Word of Salvation – Vol. 14 No.14 – March 1968

 

The Fruits Of Christ's Resurrection

 

Sermon by Rev. G. H. W. Kroon, Th.Grad. on Lord's Day 17

SCRIPTURE READING: 1Cor.15:1-20

PSALTER-HYMNAL: 215 (1,2); 78 (1,3); 247 (5,7); 375; 466

 

Beloved Congregation,

Christians are supposed to MARCH as to war with the cross of Jesus going before, but is it not true, that their marching often gives the impression that it has become a JOGGING?

The commander of an American army platoon in Vietnam can tell us, that all his soldiers have to be wide awake.  Moving through the jungle, they have to look in front, to the left and to the right, as well as behind them, otherwise the snipers will get them.  The church is in a similar position.  Christ leads His church, but as yet He does not lead her through a paradise.  He leads her through the reality of a wicked world.  If Christians are not wide awake, they will fall victim to the greatest sniper of this universe, the devil.

Once this sniper fired from inside a serpent and he was successful.  Once this sniper fired at Christ Himself, but how glad we can be, that he misfired.  Yet, this sniper is still around.  The trouble is that he does not appear in public.  It is hard to discover and to recognize him, but he IS around.

The early church and Paul were troubled by him.

"How say some among you, that there is no resurrection of the dead?"  We see in our Scripture passage that some members of the church were used as instruments of the king of snipers.

How was that possible?  They were led in their reasoning by the spirit of the devil, and they pushed God's Word aside.

They did not know their bible.  They did not know how to discern the spirits.  Yes, Christians have to pay equal and proper attention to BOTH God's Word and God's Spirit.

For how is it possible to be led by God's Spirit, if people twist God's Word around to suit their own tastes, feelings or emotions?  And how is it possible to be led by God's Word, if people refuse God's Spirit to apply it to their hearts.  God wants us to be mature Christians: NOT to be carried about with every wind of doctrine or spirit, but to be led by His Spirit, and no less by His Word.

Now you expect, of course, that we are going to meditate today upon the FACT of Christ's resurrection.  But, then you are mistaken.  His resurrection is an INDISPUTABLE fact.  We accept it without any argument.  But, led by God's Word and Spirit, we shall consider:

            THE FRUITS OF CHRIST'S RESURRECTION

in connection with....

            our justification,
            our sanctification, and
            our glorification.

1.  When a criminal is caught, sentenced and imprisoned, people will say: "Serves him right."

When Jesus was caught, sentenced and crucified, many of the Jews made a similar remark: "He deserved it."  But we know better, don't we?  Jesus took our place.  He was our substitute.  WE should have been hanged on Calvary's cross, and WE should have been forsaken by God.

But instead, Jesus Christ was delivered up for OUR offences, BECAUSE OF OUR SINS, ON ACCOUNT OF OUR iniquities.

He was sinless, yet God gave His Son to bear OUR punishment and Christ Himself was willing to undergo this punishment.  And when we consider the severity of the punishment, we get a fair idea how great our guilt was.

Yes, it was for our sake that Christ was crucified and was caught in the clutches of death and the grave.  As long as we live, we may NEVER, no NEVER forget that.

When a criminal has served his prison term, a warder releases him.  And the open prison door means so much as to say: You have paid for your stupidity.  You are now justified in the eyes of all.  Your slate is clean again.  You are free.  You can start a new life.

We see another warder at the tomb of Jesus.  He rolls the stone away.  We do not know what this warder said to the prisoner in the tomb, but we could imagine we hear him saying: The price has been paid for THEIR stupidity.  They are now justified in the eyes of the heavenly Judge.  THEIR slate is clean again.  THEY are free and can start a new life.  And THOU art also released because the price has been paid.  Yes, THEY the repentant sinners – are free again, for Jesus is their substitute.  He has taken their place, has been humiliated and imprisoned.  As Paul says, "Delivered for OUR offences."

And now we can clearly see the relation between Christ's resurrection and our justification.  The heavenly warder could only roll the stone away, because the heavenly Judge said: "The price has been paid.  It is sufficient."

Yes, the empty tomb is proof of – and the result of our justification and liberation.

Paul continues in Rom.4:25: "He was raised again FOR, ON ACCOUNT of, our justification."

The Sniper, the devil is still around in 1968: "Did God say so?"  There is a saying, "Once bitten, twice shy".  And, keeping that saying in mind, we turn around and listen to what God says to us in His Word.  And then we hear:

            "And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain: you are still in your sins."

Do you remember the suggestion by the chief priests after they had bribed the soldiers: "Say His disciples came by night and stole Him away, while we slept".  That was another occasion, where we see the Sniper, the Devil at work.

But if that were true, then Christ's resurrection would be no proof of our justification.  But the fact that the heavenly warder opened the tomb and released Jesus, THAT is the indisputable evidence, that the work of Christ had effected our justification, and that God was satisfied.

Therefore the proclamation of Christ's resurrection at the open tomb on Easter morning is of such tremendous importance, gladness and comfort to us.  For it tells us that our guilt has been taken away and that we are children of God, received again by grace into all eternity.

God's Word tells us that Christ died on account of our sins.  And that should cause us to be very humble.

God's Word also tells us, that Christ NOW LIVES on account of our justification, which He worked for us.

And that knowledge fills our hearts with joy.  It is our only comfort and assurance in life and death.

