Introduction: Here is a brief study on the subject of resurrections in the Bible – primarily New Testament. 

1. The Resurrection of Lazarus, Jairus’ daughter, and the Widow of Nani’s son! (John 11; Mark 5; Luke 7)

A desperate daddy cried out to Jesus to deliver his daughter from death. Jesus raised her from the dead. 

2. The Saints resurrected when Jesus died on the cross! (Matt 27)

The saints in Jerusalem were resurrected when Jesus took upon our sins as He paid our penalty on the cross. They eventually died again. 

3. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ! (Matt 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 21)

Jesus arose from the dead!

4. The Resurrection of Eutychus! (Acts 20)

Evidently Paul preached a long time, well unto midnight. A young man fell asleep and then plunged to his death. He was resurrected by a miracle in the days of Paul. Wonder if everyone who fell asleep in Church died??

5. The Resurrection of the Church at the Rapture! (1Thess 4:13-18)

Here is the familiar passage that is dealing with the event called the rapture. The dead in Christ will rise first (the Church). Talk about a homecoming!!

6. The Resurrection of the Martyred Saints! (Rev 20)

Those who have not received the mark of the beast nor worshiped his image will be resurrected during the millennium. Rewards await the faithful!

7. The Resurrection of the lost who have died! (Rev 20)

Out of all the resurrections listed this will be the saddest. Why? Because those who die without Jesus Christ will be thrown into the final abode of the dead which is the Lake of fire. 

Conclusion: During this resurrection season, do a Bible study on these supernatural events described in the Scriptures. It will bless you. 

Introduction: Jesus declared He was dead but came back to life! Do we realize the significance of that statement? Because of that affirmation, we are assured of eternal life and the victorious life in Christ.

“Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” (Rev. 1:17-18)

1. The Enemy of Fear! (Rev 1:17, 18)

“Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”

Fear paralyzes. Are you fearful? Why? What is it? Is it about tomorrow? Is it about the unchangeable? Why not Allow Jesus to calm your fears?

2. The Friend of Faith! (Rev 1:17, 18)

“Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”

Faith is the opposite of fear. Feed your faith. Starve your fear. Jesus came through! He won!! Because He won, we win!

3. The Final Future! (Rev 1:17, 18)

“Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”

Death has been defeated. It met its match! Jesus is LORD over death, hell, sin, and the grave. Heaven awaits every believer.

Introduction: Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit after His resurrection. Did He do it? What does that mean?

1. Jesus Promised to Send the Holy Spirit! (Luke 24:49)

“49And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.”

These words were spoken by our Lord after His demonstration to the two on the road to Emmaus that He was God. Their blind eyes were opened to see Him. Their dull hearts were quickened to believe Him. And ultimately, their empty lives were filled with His Holy Spirit to serve Him.

Do you keep your promises?

2. Jesus fulfilled His promise to send the Holy Spirit! (Acts 2:1-4)

“And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

This outpouring of the Holy Spirit was exactly 50 days after Jesus resurrection…10 days after His ascension. But all of it was to fulfill His Word, which was His promise that He would not leave the disciples alone. 

Aren’t you glad we are not alone?

Conclusion: All of this means Jesus keeps His promises! He promised to return. Can we trust Him?

Yes.

Introduction: What are the evidences of Jesus Christ’s resurrection? They are numerous. But for today’s devotion we will only mention a few.

He made at least 10 different appearances before His ascension.

1. To the Two on the road to Emmaus! (Luke 24:13f)

“13And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs. 14And they talked together of all these things which had happened. 15And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. 16But their eyes were holden that they should not know him.”

That day was a gloomy day for the two. That is until they met Jesus. There gloominess was turned into gladness. 

Why? Because they saw Jesus as the Son of God; they believed the Bible as the Word of God; and they were eventually filled with the Holy Spirit of God. 

Are you going to remain gloomy?

2. To Mary! (John 20:11-14)

“But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, 12And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. 13And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. 14And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.”

Mary fell at His feet and worshipped. Shouldn’t we do the same?

3. To the Disciples without Thomas! (John 20:19)

“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, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.”

The troubled disciples needed PEACE. We need Jesus’s PEACE today!

4. To the Disciples with Thomas! (John 20:24-28)

“24But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. 25The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. 26And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. 27Then 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. 28And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.”

Thomas went from doubting to shouting!! When a person sees Jesus with the eye of faith, he or she will shout as well. 

