THE LIVING WORD TRANSCRIPT

Program Air Date – 5-23-10

LESSON TITLE: “THIS IS THE DAY THAT THE LORD HAS MADE: THE DAY OF CHRIST’S RESURRECTION”

WELCOME

What a wonderful Lord’s Day it is, as we again gather together before the throne of God to Worship our Maker! We are so happy that you have chosen to be with us today and to give this time to the Lord. In fact, it is our privilege to be with you every Sunday morning, as we consider together, God’s Living Word.

It is my hope and prayer today that we are all uplifted in our fellowship together. Furthermore, I pray that we will glorify and praise our Creator in these acts of Worship which we participate in collectively as those who love God.

As we begin our homage to God on this day, will you bow with me in prayer!

(PRAYER)

I hope everyone is ready to worship God in song at this time! This morning we will begin by singing a beautiful hymn that reminds us of the standard which has been set by all Christians. So, won’t you join in with the congregation at this time as we sing together, “O To Be Like Thee.”

(SONG # 1)

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

Can you believe we are almost half way through 2010 already? Doesn’t time fly and seem to pass too quickly? This fact is even more evident as we watch our kids grow up, get bigger and move toward maturity. How joyful it is to see our children becoming their own persons, and maturing into beautiful adults. However, at the same time how sad, as we lose our little boys and girls. Oh, how we often take life for granted and the precious little time we have to enjoy many of these blessings of God.

All of these ideas make me think of what James said in chapter 4:14 or his book. There we read the familiar verse, “Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” No truer words have ever been spoken; life is short like a vapor. So what lesson can we learn from all of this.

I think the greatest thing we can learn from all this is how we all need to take a deep breath, slow down a little and focus on those things which are really important. Most of us don’t even take time to look at the roses any more, let alone actually stopping and smelling them.

I am afraid that most of us are going to wake up one day and realize that all the work, overtime, money, and things really were not worth it. Why? Because we missed out on the most important and precious parts of life. Like simply enjoying what God has given us and blessed us with. How about just loving God, putting Him first and accomplishing His Will. We also have husbands, wives, children, and family. All these things are wondrous blessing and privileges from God. Gifts that we often squander and take for granted at the time. But some day, oh the regrets that may come to our mind.

I know we all live in the fast lane, and the crazy pace of life will put most of us in our graves before our time. However, let me just encourage us all again this day, to reevaluate what life is all about. Take a second look at who God is and what He has blessed us with. And finally, get our priorities straight, in order that we might accomplish the good will of God. How about it, are you willing to reconsider your choices in this life, are you ready to reorganize and enjoy all that God has blessed you with?

I hope you will continue with us this day as we again consider a lesson from our study which is entitled, “This Is The Day That The Lord Has Made.” As far as our specific message of the day, we will deal with, “The Day Of Christ’s Resurrection!” So please stay with us this morning and after our next song together, we will be lead in the main thoughts of the day.

As far as our speaker, we are happy to again have brother Jerry Sullins with us. We thank him for helping us this day

Well, before our lesson, let’s join together in our second song of the morning. The name of this hymn, “My Hope Is Built On Nothing Less.”

(SONG # 2)

LESSON

By Jerry Sullins

We’d like to welcome you all again to “The Living Word” broadcast this morning and we appreciate so much your visiting with us, and especially you who watch every week, we are so happy that you are regular people who tune in to this program and certainly if you’re viewing this program for the first time, indeed we want to treat you as our honored guest and we hope that after this morning you will be back with us each Sunday after this. As you may notice as you are viewing this program this morning, we try to teach the Bible… in fact that’s what we use as a basis and foundation of everything that we say on this program as the apostle Peter said in 1 Peter 3 verse 11, “If any man speaks, let him speak the oracles of God.” So it is the design of this program and our desire that we speak forth just exactly what God would desire us to speak. We find those words written in His Holy Words, that Book of Books that we refer to as the Bible.

