UP FROM THE GRAVE (EASTER) “HE IS RISEN”

 

Photo by B Smith from Patio

480-2 UP FROM THE GRAVE (EASTER) “HE IS RISEN”

APRIL 15, 1979 

HENRY F. KULP

John 2: 15 - 22 And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise. And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up. Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things? Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body. When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.

Easter Sunday speaks to us of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is not a worn-out dogma, though it has been preached and taught for 2,000 years, it is ever fresh and I am sure no one who knows the Bible ever tires of hearing about it. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the keystone to all the truths in the Bible. If we deny this doctrine, then the Bible means nothing. All is lost, and we are unsaved. So one must believe in a bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ.

1/ The Scripture before us is a familiar one. I am sure you have read it and heard sermons on it many times. The context reveals that the Lord Jesus Christ sought to save His Father’s house from evil usage.

John 2: 16, 17 And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise. And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.

He sought to cleanse the temple and save it from the awful desecration of the ungodly religious people. But as we start out this morning I want you to realize the total depravity of man. As we look at the temple, which was used to be the meeting place between God and man, and we see how man desecrated that temple.

2/ This is true as we said with other divine institutions that God gave to the nation Israel. Let us think about the Sabbath for a few moments. The Sabbath to the Jew was meant to be a precious institution, and it was intended by God to be a blessing to the nation Israel. Yet the Pharisees, by their traditions had made it an awful burden to the nation of Israel. Why was the Sabbath law established by God?

Mark 2: 27, 28 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

Deuteronomy 23: 25 When thou comest into the standing corn of thy neighbour, then thou mayest pluck the ears with thine hand; but thou shalt not move a sickle unto thy neighbour's standing corn.

Here Jesus Christ wanted the people to realize they did not exist for the Sabbath Day, but that the day was ordained for their welfare by God. Man wasn’t to be a rest day, WHATEVER THE UNREGENERATE HAND OF MAN TOUCHES HE POLLUTES. Man is a polluter, as Jeremiah 17: 9 tells us--The heart is deceitful above alll things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

3/ These same Pharisees degraded the Sabbath Day and made it a burden for the people

Matthew 12: 10-13 And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him. And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days. Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other.

They could see a sheep saved from a pit on the Sabbath Day. They could not stand seeing a poor cripple healed. Of course, this is a very ridiculous thing, it shows how man destroys ritual. That is why God does not have ritual—He does not have days in this present dispensation.

4/ Just as they had treated the Sabbath, they treated the house of God. The Old Testament records how immorality had crept into the tabernacle at Shiloh, then after the building of Solomon’s temple we had idolatry brought in by the very same people, and now in our Lord and Saviour’s Day, it was commerce. The religious Jews thought to justify their attitude toward the Temple in our Lord’s time because their commercial activities were carried on in the outer court where the Gentiles were allowed. To them this part of the Temple could not be a very sacred place, or the Gentiles would not be allowed there. They argued their commercial affairs helped along with the financial burdens of their worship. It was a shrewd business scheme cloaked with religious covering, again showing the total depravity of man.

5/ Our Lord, seeing through all this hypocrisy made a scourge of small cords and drove them all out of the Temple, and the sheep and oxen, and poured out the changers money and overthrew the tables and said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence, make not my Father’s house a house of merchandise.

John 2: 15, 16 And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.

6/ His act aroused their ire and they wanted to know by what authority He did all this. It was then that Jesus Christ gave them the sign of the destroyed and raised temple. He brought up His resurrection. This is an important point. When they wanted to know by what authority He did these things, He said, by the authority of my resurrection, and it hadn’t happened yet. It was yet future.

7/ Matthew 12: 38 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee.

Matthew 16: 21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.

Matthew 17: 22 - 23 And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men: And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry.

On another occasion, certain of the Pharisees came to Him requesting a sign. He gave them the sign of the prophet Jonah. This like the sign of the destroyed temple and its rebuilding had to do with the resurrection, and again He was referring to His resurrection. Even though it was yet future, taking it for granted. I want you to see Him EVERYTHING IN THE PURPOSE OF GOD DEPENDS UPON CHRIST’S VICTORY OVER THE GRAVE.

8/ Of course, the Jews did not understand what He meant. When He said, “destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it again.” His hearers misunderstood, as they usually did, and they thought He meant the temple that was in front of them, but He was referring to the temple of His body.

9/ HIS PERSON WAS DIVINE—DEITY

Now as we look at the resurrection that is so important, that Jesus Christ referred to before it even happened and said this is the sign I want you to see, by this sign, by my resurrection I have the authority. We can see this meant that Jesus Christ had to be God. No other man but Jesus Christ had ever experienced deliverance from the grave never to return to it.

II Timothy 1: 9, 10 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

Here, we read, I have brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel, no one else has immortality, but Jesus Christ.

