1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:04,320 There are many ways to approach the truth of the resurrection of 2 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:08,800 Jesus Christ, so many aspects and elements regarding it that 3 00:00:08,800 --> 00:00:13,840 we can commemorate and reaffirm. But as I meditating on this 4 00:00:13,840 --> 00:00:18,880 message and what to say on this Sunday, I trust that will be 5 00:00:18,880 --> 00:00:24,080 most beneficial to consider the deep and the rich roots of this 6 00:00:24,080 --> 00:00:28,840 precious truth. In other words, I want us to see 7 00:00:28,840 --> 00:00:32,920 together in the Word of God how what we just sang about this 8 00:00:32,920 --> 00:00:36,080 past 45 minutes, what we hold dear to, what everything really 9 00:00:36,080 --> 00:00:40,040 hinges on. Pertaining our faith is not a 10 00:00:40,080 --> 00:00:42,360 novel idea introduced in the New Testament. 11 00:00:43,760 --> 00:00:47,680 It is something that God has consistently conveyed to the 12 00:00:47,680 --> 00:00:49,320 world from the beginning of time. 13 00:00:50,280 --> 00:00:54,320 It is a hope that has been woven throughout redemptive history, 14 00:00:55,040 --> 00:01:00,280 culminating 2000 years ago, and something that we still hold to 15 00:01:00,640 --> 00:01:04,360 today. And this is something that Paul, 16 00:01:04,360 --> 00:01:09,680 the great apostle, always alluded to, always affirmed, 17 00:01:09,720 --> 00:01:13,560 especially in his defense of his faith in the person of Jesus 18 00:01:13,560 --> 00:01:16,880 Christ. This great man of God known as 19 00:01:16,880 --> 00:01:20,880 Paul was charged for many things after he became a follower of 20 00:01:20,880 --> 00:01:23,760 the Messiah. But one of the main things that 21 00:01:23,760 --> 00:01:27,080 he was accused of is that he was some kind of a ringleader of 22 00:01:27,080 --> 00:01:31,440 this new sect that supposedly contradicted the truths of the 23 00:01:31,440 --> 00:01:35,120 Hebrew Scriptures. But I want you to see and I hope 24 00:01:35,120 --> 00:01:38,720 you have your Bible with you. I want you to see what Paul says 25 00:01:38,720 --> 00:01:43,920 in a particular place that confirms this glorious truth is 26 00:01:43,920 --> 00:01:47,440 something that's always been meet me in your Bibles in Acts 27 00:01:47,440 --> 00:01:53,680 24, verse 14, as we look at Paul standing on trial before Felix, 28 00:01:53,680 --> 00:01:56,760 the governor at Caesarea. And I want to encourage you. 29 00:01:56,760 --> 00:02:00,520 This is where we're headed today for this Easter service. 30 00:02:00,520 --> 00:02:03,800 There's going to be a lot of Bible because more than 31 00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:06,880 anything, I want all of our hearts to leave here more 32 00:02:06,880 --> 00:02:10,400 assured regarding the historicity of our faith, the 33 00:02:10,400 --> 00:02:13,400 validity, the consistent message that we hold to. 34 00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:17,720 And so we're going to start here and we're going to continue make 35 00:02:17,720 --> 00:02:19,840 note of these verses. I trust that they will help you 36 00:02:19,840 --> 00:02:23,040 in your worship and also your defense of what we believe. 37 00:02:23,240 --> 00:02:29,560 Acts 24, verse 14 Paul says. But this I confess to you, that 38 00:02:29,560 --> 00:02:34,360 according to the way which they call a sect, I worship the God 39 00:02:34,360 --> 00:02:38,640 of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the law 40 00:02:38,640 --> 00:02:43,040 and written in the prophets, having a hope in God which these 41 00:02:43,040 --> 00:02:47,360 men themselves accept, that there will be a resurrection of 42 00:02:47,360 --> 00:02:53,360 both the just and the unjust. There are three major statements 43 00:02:53,360 --> 00:02:58,720 that Paul makes here in his defense #1HE affirms that he 44 00:02:58,720 --> 00:03:02,280 worships the God of his father's, the God of the 45 00:03:02,280 --> 00:03:05,560 patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of the 12 tribes 46 00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:08,400 of Israel. He's not introducing a new God. 47 00:03:09,040 --> 00:03:13,560 He is confirming I believe in the one true God, the Lord 48 00:03:13,560 --> 00:03:18,520 Yahweh. Second, he also says that he 49 00:03:18,520 --> 00:03:21,000 holds to the entirety of the scriptures. 50 00:03:21,560 --> 00:03:24,920 Is that what he says, believing everything laid down by the law 51 00:03:24,920 --> 00:03:28,840 and written in the prophets, what you and I call the Old 52 00:03:28,840 --> 00:03:33,360 Testament, the Hebrew Bible, is what Paul says he wholeheartedly 53 00:03:33,640 --> 00:03:36,560 believes. And combining these things, he 54 00:03:36,560 --> 00:03:40,320 says his final thing, that the message of the resurrection that 55 00:03:40,320 --> 00:03:43,960 Paul preached, that Paul promotes, was something that he 56 00:03:43,960 --> 00:03:48,000 came to because of his faith in the true God and because of his 57 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:53,560 belief in the sacred Scriptures. So in essence, what he is saying 58 00:03:53,560 --> 00:03:57,320 to his accusers, these Pharisees and these Jews who were standing 59 00:03:57,320 --> 00:04:01,960 there hoping to condemn him, is I'm more orthodox than you are. 60 00:04:03,040 --> 00:04:05,080 I'm more scripturally sound than you. 61 00:04:05,600 --> 00:04:08,640 I'm no heretic. This comes from what God had 62 00:04:08,640 --> 00:04:12,000 said from the beginning. This was transmitted down 63 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:14,840 throughout the ages from these prophets and these men of God 64 00:04:14,840 --> 00:04:17,200 that God set apart to speak His oracles. 65 00:04:18,920 --> 00:04:22,880 This is a wonderful claim, but only begins here. 66 00:04:22,880 --> 00:04:26,200 Go to Acts 26. Now here we find Paul standing 67 00:04:26,200 --> 00:04:30,840 on trial before King Agrippa, and look what he says in Acts 26 68 00:04:30,840 --> 00:04:38,120 verse 6. And now I stand here on trial 69 00:04:38,120 --> 00:04:41,680 because of my hope and the promise made by God to our 70 00:04:41,680 --> 00:04:46,440 fathers, to which our 12 tribes hope to attain, as they 71 00:04:46,440 --> 00:04:51,000 earnestly worship night and day. And for this hope I am accused 72 00:04:51,000 --> 00:04:54,200 by Jews. O King, why is it thought 73 00:04:54,200 --> 00:04:58,200 incredible by any of you that God raises the dead? 74 00:04:59,840 --> 00:05:04,720 I love this man of God. What hope is he speaking about? 75 00:05:06,200 --> 00:05:08,000 What? What is he trying to explain? 76 00:05:08,160 --> 00:05:12,360 Primarily, the hope of Israel's redemption, which includes the 77 00:05:12,360 --> 00:05:15,600 reality of the resurrection. And again, he's reminding his 78 00:05:15,600 --> 00:05:18,160 opponents that God is the one who promised this glorious 79 00:05:18,160 --> 00:05:21,280 future. This didn't begin with him. 80 00:05:21,280 --> 00:05:24,880 It didn't start with Jesus. The Messiah didn't come from 81 00:05:24,880 --> 00:05:27,600 these apostles. No, it's something that stirred 82 00:05:27,600 --> 00:05:31,320 the nation of Israel to a continually adorn worship day 83 00:05:31,320 --> 00:05:35,560 and night. Which leads Paul again to 84 00:05:35,560 --> 00:05:41,400 challenge his hearers. Is not my proclamation of Jesus 85 00:05:41,400 --> 00:05:45,960 Christ of Nazareth raising from the dead a validation of this 86 00:05:45,960 --> 00:05:49,800 long standing truth that God raises the dead? 87 00:05:50,840 --> 00:05:54,760 Why are you so shocked? Why does that stun you? 88 00:05:54,760 --> 00:05:56,680 Why does it sound like blasphemy to you? 89 00:05:57,600 --> 00:06:00,680 It is something that was always there, and I'm here to tell you 90 00:06:00,680 --> 00:06:03,080 it happened in the person of Jesus Christ. 