I am never surprised by the many ways that
unbelievers have found to dishonor
the name of Christ or ridicule the
gospel and Christians in general.
Never surprise when I see a new version of that game
being played. For example when we were in
Montreal, there was an editorial cartoon in the local paper called the Montreal
Gazette same thing as The Daily Oklahoman.
And in that cartoon it showed the cross.
Montreal is an island and there's a kind of a mountain in the middle of the island and
on top of the mountain there's this big huge cross that's there and it's lit up.
So it can be seen for miles. It's a landmark, it's a famous
landmark in Montreal. Well the cartoonists
had shown that cross on Mount Royal
wearing a Montreal Canadiens hockey sweater.
So the artist thought this was going to be a cute way, a clever way, of
merging two of Montreal's great symbols. The Catholic
Church the cross and the Montreal Canadian hockey team,
the hockey sweater. Of course had any other group
been so insulted. Had any other religious
groups symbols been so trivialize
everyone would have been up in arms and rush to denounce the cartoonist and the Gazette.
In defense of that group. And their religion. But this was
an insult to Christians. And as everyone knows in our
society today Christianity is fair game for
ridicule. Without consequence.
I'm insulted like I said. But never surprised.
At the new and creative ways that the world finds to blaspheme
the Son of God. I am surprised and
disappointed however when those who claim to be disciples and
believers manage to do the very same thing while
using the name of Christian or Christ.
A good example of this is provided by a group called the Jesus
Seminar. The Jesus Seminar. This is a group
of about 150 scholars mostly from east coast extremely
liberal universities like Harvard or Princeton.
And it was founded in 1985 by the late Robert funk.
Their approach is to treat the Gospels as a collection of human
writings that contain only some of Jesus's
actual words and the what they call fictional writings of
early Christian disciples. Their seminars are
open to the public. And their stated goal is to present an
accurate historical picture of Jesus.
So they review historical records archaeology and other
sources to come to their conclusions and pronouncements
using an unusual voting system.
They use colored beads a colored bead
method of voting on the relative truth or accuracy of
various Bible ideas and teachings. For example.
If one of the members puts a red bead into the
jar. Then that voter believes that the act or the saying
in the Bible that they happen to be examining is genuine.
If on the other hand they put a pink bead into the jar
concerning that passage or. A subject that they're studying
Well that means they think it's probably true. A grey bead,
well that means that Jesus didn't say the actual words but some of his
ideas may be behind these words and then a black bead.
Here's the idea or the words are not from Jesus but from some source
other than Jesus and attributed to the Lord.
And so using this method they actually vote
on the accuracy of the Bible record of Jesus's miracles,
His words, His teaching and His resurrection.
Now there are a great many biblical scholars that dismiss this
group for a variety for a variety of reasons. Again for example
only a few maybe 14 or 15 out of the hundred and fifty of this
group are actually serious Bible scholars many of them
have degrees in unrelated fields like engineering or mathematics.
They are voting using a consensus method is not a valid
academic research method. Could you imagine Marty preparing a sermon throughout
the week and you see this big jar on his desk and as he's going through the Bible
he's putting in different colored beads to reply. Well this may be true this isn't
true you know. And then he goes through the beads and he counts them and whoever the winds that's
going to be a sermon.
Maybe jelly beans.
I don't know there.
The most serious flaw of course is that they put as much credibility in
documents written about Jesus to centuries later.
As they do in the New Testament itself written by actual eye
witnesses and disciples of Jesus.
So even though this group is not taken seriously by legitimate
biblical scholars, they attract a lot of attention and publicity
with their pronouncements because their pronouncements are covered by Time
magazine and The New York Times and you know they get a lot of free
publicity.
Now most people take what they say as being accurate.
Not knowing how to properly analyze and response their wild claims you know the
idea is, well if the Jesus Seminar these are smart people if they said it I guess it must be true.