10/ Life and immortality. I must point out because I think you need to know this, there is a great deal of difference between life and immortality. LIFE IS PRESENT POSSESSION. We now possess life in Christ Jesus by the Holy Spirit. IMMORTALITY IS A FUTURE PROSPECT. We wait for the day when we shall put on the immortal body.

11/ Life deals with the inward man. Immortality deals with the outward man, the body. Now all believers have life, but now only Jesus Christ has immortality. So we see in this verse, Christ alone has immortality. Life gives us a perfect standing in the presence of God. This is why when we die and are absent from the body we can be present with the Lord because we have a perfect standing before God. We could not stand in the presence of God with a corruptible mortal body. So at the Rapture we are going to have a perfect body, a celestial body that has immortality, but Christ Jesus has this right at this present moment, and He alone has immortality, because He is God manifest in human flesh.

12/ Notice, Jesus Christ called the temple, His Father’s house. It was something which had never been done before. Moses, David, Solomon, Elijah, and all the other prophets had not spoken of it in this matter. The familiarity with which Jesus Christ spoke of the temple amounted to blasphemy to the ears of those who heard Him. Then He goes a step beyond this and astonishes the people even more by saying He would destroy this temple, and in three days would raise it up again. They, again, thought He spoke of the material structure, but He was talking of His body.

13/ You will notice that during His earthly ministry, He refers again and again to His resurrection.

Matthew 16: 21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.

Matthew 17: 22, 23 And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men: And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry.

The resurrection was proof of His deity, in that He was able to tell the future. He knew what was going to happen to Him. It shows the truthfulness of the Word of God.

14/ Let us make a comparison. In the Old Testament on the Day of Atonement, we are told the high priest went into the Holy of Holies once a year—with the blood of the sacrifice which he sprinkled everywhere as he entered that sacred place of God’s Shikinah presence. The people stood without the tabernacle with every eye fastened upon the door and wondering whether or not their representative would be accepted. As he presented the blood of the sacrifice, would it be accepted on behalf of the people whom the priest represented. That is the nation Israel. When He appeared again they had evidence that His ministry had been approved of God, and with his approval came assurance and satisfaction. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is proof of our redemption.

15/ Romans 4: 25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

He was offered for our offenses, and raised again for our justification. We would never be justified were it not for His resurrection.

16/ THE RAPTURE AND THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE WERE IT NOT FOR HIS RESURRECTION.

I Thessalonians 4: 16 - 18 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together

with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Where we read—the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first, and then, of course, the living in Christ. If He is not resurrected from the dead, He cannot ascend in to the heavens.

Titus 2: 13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

If He did not rise from the dead, this is a dead hope, not a living hope.

17/ But, of course, the Second Coming would be impossible. All the promises God made to the nation Israel, to the Jews in their religion, would never become a reality if Jesus Christ did not physically raise from the dead.

Genesis 17: 6 - 8 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.

The Abrahamic covenant consists of the Seed, the Nation, and a Lamb.

Jeremiah 23: 5, 6 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, The Lord Our Righteousness.

Here is a covenant made with David. #1, a King, the son of David. #2, a throne. #3, a city, #4, a Kingdom. None of these could be a reality without a resurrected Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.

II Samuel 7: 13, 16 He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.

If Christ did not raise from the dead, all the programs of God perish, and there is no hope for the Church the Body of Christ. There is no hope for the world to have a Kingdom in which God’s will will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.

18/ The last thing I would like you to see, and this is a really important fact. We would not have union with Jesus Christ. Salvation means union with Jesus Christ. We become one with HIm.

I Corinthians 12: 12 - 14 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many.

If Jesus Christ has not been raised from the dead, we cannot have union with a dead person. But we have union with a Living Person, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 6: 3, 4 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Galatians 2: 20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

How can Christ live in me if He is dead? But He tells me the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God Who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Galatians 3: 27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

He tells us, For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. He is a living Saviour, and we, by the Holy Spirit are baptized into Christ. We have put on Christ. Everything in Christianity depends upon the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. You take away this truth and you have nothing. It is just like every other faith in

the world. It is just like all religions of the world, they are empty with no hope, with no future, and with no present power.

480-2 UP FROM THE GRAVE (Easter) / April 15, 1979

480-1 THE SONG OF THE ALMOND TREE

                                                        Photo of Whistling Ducks from the Patio

480-1 THE SONG OF THE ALMOND TREE

APRIL 8, 1979
PASTOR HENRY F KULP

Numbers 17: 7, 8 And Moses laid up the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness. And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.

This morning we want to start a series of two messages on the resurrection of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. This is called the Easter season—this morning is Palm Sunday, and so I would like to direct your attention to what it means that Jesus Christ was crucified, buried and then resurrected from the dead.

1/ The resurrection is absolutely necessary, and it has to be a physical resurrection. Not a spiritual, as some people would tell us. Jesus Christ came forth from the tomb in a physical body. A body of flesh and bones, one that could be seen, one that cold be felt.

