John 20 - on the morning of the third day, the women went to the tomb to anoint Jesus' body and...it was missing! Some disciples thought it had been stolen, while others believed he'd risen from the dead.
But...if Jesus' body had still been in the tomb -
What would this have done to his disciples?
What would it have done to Christianity?
When someone makes a promise, you know they've delivered when they actually act on it.
My 9th grade English teacher forgave some work I didn't do. Without those points, I would have gotten a "C" for the quarter. Instead, by changing my score, I got an "A".
Q: When did I escape the penalty? When she adjusted my grade - kept her promise.
The resurrection matters because without it, we'd still be in our sins. God promised - and then he delivered
1 Corinthians 15:12-19 - some people believed that there was no resurrection. If they died before Jesus came back, there was no hope. Paul says - it's not that way. If we only think Jesus can benefit us while alive, because we don't believe we'll be raised to life, we have no faith at all!
Jesus brought benefits to people during his life -he befriended them, he healed their diseases, he raised the dead
He brings benefits to us while we're alive - he comforts us, he leads us, he teaches us
He will bring benefits to us after we die - we'll be raised back to life, just as he was
Sin caused death/God undid the power of sin by raising Jesus from the grave, the "firstfruits" (1 Cor. 15:20) of those who had died, and others will follow the same pattern.
This is what's called good news!
Three things we know because God raised Jesus from the dead:
1. Good and evil are not equally matched. Even death couldn't hold Jesus!
2. God has the power to raise the dead.
3. We have the hope of eternal life - that what God did in Jesus will be repeated in us!