91 00:06:03,080 --> 00:06:10,160 He is the first born of many, and we see here that there's so 92 00:06:10,160 --> 00:06:13,320 much we can say, But I want to highlight one main thing. 93 00:06:14,280 --> 00:06:17,720 Paul, who's defending the central theme of his message, 94 00:06:17,720 --> 00:06:21,760 the resurrection, is proving to us that we can actually go to 95 00:06:21,760 --> 00:06:24,520 the law and to the prophets and discover it there. 96 00:06:26,200 --> 00:06:28,440 That is so crucial for us if we are people of the book. 97 00:06:29,040 --> 00:06:32,680 That is so important for us if we really want substance to our 98 00:06:32,680 --> 00:06:35,200 faith. Because when you consider the 99 00:06:35,200 --> 00:06:38,240 supernatural element of this book, it's not just one piece of 100 00:06:38,240 --> 00:06:40,560 literature. It's 66 books that span over 101 00:06:40,560 --> 00:06:43,320 thousands of years and multiple different authors and even 102 00:06:43,320 --> 00:06:45,720 different languages. And yet there is this golden 103 00:06:45,720 --> 00:06:48,120 thread. There is one voice. 104 00:06:49,360 --> 00:06:52,360 So here's my aim. I'm not really interested in 105 00:06:52,360 --> 00:06:56,040 hyping up anybody emotionally. I want all of our minds to be 106 00:06:56,040 --> 00:07:00,120 opened and I want our hearts as a result to burn as we see the 107 00:07:00,120 --> 00:07:02,160 beauty and the wisdom of God in His Word. 108 00:07:02,960 --> 00:07:04,200 So here's what we're going to do. 109 00:07:04,520 --> 00:07:06,320 Because the benefit of recognizing this is that it 110 00:07:06,320 --> 00:07:11,320 strengthens our faith. And also it also brings more 111 00:07:11,320 --> 00:07:17,160 weight to the gospel message in that if anyone were to deny it, 112 00:07:18,160 --> 00:07:20,320 you're not just rejecting what Jesus said. 113 00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:23,880 You're not just swatting away what his apostle died for, 114 00:07:24,480 --> 00:07:27,280 you're also denying what God has said from the beginning of time. 115 00:07:28,200 --> 00:07:30,800 That's significant, and I want to prove that to you. 116 00:07:32,200 --> 00:07:36,000 In Jesus's day, the Hebrew Scriptures, what Christians 117 00:07:36,000 --> 00:07:40,320 again called the Old Testament, was divided into two main 118 00:07:40,320 --> 00:07:44,760 sections, the law and the prophets. 119 00:07:45,400 --> 00:07:47,280 But if you wanted to be more precise, there was actually 120 00:07:47,280 --> 00:07:50,880 three different categories. And Jesus in that chapter that 121 00:07:50,880 --> 00:07:53,440 we read during the announcements actually points to that 122 00:07:53,440 --> 00:07:56,280 threefold division of the Old Testament. 123 00:07:56,960 --> 00:07:59,560 He says it there when he says it was written about me in the law, 124 00:07:59,560 --> 00:08:01,120 the prophets. And what's the last one? 125 00:08:01,720 --> 00:08:04,440 The Psalms. The Psalms. 126 00:08:05,560 --> 00:08:09,320 Here's what's interesting, that the Hebrew Bible today, the one 127 00:08:09,320 --> 00:08:15,000 that Jews uphold even now, is similar, is similar in the fact 128 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:19,200 that, again, what we call the Old Testament is identified 129 00:08:19,200 --> 00:08:22,680 perfectly in terms of the amount of books and the same content, 130 00:08:23,120 --> 00:08:24,720 but they call it something different. 131 00:08:24,880 --> 00:08:28,640 I remember being in a room filled with Jews, and there were 132 00:08:28,640 --> 00:08:32,120 Christians there as well. And one Christian asked a Jewish 133 00:08:32,120 --> 00:08:34,600 teacher something about the Old Testament. 134 00:08:34,600 --> 00:08:37,120 And that person, the Jewish man interrupting right away, says 135 00:08:37,120 --> 00:08:42,280 what's old about it? It's their Bible, and it's in 136 00:08:42,280 --> 00:08:46,160 our Bible as well, But they call that Tanakh, and the Tanakh is 137 00:08:46,160 --> 00:08:49,720 really an acronym for the threefold division of the Old 138 00:08:49,720 --> 00:08:52,320 Testament. We have the first part, which is 139 00:08:52,320 --> 00:08:55,200 the Torah, and that deals with the first five books of the 140 00:08:55,200 --> 00:08:57,840 Bible. We call that the Pentateuch, and 141 00:08:57,840 --> 00:09:00,520 from there we have the Nevaeum, which is comprised of the 142 00:09:00,520 --> 00:09:04,360 oracles of the prophets. And lastly, we have the Ketuvim, 143 00:09:04,600 --> 00:09:06,840 which speaks of the writings. That's what it means, and it 144 00:09:06,840 --> 00:09:10,120 contains things like the wisdom literature and the poetic books, 145 00:09:10,360 --> 00:09:13,640 as well as some historical records. 146 00:09:15,000 --> 00:09:18,960 Now, it's important to note that though we have the same books as 147 00:09:18,960 --> 00:09:21,440 our Jewish neighbors, they're organized quite differently. 148 00:09:21,440 --> 00:09:23,160 But that's not the main point that I want to make. 149 00:09:23,600 --> 00:09:27,240 What I want to bring to your attention is how we can prove 150 00:09:27,480 --> 00:09:29,840 the resurrection. And what I mean by resurrection 151 00:09:29,840 --> 00:09:32,600 is the glorification of these bodies. 152 00:09:33,520 --> 00:09:37,120 We can find that in each section of the Tanakh. 153 00:09:38,320 --> 00:09:41,440 It's everywhere and I want us to see it together. 154 00:09:42,240 --> 00:09:44,960 And though this may seem like a daunting task, I want to assure 155 00:09:44,960 --> 00:09:48,200 you that the Lord has been gracious to us because he guides 156 00:09:48,200 --> 00:09:51,080 us through the New Testament of what to look for and how to find 157 00:09:51,080 --> 00:09:52,360 it. Are we ready? 158 00:09:53,000 --> 00:09:57,000 We're going to begin and seeing the resurrection in the law in 159 00:09:57,000 --> 00:09:58,880 the first five books of the Bible, and this isn't going to 160 00:09:58,880 --> 00:10:01,000 be exhausted. This is just a sample for you to 161 00:10:01,000 --> 00:10:04,480 be stirred that this book is indeed God's book. 162 00:10:05,560 --> 00:10:08,400 You know, this trust and this belief and this faith in the 163 00:10:08,400 --> 00:10:13,680 resurrection is denied by many as you sing about it this 164 00:10:13,680 --> 00:10:15,480 afternoon. There are people who mock it 165 00:10:16,120 --> 00:10:18,440 just around us at your workplace. 166 00:10:18,560 --> 00:10:20,840 Maybe as you gather with your families, they don't see the 167 00:10:20,840 --> 00:10:24,040 beauty and the truth in it. But it's not something this 168 00:10:24,400 --> 00:10:31,160 disbelief then spring out of the Enlightenment period or 169 00:10:31,160 --> 00:10:35,320 postmodernism or any kind of humanistic ideology. 170 00:10:35,320 --> 00:10:38,680 No, it's also ancient. And there's a particular group 171 00:10:38,680 --> 00:10:44,040 in Jesus Day that vehemently despised it and denied it. 172 00:10:44,520 --> 00:10:48,240 They were a liberal theological camp known as the Sadducees, 173 00:10:48,720 --> 00:10:52,560 very prominent individuals, very influential, but they did not 174 00:10:52,560 --> 00:10:54,360 hold to anything really supernatural. 175 00:10:55,440 --> 00:11:00,120 And on one day, they approached Jesus hoping to trap him, hoping 176 00:11:00,120 --> 00:11:05,200 to have him confused and not be able to answer this hypothetical 177 00:11:05,200 --> 00:11:06,560 situation that they come up with. 178 00:11:07,120 --> 00:11:10,760 So they present this case that here's this woman whose husband 179 00:11:10,760 --> 00:11:12,680 died. And according to the law, that 180 00:11:12,680 --> 00:11:15,520 means the husband's brother had to marry her to continue his 181 00:11:15,520 --> 00:11:20,120 legacy. And they imagine that she had 7 182 00:11:20,320 --> 00:11:23,920 husbands. And they approach Jesus and ask, 183 00:11:24,640 --> 00:11:26,360 whose wife will she be at the resurrection? 