2/ Let us look a an Old Testament Scripture—one of the most beautiful in the word of God. As we look into it, we shall see, life springing out of death; a rod, really a mere stick, breaking forth into life and bearing almonds. It tells the story of the power of God and sings of Jesus Christ as triumph over death.

3/ Here we are confronted with an incident that happened centuries ago, but it has a bearing on us today. The Old Testament is not set aside by us. We believe it with all our heart, soul and mind. It is God’s Word. But now this morning we want you to see how we use the Old Testament.

4/ As we look at this portion of Scripture we are on resurrection ground.

5/ The background of this passage reveals how the people of Israel were discontented with Moses and Aaron, who they thought were taking too much authority upon themselves Instead of being thankful to God for the gift of such leadership, they complained and rebellion was incited. At this point, Israel was turned back into the wilderness. They had come to the borders of the Promised Land and refused to enter, and the Lord turned them back. God said, you were forty days searching out the land and then refused to go in, and you will be turned back for forty years. Moses and Aaron were having trouble with this rebellion when people thought they took too much upon themselves. In Chapter 16 we have the vindication of Moses. In Chapter 17 we have the vindication of Aaron.

6/ Numbers 16: 28 - 35 And Moses said, Hereby ye shall know that the Lord hath sent me to do all these works; for I have not done them of mine own mind. If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all men; then the Lord hath not sent me. But if the Lord make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the Lord. And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them: And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation. And all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of them: for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up also. And there came out a fire from the Lord, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense.

Moses said, If these men die a natural death, God has not spoken by me, but if the earth opens up and they are swallowed up and go down into Sheol, then you will know that God has spoken by me. The earth opened and they all went down into Sheol, and all Israel that was round about the, fled at the cry of them. For they said, Less the earth swallow us up also. Then there came fire up from the Lord, and consumed the (250) two-hundred and fifty men that offered incense.

7/ Numbers 16: 44 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

Here we have another important lesson. After those men were destroyed the people came to Moses and said, You have destroyed the people of God. They blamed Moses for it and he had nothing to do with it, but anyway they blamed him for it. God was angry and sent a plaque among them and many were dying. And the Lord spake unto Moses saying, Get you up from among this congregation that I may consume them as in a moment, and they fall upon their faces. That is three times in this chapter that they fell on their faces before God—that is the thing to do whenever you are in trouble. They fell on their faces.

8/ Verse 46 And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the Lord; the plague is begun.

Moses said to Aaron, take your censor and go put into the midst of the people. God is angry and the people are dying. Aaron was the high priest, He was the one to stand between God and the people. Verse 47 So the man Aaron, the high priest, stood between the dead and the living. God was the Living One, and the people were dying, and between God and the sinning people was the high priest. That was their safety and the plague was stopped.

9/ I wonder if you realize that between us and the Lake of Fire there is the Lord Jesus Christ only. Only Christ stands between Christ and the Lake of Fire. So Aaron is a picture of Jesus Christ.

10/ Now we come to the 17th Chapter and as I said, this is the vindication of Aaron. They brought their accusations against Moses and Aaron for the positions they held. Moses and Aaron had never been appointed by the nation, they had never held an elected position. They had never been elected by the people but God appointed them. This rebellion came up and they said you have taken it upon yourselves. Moses had not taken it upon himself. Aaron had not taken it upon himself. They only had Moses’ word for it that He was their leader, their deliverer, and that Aaron was the appointed high priest. Here God vindicates both .

11/ We could just stop at this point and say there is a wonderful day of vindication coming. There is a time coming when God is going to show who has been right and who has been wrong. Eternity will prove this fact. Certainly, like Moses and Aaron the world says, you are not of God. You Fundamentalists, you Bible-toting individuals, you certainly are wrong. Everybody is a child of God. We are all going to the same place, just using different roads, but there will be a day of vindication for the child of God, for members of the church the body of Christ.

12/ God told Moses what he was to do, and told him to take twelve leaders, twelve princes of the twelve tribes and Aaron was to represent the tribe of Levi. Aaron was not the had of the tribe but was to represent the tribe of Levi. They were to have eleven princes representing the other eleven tribes. And God said, let every man bring a rod, merely a dead stick. God didn’t tell them what kind to bring, but God said, let every man bring a rod. I suppose some polished them very beautifully. Every man was to bring a rod, a dead stick, and God said, write the name of the tribe on each rod. I am going to show whom I have chosen. Aaron was to represent the tribe of Levi.

13/ Numbers 17: 6 And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, and every one of their princes gave him a rod apiece, for each prince one, according to their fathers' houses, even twelve rods: and the rod of Aaron was among their rods.

