THE DEFEAT OF DEATH, A SUNBURST AT MIDNIGHT
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THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST WAS A GLORIOUS SUNBURST AT MIDNIGHT. If Jesus had not risen from the dead, not just a return from death to die again, but with absolute victory over death, all He had said would be empty words. This sermon gives us assurance that Jesus Christ was God in the flesh that defeated the ultimate enemies of human life. Sin is the seed of death and our redeemer could not obliterate death without obliterating sin. Neither sin nor death has power over the soul that has embraced the Life and Victory of the Eternal Son of God. Jesus said, “Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.” (John 14:19)
The descent of Jesus Christ into the heart of the earth is one of the great highlights in Christ’s Redemption. The Lord had told His disciples that He would spend three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (Matthew 12:40) This proves beyond dispute that Jonah was miraculously preserved in the fish’s belly for seventy two (72) hours. Jonah’s experience was a Prophetic event and a perfect rendering of Christ’s warfare with the powers of hell. Jonah spoke of this dark battle in the depth of the sea, “And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice. For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me. Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple.” (Jonah 2:2-4)
That fits perfectly with the great old song that we sung just before I preached.
“UP FROM THE GRAVE HE AROSE
WITH A MIGHTY TRIUMPH O’ER HIS FOES
HE AROSE A VICTOR FROM THE DARK DOMAIN
AND HE LIVES FOREVER WITH THE SAINTS TO REIGN.”
The Lord’s presence in the heart of the earth was not a walk in the park. Every saint that had died since creation was waiting in Abraham’s Bosom for the Mighty Savior to arrive. He had finished Redemption by His sacrifice of Blood for all the living. Now that victory had to be manifest in upper Sheol for the righteous dead. What a triumphant moment when He led the march out of the realm of the dead straight by Jerusalem and up to the Father’s presence. Matthew spoke of this in his Gospel. “Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.” (Matthew 27:50-53)
This is not a message for a “ONCE IN THE YEAR CELEBRATION”, but for life everlasting. Please help me shout while you listen to this Sanctuary Sermon.
Mark Steiner
Personally I believe after 72 hours Jesus walked out of the grave without notice shortly after the sundown of the weekly sabbath. He man have been witness to the opening activities of the Feast of Firstfruits taking place in the Temple area. Little did the people then know that with His Resurrection we become His Firstfruits: Jesus first, then us: I Corinthians 15:20-23. The Spring Feasts in Leviticus 23 teach many wonderful lessons about our risen Savior. Good day.
tiffany daugherty
Hallelujah!
Ed Wood
Often detractors, and unfortunately some who call them selves Christians in this age of liberalism, question Jesus’ actual physical resurrection. After all, how could such an “impossible” thing happen?
The truth is that those who lived with Jesus, and those associated with them, provided multiple accounts of Jesus rising bodily from the dead.
The complete change in his disciples from once hiding out in mortal fear from the authorities to boldy proclaming Jesus certainly is evidence of them being deeply affected by something profound.
Consider, too, that the religious leaders of that time were doing everything they could to discredit Jesus and the accounts about him from his followers. The easiest way to do that would have been to trot out Jesus’ dead body from Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb for all to see. That they didn’t suggests there was no body there for them to display.
To the suggestion that his followers stole away the body to fake his rising from the dead, overlooked is the logistical problem of getting past the Roman guards stationed at the tomb. Negligence in duty was harshly punished, even up to death, so it is not reasonable to think these guards would have been lax in their assignments.
Even had such a thing occurred, what did Jesus’ disciples have to gain? Money? Status? The fact is, many died for proclaiming the truth about the risen Lord. So, they certainly believed it was true because only someone unbalanced would die for something he or she knows is not so.
There is more than enough circumstantial evidence to demonstrate the reality of the Resurrection and I think it is only deliberate stubborness that causes people not to accept it.
jaimie
Dear Pastor,
It is amazing how the Lord has worked out all things for his Glory, from the belly of a sea creature to the belly of the Earth.
Wew should take heed that the righteous shall walk out of this mess too. Praise Jesus!
God Bless
jaimie