Accomplishments of the Resurrection ~ 20230416 ~ Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org
04/16 Accomplishments of the Resurrection ; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20230416_accomplishments-of-resurrection.mp3
He is Risen!
Our Eastern Orthodox brothers and sisters, who follow the Julian calendar rather than the Gregorian calendar, celebrate Easter, Resurrection Sunday today. When it happened is vastly less important than that it happened, and we ought to rejoice in the fact of the resurrection of Jesus every day. Rightly we emphasize the cross, what Jesus accomplished by his sufferings and death, because that is the emphasis of the New Testament. A full one third of the gospel accounts are given to the final week of Jesus’ life that culminated in his crucifixion. The blood of Christ, the cross of Christ is so central to the gospel message that the good news message can be referred to in shorthand as ‘the word of the cross’ or ‘Christ crucified’ (1Cor.1:18,23).
We rightly give our attention to the cross, but if we neglect the resurrection, we fail to pay attention to an essential part of the good news.
Last week we looked at some of the Old Testament foreshadowing and the hope of the resurrection. Today I want to go deeper and look at what the resurrection of Jesus accomplished; the theology of the resurrection, what it means for us today.
Raised for our Justification (Romans 4:25)
In Romans 4, Paul draws a distinction between the accomplishments of the death of Christ and his resurrection. He says that Jesus:
Romans 4:25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
Jesus was betrayed by a friend, delivered up to the council, then delivered over to Pilate, and although publicly declared innocent, he was ultimately delivered up to the soldiers to be crucified. It was on our account, on account of our sins that he died; it was for our trespasses. Throughout the Scriptures we see the substitutionary nature of Christ’s death. He died for our sins. He paid a debt he didn’t owe. He suffered, the just for the unjust, to bring us to God. An innocent victim died in place of the sinner, to appease the righteous wrath of a holy God. He was delivered up for our trespasses.
And he was raised for our justification. What exactly does this mean? He was raised is passive; something that was done to him, just like delivered up is passive – it is something done to him by another. We see repeatedly that it was the Father who raised Jesus from the dead. Jesus also claimed to be the one who would raise himself up from the dead, but here the focus is on the Father raising him from the dead.
The Father raised Jesus up for our justification. Raised up can be both from and to. We might think primarily on what he was raised up from; he was raised up from the grave, up out of death. But he was also raised up to life, he was raised up for something. He was raised up and exalted, we learn in Philippians, to a position of great honor and authority. He was raised up to a resurrection kind of life. And this seems to be the focus of this passage; he was raised up on account of our justification or for our justification.
Justification; Legal Verdict of Innocence
Resurrection doesn’t just show up out of nowhere at the end of Romans 4. Resurrection is the context of the passage. Romans 4 is pointing us back to the faith of Abraham. Romans 4 tells the story of Abraham being justified by faith not works. Now before we go any farther, we need to understand what is meant by ‘justification’ so we can make sense of this passage. The way we typically use the word ‘justification’ goes something like this; my justification for driving 80 in a 65 is that I had this really important place to be, and I was running a little late, and I didn’t want to keep anyone waiting, so I was just trying to make up a little time. And after all, no one really goes the speed limit; I was just blending in to traffic. Justification is my excuse for why the wrong thing that I did was actually permissible. The Bible uses the word somewhat differently. It does carry the idea of a legal defense, but instead of trying to make the wrong sound ok, justification actually points to the legal verdict. If I go before the judge, and he hears my case, and he finds me guilty, I am condemned and sentenced. But if I go before the judge, and he reviews all the evidence, and he finds me innocent of the charges, he declares me not guilty; I am justified. I am declared righteous. I can walk out of the courtroom head held high; all the charges against me were found unsubstantiated. Justification is based on objective findings, on my record, on my performance, on my works. Did I do what I am being charged with or am I innocent of the charges. This is what makes Romans 4 so startling. Romans 4 begins with the dismissal of all the evidence.
Romans 4:1 What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”
Whatever Abraham did or didn’t do is irrelevant to the case. His performance is not even under review. He gained nothing by his own righteousness, and he lost nothing by his lack thereof. Abraham’s own record does not even enter in to the decision. Abraham simply believed God, trusted God, took God at his word, and that dependence on God was credited to him as righteousness. He was justified, declared innocent. Paul wants to make sure we don’t miss this.