5. To 500 brethren! (1Cor 15:5-6)

“5And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: 6After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.”

That is a lot of people. Even Paul saw the risen Lord!

“And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.” (1Cor 15:8)

Jesus is alive! Let’s tell the world!!

Conclusion: These different appearances by our Lord give proof that those who saw Him after His resurrection were not hallucinating! Instead, they were worshipping!

So we should do the same.

Introduction: Jesus tells us that He will come in a twinkling of an eye. Are you ready?

What does this mean? What will happen? Where will you be? How soon are we there?

Here are some changes that will take place.

“51Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52In 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.” (1 Cor 15:51-52)

1. Our bodies will be changed! (1Cor 15:35-38)

“5But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? 36Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: 37And 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: 38But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.”

What about a brand new body?

2. Our belongings will be changed! (1Cor 15:55,56)

“O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.”

Death will once and for all be defeated.

3. Our battlefield will be changed! (1Cor 15:58)

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”

Four words come to mind:

1. Resist –  “be ye stedfast”

2. Retreat – “unmoveable”

3. Reclaim – “always abounding in the work of the Lord,”

4. Rewards –  “forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”

Conclusion: Since all of these changes will take place are you getting ready?

Introduction: The greatest event in human history was the resurrection of Jesus Christ! Because He lives we can face tomorrow; we have eternal life; our sins are forgiven; and it gives us a guarantee that He will come again. 

Notice the sequence of events.

1. Jesus Christ Crucified! (1Cor 15:3)

“3For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures.”

Without a “cross” there can be no “crown”!

Because Jesus became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross (Phil 2:8), we can be forgiven. Through His redeeming blood, we are set free! Furthermore, the cross of Christ is a tool to give us abundant life in this life. 

We, too, have a cross to bear (Matt 10:38,39). But this cross is not the same as Jesus bore. Instead, this cross is for us to take up daily by denying ourselves.

How are you doing?

2. We are Justified! (1Cor 15:4)

“4And that he was buried…”

After literally dying (out came blood and water), Jesus’ body was buried into a tomb. A hurried up procedure was done as He was placed in the borrowed grave. 

But death could not hold Him! The grave could not contain Him!! Herod or Pilate or the Jews, nor the Roman soldiers could not keep Him!!! He was God in the flesh who created all things. 

3. Because of the Resurrection, God was Satisfied! (1Cor 15:3)

“3For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures. 4And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”

Is your God alive?

Jesus has conquered sin, death, hell and the grave.

He lives! Is He living in you?

Conclusion: These truths are paramount to the CHRISTian life. Rejoice, child of God, for a RISEN Savior and soon coming Bridegroom. Then, after 7 years of tribulation, in His second coming He will establish His 1,000 year reign as the King of King’s and Lord of Lord’s.

Hallelujah!

Introduction: Let’s face it. Jesus was born to die, but He would rise from the grave as He said He would. He came to pay the penalty for our sins. Through His redeeming blood our sins are forgiven. As we have seen, the last week of our Lord was filled with specific prophetic  events with Him being anointed, riding into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey, and instituting the Last Supper, as well as the Garden of Gethsemane experience, and then the arrest and mock trial, His awful crucifixion, the burial, and now the resurrection according to the gospel of Mark. 

1. The Women want to finish the Job! (Mark 16:1-4)

“1And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. 2And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. 3And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? 4And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.” 

Due to the hurried up crucifixion and burial (Passover), the women followers of Jesus showed up on the resurrection morning to finish the job of preparing the body. Check out the love and devotion they have for Jesus!

Are we that dedicated to risk our lives for Him who gave His life? 

2. The Angel tells them the Good News! (Mark 16:5-8)

“5And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted. 6And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him. 7But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you. 8And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid.”

Why mention to tell Peter specifically? [This reveals the angel knew what had happened.] The answer is because the last time Peter had seen Jesus, he had denied His Lord. There is no doubt he was very sorrowful! In fact Peter repented. Then he was restored!!

3. The Women were told to go and tell! (Mark 16:7)

“But go your way, tell his disciples.”

The same message applies to us today. Go and tell. Are you doing it? Why not?

Conclusion: Do you know why the women were the first to hear the news that Jesus Christ arose from the grave? They were seeking Him!

Are we seeking Him?