Now for the past few weeks we’ve been discussing days of the Bible. That is like the Judgment Day, and other days that may be mentioned in the Bible. And this morning, I have been given the topic of the greatest day that has ever been known to mankind and that is the “Day of Resurrection,” the day that our Lord was raised up from the grave which is basically the basis and foundation of everything we believe.

We might note that after Jesus died upon the cross that a rich man from Aramithea named Joseph requested from Pilate that he be able to take the body of Jesus and bury Him in his own tomb. Pilate granted that wish. He secured the grave by placing soldiers there. But we know something great and wonderful happened that night as Jesus had prophesied that His flesh would not see corruption, but after three days He would be resurrected, that the angel of the Lord came and actually rolled back the stone from the opening of that grave and Jesus came forth and was resurrected from the dead. There were many women who came early that morning, that is on a Sunday morning the first day of the week after Jesus had been in the grave for three days, and they found no one in the tomb. They marveled and were amazed and Mary went back and told Peter that Jesus was not there. Peter, of course, assured her that Jesus had actually been resurrected from the grave.

But not only did Mary see Jesus, but there were many, many witnesses that were mentioned not only in the gospel accounts of their life, death and burial and resurrection of Christ, but also in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 for we see very clearly that as is stated in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 not only Mary but other women, and then Peter himself, and then the disciples, and then two other times the disciples, one time when Thomas was with them and one time when Thomas was not with them. Then He appeared also in Galilee to some, and over to 500 people is recorded at one time in 1 Corinthians 15 verse 6, He appeared also to James and He appeared to the disciples at the time of His ascension. So no doubt there were many witnesses that witnessed this greatest day of all the time of existence of mankind from the very beginning until now and that was the promised resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I would like for us to look at some of the Biblical facts that point out to the great importance of that wonderful day, the Day of Resurrection and what it means to us.

I call your attention to what the apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and I am going to be reading from verses 1-4. There Paul said, “Moreover brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preach to you which also you receive and which you stand, by which you also are saved if you hold fast that word which I preach to you unless you believe in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures and that He was buried and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures.” So as it was prophesied Jesus was resurrected the third day after He was put into the tomb of Joseph of Arimithea. What a wonderful day that was!

But there are so many important things that we see from His resurrection that were the result of His resurrection. I call your attention to this very same chapter where it points out what would happen if there had been no resurrection. And Paul discussed this here in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verse 13 he said, “But if there is no resurrection of the dead then Christ has not risen.” Well now to some people that means literally nothing, but the fact is that just the truth of the matter. If the dead are not resurrected, then how could Christ be resurrected? Now there was a group of Jews in that day and time called the Sadducees who did not believe in the resurrection of the body. Therefore, they did not believe in the resurrection of Christ. This is the reason for this statement. He is making a pointed statement to those Jews, who some were even considering themselves to be Christians, that “if there is no resurrection of the dead that Christ has not risen.” And more importantly, as it says in verse 14, “And if Christ has not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty or vain.” Now what an important statement that is.

I can remember years ago when Edith and I and the children were up in Northeast Indiana in the area of Fort Wayne. In fact, we were in a small community and began a church of Christ up there back in the early 70’s. So we decided that we would go around the community and we would ask the questions that we wanted to know about the people. Of course, we wanted to know what their religious background was, and some of their beliefs, and some of the things that they might practice or not practice, just sort of a survey as you might call it, as we have called it. And I remember that we had one question that we were really interested in. In fact, we wanted to know what the answer to that question was as far as they were concerned. And we asked them, “Do you believe in the literal resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave?” Now I expected that 90% or 95% of those people would say, “Well surely we do. Yes, we believe that Jesus Christ was resurrected from the grave.” But you know what the answers were? I was so surprised. Over 50% of the people that we surveyed which claimed to be Christian people say that they literally could not say for sure and they doubted, and some say they even doubt that Jesus was resurrected from the grave.

