Welcome back to Cultivating Growth. I want to thank all of you for joining us this week. Jeremy and I are going to be following up a discussion that began last week on the death of Jesus by spending some time talking about how we can grow in our appreciation. Of his resurrection from the dead. So we're going to spend some time looking at what the gospel writers, as well as the writers of the epistles and the new Testament have to say about the appreciation we should have around the resurrection of Jesus and how we can grow in our understanding of that.

So with that, let's get right to it. 

Well, John, you made mention that last week we spent time talking about Jesus's death and you know, the importance of an understanding growing, even our understanding of that. And in a lot of ways, Jesus's resurrection, I mean, it goes hand in hand with his death. Even Jesus himself, we made mention last week that there was throughout his ministry, multiple times that Jesus made specific mentions of his death.

He does so cryptically at times at the beginning, and then he does so. Pretty openly, you know, towards the end of his ministry, you know, making the point that, listen, there's a time coming and it's coming soon that I'm going to be, I'm going to be killed. But at the same time, he also, throughout his ministry, made mention of the fact that not only was he going to be killed, but that he was going to rise again, even more so, Three days he was going to rise again.

So it wasn't just the fact that he was going to be resurrected He even made mention of multiple occasions of the three days and he would make mention you know and use Jonah for instance or he would make mention of the temple tearing it down and and Rebuilding it in three days and you know And you know John makes mention in his gospel that even his disciples didn't understand what he meant by that You Until after the resurrection, and certainly, you know, they would be able to look back at his words and understand.

Yeah, you know, when we think about the resurrection, obviously we talked last week about just how significant his death is.  But without the resurrection,  then all we have is a guy who claimed to be God who is now dead.  Without the resurrection, that's it. That's the end of the story. And, you know, Paul and the other, some of the writers of the New Testament will allude to just how important it is That jesus rose from the dead.

I was looking at first corinthians chapter 15 and verse 14 I don't think he could have said it any more clearly  Paul says and if christ is not risen then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty If this whole story about christ raising from the dead didn't actually happen and is just that a story Then our preaching is Vein, your faith is built on a house of cards, and that's how significant this event is.

Jesus had to raise from the dead in order for all that he had said to be true, in order for us then to have the hope of resurrection as well. All of that was only made possible by his resurrection from the dead. And so while his death was that culminating event where his blood was spilled so that our sins could be forgiven.

It was his resurrection that all of the gospel teaching was built upon and where our faith remains today, because that's where our hope is found. It is what sets him apart, right? In a lot of ways. I mean, certainly, and no way to diminish his death. We spent all last week talking about it. It had to happen, and there was incredible significance to that.

But there's been other people who have died, and there's been other great people men who have died, but it is his resurrection that sets him apart. And you even see that even from the very beginning of the gospel. In Acts chapter  2, when Peter is standing up before the Jews and is delivering what we'll commonly refer to as kind of that first gospel sermon, he's going to talk about Jesus and he's going to talk about his death, but he's going to talk about his resurrection.

And he makes that point. He makes the point that his resurrection is what separates him from other men, and he'll make reference to David, a great man, certainly in the eyes of the Jews, but he'll say, listen, David is dead, and you can go to his tomb, and you can find his bones, but what separates Jesus is that Jesus was a great man who died, but you go to his tomb, and there's no bones there, because he walked out of that tomb, and now you have this incredible separation, and now you have God who has been resurrected and now it is unlike anything that has ever happened before.

And now you have incredible faith and you have incredible hope. That's a big part of what first Corinthians chapter 15 is all about. And now, not just in his death.  But also in his resurrection. Yeah, I was I was looking at first Peter chapter one And you know, this is a passage that I think really speaks to what you just said Peter writes in verse three blessed be the god and the father of our lord Jesus christ who according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope Through the resurrection of jesus from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled that does not fade away And so again, he's pointing to the resurrection from the dead You That Jesus participated in that now gives us hope of doing the same.

And that's why, you know, when we talk as Christians about the comfort that we can have when facing death, that it isn't something to fear. That it is, it is the reality of life, but we have hope, and we have confidence of a resurrection after death, and we have that confidence and that hope because Jesus did it.

That's the only reason we have that confidence and that hope is because He did it.  And, you know, I was, I was listening recently to a podcast where somebody was talking about You know, they have a father who is nearing death, and they were speaking to him recently, and he made the point that as he gets older and his life on this earth draws to a close, he liked to use the phrase that the resurrection looms large.

And that is It's comforting to know that while life diminishes, the resurrection looms large, and it is something that we all hope for, and we all long for, and that's only possible because of the resurrection of Jesus. Yeah, I mean, you see that. I mean, you see that in passages like, you know, I was thinking about John 11. 