The next day when Moses went into the tabernacle, he found the rod of Aaron—it budded and brought forth buds and bloomed blossoms and yielded almonds. Life out of death—that is resurrection. The rod of Aaron was just as dead as the other eleven. God did it so they could not question what had been done. If there had been a few leaves, they could have said Moses stuck them on the rod—but God did not do it that way. There were buds on that rod, there were blossoms on that rod, there were almonds on that rod.—Fruit. The little rod showed six months of life, from the time it begins to bear leaves, until the fruit was ripe, and all of that was done in a night—that is the way God does things. There must be no question about it, for that was Aaron’s vindication, they knew now that God had chosen Aaron. And Aaron was God’s man.

14/ This is LIFE OUT OF DEATH. THAT IS THE STORY OF AARON’S ROD THAT BUDDED, BLOOMED AND BORE ALMONDS. The foundation of Christianity is life out of death. When the Lord Jesus Christ had risen from the grave, He stayed here upon this earth forty (40) days, showing Himself to His disciples, that they might know that He had risen from the dead. No one saw Jesus Christ rise, but hey did see Him alive on this earth.

15/ Acts 1: 21, 22 Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.

Judas had betrayed the Lord Jesus Christ and was gone, and there was a vacancy in the twelve (12), so they held a meeting and they said, we have to fill out the twelve (12). There must be twelve (12) apostles, and so they held a meeting. They said, we have to have one who traveled with us from the beginning. The twelve (12) disciples as they followed Jesus Christ were not alone. We read in a number of places that men traveled with them constantly. So we have to find a man who traveled with the twelve (12). From the baptism of John until that day that He was taken up from us, He ascended into Heaven, and so they choose one who traveled with them from the Baptism of John until the ascension, and Mathias was that one.

16/ As we said, there were no witnesses of the resurrection. When they came to the tomb to see Jesus, He was gone. We are told they went while it was yet dark and there was an angel sitting on a stone, and the angel said, “He is not here.” So Jesus Christ stayed here for forty (40) days out of the fifty (50) and He appeared to them. If a few men had seen Him arise, men would not believe them. They might have thought they had seen some vision. Jesus Christ did not let anyone see Him rise, but stayed here forty (40) days and appeared to them and said, “I am Jesus, feel my body, put your fingers in the prints of my hands, my feet and my side. I am Jesus.” He stayed forty (40) days, and that was better proof than seeing Him rise, because at the end of forty (40) days, they knew He was the One Who was their leader and was crucified and was risen from the dead. So we read in this Scripture they are to be witnesses of His resurrection, and that is what they preached to the nation Israel.

17/ Notice the last part of the 22nd Verse. Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.

One must be ordained to be a witness with us of His resurrection.

18/ Notice how Peter preached this in Acts 2: 22 - 24. Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.

19/ Let us look at Paul and see what Paul has to say, Acts 17: 31. Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

Paul is preaching in Athens. He was left there to wait for his workers to come, and when he saw so many gods being worshipped his heart was stirred and he began to preach, and when they heard him preach they took him to the market place and let him preach to all the philosophers gathered there. They had an altar to each of their false gods--every god they knew, but in case they might have left one out, they had an altar to the unknown God to be sure they had them all in. So Paul said, I am going to tell you who the unknown God is, and he began to preach. And he says, the One who is to run this world in judgment, the One Who is going to call the human race before Him and be their judge, is the One Who was raised from the dead. Who was that? Are there two? Are there more than one? The whole human race is to be judged by the One Who God raised from the dead, and Paul was a witness that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. He saw Him in His resurrected glory and was struck blind by that resurrected glory.

Romans 4: 25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

While Jesus Christ was delivered for our offenses, we must never forget He was raised again for our justification. Just as the buds, the blossoms, and the almond nuts revealed that life had come to Aaron’s rod. So our Saviour was raised to bear fruit to the glory of God.

20/ Revelations 1: 17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:

John was permitted here to see the resurrected Lord, but he Lord was not just like what John saw in his life. When he saw Him he fell at his feet as if dead. He was not dead. No one can die at the feet of Jesus Christ for that is the place of life. Notice in this Scripture, He did not say, I am the resurrection, as He did in John—I am He that liveth and was dead. That is what you have pictured in the rod of Aaron. The rod of Aaron was dead and it came to life, it bore fruit. There can be no doubt that the stick was dead, now it was alive and bearing fruit. Jesus Christ did not say, Im the resurrected One, I am He that liveth and was dead and behold, I am alive. God says the dead. You want to see the fruit of His resurrection.

Ephesians 2: 1, 2 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

We, who were dead in trespasses and sin, through faith in Jesus Christ are now made alive.

21/ Numbers 17: 9 And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel: and they looked, and took every man his rod.

The rod was seen by the people. Nothing was hidden from their eyes, so with the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ His victory over the grave was witnessed by many who behold Him with their own eyes. While I am not an authority on evidence, I am told by those who know that the evidence of Jesus Christ’s resurrection would pass in any court.