184 00:11:28,000 --> 00:11:29,960 And the Lord is brilliant. I mean, you're talking about the 185 00:11:29,960 --> 00:11:32,800 word, who's become flesh, and you're going to try to stump him 186 00:11:32,800 --> 00:11:37,760 with the word. And so now he's going to show 187 00:11:37,760 --> 00:11:42,280 them how they overlooked a very important detail and what they 188 00:11:42,280 --> 00:11:44,400 call the Scripture. Because again, the Sadducees 189 00:11:44,640 --> 00:11:47,440 only held to the Torah the first five books. 190 00:11:47,440 --> 00:11:49,360 They didn't acknowledge any of the other ones. 191 00:11:49,360 --> 00:11:52,800 So what does the Lord do? He meets them at their level and 192 00:11:52,800 --> 00:11:54,960 he says the following. Turn with me to Matthew 22. 193 00:11:56,000 --> 00:12:13,200 Let's look at verse 31. And As for the resurrection of 194 00:12:13,200 --> 00:12:17,720 the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God? 195 00:12:18,440 --> 00:12:21,880 Pause. I'm sorry I cannot get by this 196 00:12:21,880 --> 00:12:23,920 passage without always making this comment. 197 00:12:24,360 --> 00:12:27,360 Jesus is going to quote the Old Testament to these Sadducees, 198 00:12:27,560 --> 00:12:31,720 but notice how He presents it. He says here in verse 31, Have 199 00:12:31,720 --> 00:12:33,360 you not read what was said to you? 200 00:12:33,360 --> 00:12:37,920 You know what that teaches me? That every part of God's word is 201 00:12:37,920 --> 00:12:42,800 meant to speak to you, even Exodus 3, which he's about to 202 00:12:42,800 --> 00:12:45,000 quote. Let's continue verse 32. 203 00:12:45,640 --> 00:12:50,280 I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of 204 00:12:50,280 --> 00:12:53,600 Jacob. He's not God of the dead, but of 205 00:12:53,600 --> 00:12:55,760 the living. And when the crowd heard it, 206 00:12:55,760 --> 00:12:58,320 they were astonished at his teaching. 207 00:12:59,040 --> 00:13:04,920 Jesus brilliantly references the Lord's appearance to Moses at 208 00:13:04,920 --> 00:13:09,880 the burning Bush, and in that encounter, Jesus wants to show 209 00:13:09,880 --> 00:13:11,920 that the Sadducees missed a detail. 210 00:13:13,640 --> 00:13:16,160 When the Lord introduces himself to Moses in this spectacular 211 00:13:16,160 --> 00:13:20,000 fashion, he does not say I was the God of Abraham, the God of 212 00:13:20,000 --> 00:13:23,680 Isaac, the God of Jacob. He deliberately uses the present 213 00:13:23,680 --> 00:13:28,240 tense, I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 214 00:13:29,120 --> 00:13:31,880 And why that's important to note is because these patriarchs were 215 00:13:31,880 --> 00:13:36,360 long dead before the Lord appeared to Moses, and yet God 216 00:13:36,360 --> 00:13:39,560 declares that he relates to them as though they were alive, 217 00:13:40,560 --> 00:13:44,040 actually more alive than ever. I am their God. 218 00:13:44,960 --> 00:13:48,400 I do recognize them. I do relate to them. 219 00:13:49,080 --> 00:13:53,120 And he would never say this about anything or anyone that no 220 00:13:53,120 --> 00:13:58,200 longer exists. So what we find here is that 221 00:13:58,200 --> 00:14:00,840 though these patriarchs have been buried in the Promised land 222 00:14:00,840 --> 00:14:04,440 long before this, the only conclusion that we can make is 223 00:14:04,440 --> 00:14:07,560 that they're alive. They're alive. 224 00:14:07,560 --> 00:14:10,360 They're this, they're in this intermediate state, they're in 225 00:14:10,360 --> 00:14:13,680 the presence of God. They're again more vibrant than 226 00:14:13,680 --> 00:14:16,560 ever, awaiting the resurrection bodies. 227 00:14:17,640 --> 00:14:20,400 And we know that this is true because when the Sadducees heard 228 00:14:20,400 --> 00:14:23,600 it, they didn't rebut, They didn't, they didn't challenge 229 00:14:23,600 --> 00:14:25,800 him further. They understood exactly what God 230 00:14:25,800 --> 00:14:28,200 was saying in that place and they couldn't deny it. 231 00:14:28,720 --> 00:14:31,280 He is their God, meaning they are alive. 232 00:14:31,280 --> 00:14:34,840 And if that's not what Jesus is saying, then what did he mean 233 00:14:34,840 --> 00:14:37,400 when he said in another place? You don't have to turn there. 234 00:14:37,400 --> 00:14:39,680 But when he's talking about the Kingdom of heaven and the 235 00:14:39,680 --> 00:14:43,640 culmination of the age, He tells these Jews that they're going to 236 00:14:43,640 --> 00:14:46,960 be people from the East and the West that will gather and 237 00:14:46,960 --> 00:14:53,280 recline at table with who? Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 238 00:14:53,960 --> 00:14:59,880 Matthew 811 So how are these Gentiles who are going to be now 239 00:15:00,080 --> 00:15:05,240 grafted in, how are they able to fellowship and have supper with 240 00:15:05,240 --> 00:15:08,840 the patriarchs, unless of course, they are alive? 241 00:15:10,280 --> 00:15:14,680 So this is just the beginning, but can we trace it further 242 00:15:14,680 --> 00:15:17,360 back? Is there anything before Exodus 243 00:15:17,520 --> 00:15:21,280 in Genesis, for example, where we can find this belief, this, 244 00:15:22,040 --> 00:15:26,840 this truth vibrating in the hearts of these Saints, giving 245 00:15:26,840 --> 00:15:29,760 them the hope, understanding what's to come, that this life, 246 00:15:29,760 --> 00:15:32,320 this is not the end of it. Absolutely. 247 00:15:32,320 --> 00:15:33,800 And again, the New Testament is our guide. 248 00:15:33,800 --> 00:15:37,880 Turn with me now to Hebrews Chapter 11, beginning in verse 249 00:15:37,880 --> 00:15:48,970 17. This chapter is famously 250 00:15:49,090 --> 00:15:53,250 identified as a chapter that describes what faith looks like. 251 00:15:54,570 --> 00:15:58,770 And what's being highlighted here is the depth of Abraham's 252 00:15:58,770 --> 00:16:03,520 faith. This man had rich trust in God. 253 00:16:03,520 --> 00:16:07,520 It's no wonder that he is consistently portrayed as a 254 00:16:07,520 --> 00:16:11,280 model of faith in God. Here's how we see it in Hebrews 255 00:16:11,280 --> 00:16:14,760 11/17. By faith, Abraham, when he was 256 00:16:14,760 --> 00:16:18,920 tested, offered up Isaac. And he who had received the 257 00:16:18,920 --> 00:16:23,000 promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of 258 00:16:23,000 --> 00:16:27,480 whom it was said, through Isaac. Shall your offspring be named? 259 00:16:28,280 --> 00:16:31,840 He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, 260 00:16:32,120 --> 00:16:36,000 from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him 261 00:16:36,360 --> 00:16:40,840 back. So we know this very well, that 262 00:16:40,840 --> 00:16:44,120 there came a critical point in Abraham's relationship with God 263 00:16:44,120 --> 00:16:48,920 where he was told to give up the promised son Isaac, surrender 264 00:16:48,920 --> 00:16:51,040 him. I wanted to become a burnt 265 00:16:51,040 --> 00:16:54,680 offering. And we're being reminded here 266 00:16:54,680 --> 00:16:58,760 that Abraham obeyed, but that wasn't where his fat faith 267 00:16:58,760 --> 00:17:01,920 rested. Solely What's being underscored 268 00:17:01,920 --> 00:17:05,880 here is that he believed that God, though asking him to do 269 00:17:05,880 --> 00:17:09,560 this, was not going to let Isaac remain dead. 270 00:17:11,640 --> 00:17:14,319 And why did he believe that? Because God told him earlier in 271 00:17:14,319 --> 00:17:19,800 Genesis and in chapter 17 more specifically, that through Isaac 272 00:17:20,160 --> 00:17:24,160 and his offspring, what Abraham's seed continue and 273 00:17:24,160 --> 00:17:27,000 flourish. Abraham understood the 274 00:17:27,119 --> 00:17:30,200 unconditional covenant that God made with him and his 275 00:17:30,200 --> 00:17:35,240 descendants, and so he firmly understood that though this 276 00:17:35,240 --> 00:17:39,080 seems like a strange request, there's something on the other 277 00:17:39,080 --> 00:17:41,200 side of it. Because God does not break his 278 00:17:41,200 --> 00:17:44,160 promise. What kind of faith is that? 279 00:17:45,840 --> 00:17:48,240 Most of us have got asked to do something like this. 280 00:17:48,240 --> 00:17:52,440 Would blame God for being contradicting, for being 281 00:17:52,880 --> 00:17:55,640 inconsistent. I thought you said that through 282 00:17:55,680 --> 00:17:59,640 Isaac my seed would continue. And now you're asking me to 283 00:17:59,720 --> 00:18:02,880 eliminate Isaac and therefore eliminating the promise. 