One such claim several years ago was that the resurrection of Jesus
was not true. There were a lot of black beads in the jar
on that particular vote. This declaration was the
climax of a series of votes that also rejected miracles,
the virgin birth and other basic teachings in the Bible concerning Jesus,
His life and His ministry. Now what was most offensive was
that this so-called Jesus Seminar timed their news release
to coincide with the Easter weekend in order to maximize the
insult to Christians and their foolish pride before God. They could have released
the information any time. But they made sure to release it on Easter weekend.
When you hear this type of teaching from those who call themselves Christians and they call it the
Jesus Seminar. And who claim great knowledge and take the position of
teachers the words of Paul in Acts Chapter 20 verse 30 take on a chilling
reality. He said, "...and from among your own selves men will arise
speaking perverse things to draw away the disciples after them."
Now even though these people attract those who ridicule and
deny. I am glad that at least twice a year you know, Christmas and
Easter, the world focuses on Jesus's birth and
resurrection because it gives us an opportunity to talk about not
only His birth but all three of the resurrections
described in the New Testament. You know we focus so much
on Jesus's resurrection that we overlook the fact that in the Bible there is prophecy
and description of three resurrections not just one.
I don't count somebody was saying to me what about Lazarus you know is he one of the ones you know
he is he one of the three. Well I don't count Lazarus'
resurrection (John 11) or the resurrection of the many saints in Jerusalem right
after Jesus died (Matthew 27). Because these
people along with those that Jesus resurrected during his ministry
would face death once again. So their resurrection was you know temporary. You know
Lazarus Yeah. Brought him back from the dead but Lazarus eventually died again. I'm
talking about the three permanent resurrections.
Now many factors concerned with this event but the main things to
remember about the first resurrection which is Jesus's
resurrection is that His resurrection was prophesied.
The resurrection was not an afterthought or a Plan B operation to patch
up a botched ministry.
Some people actually believe that they think that well you know Jesus dying
was like an accident that was not supposed to happen. So the resurrection was tacked on you know to
kind of give a happy ending.
That Jesus would live as a man and then die and then resurrect was
planned by God from the beginning and spoken about throughout
the Bible. In Genesis 3 and 15, God alludes to the
Christ and how Satan would temporarily stop Him meaning bruises heal.
But with the resurrection Christ would destroy Satan you know crush his head
in Acts chapter 2 verse 31 Peter claims that Daniel seven hundred years before
Jesus spoke of the fact that the Messiah would resurrect.
In John Chapter 2 Verse 19 Jesus himself alluded not only to His
own resurrection but the number of days in which it would be
accomplished. So it's not like an afterthought. It was spoken of hundreds of
years before and consistently throughout Biblical history.
Also the resurrection was the proof of Jesus's divinity.
Many had done miracles of the same nature and power of Jesus in
the past. Many had claimed to be the Messiah,
in the past. But Paul says in Romans chapter one verse four that
the resurrection is what proved Jesus to be the Son
of God with power.
Someone says well how do I know. What proof does the Bible give that Jesus is the
Messiah. You know what. You know the bottom line is that the miracle is it that he walked
on the water that he multiplied the fish. No. Those are all miracles obviously
pointing to His true identity.
But the number one proof that He is the Son of
God chosen by God to come is the resurrection.
If people wanted an undeniable sign of who was to be the Messiah, the
Christ, the Savior, the Holy One, the Lord, the divine Son of God; the
resurrection was the sign, the only sign, that God provided for this end.
Of all the religious leaders past and
present only Jesus was raised because He is the one God
wants us to follow. And so Jesus's resurrection
is the first and foremost of the resurrections in the Bible. But it's not the last.
The second resurrection is the resurrection of believers.
Of course. In First Corinthians chapter 15 verse
20 Paul in talking about Jesus's resurrection reminds
his readers that his resurrection was only the first in a series of
resurrections to come. He says, "But now Christ has been
raised from the dead. The first fruits of those who are asleep"
You know farmers look at the first blooms the first fruits
of their crop that signal that the entire harvest will soon be ready
to pick. Many had believed in the past and
hoped for a resurrection in the future. In Psalm 49:15, the
writer said, "But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol; for
he will receive me." David more than almost all others
articulated this idea that there was a life after death, that he and
all those who believed could actually look forward to. But until Jesus,
the confirmation of that hope was always on the horizon something that was hoped
for something that was promised but not seen yet. The resurrection of
Jesus fulfill the promise and secure the hope of believers that this
thing called resurrection was indeed possible because
Jesus actually accomplished it. So Paul's comment
on the first fruits is actually saying His is the first
but not the last of the resurrections.