2.  Christ's resurrection has also a bearing upon our SANCTIFICATION.  Says Paul in Eph.2:5, "But God... even when we were dead in sins, has quickened us together with Christ."  This text refers to our souls.  And Paul is really saying that our souls were dead.

How do we have to understand this?  Death does not mean annihilation, but it points to a different action.  Dr. Kuiper used the following illustration.  When a body becomes a corpse, then there is still action going on in that corpse.  But what an awful action!   And so it is with a dead soul.  It is not life-less or work-less, but it is now actioned by different powers, which have a totally different aim.

To sum it up: The soul which was intended to function in accordance with God's will and law, has gone berserk and now works against God's will and law.

Paul shows us here the relation between Christ's resurrection and our sanctification.  When Christ was raised from the dead, our souls were quickened together with Him.

The wrong action in our souls came to a halt and they began to function again in the way they were meant to, in accordance with God's will and law.

Here we see something of that mystical union between us and Christ.  The life which is restored to Christ and flows through His whole body, becomes the principle of our sanctification.

To help us understand this incomprehensible, glorious union, are reminded of Jesus' words: "I am the vine and you are the branches.  He who abides in me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit, for without Me, you can do nothing.”

The Holy Spirit is at work.  He takes the branches (that is, He takes US) and engrafts us into the vine, the living Christ.

And what happens when the new life flows into the branches?  Our souls begin to see things in a different light.  We begin to recognize the voice of the Sniper – and we refuse to listen to him any longer.  We begin to rely upon God and His Word, guided by the Holy Spirit.

Faith in the Triune God takes possession of our souls.... and the new life takes possession of our will.

Once desirous to do evil, now we want to do good.

Once desirous to do our own will, now we delight in doing God's will.

Once reluctant to serve God, now we love to work for Him.

Once reluctant to go to Church, now we go gladly.

Once reluctant to study God's Word, now it becomes our daily meditation.

The old life disappears more and more.  The advance of the new life cannot be stemmed; it transforms dead souls into living ones.  This is a life-time process, and will be completed only when we die.

All this follows from Christ's resurrection.

Now, one of us may say: "Well, that is it."  The Holy Spirit does the work, and whether we march or jog, makes no difference.  We know better, don't we?  Yes, the Holy Spirit does work - and the life that flows from the vine into the branches does push forward, but it certainly does NOT take away our responsibility.  Sanctification is a gift, but it is at the same time a duty.

"How shall we, who are dead to sin, live any longer therein?"  This ought to keep us wide awake, MARCHING as to war with the desire to become more and more holy.

Our sanctification will then show how firmly we are engrafted into Christ.

3.  The Son of God was deeply humiliated on earth, ultimately resulting in His burial.

But once the tomb was thrown wide open, He walked out onto the road of glorification.  There was His ascension; and His sitting at the right hand of God – and still to come, is His glorious return to judge the nations.

Again, for a good understanding of these things, we should never forget that Christ is the Head and we are the members of His body.  He is the vine and we the branches, inseparably connected with one another.

Is Christ crucified?
  The believers are crucified with Him.  When Christ receives new life, those, who are His receive new life.

Is Christ glorified?
  Those who are His will be glorified.  Paul says: But now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first-fruits of them that slept.

Jesus was the very first to rise again.  True, Lazarus, and the widow's son of Nain, and the daughter of Jairus, they arose too, but not permanently; afterwards they died again.

Jesus is the first-fruit.  He is the Head of the believers.  And where there is a first one, there are naturally more to follow.  Here we find a SURE PLEDGE of OUR blessed resurrection.

For if the Head arises, we can be assured that the members of that very same body also will arise.  Our resurrection is promised in Christ's resurrection.  There is a marvellous, glorious future awaiting those who belong to Christ.

It is going to be different then from what it is now.  The individual Christian may be plagued with weaknesses, infirmities, sickness, sorrow or burdens.  He is far from perfect.  The same can be said about the church.  She has many problems.  She is far from perfect.  Yet, we may say to one another: Better times are at hand.  Oh, no, not here upon earth, but when our Head, the Lord Jesus will return; then He will raise our bodies and change them into glorified bodies.  Bodies which will have no knowledge of short-comings, infirmities, sicknesses or tears.

And the church will then become absolutely perfect.  You would not believe it possible, would you?  Yet it is true.  There will be a NEW Earth and a NEW Heaven.  It is going to be good.  Perfectly good, Congregation.

How important is the resurrection of Christ?
            It proves our JUSTIFICATION.
            It works our SANCTIFICATION.
            It results in our GLORIFICATION.

The resurrection of Christ is one glorious, comforting message.

One question.  Can we claim all this?  Can we be assured of it?

Yes, if we confess our guilt and believe in Christ's atoning death, then God tells us, that we ARE justified, but... there MUST be confession of guilt.  And then we MUST ALSO find ourselves to be walking on the road of sanctification, for there is NO OTHER ROAD to glorification.

It makes ALL the difference whether people believe in Christ's resurrection, yes or no.

Those who do not believe in it, will still be raised one day, but... unto eternal condemnation.

But those who DO believe in it, will be justified, quickened, raised and glorified together with Christ unto everlasting life.  It is faith in Christ's resurrection that causes Christians to sing:
            O, Christ, be THOU our lasting joy,
            Our ever great reward.
            Our only glory may it be
            To glory in THE LORD.

Amen.