because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.”
Mark 9:31
This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.Acts 2:23-24
This week, we look at two texts. In the first text, Jesus is prophesying about his death and resurrection. In the second text, Peter is reporting these events in a sermon. The resurrection is God’s ultimate stamp of approval upon Jesus’ claim to be Messiah and Jesus’ work of redemption. The resurrection launched the church because after his resurrection, Jesus was seen by a crowd as large as 500 people (1 Corinthians 15:3-8).
Jesus’ resurrection is evidence that he is victorious over death, hell, and sin. Jesus’ sinlessness meant that he resisted every temptation while living and offered himself as a pure sacrifice to God. Jesus was not condemned to death because sin causes death.
Jesus’ resurrection means that we have hope beyond this life. Our hope is not embedded within this twisted world. Our hope, security, and confidence are not things this world can provide. But the hope we have in Jesus is a living hope because this hope is anchored in the living person of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:3). Do you believe that Jesus was crucified, buried, and three days later resurrected? The resurrection is your evidence that Jesus is everything that he said he was.
