EASTER: NEW LIFE IN
CHRIST
Penge Baptist Church
Easter Sunday
20th April 2014
Christ’s resurrection
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What happened?
Why should we believe it?
What does it mean for us?
What happened?
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The women were witnesses
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The stone rolled away, the empty tomb
The appearance and words of the angel
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Death, burial and resurrection
“Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the
Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here.
See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his
disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee.
There you will see him, just as he told you.’ ”
The response of fear…
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Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled
from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they
were afraid.
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The resurrection appearances
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When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he
appeared first to Mary Magdalene
Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of
them while they were walking in the country.
Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating;
he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that,
he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at
the same time, most of whom are still living, though
some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James,
then to all the apostles, (1 Corinthians 15:5-7)
The response of disbelief
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he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their
stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him
after he had risen
Why should we believe it?
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Faith based on reason
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Now faith is being sure of what we hope for
and certain of what we do not see. (Hebrews
11:1)
The empty tomb
The appearances to the disciples
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The immediate effect
Christian experience
The nature of the testimonies
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The women
The different witnesses
“Seeking to resolve a puzzle” - Underlying
Jewish belief in resurrection – but only on the
last day for all humanity
What does it mean to us?
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Romans 6:1-11 What shall we say, then? Shall we
go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no
means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any
longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who
were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into
his death? We were therefore buried with him
through baptism into death in order that, just as
Christ was raised from the dead through the glory
of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we
have been united with him like this in his death,
we will certainly also be united with him in his
resurrection.
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For we know that our old self was crucified with
him so that the body of sin might be done away
with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—
because anyone who has died has been freed from
sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we
will also live with him. For we know that since
Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die
again; death no longer has mastery over him. 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.
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The problem of sin and the fall of humanity
The first day of the new creation
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Our guilt at sin removed (Justified)
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just as Christ was raised from the dead through the
glory of the Father, we too may live a new life
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.
Our tendency to sin restrained (Sanctified)
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For we know that our old self was crucified with him
so that the body of sin might be done away with, that
we should no longer be slaves to sin
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The promise of eternity
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We know that since Christ was raised from
the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer
has mastery over him
If we have been united with him like this in
his death, we will certainly also be united
with him in his resurrection.
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus
from the dead is living in you, he who raised
Christ from the dead will also give life to
your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who
lives in you. (Romans 8:11)
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Symbolised in baptism!
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We died to sin; how can we live in it any
longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who
were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized
into his death? We were therefore buried with
him through baptism into death in order that,
just as Christ was raised from the dead
through the glory of the Father, we too may
live a new life.
It couldn’t be more important!
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“…if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is
useless and so is your faith…. And if Christ has
not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in
your sins…. If only for this life we have hope in
Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men….
…But Christ has indeed been raised from the
dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen
asleep. For since death came through a man, the
resurrection of the dead comes also through a
man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will
be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:13,17-22)
The risen Christ is Lord of all!
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Who as to his human nature was a descendant
of David, and who through the Spirit of
holiness was declared with power to be the
Son of God by his resurrection from the dead:
Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 1:3-4)