284 00:18:02,880 --> 00:18:07,160 He doesn't accuse. He is now forced to believe in 285 00:18:07,160 --> 00:18:09,080 something called the resurrection. 286 00:18:09,800 --> 00:18:13,160 OK, I don't make sense of this really in its entirety. 287 00:18:13,360 --> 00:18:17,640 So the only logical outcome is that, yes, I will sacrifice 288 00:18:17,640 --> 00:18:19,760 Isaac, but then God's going to raise him from the dead. 289 00:18:22,000 --> 00:18:25,920 And I believe there is a measure of Abraham's own experience that 290 00:18:25,920 --> 00:18:28,320 lended him, the faith to believe this about his son. 291 00:18:28,680 --> 00:18:31,360 What do I mean by that? Scroll back to Hebrews 11, verse 292 00:18:31,360 --> 00:18:34,560 12. Notice what it says. 293 00:18:35,200 --> 00:18:40,320 Therefore, from one man, and him as good as dead, this is Abraham 294 00:18:40,320 --> 00:18:44,040 we're speaking about, and him as good as dead. 295 00:18:44,880 --> 00:18:48,360 We're born descendants, as many as the stars of heaven, and as 296 00:18:48,360 --> 00:18:52,000 many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore. 297 00:18:52,800 --> 00:18:55,040 Look at that description of Abraham's condition in his old 298 00:18:55,040 --> 00:18:56,600 age. As good as dead. 299 00:18:58,880 --> 00:19:00,760 This is me and my sanctified imagination. 300 00:19:00,760 --> 00:19:04,720 Now I like to imagine that when Abraham heard the call to 301 00:19:04,720 --> 00:19:09,160 sacrifice his son and he woke up very early to obey, as he was 302 00:19:09,160 --> 00:19:12,200 making his way to that mountain that God consecrated for that 303 00:19:12,200 --> 00:19:15,360 sacrifice to take place, he thought the following. 304 00:19:17,320 --> 00:19:23,120 I have to believe that the same power that birthed Isaac, that I 305 00:19:23,120 --> 00:19:27,440 was as good as dead, will also bring Isaac back to life. 306 00:19:28,560 --> 00:19:32,840 It has to be. And so he boldly approached that 307 00:19:32,840 --> 00:19:38,680 mountain, not wavering in faith, anticipating A resurrection. 308 00:19:39,840 --> 00:19:43,080 This is mind blowing. Now I can hear the critics. 309 00:19:43,080 --> 00:19:46,600 I hear you. I can hear the critics because 310 00:19:46,600 --> 00:19:49,560 I've talked to them. Oh, here's yet another example 311 00:19:49,560 --> 00:19:54,120 of you New Testament Christians forcing your interpretation in 312 00:19:54,400 --> 00:20:00,040 these Hebrew texts, taking your Christ and shoving him into 313 00:20:00,040 --> 00:20:03,400 these stories and trying to make him to be the central theme and 314 00:20:03,800 --> 00:20:05,840 trying to find types and shadows. 315 00:20:07,600 --> 00:20:09,720 And my response would be, Are you sure about that? 316 00:20:10,920 --> 00:20:13,440 Are you sure that there is nothing in the original account 317 00:20:13,440 --> 00:20:17,480 of Abraham ready to sacrifice his son Isaac, believing in his 318 00:20:17,480 --> 00:20:20,840 resurrection? Well, let's be certain. 319 00:20:21,640 --> 00:20:24,920 Turn to Genesis 22 and let's look at it together. 320 00:20:26,760 --> 00:20:33,560 I told you there would be a lot of Bible today, Genesis 22. 321 00:20:35,120 --> 00:20:47,360 Let's start in verse 3. So Abraham rose early in the 322 00:20:47,360 --> 00:20:51,080 morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with 323 00:20:51,080 --> 00:20:54,880 him and his son Isaac, and he cut the wood for the burnt 324 00:20:54,880 --> 00:20:57,160 offering, and a rose, and went to the place of which God had 325 00:20:57,160 --> 00:21:00,040 told him. On the third day Abraham lifted 326 00:21:00,040 --> 00:21:02,280 up his eyes and saw the place from afar. 327 00:21:02,960 --> 00:21:06,160 Then Abraham said to his young man, Stay here with the donkey, 328 00:21:06,200 --> 00:21:13,600 I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to 329 00:21:13,600 --> 00:21:17,080 you. Now if you hold the New King 330 00:21:17,080 --> 00:21:20,680 James Version in your hand, this critical observation will be 331 00:21:20,680 --> 00:21:24,120 more clear, because in verse 5 it would read in your 332 00:21:24,120 --> 00:21:28,840 translation, Stay here with the donkey, the lad and I will go 333 00:21:28,840 --> 00:21:34,360 Yonder and worship, and we will come back to you. 334 00:21:36,280 --> 00:21:38,240 The same can be said in the NASB. 335 00:21:38,680 --> 00:21:41,280 Either way, the honest reader will acknowledge that the same 336 00:21:41,280 --> 00:21:43,880 point is being made with any faithful translation. 337 00:21:44,120 --> 00:21:47,800 What is Abraham saying? He's planning to go through with 338 00:21:47,800 --> 00:21:52,080 God's decree, but he wholeheartedly believes that 339 00:21:52,080 --> 00:21:55,160 both he and Isaac are coming back down that mountain. 340 00:21:56,760 --> 00:22:00,240 We're coming back to you. How do you believe that if this 341 00:22:00,240 --> 00:22:03,560 son is going to be slain, how is that possible if he's going to 342 00:22:03,560 --> 00:22:06,760 be a complete sacrifice? Well, Hebrews clarifies the 343 00:22:06,760 --> 00:22:08,600 same. Holy Spirit tells us it's 344 00:22:08,600 --> 00:22:10,600 because he believed that God would raise him from the dead. 345 00:22:10,600 --> 00:22:14,400 What are you going to do about this? 346 00:22:14,400 --> 00:22:17,560 Now, the resurrection didn't begin with the Christian 347 00:22:17,560 --> 00:22:19,600 movement. It's found all the way here in 348 00:22:19,600 --> 00:22:22,000 the heart of the Father of the faith. 349 00:22:22,760 --> 00:22:24,040 He believed it. Do you? 350 00:22:26,200 --> 00:22:29,040 He understood God's characters, ways, the extent of his power. 351 00:22:29,040 --> 00:22:35,200 Do you? By the way, when did Abraham say 352 00:22:35,720 --> 00:22:39,200 to his servants that he and Isaac would go and worship and 353 00:22:39,200 --> 00:22:43,880 come back together? Look again at verse 4 on the 354 00:22:43,880 --> 00:22:46,880 third day. Did you see it? 355 00:22:48,240 --> 00:22:51,480 That coincidence couldn't have been the second day, the 7th 356 00:22:51,480 --> 00:22:56,040 day, the 12th day. No, on the third day my son will 357 00:22:56,040 --> 00:22:59,720 come back. I love the Bible. 358 00:23:00,560 --> 00:23:02,160 I'm trying to contain myself here. 359 00:23:03,600 --> 00:23:05,960 This is this is no ordinary book. 360 00:23:06,880 --> 00:23:10,840 When you consider again that Genesis was written way before, 361 00:23:10,840 --> 00:23:13,800 centuries before Matthew, Mark, Luke or John. 362 00:23:14,800 --> 00:23:18,840 One voice, resurrection found even there. 363 00:23:19,600 --> 00:23:21,800 This is the law. But that's not the complete 364 00:23:21,800 --> 00:23:24,760 Tanakh. So we now come to the prophets. 365 00:23:25,360 --> 00:23:28,360 Where can we go in the prophets? How many places can we go in the 366 00:23:28,360 --> 00:23:30,440 prophets? Why don't we go to Isaiah 367 00:23:30,440 --> 00:23:32,640 together? Let's travel now. 368 00:23:33,560 --> 00:23:39,560 Isaiah 26, a very well known passage, but it's more rich than 369 00:23:39,560 --> 00:23:43,280 people believe. Isaiah 26, verse 19. 