In I Thessalonians 4:13-17, Paul gives the details
as to when this resurrection will happen and I'd like to read that particular passage.
If you have your Bibles you can follow along.
I Thessalonians chapter 4 beginning in verse 13 he says, "But we do not want
you to be uninformed brethren about those who are asleep, so that
you will not grieve as do the rest to have no hope. For if we
believe that Jesus died and rose again even so God will bring with Him
those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you that by the
word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of
the Lord will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord
Himself will descend from heaven with a shout with the voice of the archangel
and with the trumpet of God and the dead in Christ will rise first.
Then we who are alive and remain will be caught
up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we
shall always be with the Lord."
And so Jesus was the first and the believers are the second
when Jesus returns. If He appeared once and resurrected once,
He will appear a second time for the second resurrection
which is our own. You know I feel sorry for those who ridicule and deny the
resurrection of Jesus because in doing so they are ridiculing and denying
the possibility of their own resurrection leaving them laughing
perhaps. But laughing with no hope. The third
resurrection. Well the third resurrection is the resurrection
of the creation. You know we talk least about this one because we
know the least about this one. We
have details about the resurrected Jesus. You know how
he was physically present. He spoke he listened. You could
touch Him. He was humanly recognizable and yet His
nature had changed.
He appeared and disappeared. He ascended into heaven. You know we have some
glimpses of him in his resurrected state. We also have
some descriptions about our own resurrection state and first Corinthians 15.
Paul says that we will be conscious and we will be able to communicate.
We will also be recognizable but our natures will be changed. Like
angels and thus have their powers and capabilities as well.
And we will no longer be subject to sin or decay or death. Again these are
ideas given to us to help us understand what will our nature be when we are resurrected.
We have less information about the resurrection of the
creation but the Bible however does refer to it.
In Romans Chapter 8 if you want to go there beginning in verse 18.
Paul writes the following. He says, "For I consider that the sufferings of this present
time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to
us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for
the revel of the revealing of the sons of God for the creation was subjected
to futility. Not willingly but because of him who subjected it in
hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to
corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
For we know that the whole creation groans and suffering the pains of
childbirth together until now."
And so Paul equates the longing to be free from sin and death in order to
be with God to the same type of yearning that the creation
experiences in its innate desire to be free from decay and
ultimate destruction because of sin. The point here is
that God's perfect creation also suffered because of sin
and the final results will be that its present condition and form will be
destroyed when Jesus comes. And so in second
Peter chapter 3 verse 10. Peter expresses it in
this way. He says, "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief in which the heavens will pass away
with the roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat and the earth and
its works will be burned up."
Now when we take this passage
and we put them together alongside Romans 8 and we go to
Revelation 21:1 where John writes, "And I saw a new heaven
and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth passed away..."
We see the resurrection of the creation.
The old creation is polluted by man's sin and doomed to ultimate destruction.
The violence, the struggle to survive, the collective sigh of despair,
is witness to this. But at the return of the resurrected Jesus
the signal to the resurrection of the believers and of course this
believers will be condemned and sent to punishment. This old
creation at this time will pass away and a new one
will be resurrected. Just as God will
resurrect a new man fitted for eternal life,
He will also resurrect a new heaven and earth as a suitable dwelling place
for resurrected man. It will not be an improved earth or
heaven where we live in a similar fashion as we do now for a number of years.
It will be a resurrected creation like our bodies will be
resurrected bodies with an eternal nature. Now the Bible
does give us some information concerning what this will be like.
For example, no need of sun or moon because there will be no night there.
