The Power To Change Your Life (Part 3)

We’ve looked at Christ’s death. Now let’s turn over the Easter coin. On the other side we have Christ’s resurrection from the dead.

I hear you! You have fewer problems with Jesus dying! Trouble is though, much of what Jesus said about himself, and much of his teaching, requires the resurrection.

Without the resurrection, Christ’s death is only another nice picture, like the crushed egg, that maybe helps us get through life but doesn’t really offer us real forgiveness. Without the resurrection Christ’s teaching about him being God, about eternal life, about living for the next life and not this life, about him being the source of all life, and so much more, evaporates. Indeed, without the resurrection we have very little New Testament left, and most of the OT becomes pretty dodgy too. Without the resurrection we only have wishful thinking about any life beyond the grave.

The Message version of the bible puts it this way.

If all we get out of Christ is a little inspiration for a few sorry years, we’re a pretty sorry lot.

In other words, if there’s no resurrection what are we doing here celebrating Easter? Let’s pack up and go home, and enjoy mountains of chocolate eggs and fluffy bunnies.

The movie, The Body, starring Antonio Banderas, is a story about an archaeologist in Jerusalem who discovers what she believes is the body of Jesus Christ. Banderas plays a priest called Matt Gutierez who is sent in by the Catholic Church to investigate the claim. It’s an exciting movie that reminds us that without the resurrection the Christian faith falls apart. We are going to see a clip from the movie where Matt discusses with a fellow preist the possible implications of “the body” to the church and faith.

[Movie clip - go rent the film]

I was reading recently about a growing fad around the world of people wanting to be buried with their mobile phones. It started in South Africa where people were afraid that witch doctors might put a spell on them and would get buried alive. They wanted their mobile phone handy so they could call up and say, “Let me out!”

The idea’s been spreading to other countries too, where apparently it’s less about witch doctors and more about status. Grieving relatives have been asked to switch off their loved ones’ mobiles. I read about one incident where the undertaker reported, “We said a fair bit to Jesus, Mary and Joseph when we first heard it go off." It’s not just phones, many other items defining people are getting added to coffins; jewellery, laptops, blackberries, teddy bears, even cigarettes and boxes of matches.

During His earthy ministry, Jesus regularly told his closest followers, in fact he even told his greatest critics, that he would establish his status not by the objects he would be buried with, but that after 3 days he would physically rise from the dead. Jesus tells us. The NT declares that...

2. Christ's RESURRECTION shows us that He is God

The resurrection declares that Jesus really is God. The NT puts it this way.

[Jesus] was declared…to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead (Romans 1:4)

If we think the resurrection is impossible, great, that’s just the point! The impossible happened to prove that Jesus is God and has the power to give us life beyond the grave. We read…

By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also (I Cor. 6:14)

The resurrection turns Easter from the greatest tragedy in history to the greatest victory in history. And the victory is not just about death being conquered it’s about Christ having the power to help us, right now.

3. Christ’s RESURRECTION is the power to change our lives

The resurrection changes everything.

The resurrection is the power for doubters to believe. We can build our faith as we discover fact after fact that supports the Easter story. Ask for a booklet!

The resurrection is the power of real forgiveness, not just another rousing picture.

The resurrection means that Jesus’ teaching on eternal life is true. He will give his followers life beyond the grave. As he said to Marta, outside the tomb of Lazarus!

“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. (John 11: 25, 26)

The resurrection means that Jesus is alive and able to help us in life now and grow as a Christian.

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and [for] godliness (2 Peter 1:3)

But the resurrection also means we need to heed his warning that life is a short, very short, preparation for eternity. If we live for him now we will live with him forever. If we live for ourselves now we will live by ourselves forever.

The Times newspaper reported, in 2004, that 55% of the population in the UK believed the story of Jesus rising from the dead was true, but only 7% had acted on that belief. Will you act upon Easter?

Research it! Do all you can to find out about it! Believe it! But don’t stop there! Come back to God’s village! Receive God’s forgiveness! Hear his “Welcome home.” Receive the power he offers to help us gets ready to live with Him, Forever