370 00:23:43,600 --> 00:23:49,000 And I will wait for you. Please, Please remember these 371 00:23:49,000 --> 00:23:52,160 verses. Don't forget them, record them. 372 00:23:53,560 --> 00:23:56,640 Isaiah 26, verse 19. Here's what the prophet 373 00:23:56,640 --> 00:23:59,600 declares. Your dead shall live, their 374 00:23:59,600 --> 00:24:04,280 bodies shall rise, You who dwell in the dust awake and sing for 375 00:24:04,280 --> 00:24:08,400 joy, For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give 376 00:24:08,400 --> 00:24:12,600 birth to the dead. Why don't we just close our 377 00:24:12,600 --> 00:24:15,680 Bible to say Hallelujah, Amen and go on? 378 00:24:17,240 --> 00:24:22,440 However, it's a bad habit to pluck any verse, any place in 379 00:24:22,440 --> 00:24:27,640 the Bible and to drive your interpretation in isolation. 380 00:24:28,720 --> 00:24:30,720 If you want to be a serious student of the Bible, if you 381 00:24:30,720 --> 00:24:33,920 want to be taken seriously by others, always honor the context 382 00:24:33,920 --> 00:24:36,440 of any verse. So here's the question. 383 00:24:36,440 --> 00:24:38,560 Why is Isaiah saying this here and now? 384 00:24:38,560 --> 00:24:42,880 And here's what you'll discover, that this is actually more of a 385 00:24:42,880 --> 00:24:47,800 metaphor for the reviving of national and political Israel, 386 00:24:49,200 --> 00:24:51,640 that after all the devastation that they've experienced at this 387 00:24:51,640 --> 00:24:55,000 time, the prophet wants to comfort them that they have a 388 00:24:55,000 --> 00:24:58,120 bright future, They will be revived. 389 00:24:58,120 --> 00:25:00,200 And he's offering symbolic imagery here. 390 00:25:00,360 --> 00:25:04,080 You're dead shall come to life. You will rise from the dust. 391 00:25:05,040 --> 00:25:07,480 So again, this is to say something about the national 392 00:25:07,760 --> 00:25:11,760 entity of the Jewish people. And that becomes more clear when 393 00:25:11,760 --> 00:25:15,480 you realize that what Isaiah says in this verse contrast the 394 00:25:15,480 --> 00:25:18,480 fate of the neighboring enemies of Israel. 395 00:25:19,200 --> 00:25:23,320 So look back here now, verse 13 in Isaiah 26, what does he say 396 00:25:23,320 --> 00:25:28,000 about Israel's foes? They are dead, they will not 397 00:25:28,000 --> 00:25:31,800 live. They are shades, they will not 398 00:25:31,800 --> 00:25:34,680 rise. To that end, you have visited 399 00:25:34,680 --> 00:25:39,160 them with destruction and wiped out all remembrance of them. 400 00:25:40,480 --> 00:25:44,400 So by way of comparison, the enemies of Israel who have 401 00:25:44,400 --> 00:25:49,160 harassed and oppressed God's people will die. 402 00:25:49,760 --> 00:25:52,680 They will cease to exist and it will be permanent. 403 00:25:53,160 --> 00:25:55,720 There is no future transformation. 404 00:25:55,720 --> 00:25:59,560 There is no fruit. There is no hope for tomorrow. 405 00:25:59,760 --> 00:26:04,240 You will be decimated for good. And as you just read, then it 406 00:26:04,240 --> 00:26:05,840 comes to the people of God says no, no, no. 407 00:26:06,040 --> 00:26:08,400 But for you there will be a resurrection. 408 00:26:08,520 --> 00:26:12,080 OK, great. So this deals with a historical 409 00:26:12,080 --> 00:26:15,680 period and there's poetic imagery to portray Israel's 410 00:26:15,680 --> 00:26:18,200 reviving. So we can't really use this in 411 00:26:18,200 --> 00:26:19,680 our doctrine. Hold on. 412 00:26:22,160 --> 00:26:24,640 There is still a clear indication of a literal 413 00:26:25,800 --> 00:26:31,600 individual bodily resurrection in this passage, especially when 414 00:26:31,600 --> 00:26:36,200 you look at the surrounding apocalyptic literature in its 415 00:26:36,200 --> 00:26:38,200 context. So let me give you an example. 416 00:26:38,200 --> 00:26:41,240 We're in Isaiah 26, right? There was no chapter numbers or 417 00:26:41,240 --> 00:26:44,640 verse numbers in the original scrolls that came much later to 418 00:26:44,640 --> 00:26:48,440 help us. So look at Isaiah 25 and notice 419 00:26:48,440 --> 00:26:53,880 what's being said here in Isaiah 25 verse 6, a close neighbor to 420 00:26:53,880 --> 00:26:59,920 this passage in Isaiah 26, Isaiah 25 verse 6, the same 421 00:26:59,920 --> 00:27:03,920 prophet says on this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for 422 00:27:03,920 --> 00:27:09,040 all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well aged wine, 423 00:27:09,520 --> 00:27:14,280 of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine, well refined. 424 00:27:15,000 --> 00:27:19,040 And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is 425 00:27:19,040 --> 00:27:23,320 cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. 426 00:27:23,640 --> 00:27:27,280 He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord God will 427 00:27:27,280 --> 00:27:31,800 wipe away tears from all faces and the reproach of his people 428 00:27:31,800 --> 00:27:36,480 He will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken. 429 00:27:37,920 --> 00:27:41,920 What do we have in view here? A universal shift to a universal 430 00:27:41,920 --> 00:27:45,800 problem, the conquering of death. 431 00:27:46,480 --> 00:27:50,680 And it's not just for Israel. And you can't make it seem 432 00:27:50,800 --> 00:27:54,840 metaphorical. It's not just a prophecy about 433 00:27:54,840 --> 00:27:58,440 this particular group. No, look again at the language, 434 00:27:58,720 --> 00:28:03,400 the covering that casts over all peoples, over all nations, wipe 435 00:28:03,400 --> 00:28:09,200 away tears from all faces. So what is here being prophesied 436 00:28:09,400 --> 00:28:13,480 is that there will be the Lord who on this mountain, so that 437 00:28:13,760 --> 00:28:20,120 that points to some kind of manifest power of God in our 438 00:28:20,120 --> 00:28:23,520 realm. The Lord on this mountain that 439 00:28:23,520 --> 00:28:26,000 is the mountain of Jerusalem, He's going to do something at 440 00:28:26,000 --> 00:28:28,800 that point. He's going to cancel death. 441 00:28:30,120 --> 00:28:34,960 He's going to defeat death. He's going to erase death, and 442 00:28:34,960 --> 00:28:37,320 it will be the cause of global celebration. 443 00:28:37,440 --> 00:28:42,280 And as he wipes away all our sorrows forever and ever. 444 00:28:43,400 --> 00:28:48,680 So again, this is a real prophecy about a real victory 445 00:28:48,680 --> 00:28:51,840 over a real death, and real people will benefit from it. 446 00:28:51,840 --> 00:28:55,080 So let's take a breath here, right? 447 00:28:56,480 --> 00:29:01,120 What makes us even more profound is that this is what Paul quotes 448 00:29:02,040 --> 00:29:04,760 when he makes a defense for the resurrection in that famous 449 00:29:04,760 --> 00:29:08,880 passage in First Corinthians 15. I just encourage you to take a 450 00:29:08,880 --> 00:29:11,400 deep breath in and just hear these words because it comes 451 00:29:11,400 --> 00:29:13,840 from Isaiah 25. Listen to what Paul says in 452 00:29:13,840 --> 00:29:19,240 First Corinthians 15, 54 When the perishable puts on the 453 00:29:19,240 --> 00:29:23,640 imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall 454 00:29:23,640 --> 00:29:28,480 come to pass the saying that is written, death is swallowed up 455 00:29:28,480 --> 00:29:30,800 in victory. Where did that come from? 456 00:29:30,800 --> 00:29:39,360 Paul's head, Isaiah 25 How will life after death be possible? 457 00:29:40,600 --> 00:29:46,840 How will there be this ability to remain with God 458 00:29:47,000 --> 00:29:50,800 uninterrupted, without the fear of any cessation of existence? 459 00:29:51,360 --> 00:29:55,640 You ready for this? We're told in the same book, the 460 00:29:55,640 --> 00:29:59,120 same book of Isaiah, we are told that there will be the death of 461 00:29:59,120 --> 00:30:03,440 one individual and through his resurrection, this resurrection 462 00:30:03,440 --> 00:30:06,440 will be possible. Isaiah 53. 