(Revelation 21) Remember now, I'm talking about
an experience that we will have after death and as a glorified body.
But I'm only projecting ahead what this may be like using
terms that we have now.
I've never met an angel.
I've not been to that place.
I'm only trying to project ahead head with human words and human ideas what
it might be like so that we would understand in human ways
something that is purely spiritual in nature. So keep that in mind as I go
through this. No need for sun or moon no need for light because there'll be no darkness there.
No sea there (Revelation 21) A prepared city where God will dwell with
his people in a precious surrounding of jewels and precious gold.
Again, it could be metaphors for beauty beyond our imagination.
The tree of life and the river flowing from God's throne will be there.
Again, imagery but imagery representing what?
Imagery representing the fact that there's no illness there, no death there,
no need there, no hunger there, no lust there,
no greed there, no pride there.
And of course.
The Bible says, no tears, no pain, no sorrow
no unclean thing, no death,
no satan, no condemnation, just no condemnation,
can you imagine what it would be like to live our lives, with no
condemnation? No thought of condemnation ever again.
Mean just that alone is heaven right there.
God turns defeat into victory by saving and
resurrecting man in glory and He does the same by resurrecting
imperfection the creation that He originally designed for man
to live in. Do you think for a moment that God doesn't care about his creation.
Think now for a second.
The beauty, the majesty of it, the complexity of it, how marvelous it is in
so many ways. Just studying a simple flower and it's so complex. You know that
little bug that you step on, that you know that bug you just step on it you
realize the engineering that you have just destroyed.
Now think about it. You know flies are nasty they get in your way to get in your soup. But the
few realize the flying machine that's going around there?
That only exists for what a couple of days. Do we think that God doesn't
care about this magnificent thing that He created and that man has polluted.
Do you think he doesn't care about that? We read it Peter.
Well the elements will burn up the you know the Earth is gone. OK OK you know.
You know, no harm no foul.
We did this.
We caused the fact that all of this has to be destroyed
and brought back.
We did this and it's no small thing brethren.
I tell you when we
come before God in judgment and
thankfully we'll be free of judgment because we're in Christ.
The relief that we will feel
is unimaginable because the depth of our sin
is also unimaginable.
We do not know the bullet that we are dodging as Christians.
We have no idea of how deep and how awful it is.
And so God brings back a new creation, a place for us to exist.
And so as I said at the very beginning it's
nothing new for the world not to believe in the resurrection but for the saints,
the resurrection is the event that we have spent our
entire lives preparing for. So let us
therefore be convinced of all three. The resurrection of Jesus Christ
as a signal that death was not final and that he was the true son of God
and the Savior of our souls.
And then the resurrection of believers now made possible by Jesus's resurrection
and which we anticipate each time we meet for communion
because each time we meet for communion may be the last time.
So give thanks, sincerely.
You know where Paul is saying
in I Corinthians, we take the communion and we proclaim
his death 'until He comes.' 'Until He comes' is
not just until He comes at the end of the world. It could also be until he comes for you tonight.
And be convinced of the resurrection of the creation which God
will accomplish in order to provide for His sons and daughters a new and
eternal home suitable for their glorious
resurrected bodies. Just as our
physical bodies could not exist as it is in the
spiritual world, our glorious bodies would not be able to
exist in the physical world. And so He creates a new
heaven and a new earth to enable us to exist
in our new and glorified bodies.
These things being so, because God cannot lie, let us
face the world with a mixture of confidence and compassion.
Confidence that despite the disbelief and rejection now, God will
keep His promise to resurrect all believers as well as His creation.
And compassion because those who disbelieve have so little
time and so little joy in this corrupt world.
So I encourage all of our brothers and all of our sisters
do not lose hope. Remain faithful because He
is faithful Who has promised. I encourage those who
desire resurrection but who have not yet confessed their
belief. I encourage you shake off your pride and confess
Christ. Be baptized in his name that you might also look forward to the
two resurrections to come. If you need to respond to
today's invitation I do encourage you to come forward now as we stand and as
we sing our song of encouragement.