A LIVING HOPE THROUGH THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST

  "He is not here; He has risen!"

"Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 'The Son of Man' must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again." (Luke 24:6-7)

At death his Spirit went to the Father in heaven, and then returned to be clothed in the resurrection body, in which he appeared to the disciples over a period of 40 days before the ascension. The statement in John 20:17 tells us that the ascension of the resurrected Christ had not yet happened.

The resurrection amounts to the Father's clear signal that Jesus is the powerful Son of God who has conquered death and reigns as Lord of all (Romans 1:4; 4:25). The resurrection demonstrates that Jesus' “blood of the new covenant” saves His people from their sins.

Based on the wording in 1 Peter, there's an argument that Jesus spent the weekend between His death and Resurrection in Hell preaching to the souls who were already there, giving them a chance at the forgiveness available through His sacrifice not previously available before His death.

Jesus died and rose again not only so that we could receive forgiveness, but even more so, He died and rose again so that we might have life. It is through His death and resurrection that we receive life.

1 Corinthians 6:14 says, "And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power." Romans 6:8-11 says,"The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 

"We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him." Romans 8:34 says, "Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us." Romans 8:34 says, "Who then is the one who condemns? No one."

What are the 4 accounts of Jesus' resurrection? Jesus' resurrection appears in all four of the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—only it is not the same exact story.

Now when Jesus meets with the disciples on the evening of the first day of the week, the day in which Jesus resurrected, his first words were “Peace Be With You.” Not only are they uttered as a culmination of Jesus' previous teaching, they are also filled with meaning because of his death-burial-resurrection.

Post-resurrection miracles attributed to Jesus are also recorded in the Gospels: A miracle similar to the miraculous catch of fish, also called the catch of 153 fish to distinguish it from the account in Luke, is reported in the Gospel of John but takes place after the Resurrection of Jesus.

Why did Jesus rise from the dead on the third day? Jesus was adamant about the third day because it represents God's pattern of creating new life and establishing a covenant with humanity.

How do you know Jesus was resurrected? In 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, Paul gives a list of people to whom the risen Jesus appeared. These witnesses to see the resurrected Jesus include the Apostle Peter, James the brother of Jesus, and, most intriguingly, a group of more than 500 people at the same time.

How many times did Jesus appear after the resurrection? The Bible records at least eight appearances of the resurrected Jesus to different people at various times and locations over a 40-day period before He ascended into heaven.

What is the power of Jesus' resurrection? His resurrection brought unquantifiable blessings to the Church and the world. His resurrection reminds us that he was raised by the Spirit of the Father, and that same Spirit dwells in us and would give life to our mortal bodies (Romans 8:11). 

"With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God's grace was so powerfully at work in them all (Acts 4:33).

What lessons do we learn from the death and resurrection of Jesus?  Because of Jesus' resurrection, you can live a forgiven life. Because Jesus went to the cross and overcame death, His forgiveness can turn your failures into acts of faith and faithfulness. You can place your trust in His death and resurrection and receive forgiveness for all your sins.

Psalm 107:2, says, “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy...”

1 Peter 1:3 says, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."