463 00:30:08,720 --> 00:30:11,560 Can I say something here? Again, I'm trying to contain 464 00:30:11,560 --> 00:30:15,480 myself. If you are a person in this 465 00:30:15,480 --> 00:30:18,120 place that really takes serious your faith, if you want to 466 00:30:18,120 --> 00:30:21,560 enrich your understanding, if you want to be more effective in 467 00:30:21,680 --> 00:30:25,280 proclaiming and proving what you believe, can I offer a word of 468 00:30:25,280 --> 00:30:29,800 advice? Master Isaiah 53. 469 00:30:31,320 --> 00:30:36,800 Don't even just memorize it. Master it, because if you really 470 00:30:36,800 --> 00:30:42,760 unpack line by line what Isaiah says 700 years before Christ, it 471 00:30:42,800 --> 00:30:47,120 will blow your mind. I mean, just reading it, we read 472 00:30:47,120 --> 00:30:50,360 it on Friday. Just reading it is astounding. 473 00:30:52,080 --> 00:30:54,680 And perhaps some of you have seen this clip online where 474 00:30:54,760 --> 00:30:59,200 Messianic Jews made their way to Jerusalem and met with Orthodox 475 00:30:59,200 --> 00:31:02,280 Jews and secular Jews and Reformed Jews and simply read 476 00:31:02,280 --> 00:31:04,840 Isaiah 53 without telling them where it came from. 477 00:31:05,760 --> 00:31:07,960 And what you find there is consistently that people, the 478 00:31:07,960 --> 00:31:10,520 Jewish people who are being interviewed denied it, some 479 00:31:10,520 --> 00:31:12,720 saying that's in the New Testament, only to be shocked 480 00:31:12,720 --> 00:31:14,560 when they were told it's Isaiah 53. 481 00:31:15,800 --> 00:31:19,280 It's an incredible prophecy. I actually believe that. 482 00:31:19,320 --> 00:31:21,520 Again, remember, chapter divisions and verse numbers were 483 00:31:21,520 --> 00:31:23,960 not original. I believe Isaiah 53 should have 484 00:31:23,960 --> 00:31:26,440 began in Isaiah 52, the last part of it. 485 00:31:28,320 --> 00:31:29,880 Can I give you an example? I failed. 486 00:31:29,880 --> 00:31:31,200 I couldn't contain myself. I'm sorry. 487 00:31:31,200 --> 00:31:35,760 Let me give you an example. I want to stir your heart to be 488 00:31:35,760 --> 00:31:39,320 mighty in the Scriptures. Isaiah 52. 489 00:31:39,320 --> 00:31:41,680 Look at verse 13. This is where I believe the 490 00:31:41,680 --> 00:31:43,520 prophecy of the suffering servant should begin. 491 00:31:43,520 --> 00:31:45,160 Look at this. We're just going to deal with 492 00:31:45,160 --> 00:31:51,160 the first line. Behold, My Servant shall act 493 00:31:51,160 --> 00:31:55,000 wisely. He shall be high and lifted up 494 00:31:55,680 --> 00:31:59,200 and shall be exalted. Hold on. 495 00:32:00,240 --> 00:32:04,880 I read through Isaiah. I've read it multiple times and 496 00:32:04,880 --> 00:32:09,520 here's what I learned. That that phrase high and lifted 497 00:32:09,520 --> 00:32:18,920 up is exclusive to the Lord. That awesome status and position 498 00:32:19,120 --> 00:32:23,040 purely belongs to God in the book of Isaiah. 499 00:32:23,040 --> 00:32:24,800 Let me give an example. Isaiah 6. 500 00:32:24,800 --> 00:32:27,200 One in the year that King Gozaiah died, I saw the Lord 501 00:32:27,200 --> 00:32:35,400 seated high and lifted up. Isaiah 57 verse 15 thus says the 502 00:32:35,400 --> 00:32:43,320 one who is high and lifted up. And then now I come to Isaiah 52 503 00:32:44,040 --> 00:32:48,280 and I read about a servant which many who do not believe in Jesus 504 00:32:48,280 --> 00:32:52,200 claim is Israel the nation. OK, let's go with that. 505 00:32:52,680 --> 00:32:55,080 Israel, the nation will be high and lifted up. 506 00:32:58,200 --> 00:33:00,720 Whoever the servant is, you have to admit that they will be 507 00:33:00,720 --> 00:33:03,680 exalted to a position and they will share a prerogative that 508 00:33:03,680 --> 00:33:08,480 belongs to God alone. Listen, you don't just have a 509 00:33:08,480 --> 00:33:11,640 prophecy here of the Messiah. You have a prophecy here about 510 00:33:11,640 --> 00:33:15,840 the divinity of the Messiah, because whoever the servant is, 511 00:33:15,840 --> 00:33:19,400 he will share a seat with Yahweh. 512 00:33:20,680 --> 00:33:22,560 OK, guys, that that's just the first line. 513 00:33:23,320 --> 00:33:26,560 That's just the first line. We didn't even get to Isaiah 53, 514 00:33:26,560 --> 00:33:31,160 yet be stirred. This is what God has given us as 515 00:33:31,160 --> 00:33:35,480 a gift to be assured in our faith, to proclaim it boldly no 516 00:33:35,480 --> 00:33:39,320 matter who says what. Now let's come to Isaiah 53. 517 00:33:39,840 --> 00:33:44,160 Let's look at one place, verse 10 again. 518 00:33:44,160 --> 00:33:45,720 What are we doing here? We're showing how the 519 00:33:45,720 --> 00:33:48,880 resurrection is found in the Old Testament, the Tanakh. 520 00:33:49,000 --> 00:33:51,360 We cover the law briefly. Now we come to the prophets. 521 00:33:51,680 --> 00:33:55,080 Let's deal with this passage. Yet it was the will of the Lord 522 00:33:55,080 --> 00:34:00,160 to crush him. He has put him to grief when his 523 00:34:00,160 --> 00:34:01,960 soul makes an offering for guilt. 524 00:34:02,640 --> 00:34:08,199 He shall see his offspring. He shall prolong his days. 525 00:34:08,480 --> 00:34:10,760 The will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. 526 00:34:11,760 --> 00:34:13,600 Well, I've been talking about our Jewish friends a lot. 527 00:34:13,600 --> 00:34:15,400 Let me speak about our Muslim neighbors Now. 528 00:34:17,239 --> 00:34:19,960 Our Muslim neighbors often point to this passage and attempt to 529 00:34:19,960 --> 00:34:22,080 convince Christians that it's not about Jesus. 530 00:34:22,600 --> 00:34:25,159 Why? Because if you think Isaiah 53 531 00:34:25,159 --> 00:34:27,639 is about Jesus, then you also have to admit that Jesus had 532 00:34:27,639 --> 00:34:31,239 kids. Where are they getting that 533 00:34:31,239 --> 00:34:32,560 from? Well, again, look again at 534 00:34:32,560 --> 00:34:34,360 Isaiah 53 verse 10, the second part. 535 00:34:34,560 --> 00:34:38,480 He shall see His offspring. Oh, so the Messiah had children? 536 00:34:39,199 --> 00:34:40,880 Do you believe Jesus produced children? 537 00:34:41,120 --> 00:34:44,120 Did He have an earthly family? Of course He didn't. 538 00:34:45,560 --> 00:34:48,440 Now if you really want to get technical, in the Hebrew, when 539 00:34:48,440 --> 00:34:51,639 it says He shall see His offspring, the word His isn't 540 00:34:51,639 --> 00:34:54,520 there. So more literally reads he shall 541 00:34:54,520 --> 00:34:57,360 see offspring. But even if you want to just 542 00:34:58,120 --> 00:35:01,920 avoid that route and deal with this directly and understand 543 00:35:01,920 --> 00:35:04,600 that this is in fact speaking about the Messiah's offspring. 544 00:35:04,920 --> 00:35:07,960 It's so evident that he's speaking about a spiritual 545 00:35:07,960 --> 00:35:14,920 offspring in the same way the word seed or offspring is used 546 00:35:15,000 --> 00:35:19,920 throughout the book of Isaiah to denote the offspring of the 547 00:35:19,920 --> 00:35:25,000 wicked, a Sinner producing a Sinner alike. 548 00:35:25,000 --> 00:35:28,440 We don't have time to get there, but it's all over the book of 549 00:35:28,440 --> 00:35:30,480 Isaiah. So in the same way that an 550 00:35:30,480 --> 00:35:34,480 unrighteous man is able to produce unrighteousness in a 551 00:35:34,480 --> 00:35:38,160 spiritual sense, so we have here that there's something about the 552 00:35:38,160 --> 00:35:41,920 Messiah and what he does that will bring forth a new breed of 553 00:35:41,920 --> 00:35:46,280 righteous people. He shall see his offspring. 554 00:35:46,440 --> 00:35:50,640 This is a promise that through the agonizing, substitutionary 555 00:35:50,640 --> 00:35:54,360 and vicarious death of the Messiah, there will be a new 556 00:35:54,360 --> 00:35:59,800 family, there will be a new people, there will be a new 557 00:35:59,800 --> 00:36:04,560 breed who will not be righteous by their own merit, but who will 558 00:36:04,560 --> 00:36:07,880 be made holy because of the efforts of the Messiah. 