Romans 4:4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,
Wages are earned. Wages are owed to the one who works. But that is not how Abraham was justified. He wasn’t declared righteous because of his performance, because of his works, because of his godly character. The fact is he was not godly; he was ungodly. But he was given a gift; a gift he didn’t earn and doesn’t deserve. He believed in a God who somehow justifies ungodly people as a gift.
Delivered Up for our Trespasses
In the next verses he makes the point that ‘blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, whose sins are covered, against whom the Lord will not count his sin.’ This is the accomplishment of Jesus’ death. We can be forgiven, because he was condemned in our place. Our sins are covered, washed away by the blood of Jesus. My sin is not on my record, it is not counted against me, because it was charged to Jesus’ record.
By Grace Through Faith
He makes the point that this justification is completely apart from any kind of covenant faithfulness or law-keeping. It is a gift.
Romans 4:16 That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, 17 as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations” ...
Resurrection
This is where the theme of resurrection comes in:
Romans 4:17 ...—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. 18 In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.”
God promised an aged childless man with a barren wife that he would be the father of nations. He had to believe in God’s power to create something out of nothing, to give life even to the dead.
Romans 4:19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. 20 No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.
This is what faith is; believing God will do what he promises to do; taking God at his word. Even if that means acknowledging his own deadness and helplessness and believing God can bring life out of death.
Romans 4:22 That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” 23 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
This is written for us. Abraham’s faith in God’s resurrecting life giving power was credited to him as righteousness. Our belief in God’s resurrecting power is credited to us as righteousness, because we believe in a God who raised Jesus from the dead. Jesus died on account of our trespasses, to grant us forgiveness, to bring our account out of the negative, to bring us to zero. He was raised to bring us his own righteousness, to credit his righteousness to our account.
Contrast; Adam (sin and death) and Christ (righteousness & life)
The Father raised Jesus up for our righteousness, for our justification. This word for justification is a different form of the more common word for justification; this specific form is only found also in Romans 5:18. This section of Romans 5 contrasts Adam and Christ. Sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin.
Romans 5:16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. 17 For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. 18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.
Death could not hold Jesus because he was intrinsically righteous; death had no claim on him, because he never sinned. He was subjected to death for our sake, because of our sin. The resurrection declared Jesus righteous. His one act of righteousness leads to declaring the many righteous, and if we are counted righteous in Christ, that justification leads to resurrection life for all who believe.
Born Again through the Resurrection (1Peter 1:3)
Another passage that points us to the resurrection of Jesus and what it accomplishes is 1 Peter 1. Peter says this:
1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
This passage tells us that our new birth comes through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Father, by his great mercy, caused us to be born again through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. How does the resurrection of Jesus connect to our new birth?
When we were dead in our trespasses and sins, he made us alive in Christ by his amazing grace. That’s resurrection power; life out of death. Where his death conquers our sin, his resurrection secures our new life.
The Holy Spirit is the one who gives life, brings about the new birth, and Jesus promised to send the Spirit to live in us after he ascended to the right hand of his Father. He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
Ezekiel 37; Can These Bones Live?
Son of man, can these bones live? A valley of bones, very dry, scattered on the surface of the valley. Prophecy over these bones, say ‘O dry bones, hear the word of YHWH. Thus says the Lord God ‘behold, I will cause ruach; breath, wind, spirit, to enter you, and you shall live. I will put ruach in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am YHWH.
***
2023.04.16 Sermon Notes
Accomplishments of the Resurrection; Romans 4; 1 Peter 1
Jesus was delivered up for our trespasses;
Romans 4:25
Jesus was raised for our justification
Romans 4:25
The meaning of Justification: legal verdict of innocence
by faith; Romans 4:1-3
as a gift to the ungodly; Romans 4:4-5
debt canceled; Romans 4:6-8
not from faithfulness or law keeping; Romans 4:9-15
by grace through faith; Romans 4:16
a promise of life out of death; Romans 4:17-21
his righteousness credited to believers; Romans 4:22-25
Contrast between Adam and Christ
Sin and death came by one man; Romans 5:12
The free gift brought justification; Romans 5:16
grace and righteousness reign in life; Romans 5:17
one act of righteousness - justification and life; Romans 5:18
obedience of one makes many righteous; Romans 5:19
Born again through the resurrection
1 Peter 1:3
Can these bones live?
I will cause breath/wind/spirit to enter you; Ezekiel 37:1-10
***
Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org