Acts 1: 3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:

He was seen by over five hundred (500) individuals. People whose character could not be called into question. They were those who were willing to bear persecution for this truth. They were willing to bear that testimony and shed their own blood. If it had been a falsehood, I am confident none of the disciples would have been willing to die for Him. His resurrection was not a hidden affair, but an event, well established by many witnesses.

22/ Then we know THAT THE ARK WAS KEPT IN THE TABERNACLE. The tabernacle was the place where man met with God. It spoke of the presence of God in their midst. All those things concealed in the ark show forth our Saviour—the pot of manna, spoke of Him as our supply. The tablets of stone as Christ our righteousness, and the budding rod of Christ our life. The ark revealed the presence of God, and as we look high into the heavens with the eye of faith we see Jesus Christ there in God’s presence, fulfilling all the conditions of those items hidden in the ark.

23/ Numbers 17: 10 And the Lord said unto Moses, Bring Aaron's rod again before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels; and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not.

The same truth is revealed concerning the resurrection of Christ. It is a glowing assurance of eternal life for those who believe on Him, but also a gloomy assurance of judgment for those who reject Him. Those who reject the resurrection of Jesus Christ are sure to face the judgment of God. Just saying it is a spiritual resurrection will not help when you stand before Him.

480-1 / The Song of the Almond Tree / Pre-Easter / 4/8/1979

603-2 A DATE WITH DESTINY-EASTER

Photo by B Smith from Patio

603-2 A DATE WITH DESTINY-EASTER

APRIL 19, 1987 

HENRY F. KULP

I want you to see that Jesus Christ had a date with destiny. And to understand what I mean, let us look at I Corinthians 15: 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

1/ What happened to Jesus Christ was not happenstance. It didn’t just happen. All that happened to Him was planned from eternity past, and you and I can depend upon the truth of Jesus Christ at His death, burial and resurrection.

2/ Our message starts, of course, with the cross of Calvary.

3/ In the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we have the first resurrection in history. No one was ever resurrected before our Lord Jesus Christ, and no one else has been resurrected since. He is the only One Who has been resurrected from the dead. All the others who died and were brought back to life, had been resuscitated, and you must make a distinction between resuscitation and resurrection.

4/ It is one thing to come back from the dead and then to subsequently again die, but it is something else to come back from the dead in a resurrection body that will never die. Jesus Christ is the only person Who has been resurrected in the history of the human race. All other occasions where someone was brought back from the dead, they died again, but Jesus Christ came back from the dead, in the body that was not subject to death. It was a body incorruptible.

5/ John 11: 43, 44 And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.

There were two sisters, Mary and Martha, and they had a brother by the name of Lazarus, and he had died, and if you will look at verse 39, Jesus Christ said, “Take away the stone,” and Martha, the sister of him that was dead said unto Him, Lord by this time, he stinketh, for he has been dead four days. 

Now in verse 43, He said Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face was bound about with a cloth, and Jesus said unto them, Loose him and let him go.He had been dead, and he was living, but he had to die again. He did not come forth from the grave in a resurrection body, in an immortal body.

6/ We could go to the others Jesus Christ raised from the dead, and they too, only had resuscitation, not resurrection.

7/ The people at Corinth, believed in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, but they did not believe that anyone else would be resurrected and have a resurrected body, an immortal body. This was because of Plato. This doctrine did not start with Plato, but he was the great propagator of this doctrine. He said that the body was completely evil, and the Helenists culture took this up and carried it forth, and it was very prevalent at the church at Corinth. They said the body was completely corrupt, and these Greeks were not afraid to die, which was evil, the body, cross the River Styx, and go into Polaroma—they wanted to be rid of their body and to spend eternity without a body. Of course, this shows how foolish their culture was. Remember, the Greeks were the most educated people of their day, but how wrong they were—the body is not evil in itself. The body, according to the Bible is only a tent, a tabernacle, or a temple, a dwelling place. Of course, in the body is the old nature which is evil, but the body is not evil.

8/ These Corinthians had been taught by Paul, and after he left, Apollos came in—the silver-tongued orator, but he evidently had only about three messages at that time, and one of them was on the Rapture, and he talked about the glories of the Rapture, and the wonderful resurrection body the believer is going to get at that time. And these Corinthians who had been influenced by Plato and the Hellenistic culture absolutely blew up said, Don’t you know, we don’t get a resurrection body, only Jesus Christ. Don’t you know the body is evil?

9/ With all this in mind, let us look at verse 1 and Paul gives three aspects of the Gospel. THE GREEKS TAUGHT THAT THE BODY WAS A PRISON FOR THE SOUL, AND WHEN THE GREEK DIED, AND HE LEFT HIS BODY, HIS SOUL WAS OUT OF PRISON. 

Proof of this is found in Acts 17: 31, 32 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter.

When Paul was in Athens and preached resurrection they mocked him, they blew up, they would hear not this truth.