559 00:36:08,680 --> 00:36:11,520 It's so plain. Just read the next verse. 560 00:36:11,640 --> 00:36:15,400 Look at verse 11, Isaiah 53. Out of the anguish of his soul, 561 00:36:15,400 --> 00:36:19,560 he shall see and be satisfied by his knowledge. 562 00:36:19,560 --> 00:36:22,600 Shall the righteous one, my Servant, make many to be 563 00:36:22,600 --> 00:36:26,480 accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. 564 00:36:29,320 --> 00:36:33,040 So what do we see here? What does this have to do with 565 00:36:33,040 --> 00:36:35,880 resurrection? It's very obvious in the very 566 00:36:35,880 --> 00:36:41,560 same passage that people point to to make you doubt that Jesus 567 00:36:41,560 --> 00:36:45,760 was predicted and prophesied about actually teaches about the 568 00:36:45,760 --> 00:36:50,040 fact that he resurrected. Let me give you just a simple 569 00:36:50,040 --> 00:36:53,280 observation. After being told before Isaiah 570 00:36:53,280 --> 00:36:55,800 5310 that he will be cut out from the land of the living, 571 00:36:56,120 --> 00:36:58,400 that he'll be offered up as a guilt offering, which according 572 00:36:58,400 --> 00:37:03,320 to the law means death, that his grave will be made with the 573 00:37:03,320 --> 00:37:05,880 wicked. After all this language being 574 00:37:05,880 --> 00:37:09,640 pierced unto death, being crushed to death, what does it 575 00:37:09,640 --> 00:37:11,680 say? He shall see his offspring. 576 00:37:14,280 --> 00:37:16,840 Last time I checked, after you die, you don't see anything. 577 00:37:18,960 --> 00:37:22,120 Apparently he's going to see. He's going to see the fruit of 578 00:37:22,120 --> 00:37:24,480 his sacrifice. This isn't even end there. 579 00:37:24,480 --> 00:37:28,000 What does he say next? Moreover, he shall prolong his 580 00:37:28,000 --> 00:37:31,440 days. I thought your days were cut 581 00:37:31,440 --> 00:37:33,520 off. I thought you ceased to live. 582 00:37:33,520 --> 00:37:35,440 I thought you were put to death. Yes. 583 00:37:35,440 --> 00:37:37,560 But after that, this is this is chronological. 584 00:37:37,560 --> 00:37:40,360 After that, there will be an extension of his life. 585 00:37:41,200 --> 00:37:45,680 He will continue to live. Is there anything else in this 586 00:37:45,680 --> 00:37:46,680 one verse alone? Yes. 587 00:37:46,680 --> 00:37:49,560 Look at the end of verse 10. The will of the Lord shall 588 00:37:49,560 --> 00:37:53,960 prosper in His hand, implying that there is something else 589 00:37:53,960 --> 00:37:57,320 that this suffering servant will accomplish after his death. 590 00:37:58,800 --> 00:38:02,240 How can my hand do anything unless it is animated with life? 591 00:38:03,840 --> 00:38:06,440 And so there's still more for Messiah to do, and we learn 592 00:38:06,440 --> 00:38:08,480 about it. He's going to intercede for 593 00:38:08,480 --> 00:38:11,760 transgressors. So clearly there's only one 594 00:38:11,760 --> 00:38:15,600 logical conclusion, that this one who does lay down his life, 595 00:38:15,840 --> 00:38:20,480 who does become a sin bearing sacrifice for many, will live 596 00:38:20,480 --> 00:38:23,160 again. He will live again. 597 00:38:23,560 --> 00:38:24,680 Who said that? Peter. 598 00:38:25,520 --> 00:38:26,560 Who said that? John. 599 00:38:27,520 --> 00:38:29,320 Who said that? The pastor of Maranatha Bible 600 00:38:29,320 --> 00:38:33,160 Church, Isaiah the prophet 700 years before the life of Christ. 601 00:38:34,240 --> 00:38:36,280 That's why Isaiah is known as the 5th Gospel. 602 00:38:38,160 --> 00:38:40,040 Reeling all this together, here's the message. 603 00:38:40,040 --> 00:38:43,400 In Isaiah, the Messiah's personal defeat over sin will 604 00:38:43,400 --> 00:38:47,800 conquer death forever, and it will justify others who are 605 00:38:48,640 --> 00:38:54,360 belonging to him. Just the surface of finding the 606 00:38:54,360 --> 00:38:57,200 resurrection in the prophets. Let's come finally now to the 607 00:38:57,200 --> 00:39:03,840 writings, the last part of the Old Testament, Daniel, chapter 608 00:39:03,840 --> 00:39:08,440 12. Did you know that in the Tanakh, 609 00:39:08,440 --> 00:39:12,760 the book of Daniel is not placed under the prophets, but with the 610 00:39:12,760 --> 00:39:17,080 Ketuvim, the writings? I can explain why, but I don't 611 00:39:17,080 --> 00:39:22,520 want to keep you too long. We could go to the Psalms. 612 00:39:23,760 --> 00:39:27,400 We can go to Job. There's so many things in the 613 00:39:27,400 --> 00:39:29,640 writings that point to the resurrection. 614 00:39:29,640 --> 00:39:32,440 Why am I going to Daniel? I'm going to Daniel because it 615 00:39:32,440 --> 00:39:34,320 brings us full circle to our original verse. 616 00:39:34,320 --> 00:39:38,680 When we open up this message when Paul was defending his 617 00:39:38,680 --> 00:39:41,600 faith in the resurrection, he alludes to what Daniel says in 618 00:39:41,600 --> 00:39:44,680 Daniel 12 verse 2. Let's read It is what the 619 00:39:44,680 --> 00:39:48,160 prophet Daniel says. And many of those who sleep in 620 00:39:48,160 --> 00:39:52,960 the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, 621 00:39:53,600 --> 00:39:55,960 and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 622 00:39:58,560 --> 00:40:00,080 I want to end a little differently here. 623 00:40:01,120 --> 00:40:04,440 I'm fully aware that there are some, maybe even many. 624 00:40:05,280 --> 00:40:08,600 Who are listening to this message and you don't believe 625 00:40:08,800 --> 00:40:11,320 not just what I have to say here, you don't believe anything 626 00:40:11,320 --> 00:40:15,800 that the Bible has to say. And if you have survived the 627 00:40:15,800 --> 00:40:19,600 sermon to this point, I want to tell you something that might 628 00:40:19,600 --> 00:40:22,960 pique your interest, that whether you believe in it or 629 00:40:22,960 --> 00:40:30,560 not, the Lord speaks about you. Yes, even if you don't believe 630 00:40:30,560 --> 00:40:33,080 in this truth, even if you don't believe in God, Jesus, you want 631 00:40:33,080 --> 00:40:34,960 to live your own life. You're the you're the master of 632 00:40:34,960 --> 00:40:36,920 your fate. You're the captain of your soul. 633 00:40:37,680 --> 00:40:39,600 Can I tell you that the Bible anticipated you? 634 00:40:42,400 --> 00:40:45,840 Can't be said more clearly. Than what Daniel says here, that 635 00:40:45,840 --> 00:40:49,040 there will be those who will, yes, be raised everlasting life, 636 00:40:49,040 --> 00:40:51,080 and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 637 00:40:53,560 --> 00:40:55,040 The Bible tells us why there will be. 638 00:40:55,040 --> 00:40:58,960 Some who will be raised everlasting contempt it. 639 00:40:58,960 --> 00:41:00,440 Anticipates again that there will be those. 640 00:41:00,440 --> 00:41:04,040 Who will deny God, deny His provision of eternal life, and 641 00:41:04,040 --> 00:41:07,800 live their way the Bible wants? To tell you that. 642 00:41:07,880 --> 00:41:10,280 There is a cost to that decision. 643 00:41:12,520 --> 00:41:15,960 And I want to say something. That most would hesitate to say 644 00:41:16,800 --> 00:41:21,600 for an Easter message. But I'm aware that you may never 645 00:41:21,600 --> 00:41:25,160 hear it at another place. You may not hear it from another 646 00:41:25,160 --> 00:41:28,760 person. What this book teaches. 647 00:41:29,320 --> 00:41:33,960 Is that there is a real heaven and there is a real hell, and 648 00:41:33,960 --> 00:41:37,840 every single person will spend. Eternity in one. 649 00:41:37,840 --> 00:41:41,960 Of those two places, that's it. It's as simple as that. 650 00:41:43,960 --> 00:41:46,360 You're not a bag of skin stuffed with meat. 651 00:41:48,280 --> 00:41:51,040 You're an immortal soul. That's been created in the image 652 00:41:51,040 --> 00:41:54,000 of God, and he made you to walk with him. 653 00:41:54,600 --> 00:41:57,840 But our first parents made the decision to walk away from Him 654 00:41:58,840 --> 00:42:03,200 because love has choice in it, and the choice of our parents 655 00:42:03,200 --> 00:42:05,880 and we follow it in their direction is to ignore God, 656 00:42:05,880 --> 00:42:09,560 blasphemy God, enjoy what he hates, break his law. 657 00:42:11,600 --> 00:42:13,120 On top of that, you have some who deny. 658 00:42:13,120 --> 00:42:17,040 His existence reject his creative work separate. 