Now I call your attention to that verse that we just read. “And if Christ has not risen then our preaching is empty and your faith is vain also.” Now Paul went on to say in verses 17 and 18, “And if Christ has not risen…” This is 1 Corinthians 15 verse 17. “And if Christ has not risen, your faith is futile. You are still in your sins. Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have also perished.” So not only are we in a situation of being perishable or condemned because we are still in our sins, but we can’t even say that those who have passed on before us who believed in Christ but yet did not believe in His resurrection, we can’t say that they are going to be resurrected because if Christ has not been resurrected then not one of us will be resurrected when that great day comes. That is the Judgment Day when Jesus returns again at His second coming.

Well Christ has risen. Look at 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verse 20. It says, “But now Christ is risen from the dead and has become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.” For we know when Jesus comes again what a great and wonderful time that will be because first of all all that are in the grave shall hear His voice and shall come forth. Those who have done what is wrong unto condemnation and those who have done what is right or righteousness unto life eternal, they will be resurrected out of what? The Hadean world just as Jesus our Lord and Savior was.

What a wonderful thing the resurrection day! It made so many things possible for us. I call your attention to something that it made possible for us in the book of 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verses 17, 18, 19. It says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things have passed away and all things have become new. Now all things are of God who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. That is that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

Now my friend, how are we reconciled to God? If it were not for the resurrection of Jesus Christ, how could we be reconciled to God? The fact is we could not be. The resurrection gives us access to the Father. It was Jesus who said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man cometh unto the Father but by Me.”

Hebrews 7 verse 25 says that, “Jesus ever liveth and maketh intercession for us.” How could He do that unless He had been resurrected from the grave because He definitely died upon the cross through crucifixion?

Then in Hebrews 10:19-20, “Having therefore boldness to enter it the Holiest by the blood of Christ, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us through the veil.” That is His flesh. Now He died upon the cross, but He broke the bonds of Hades and came up victorious out of the grave. He (inaudible) the veils of the temple symbolically and He was resurrected from that grave.

Then in that great chapter also that we have been using this morning in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, because Jesus was resurrected from the grave, this mortal shall put on immortality, this corruptible shall put on incorruption. That last enemy will be destroyed. That is death. Yes we will die according to 1 Corinthians 15 verses 35-36, but this body will definitely be resurrected. Look at verse 44 in 1 Corinthians chapter 15. “It is sown a natural body and it is raised a spiritual body.” Then it says in verse 46, “However, the spiritual is not first but the natural and after the spiritual.” So that spiritual body will be resurrected. We will enjoy and have victory over sin and the grave and we will also be resurrected as Christ was resurrected.

So true the statement that Peter made in 1 Peter 1 verse 3. What a beautiful statement. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through (what?) the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Know you not that so many of us as were baptized into Christ were baptized with His death? We were buried therefore by baptism into His death that like as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father; even so we also should be raised in newness of life. For if we had been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be raised also in the likeness of His resurrection.”

My friend, that is done according to Romans 6, verses 3-5 through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is made possible through the resurrection of Christ, but it is made possible for us as we obey His Will and we are baptized in the likeness of His death, His burial and His resurrection.

Now the choice is yours. If you want your body to be resurrected as Christ’s body was resurrected, you must obey the gospel. We plead with you today with all of our being that you look to the Holy Pages of God’s Word and try your best to understand what His Will is for you and that you also be reconciled to God through your obedience to the gospel. May God bless you in making that wonderful decision and He certainly will.

(SONG # 3 - “Mansion Over The Hilltop!”)

CLOSING COMMENTS

Thank you again for choosing to be with us today, in giving this time to God. I hope our time together has been an encouragement and blessing to all of us. We invite you back every Lord’s Day morning at 7:30, as we commit ourselves to this offering for God!

But for now, let me ask if you have any questions or comments about today’s lesson? Maybe, you would like a free transcript or a cassette tape of this program? Possibly, we could assist you with free Bible materials or correspondence courses? No matter what your need is, please contact us at the following address:

The Living Word 2540 N. Kansas Expressway Springfield, Mo. 65803

Many of these items are available on our website: www.thelivingwordprogram.com

Or if you prefer, you may call us at: (417) 869-2284

How thankful we should be to God that Jesus arose from the grave according to His eternal purpose. What a sacrifice was made and what a price was paid for you and me. Have you responded to the resurrection of Jesus?

(Program closing)