Lesson for April 12, 2020
Easter Sunday
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ
Luke 24:1-48, “But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing; and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, ‘Why do you seek the living One among the dead? He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ And they remembered His words and returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. Now they were Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James; also, the other women with them were telling these things to the apostles. But these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe them. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings only; and he went away to his home, marveling at what had happened.”
“And behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. And they were talking with each other about all these things which had taken place. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus Himself approached and began traveling with them. But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him. And He said to them, “What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as you are walking?” And they stood still, looking sad. One of them, named Cleopas, answered and said to Him, “Are You the only one visiting Jerusalem and unaware of the things which have happened here in these days?” And He said to them, “What things?” And they said to Him, “The things about Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to the sentence of death, and crucified Him. But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, it is the third day since these things happened. But also, some women among us amazed us. When they were at the tomb early in the morning, and did not find His body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said that He was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just exactly as the women also had said; but Him they did not see.” And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?”
“Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures. And they approached the village where they were going, and He acted as though He were going farther. But they urged Him, saying, “Stay with us, for it is getting toward evening, and the day is now nearly over.” So, He went in to stay with them. When He had reclined at the table with them, He took the bread and blessed it, and breaking it, He began giving it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight. They said to one another, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?” And they got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem and found gathered together the eleven and those who were with them, saying, “The Lord has really risen and has appeared to Simon.” They began to relate their experiences on the road and how He was recognized by them in the breaking of the bread. While they were telling these things, He Himself stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be to you.” But they were startled and frightened and thought that they were seeing a spirit. And He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?”
“See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. While they still could not believe it because of their joy and amazement, He said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave Him a piece of a broiled fish; and He took it and ate it before them. Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they, after worshiping Him, returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising God.”
God’s plan called for Jesus Christ to become a human being, live a sinless life, die on the Cross to pay the penalty for the sins of the world and be raised from the dead after three days, all in fulfillment of prophecy. [Job 19:25-26 (1520 B.C.); Psalms 16:9-10 (1000 B.C); John 2:19-22 (26 A.D.)] The resurrection of Jesus Christ is definitive proof that He is the Son of God and that death has been conquered. For those of us who place our trust in Him, He guarantees us eternal life.
God also guarantees us a life of meaning and purpose while we are on this earth. He has designed a plan specifically for each one of us. This plan, when properly executed, will allow us to handle every problem and challenge in life, utilizing information found in God’s Word. This is why it is so important to learn, to believe and to apply the Word of God to our daily experiences. But just like everything else in life, it is a matter of choice. God will never force us into a course of action. God in His sovereignty has designed mankind with freewill – the right to choose. The question is whether we will choose God’s plan for our life or our own. Everyone grows spiritually at their own pace based on their intake and application of Bible doctrine. No one should be discouraged because of their lack of knowledge of the Word of God. We all start at the same place. The key to fulfilling the plan God has for you is to learn to apply Bible doctrine as you learn it. The things you hear from your pastor that you do not yet understand will eventually be understood and come together as a complete system of theology.
When we live our lives utilizing Divine Viewpoint Thinking instead of Human Viewpoint Thinking, our failures are minimized, and our successes are maximized. Divine Viewpoint Thinking is found in one place only, the Bible. The reason we have a plan and the power to fulfill it is due to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The same power that raised Christ from the dead is the same power that enables us to execute God’s plan for our lives. (Romans 6:4,10-13)
So, the Resurrection is far greater than we can imagine. In the believer’s resurrection, God makes no distinction between those who completely fail to execute the Christian Way of Life and those who succeed in executing the Christian Way of Life. Our resurrection has nothing to do with our winning the tactical victory in the Angelic Conflict or failing to do so. It has everything to do with Who and what the Lord is! Resurrection is one thing you must completely divorce from any principle of spiritual merit! The time, place, and manner of the resurrection of the Church is God’s perfect decision based on the completion of the Royal Family of God.
Our victory over death illustrates the principle of grace because resurrection is totally the work of God provided for all believers, whether they are winners or losers. Resurrection is divorced from any form of human ability or human achievement. It is strictly a matter of grace. Just as the grace policy of God has provided everything the believer needs for time, so the grace policy of God has provided everything the believer needs for dying, death, Heaven, resurrection, and the eternal state. The resurrection of the Church is strictly God’s grace and God’s decision. Therefore, it is God’s timing and God’s victory.
Resurrection is a total divine victory. Physical death has been conquered because of Christ’s Resurrection! There will be no death in the eternal state. Death is abolished with the possession of the resurrection body. The sign of Christ’s strategic victory over Satan was His resurrection, ascension, and session. Our resurrection body will be an eternal memorial to the grace of God. This is the true meaning of the resurrection of Jesus Christ (Easter) for you and me!