659 00:42:17,040 --> 00:42:19,400 Themselves from anything that. Is righteous and pure and good. 660 00:42:21,400 --> 00:42:24,400 Let me be the one to tell you. That you have. 661 00:42:24,400 --> 00:42:27,800 Been made by God. And you've been made for God, 662 00:42:29,000 --> 00:42:33,360 but again, he gives you the choice because sin separates us 663 00:42:33,360 --> 00:42:35,560 from God. And He was the one who initiated 664 00:42:35,560 --> 00:42:39,120 reconciliation with him. But he. 665 00:42:39,120 --> 00:42:41,520 Couldn't just sweep our sin? Underneath a rug, he couldn't 666 00:42:41,520 --> 00:42:44,040 just ignore it, because as much as he is loved, he is holy, he 667 00:42:44,040 --> 00:42:49,600 is true, He is just. And so he came with a plan. 668 00:42:49,640 --> 00:42:53,160 Paul calls it the wisdom of God. He came up with a plan in order 669 00:42:53,160 --> 00:42:57,000 to extend his love and yet at the same time satisfy his 670 00:42:57,000 --> 00:43:00,560 justice. The second Person of the 671 00:43:00,560 --> 00:43:02,200 Trinity. Enters into the world, takes on 672 00:43:02,200 --> 00:43:07,640 flesh, and he pays our debt. And he does that by. 673 00:43:07,640 --> 00:43:11,320 Dying on the cross, absorbing the wrath of God that was over 674 00:43:11,320 --> 00:43:15,120 your head and mine. He's buried. 675 00:43:15,640 --> 00:43:17,840 He. Raises from the grave, and that 676 00:43:17,840 --> 00:43:19,720 resurrection is God's. Amen. 677 00:43:19,720 --> 00:43:23,880 That he approved that payment. All for what? 678 00:43:24,640 --> 00:43:27,880 So that you, a debtor, you a Sinner, you condemned, you 679 00:43:27,880 --> 00:43:32,000 guilty, would acknowledge it and receive that free gift of 680 00:43:32,000 --> 00:43:39,200 salvation and be saved. How can I? 681 00:43:39,200 --> 00:43:43,120 Know with absolute assurance that would Daniel prophesized 682 00:43:43,120 --> 00:43:45,160 here. Will that be my portion? 683 00:43:45,160 --> 00:43:48,200 How can I transition from everlasting contempt to 684 00:43:48,200 --> 00:43:51,120 everlasting life? How can? 685 00:43:51,120 --> 00:43:53,240 I know that when I give my. Final breath. 686 00:43:53,440 --> 00:43:56,600 How can I know that even if I'm surprised by death, that the 687 00:43:56,600 --> 00:44:00,400 next step I will take will be in the presence of God, will be in 688 00:44:00,400 --> 00:44:04,200 the arms of a loving Creator? Let. 689 00:44:04,200 --> 00:44:05,840 Me tell you what Jesus says to. You. 690 00:44:06,640 --> 00:44:09,080 Here's what Jesus says to you in John 1125. 691 00:44:09,120 --> 00:44:14,640 I am the resurrection of life. Whoever believes in me, though 692 00:44:14,640 --> 00:44:26,400 he die, yet shall he live. The way you can know that. 693 00:44:26,400 --> 00:44:29,920 You will have resurrection unto life is by embracing the Lord 694 00:44:29,920 --> 00:44:35,520 Jesus Christ, by understanding his love for you, by 695 00:44:35,520 --> 00:44:37,440 understanding what he laid aside. 696 00:44:37,640 --> 00:44:41,880 Again, I I gave that very faint picture of what it must have 697 00:44:41,880 --> 00:44:45,400 been like for Christ to return in glory in flesh. 698 00:44:45,600 --> 00:44:48,840 But what was it like when he removed his glory to enter into 699 00:44:48,840 --> 00:44:54,680 this world as flesh? What did those creatures? 700 00:44:54,680 --> 00:44:57,560 See, how do they converse among themselves? 701 00:44:57,960 --> 00:45:02,440 How do they try to ratify it and justify it and explain it that 702 00:45:02,440 --> 00:45:03,720 this? God chooses to. 703 00:45:03,720 --> 00:45:07,080 Come into this world that he created, this world that spat in 704 00:45:07,080 --> 00:45:10,320 his face and denied him and turned their back on him, and 705 00:45:10,320 --> 00:45:12,920 yet he is reaching for them to bring them back to himself. 706 00:45:13,040 --> 00:45:18,760 How can this be? Just restart, change the whole 707 00:45:18,760 --> 00:45:22,600 thing. Start from square 1, The 708 00:45:22,600 --> 00:45:27,280 throbbing love of God for him to come and to reach out to us. 709 00:45:27,880 --> 00:45:30,240 So here's what you're hearing on this Sunday afternoon. 710 00:45:30,240 --> 00:45:33,600 God's hand, even today, because he commanded men to go and 711 00:45:33,600 --> 00:45:35,160 preach the gospel to all nations. 712 00:45:35,320 --> 00:45:37,400 Here's the message. God's hand is extended out to 713 00:45:37,400 --> 00:45:39,400 you. What will you do with it? 714 00:45:41,080 --> 00:45:45,120 Will you ignore it? Will you slap it away? 715 00:45:47,040 --> 00:45:48,400 Will you come up with your own terms? 716 00:45:48,400 --> 00:45:53,000 And shake his hand on a premise that he did not propose. 717 00:45:54,120 --> 00:45:55,280 Here's what he. Asks of you. 718 00:45:55,360 --> 00:46:01,320 Repent, turn from your sins, and embrace His forgiveness for your 719 00:46:01,320 --> 00:46:06,560 life and in the moment that you genuinely turn not from God, you 720 00:46:06,560 --> 00:46:11,320 turn from your sins and you believe on Him in. 721 00:46:11,320 --> 00:46:15,360 That very second. You'll be justified before God, 722 00:46:16,480 --> 00:46:19,600 just as you have never sinned. You will be redeemed, you'll be 723 00:46:19,600 --> 00:46:21,600 cleansed, and your name will be written in the Lamb's book of 724 00:46:21,600 --> 00:46:23,840 life. And not only. 725 00:46:23,840 --> 00:46:24,960 Do you have something to look forward? 726 00:46:24,960 --> 00:46:28,680 To after this life, but you can walk with your God in this life 727 00:46:29,680 --> 00:46:35,480 and enjoy him until it climaxes where you see him and you. 728 00:46:35,480 --> 00:46:36,960 Get to be with him and his people. 729 00:46:36,960 --> 00:46:39,920 Forever, because death is. Swallowed up in. 730 00:46:39,920 --> 00:46:43,560 Victory. Praise God, let's pray. 731 00:46:58,320 --> 00:46:59,760 Indeed, but we have feasted on your. 732 00:46:59,760 --> 00:47:04,360 Word today. And though there may be some 733 00:47:04,360 --> 00:47:07,520 who. Deny the validity of these truth 734 00:47:07,520 --> 00:47:11,160 claims. I trust that there is not one. 735 00:47:11,160 --> 00:47:15,800 Person who can deny that it is consistent in your word? 736 00:47:17,840 --> 00:47:21,440 That at various stages in. History you have hinted at, 737 00:47:21,720 --> 00:47:25,600 you've made known, you have revealed that you will defeat 738 00:47:25,600 --> 00:47:30,680 death, and those who place their trust and their faith in your 739 00:47:30,680 --> 00:47:37,520 son will also defeat that. And so, Lord, today as your word 740 00:47:37,520 --> 00:47:43,200 went forth, we ask that you would do what no man can do, and 741 00:47:43,200 --> 00:47:46,360 that is to convict and change hearts. 742 00:47:47,480 --> 00:47:49,480 And Lord, for those who have been redeemed and who were here 743 00:47:49,480 --> 00:47:51,920 celebrating what happened to their lives because of what 744 00:47:51,920 --> 00:47:55,520 you've done, we've now come to celebrate you in this final 745 00:47:55,520 --> 00:47:57,200 moment. Receive glory. 746 00:47:57,200 --> 00:48:01,480 Lord, help us never forget the richness of this treasure that 747 00:48:01,480 --> 00:48:04,920 you've made available to us in Jesus name, Amen. 748 00:48:05,960 --> 00:48:08,400 Let's stand. He's in the law, He's in the 749 00:48:08,400 --> 00:48:11,040 prophets, He's in the writings, He's everywhere. 750 00:48:11,840 --> 00:48:14,520 He's the theme of the Bible, He's the theme of the universe, 751 00:48:14,520 --> 00:48:15,560 and he is our King.