Resurrection Faith

March 27, 2016 Background Scripture: Mark 16 Lesson Passage: Mark 16:1 – 8 Ultimately, the faith of every Christian must rest upon the reality that Jesus rose from the dead. Jesus’ self-proclamation prior to his crucifixion that he would die and rise from the dead on the third day is the crowning evidence of his divine nature and lordship of all. Of all the miracles he performed as recorded by the gospel writers, none of them has had more scrutiny and outright attacks as the many claims by unbelievers that he did not rise from the dead. Anyone who has trusted God and put their unfettered faith in the atoning death of Jesus as the ransom for their sin knows experientially the sureness of Jesus’ resurrection. We don’t arrive at this point by making ourselves believe against all logic we hold to the contrary. Jesus, through the Holy Ghost, manifests himself to believers. This was his promise the night he was betrayed and arrested and he is still keeping it today. No other event in the history of mankind has such far-reaching implications as the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Everything Christians hold dear and hang on to is firmly rooted in this reality. The storyline of the gospel is so simple that it often becomes a stone of stumbling for many. From a human perspective, a Jewish boy who was reportedly born into this world in the most unusual way proved through signs and wonders that he is the begotten son of God. He lived a sinless life and was arrested, falsely accused, and crucified because he was hated by the Jewish religious establishment. If that was the end of the story then Christians would be mere zealots who choose to idolize and worship a martyr. But the bodily resurrection of Jesus from the dead on the third day validated all of his claims. He is the Son of God. Resurrection faith allows Christians to set our affections on the promises of God of eternal life beyond this world. We know that everything in this world is temporary and our lives today cannot be compared to living in a glorified state of immortality in the absence of sin. Sin and its consequences make life in this world difficult as well as finite. No matter how well we take care of these mortal bodies we live in, they will continue to decay because they are corruptible. In the scheme of eternity, human lifespan covers a very short amount of time. The inward person was created to be an eternal being even though sin has sentenced our mortal bodies to only a few years. Our hope is not in this present life which is fading daily. Our hope is built on eternal things which do not fade or deteriorate. We embrace God’s promise of the bodily resurrection of the saints in glory. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead—to die no more—gives us the assurance that Jesus will fulfill his promise to raise us from the dead into eternal life. Mature Christians have no confidence in the flesh because God has shown us the corruptible nature of our flesh. Jesus warned that living in this world as Christians would bring tribulation but he tempered it with the assurance that we can have joy because he has overcome this world’s tribulation. He is the one who keeps us secure to the day of our resurrection. Robert C. Hudson March 10, 2016