgement of his death. Jesus actually died. He died on the cross. Thou was slain and has redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation. You shed your blood but it wasn't in vain.

He redeemed his people and a people out of every kindred and tongue and nation under heaven. And has made us unto our God kings and priests and we shall reign on the earth. And I beheld and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beast and the elders.

And the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands. What a triumphant chorus. What a song goes up in heaven. Praising the redeemer because of his finished successful work and his resurrection.

Sing with a loud voice. Worthy is the lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing. That's what's going on in heaven today. If they sing triumphantly about the resurrection of Jesus Christ, about his successful work at the cross, certainly we delight to sing about it. How beautiful it is to hear the voices of God's people blend when they're singing from their heart.

This is the truth we love. We love to sing about Jesus. We love to worship him, to praise him, to exalt his great name.

So we have victory. Victory Christ had over death. Triumphant songs being sung in heaven and we have the assurance of our resurrection. Back to 1st Corinthians chapter 15 verse 13. But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. But we've read he is risen and therefore there is the resurrection from the dead of those who are his. Verse 20. But now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first fruits of them that slept.

The fact is he did rise from the dead. Now in Old Testament times when they began to gather in the harvest, they first were to gather what was called the first fruits. Just a token of the harvest that would follow. They offered the first fruits as they took them up to the priests. But the first fruits were a testimony there's more to come.

Someday there will be a harvest. Now Jesus was the first fruits of them that slept and he said there's a harvest coming. He came out of the grave and because he did, because he arose, someday all of his people, all of the redeemed family will likewise come out of the grave and be conformed to his image. Verse 51. Behold I show you a mystery we shall not all sleep. That is we shall not all die.

There will be some alive when Jesus comes back. But we shall all be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last trump. For the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on immortality.

So then when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written death is swallowed up in victory. Death is a cruel thing. We die because of sin. Because Adam transgressed the law of God. He ultimately died. Even those individuals who were raised from the dead, some in the Old Testament, some in the New Testament, they ultimately did die. Death comes because of sin. Our bodies begin to decline. You don't have to wait until you're 75 years old to note that.

It starts soon after we embark on our pathway in life. You can work on it. You can put ointment on it.

You can spray it. You can work out. You can do all kinds of things but in spite of it all. It just shows signs of wear and tear. Jay Adams used to say, I've gotten to the place when I wake up in the morning, I wonder what's going to hurt today? I get up and it all does. And many times we have those signals that things are not quite what they were in younger days.

Old age comes on, takes its toll. Our bodies deteriorate. And what sorrow comes when the telephone rings and it's an unexpected call. Your dear friend, your husband or your wife or child has just been killed in a car wreck. And you think, how can I go on?

How can I bear that loss? Death takes a terrible toll. But the good news is that though our bodies go back to dust, buried in the heart of the earth, the bodies of our loved ones and friends go there. Because of the resurrection of Jesus, we have the assurance of our resurrection. Back in the 13th verse, Paul again spoke of the fact that if there was no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen? But confirms to us that because of his resurrection, when he comes, we shall put on incorruption.

This corruptible must put on incorruption and we shall be changed. Not only do we have the assurance of our resurrection that death doesn't end at all. That's not the end.

There's something better yet to come. But we have confidence in our service. He concludes this chapter in verse 57 saying, But thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Death is an enemy but we have victory. Thanks be to God which giveth us the victory.

How does it come? Through Jesus Christ. Therefore my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord for as much as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. Do you sometimes have discouragement? Parents, you may get discouraged. You say, I've been trying to teach my children. I have family devotions. I instruct them.

And then sometimes they'll do things that just discourage me so terribly. And I think, what's the use? You may witness to a fellow worker, neighbor, friend. You may pray for them. And you think, this is my effort in vain.

What's the use? Preachers sometimes become discouraged. Lord, it's heartbreaking to see people refuse the testimony of your word and turn in the wrong direction.

They can begin to feel your labor is in vain. But he says, beloved, be steadfast, unmovable. Don't be shaken by the discouragements that you encounter.

Don't give up because of the criticism. Don't cave in even because of persecution. Always abounding in the work of the Lord.

And I want to ask you this morning, are you abounding in the work of the Lord? Not half-hearted about it. You ought to be careful that your schedule is not interrupted. You don't want to sacrifice any of your time.

You ought to be careful not to become a religious fanatic. I don't want to go overboard. Paul says, I want you to abound in the work of the Lord. I want you to be willing to sacrifice. I want you to be willing to go the extra mile. I want you to labor faithfully and diligently in my kingdom, witnessing and giving out the good news of the Gospel. I've thought about a lady that used to come to the tent meetings that I held years ago.

We'd set it up in a city and stay there for 30 days. And one of the areas that we visited down in southwest Virginia were close enough that this lady could come to both of them. And I saw her come 30 days at one place and 30 days at another and she would weep. But seemingly could never come to the place of saying, I have faith in Jesus Christ and I feel like He has saved me. I prayed for that woman over and over again. It was at least 40 years later. She had moved to California and somebody called me one day and said, I want to tell you Mrs. So-and-so came forward today confessing her faith in Christ.

How I rejoiced. I thought sometimes it takes seed a long time to come up. We are to sow the seed because we don't know which is going to prosper either this or that. We are to pray without ceasing. Let me ask you today, if you have never yet believed on Jesus Christ, is there not adequate testimony that we have given by the witnesses that saw Him to know that He lives today and He is the only hope for fallen, ruined sinners that you can believe on Him now? Romans chapter 4 verse 24 says, But for us also to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on Him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered for our offenses and was raised again for our justification. He was delivered because of our sin, because of our offenses. He was raised for our justification.

Oh my friend, we are not talking about those religious leaders whose tombs are still visited by their followers. We are talking about Jesus Christ whose tomb is empty, who lives on high, who is the Savior of sinners, who is King of kings and Lord of lords. If you have never believed on Him, do it today and become His follower. Jesus Christ lives. Savior, I come to Thee, on Thee I come. Thou art my hope and me, Jesus my hope. What joy it gives us to know that the Savior that we worship lives on high. He came out of the grave victorious over sin, Satan and death. May we rejoice to know that the Savior has promised also to come again and we look for that great day of His return.

Till next week at the same time, may the Lord richly bless you all. Savior, I come to Thee, in me I come. Jesus my King, know as the Greek I bear, to Thee I cling. Savior, I come to Thee, be Thou my light. Upward my footsteps lead out of the night. Into Thee every day, bright with my love, lead me, O Lord, I pray. O Word of God.