Have you ever asked, “Why the Resurrection?” As we enter the Easter weekend, this Sunday being the day we celebrate the Resurrection of Christ from the dead, I thought I would use this blog to look at, what I believe, are the top three reasons for the Resurrection.
First, Christ’s Resurrection redeemed us from the power of sin. Christ died, was buried, and raised up on the third day to prove His legal right to forgive all of humankind from sin. The power of sin is death. The power of death is sin. They produce each other. You cannot conquer sin unless you conquer death. The Resurrection was proof positive that Christ has the power to forgiven sin.
Jesus had no sin and thus, He could not die. There was no sin in his body. God the Father placed our sin upon Him. Literally our sin killed Jesus.
We are thus united with Him in His death and Resurrection and are no longer slaves to sin. Paul writes in Romans 6:4-9,
“Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him.”
Secondly, Christ’s Resurrection restored the power of the Kingdom of God to the Church. Paul in Ephesians 1:19-23 writes,
“and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.
And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”
All demons on the earth, including principalities and powers in the fourth dimension, are under the feet of God because of the Resurrection of Christ.
All human governments—kings, queens, prime ministers, and presidents are under His power. In Colossians 3 we read,
“to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord…” (verses 10-11)
Thirdly, Christ’s Resurrection rewrites our story through the power of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit could not come if Christ had not died and been raised up to new life. The first thing Jesus did upon being raised was to breath the Holy Spirit into the disciples.
“Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.
So Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.’ And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’” (John 20:19-23).
The resurrection restores the potential to receive the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is poured out because Christ has defeated all other powers in heaven and earth. In explaining what would happen when He would leave the earth, Jesus spoke of the Spirit,
“And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” (John 14:16-18).
In Acts 1:8 Jesus tells His disciples that they “will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon them.” The Holy Spirit is poured out upon the disciples and us because of Christ’s Resurrection from the grave.
Rejoice! He is risen!
Pastor Steve