10/ Verse 1 Paul said, I declare, and in the Greek that means TO MAKE KNOWN, TO COMMUNICATE. So he made known, he communicated unto them the Gospel. Unto you, is in DATIVE OF ADVANTAGE. It was to their advantage that he made known unto them the Gospel. The Gospel is good news. Notice, it is not bad news, it is good news. When you tell someone the Gospel, you should be enthusiastic, you should be happy. You don’t tell someone good news, then look like you had a persimmon just before you started talking.

11/ Then he said, which I have preached unto you, which ye have also received, and in which ye stand. The word, “Stand” is in PERFECT TENSE. You stand is in perfect tense, which means you stand in the past with the result you stand there forever. They accepted the Gospel. They believed it, so they had to believe in Jesus Christ’s resurrection.

12/ Now he says of this Gospel, by which, or through which also you are saved. So this Gospel saved them, but then he has the word, if. IT IS A FIRST-CLASSS CONDITION, AND THAT MEANS IF, AND IT’S TRUE. If you have kept that in your memory what I have preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. Then he says, unless, UNLESS IS A DEBATER’S FIRST-CLASS CONDITION. He said, let us assume something—not something that is true, but something that is false so we can refute it.

13/ Verse 3 Christ died for our sins. Let’s understand that phrase, We may get sort of elementary, but let’s do that. To die is a verb, and the subject of the sentence is Christ, so Christ died for our sins, that He might remove our sins. We are not saved by being sorry for our sins, or by giving up our sins, or by living a better life, but by the death of Jesus Christ. Christ does the work.

14/ What does it mean? Christ died for our sins? It means Christ was made sin for us, and then died and paid the price of sin.

15/ Notice, the second essential ingredient of the good news, He was buried, and then the third, He rose again. The first two verbs, died and was buried, are in the Greek Aorist tense, which tells us it is a once-for-all occurrence, that is, Christ died at a certain point of time, He was buried at a specific point of time. These are past historical events. Then the Greek verb for rose-again, however, is in the perfect tense. This tells us that the event happened in the past, and the results go on forever. The effect continues on into the present and the future. That is, Christ died, period, Christ was buried, period, Christ rose and is still living, and He will continue to live.

16/ We titled this message, “A Date with Destiny.” All of this, Christ dying, being buried and resurrected are all in the Scriptures. All of this was decided by God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit in eternity past, and when the time came, the exact time, all took place, and Jesus Christ died, He was buried and He resurrected from he grave.

17/ Please notice, what it says, here. He rose again the third day. That shows us how foolish to say that He died on Friday or to call Friday Good Friday. You see, people do not understand the good news.

18/ Luke 24: 25 - 27 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

Here Jesus Christ was on the road to Emmaus. In the Scripture we have two disciples who loved Jesus. They had believed He was the Messiah, and they were perhaps in that throng that watched Him die. Now they were in deep perplexity, and they were wondering whether their hope was in vain. Had they been deceived? They were walking along the way from Jerusalem to Emmaus and I am told this is not a very long distance, and they were speaking of those things which had happened so recently. When suddenly a stranger drew near and interrupted their conversation.

Verse 17 And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad? Then they told him about the Lord Jesus Christ, and how they had hoped He would be the One Who would redeem Israel.

Verse 21 But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, today is the third day since these things were done.

Then we come to Verse 25. Then He said unto them, O foolish ones and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. Ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to have entered into His glory? 

He was telling them that prophets of the Old Testament had testified before hand of the sufferings of Christ, and then, of course, the glory of his resurrection. Yes, He had a date with destiny.

19/ Isaiah 53:10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

And it tells us how the Lord bruised Him and put Him to grief. In other words, He died and was made sin for us. Then notice the words, He shall prolong His days. The Messiah is not only seen in His death, but shown to be alive after His death.

20/ Isaiah 9: 6, 7 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

The Old Testament demands the resurrection the Messiah. These Scriptures cannot be fulfilled, cannot become a reality unless Jesus Christ is now living physically in a resurrection body, for He will rule and reign as the King of Kings and Lord of lords. He will sit upon the throne of His Father David, He will rule this world and set a government for God the Father.

21/ But yet, as I look at Christ and His destiny, I realize that because I believe in His death, burial and resurrection as payment for my sins, I too, have a destiny that is beyond description

I Corinthians 15: 49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

And as we have borne the image of the earthly, that is Adam, we shall also bear the image of the Heavenly, Yes, we too, will have a resurrection body. We will not experience resuscitation, but resurrection, and we will be like the Lord Jesus Christ. We will have a resurrection body that is celestial.

Verse 40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.

We will have a body that will be at home in the Heavens.

22/ I Corinthians 15: 51 - 55 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

Here He show us a mystery, and this brings forth our destination, our destiny. We shall not all sleep, but we are guaranteed all to be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trip. Then notice, at the end of verse 52 we shall all be changed.

Then the 53rd verse For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

We will be immortal in the future. O, what a destiny, to have an immortal body, a never-dying body, and to be like the Lord Jesus Christ.

