The Resurrection of Jesus' Followers - Part Four (VIDEO) | St. Mary's Church

April 10, 2014

Why the Resurrection of
Jesus and His Followers Matters

Part Four
Why the Resurrection of Jesus and His Followers Matters

Why the Resurrection Was Important

The Resurrection and the vindication of Jesus (Deut 21:23; Gal 3:13)
- Death as the defining moment in every life
- Death as a defining moment in Jesus’ life
- The scandal of Jesus death on the cross
The Resurrection and Jesus’ proclamation of the Kingdom of God (Mark 1:15)
- Jesus proclamation of the kingdom of God
- The kingdom was present in Jesus ministry
- The kingdom will come in power at Jesus’ return
The Resurrection and the experience of the Spirit (Acts 2; 1 Cor 12 & 14; Rom 8:11)
- The church’s experience of the Spirit at Pentecost
- The church’s experience of the Spirit in its ongoing life
- The experience of the Spirit as hope for resurrection from the dead
The Resurrection and the fulfillment of Israel’s hope (Acts 26:2-8)
- Israel’s hope for land and progeny
- Israel’s hope for a deliverer and a messianic age
- Paul’s understanding of the resurrection as the fulfillment of this hope
The Resurrection and the community of Jesus’ disciples (Mark 14:28, 16:7; Matt 28:16-20)
- The death of Jesus as the dissolution of the Jesus’ movement
- The resurrection as the restoration of Jesus’ disciples
- The resurrection as the beginning of the Church’s mission

Why the Resurrection Is Important

The Resurrection as the foundation of Christian faith (1 Cor 15:2-5, 17)
- The resurrection as that without which there is no Christian faith
- The resurrection as the ground for understanding who Jesus is
- The resurrection as the ground for understanding who the Christian is
The Resurrection as God’s response to Sin and Death (1 Cor 15:21-22, 26)
- The resurrection as God’s response to Jesus’ death
- The resurrection as God’s victory over the Power of Sin unleased by Adam
- The resurrection as God’s victory over the last and final enemy
The Resurrection and the moral life of the Christian (Rom 6:3-4; 8:9; Eph 2:6; Col 2:12)
- The resurrection as the ground of the moral life of the Christian
- Living in the realm of the Spirit rather than in the realm of the flesh
- Raised up and seated with Christ
The Resurrection as the source of Christian hope (Rom 8:18-25; 1 Cor 15:28)
- Resurrection and hope for eternal life
- Resurrection and hope for the restoration of creation
- Resurrection and hope for God’s final victory
The Resurrection and the mission of the Church (Matt 28:16-20; Luke 24:46-49; John 20:22-23)
- The church called into being at the resurrection of Jesus
- The church commissioned at the resurrection of Jesus
- The church empowered by the resurrection of Jesus

The Mystery of the Resurrection

The Resurrection as an act of God (Eph 1:18-23)
- Jesus was raised from the dead; Jesus did not raise himself
- Resurrection as an act of God’s unmerited grace
- Resurrection as the gift of new life
The Resurrection as a new creation (2 Cor 5:16-17)
- Jesus enters God’s new creation at his resurrection: the kingdom of God
- Believers are conformed to the risen Christ
- Believers enter into God’s new creation at the resurrection from the dead
The Resurrection as a mystery of faith (1 Cor 15:51)
- A mystery that cannot be solved
- A mystery that must be entered
- A mystery that is never-ending