Introduction: Let’s face it. Jesus was born to die. He came to pay the penalty for our sins. Through His redeeming blood our sins are forgiven. As we have seen, the last week of our Lord was filled with specific prophetic events with Him being anointed, riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, and instituting the Last Supper, as well as the Garden of Gethsemane experience, and then the arrest and mock trial, His awful crucifixion, and now the burial according to the gospel of Mark.

1. The Soldiers (Matt 27:62-64)

“62Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, 63Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. 64Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first.”

To be sure that the disciples could not come and steal the body of Jesus from the tomb the chief priests got permission from Pilate to place guards at the grave. These were trained soldiers who would guard it with their life.

2. The Seal & the Stone! (Matt 27:65,66)

“65Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can. 66So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.”

The seal was usually authoritative and authentic including a signature of a public leader; i.e. governor, king. Some scholars suggest it was either signified by clay or another material that only could be broken by its sealer. This seal would be fashioned on each side of the large stone with some sort of band stretching across the stone. Little did the authorities know that Jesus would rise from the grave like He said he would…. another fulfillment of Scripture.

Introduction: Let’s face it. Jesus was born to die. He came to pay the penalty for our sins. Through His redeeming blood our sins are forgiven. As we have seen the last week of our Lord was filled with specific prophetic  events with Him being anointed, riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, and instituting the Last Supper, as well as the Garden of Gethsemane experience, and then the arrest and mock trial, His awful crucifixion, and now the burial according to the gospel of Mark. 

1. The Pallbearers! (Mark 15:42)

“42And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, 43Joseph of Arimathaea, an honourable counseller, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus. 44And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead. 45And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph. 46And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre.”

Evidently, Joseph was wealthy. And yet giving credit where it’s due, he was not afraid to be identified with Jesus. Nicodemus was another helper added by another gospel writer. These two men served as pallbearers. 

2. The Graveseekers! (Mark 15:47)

“47And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where he was laid.”

This was extremely important that Mary knew the exact location of the tomb. Why? Because there is a theory to try to discredit the resurrection of Jesus Christ that the women went to the “Wrong Tomb.” However, this refutes that preposterous idea! 

Conclusion: Again here is evidence that Jesus literally died. He was placed in a tomb. But the greatest miracle was yet to come.

Introduction: Let’s face it. Jesus was born to die. He came to pay the penalty for our sins. Through His redeeming blood our sins are forgiven. As we have seen, the last week of our Lord was filled with specific prophetic  events with Him being anointed, riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, and instituting the Last Supper, as well as the Garden of Gethsemane experience, and then the arrest and mock trial. Next, we will look at His awful crucifixion all according to the gospel of Mark. 

1. Before the Execution/ Crucifixion! (Mark 15:16 -20)

“16And the soldiers led him away into the hall, called Praetorium; and they call together the whole band. 17And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head, 18And began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews! 19And they smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees worshipped him. 20And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him.”

Having the privilege of being right there in the Praetorian hall a few years ago, I can tell you it was an eerie experience. Cold, dark, and damp describes the place – and demonic. 

2. The Crucifixion! (Mark 14:21-26)

“And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross.”

Interestingly enough that Jesus said that if we want to follow Him, then we must take up our cross daily. 

“22And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull. 23And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not. 24And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take. 25And it was the third hour, and they crucified him. 26And the superscription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

Beneath the cross the rugged Roman soldiers gambled for His garments. One centurion recognized Jesus as the Som of God. Jesus was portrayed by Matthew’s gospel as the King of the Jews. While they rejected Him in His first appearance, when He comes back to the earth they will look upon Him whom they’ve pierced and mourn….and Israel will be saved in a day. 

3. During the Crucifixion! (Mark 14:27 -32)

“And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left. 28And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors. 29And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, 30Save thyself, and come down from the cross. 31Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save. 32Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.”

One thief was saved. One thief was lost.

(Mark 15:45-55)

“45Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. 46And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? 47Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias. 48And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. 49The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him. 50Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. 51And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; 52And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, 53And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and  appeared unto many. 54Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God. 55And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him: 56Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s children.”

God the Son became sin for us. While no sin was in Him all of our sins were on Him. Therefore, a curtain was dropped from heaven. God the Father could not even look at His Son who became sin that the righteousness of God would be upon all who put their faith and trust in Him. Try to explain that!

Conclusion: While it does the believer good to remember the high and costly price Jesus Christ paid for our sin debt and forgiveness, it doesn’t finish His ultimate purpose for coming to this earth. The next devotion will explain that.