23/ To understand our destiny, we have to see something else about the Lord Jesus Christ.

Matthew 28: 1, 2 In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.

In resurrection, Jesus Christ did not have the stone rolled away at the time of His resurrection to let Him step out of the tomb. He went through the stone while it was still in place, but later, an angel of the Lord descended from Heaven and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat upon it. This was later after His resurrection. The stone was not rolled away to let Christ out, but to let humanity in to see the evidence of His resurrection. We know that He went through closed doors in His resurrection body.

24/ Just think what it will be like of us to have a resurrection body just like the Lord Jesus Christ. We will share in the destiny of the Lord Jesus Christ.

AMEN

603-2 A Date with Destiny - Easter / April 19, 1987

EASTER AND YOU

                                                              Photo by B Smith from the patio

81 - Special - Easter and You

April 6, 1980

Pastor Henry F. Kulp

 

In religion’s plan, Easter is a great day. It is probably the most outstanding day. Christmas is a great time, but I am sure more people go to church on Easter than at Christmas, but, yet I am sure that few people understand the impact of the resurrection. I am sure many people do not take time to think what the resurrection of Jesus Christ means. Let me ask you a question. What does the resurrection mean to you at this Easter season? How does it affect your every-day- life.

 

1/ What do we mean by resurrection from the dead? 

 

John 20: 27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.

 

We mean that one comes forth in a physical resurrected body. You would be amazed how many people talk about resurrection but do not mean a resurrected physical body. I heard a preacher one time speaking to the Blair County Ministerium, the only time I went to it, when he said, we know that resurrection is the continuance of personality, and of course, that is not true.

 

2/ When I talk about resurrection, I am reminded of the question, that Paul himself asked King Agrippa, Acts 26: 8 Here is the question. Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead? 

 

John 11: 39, 40 and 43, 44 Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?

 

And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.

3/ We must see a very important point in resurrection. The difference between resuscitation and resurrection. Resuscitation means to revive, to restore, and all through the Bible we have those who experience resuscitation. But nowhere do we have resurrection.  The only one who has been raised from the dead is Jesus Christ. For Paul tells us in Timothy, in Him alone is immortality. In other words, a body that is a resurrected body that can never die.  

 

Matthew 27: 53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.

 

4/ I Corinthians 15: 12 Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?

 

The Corinthians said, there is no resurrection of the dead, but now they didn’t deny the resurrection from the dead of Jesus Christ. They just denied the resurrection of the dead other than Jesus Christ, and they did this because of their pagan past. They believed what Plato said, that the body is evil and wicked, and the best thing that can happen to you is to get rid of the body. They were convinced that the soul of man was immortal, but they believed at death the body would decompose into ashes and never again be made alive.

 

5/ So Paul in the 12^th verse quotes them—how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? You see, they didn’t know enough doctrine, and it is important that you know doctrine.

 

6/  The word, if in the 12^th verse is a first-class condition and it means, Christ is preached and it is true that He rose from the dead, and it refers back to verse 11 whether I or they preach Jesus Christ and the resurrection, because this refers to those who saw Jesus Christ in His resurrected condition, and so they believed what had been taught, but they said His followers, those who believe in Him will never be resurrected from the dead.

 

7/ Verse 13 The word, if is again a first-class condition, but it is a special first-class condition. It is an assumption. It is a debater’s technique, and it could read, “Let us assume that Christ is not risen from the dead.” As you know, the Greeks were great debaters and they loved to debate, and in a debate at certain times, you assume the position of your opposition to be true, to prove that it is really, not true. He says, if you don’t believe that the dead are raised in resurrection bodies, then Christ cannot be raised from the dead. Even though they believed that Christ was raised from the dead. You see, you can’t have one without the other. The resurrection of Christ guarantees the resurrection of those who believe in Him, those who trust in Him and are members of the church the Body of Christ.

 

8/ PAUL IN HIS DEBATER’S TECHNIQUE IS USING HUMAN LOGIC, AND HE SHOWS THE CONSEQUENCES. IF CHRIST DID NOT RAISE, THEN WHAT WOULD BE THE ANSWER?

 

9/ Verse 14 And if Christ be not risen, the word, if again is a first-class condition a debater’s technique, then is our preaching in vain. He is literally saying, let us assume that Christ is not risen from the dead, then is our preaching valueless. Useless.

 

10/ Acts 4: 33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.

 

They were completely convinced that Jesus Christ had been raised from the dead in a physical body.

 

11/ If Christ was not raised from the dead, there is one question we must answer. What happened to the body of Christ if He did not rise from the dead? Since the tomb was empty, only one of two things could have happened. Either His body had been stolen from the tomb, or He had been raised from the dead. Only one of the two groups could have stolen His body. His enemies, or His friends. His enemies would not have taken His body—His friend could not have taken Hid body from the tomb. The very last thing his enemies wanted to have happen was to have His friends steal His body. To guard against this, they very carefully sealed and guarded the sepulcher. Thus, since His enemies would not take His body away, and since His friends could not take His body away, there is only one possibility left that Christ rose from the dead as He said He would.

