John Stott once wrote, “The resurrection is God’s decisive demonstration that he had not died in vain.”
Do you know what makes Christianity unique? The resurrection of Jesus.
Do you know what sets Christianity apart from all other religions? The resurrection of Jesus.
”The resurrection of Jesus Christ is God’s public signature that all that Christ taught was true!” ~Mark Dever
Jesus the Great Prophet
Jesus was a great prophet, yet he was unlike any other prophet of God. He not only proclaimed the very words of God, He was the very Word of God made flesh (John 1:1-4). He was God’s Word Incarnate. He came to do the will of the Father (Luke 22:42), to reveal the Father (Matthew 11:27), and to speak the things of the Father (John 8:28; 12:49). See also, Luke 13:33, Matthew 13:57.
Jesus the Great High Priest
Jesus was not only the greatest Prophet of God, He was also the Great High Priest of God. “Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek” (Hebrews 5:5-10). Jesus who is the True Priest offered himself as a sacrifice (Ephesians 5:2; Hebrews 9:26-27; 10:12). “But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation” (Hebrews 9:11). As a priest, Jesus is our mediator between God and ourselves (1 Timothy 2:5).
Jesus the King
“A king is someone who has authority to rule and reign over a group of people. Jesus is just such a king. He is called the King of the Jews by the Magi (Matthew 2:2), and Jesus accepts that title in Matthew 27:11, “Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor questioned Him, saying, ‘Are You the King of the Jews?’ And Jesus said to him, ‘It is as you say.’” Matthew 21:5 speaks of Jesus and says, “Behold your King is coming to you, gentle, and mounted on a donkey.” Remember, Jesus is King in that he rules and judges. “And I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True; and in righteousness He judges and wages war,” (Revelation 19:11). The armies follow him (Revelation 19:14).
The phrase, “Kingdom of God,” occurs 66 times in the NASB, most of them in the synoptic gospels. “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel,” (Mark 1:14). Jesus taught us to pray, “Thy Kingdom come,” (Matthew 6:10). Is there a kingdom of God without a King? No. Jesus is that king: “‘Are You the King of the Jews?’ And Jesus said to him, ‘It is as you say,'” (Matthew 27:11). See CARM.
The resurrection is God’s stamp of approval of Jesus’ finished work as the Great Prophet, Priest and King.
As Paul proclaims in Philippians 3:10-11, “that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.” “But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.
“But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death” (1 Corinthians 15:13ff).
This is our hope.
He is risen! He is risen, indeed!!