When Lazarus, you know, he dies and Jesus raises him from the dead, but it is this conversation that he has, you know, with Mary and Martha ahead of time, and, you know, and he makes the point that, listen, I am the resurrection of, and the life, he, he has the power over these things, and he certainly showcases that, and you get to passages like 1 Corinthians chapter 15, that pinpoints the importance of, you know, an event like this, and so you have, you know, kind of the very beginning of 1 Corinthians chapter 15, in verse 3, you have his death and his resurrection, Kind of tied together.

He says for I deliver to you first of all that which I also received that Christ died for our sins According to the scriptures we talked about that last week and that he was buried that he rose again the third day According to the scriptures and then he goes on to talk about how it is that it's a fact people witnessed it People saw it and people were able to talk about it And then at the end of that chapter it is because of what Jesus was able to do You Raising himself from the tomb.

That's what allows me to be resurrected. And so you have these incredible, you know things culminating together We talked last week about Roman chapter 6 and even though we didn't turn over there and read it. I mean it is a passage that parallels Jesus's death, burial, and resurrection to our death, burial, and resurrection, our burial and baptism, and then being raised a new creature.

Without Jesus's resurrection, that parallel doesn't work. Yeah. Because we are dead. We'll drown in the water if we're not raising up. And so that parallel only works, it is only powerful with his death, his burial, and most certainly his resurrection. Yeah, and I love the language that Paul uses there in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 that you referenced just a minute ago.

Towards the end of that chapter as he's talking about death, he makes the point, you know, death, where is your victory? Where is your sting? The only thing death had on us. Was the fear and the pain associated with it. And Jesus took that away. So death, what, what have you got left? There's nothing there anymore.

There's as a, as a Christian, as a, as a follower of Jesus, who's given my life to him, I don't, I don't have to fear death and I don't have, I don't have anything to be afraid of when it comes to death because of the resurrection that awaits. And that's, that's because of Jesus and his, his example. And so.

When I think about growing in this area,  it's my confidence that I want to grow in this area. It's my hope that I want to grow in this. It's my excitement that I want to grow in this. And I'm not going to sit here and tell us we should all be excited about dying, but we should be excited about the resurrection.

And if we're not, I would question whether or not we truly understand what awaits us as Christians. Because it is going to be something far superior to anything we've ever experienced in this physical realm. And that's the promise that Jesus made, and that's the hope that he gave us when he resurrected.

You know, in a lot of ways, it is Jesus death. death that enables us to have that incredible relationship with God, but it is his resurrection that should give us the energy that we need in this life. And you see that. I mean, you think about, even though it was just, you know, 50 days difference, you know, from the disciples at the time Jesus was, you know, kind of moved off to the cross and they are running away.

They have fled. Peter, one of his closest friends, has denied even knowing who he is. But then, certainly if you're just in the Gospel of Luke, you're two pages further in your Bible, and they're at the beginning of the book of Acts, and they are absolutely on fire for the Gospel. Well, why is that? It's because they are witness to the Resurrection.

And it is the Resurrection that has energized them to the point that they are, certain They are taking the gospel to the world. And it is that energy that certainly when it comes to the resurrection, we can have as well. Yeah, I think when you look at that, it's because they finally now understand it all.

Because they've seen it. They've witnessed it, as you said. And even though Jesus had tried to prepare them by talking to them and telling them about his impending death and resurrection, until they witnessed it, It with their own two eyes and experienced it in person. They weren't able to fully grasp and appreciate what had just happened.

And then they set out to spread that news far and wide as a result of that energy and that passion that they now had, understanding and seeing what had happened. And I think that's the way we should respond as well when we read the stories that have been preserved for us. And we read about his death and we read about the resurrection, it should set us on fire in the same way that we see the disciples on fire in Acts chapter two and so on, because they recognize what this means to them.

And still today, we need to walk with them. This earth recognizing what that event meant to us, means to us on a daily basis, because it's the only thing that our hope is truly built upon. There's no question about that. Well, let's close. Let's close with the historical account in Luke chapter 24 of that resurrection.

It is so powerfully stated. Try to imagine the story if you can. I'll read the first seven verses that sets the stage for Jesus resurrection. Luke chapter 24, beginning of verse 1. Now, in the first day of the week Very early in the morning, they and certain other women with them came to the tomb bringing the spices, which they had prepared, but they found the stone rolled away from the tomb and they went in.

They did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it happened as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them and shining garments, and then as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen.

Remember how he spoke to you when he was still in Galilee, saying, The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.  Thank you for listening this week. If you haven't already done so, we'd appreciate it if you would take just a second to subscribe to the podcast on whatever platform you're listening, and rate and review the show so we can continue to spread the good news of Jesus as widely and effectively as possible.

Thanks again for joining us this week, and we'll talk to you again next week.