 

12/ It is said that Thomas Jefferson developed His own bible, but He was concerned merely with the moral teachings of Jesus Christ. His Bible was the same as our Bible, but with all references to the Supernatural eliminated. The closing words are: Matthew 27: 60 And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre and departed.

 

What a tragic end. If our Lord is still in the grave, the rest of the Bible is only a myth.

 

13/ It is not enough to speak about a crucified Saviour, for the Bible tells us of a resurrected Christ. 

 

Romans 4: 25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

 

Here we are told He was delivered for our offenses. That means, He was crucified, made sin, and raised again for our justification. Here are the two central truths of Scripture. Christ died for us, but also rose from the dead. To die would not be enough. The efficacy of His death was proved by His resurrection.

 

14/ If Christ did not raise from the dead, we have no message to preach.

 

Romans 10: 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

 

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the very heart of the Gospel of Salvation. If Christ did not rise physically from the dead—there is no good news. It is all bad news.

 

15/ But not only is our preaching vain if Christ is not risen, but our faith is also vain. If Christ did not rise from the dead, going to church is a waste of time. Giving your money to the church or to the work of the Lord is throwing it to the wind, and of course, if this is true, prayer is absolutely, useless, and valueless. There would be nothing to do but to live and die like an animal.

 

16/ Psalms 27: 13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

 

Here the Psalmist cries out, I had fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. But this faith is valueless if Christ did not rise from the grave. Faith means absolutely nothing.

 

17/ Verse 14 Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.

 

Now we come to another conclusion. If Christ is still dead, we are found false witnesses of God. Why, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ. That means the missionary, the preacher, the Bible teacher, they are all liars—they are living witnesses. Even Christ Himself was a liar if He did not rise.

 

Matthew 17: 22, 23 And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men: And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry. For He said He would raise again from the dead on the third day. 

 

That means He is an imposter.

 

18/ Yet He said, we should not bear false witness.

 

Matthew 19: 18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,

 

19/ Notice, we testified for God that He raised up Christ. You need to see that both God the Father and God the Holy Spirit said to have resurrected Christ from the dead. First of all…God the Father.

 

Psalms 16: 10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

 

Acts 2: 31, 32 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.

 

I Thessalonians 1: 10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

 

Colossians 2: 12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

 

So, from these Scriptures it is certainly clear that God the Father raised Jesus Christ from the dead and, of course, this speaks of His humanity.

 

20/ Then God the Holy Spirit is said to have raised Christ from the dead.

 

Romans 8: 11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

 

I Peter 3: 18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

 

So, both the Father and the Holy Spirit are involved in the resurrection of the humanity of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

 

21/ Verse 16 Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.

 

Now we go back again to the debater’s technique. And if Christ be not raised. The word, if again is a first-class debater’s technique, and every time you see this, this word, if can be translated LET US ASSUME, and then He says, ye are yet in your sins. This proves very clearly that just the death of Jesus Christ is not sufficient to get rid of your sin. It is the blood of Jesus Christ that washes away sin. But that death would have been valueless if He did not come bodily, physically from the grave.

 

22/ Verse 18 They also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.

There is absolutely no hope for them. Compare that with I Thessalonians 4: 13-18 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

He would not have us to be ignorant, concerning them that are asleep.

 

23/ Verse 19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ we are of all men most miserable.

 

This shows us the folly of the social gospel. Our hope is not in this life. If you look at the believer in this present day and age, you will find that his hope is heavenly, not earthly. God does not intend to change things upon earth during the age of grace. It is going to take the second coming of Christ to change this society.

 

24/ But we are not miserable, for we do have a hope that is sure. Let me show you the ultimate of the Christian life. 

 

I Corinthians 15: 35 But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?

 

This is an important verse. But some man will say, how are the dead raised up, and with what body do they come? Notice, it is taken for granted they will have a physical body, because Christ came forth from the tomb in a physical body.

 

25/ Verse 37 And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:

 

Then notice the words, but God giveth a body as it hath pleased Him. 

 

How has it pleased God to give us a physical body? A body just like the body of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

 

Philippians 3: 20, 21 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

 

Because Christ was raised from the dead, we shall be raised from the dead, and like as Christ has a resurrection body, we will have a resurrection body just like His.

 

We are going to have no earthly body, but a heavenly body.

 

I Corinthians 15: 49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

 

So, our entire hope is heavenly.

 

(An extra thought—Water never symbolizes death or burial, but exactly the opposite. It symbolizes life.)

 

John 4:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

 

Rev 21: 6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

 

Rev 22: 17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

81 – Special – EASTER AND YOU / Pastor Henry F. Kulp / April 6, 1980