The Importance of Resurrection

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This is Today With Derek Prince. The internationally recognized Bible teacher and author presents to you Keys To Successful Living.

Yesterday Derek Prince gave us evidence of Jesus’ resurrection through Old Testament Scriptures and human witnesses from the New Testament. Today he will conclude the theme ‘Resurrection of the Dead,’ by explaining the importance of Christ’s resurrection and why our own resurrection is the completion of our redemption. Stay tuned at the end of today’s program for our address and this week’s special offer.

Derek Prince:

“Concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord who came of the seed of David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of Holiness . . .”

And that’s a Jewish phrase of saying the Holy Spirit because actually the Hebrew for the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Holiness. Some translators don’t realize that Paul was writing in Greek but thinking in Hebrew.

“. . . declared to be the Son of God with power by the Holy Spirit by the resurrection of the dead.”

So when Jesus came forth out of the tomb God said, ‘I’ve reversed those unjust decisions. I’ve vindicated my Son. He never sinned, there’s no cause for death in Him and by my Holy Spirit I’ve raised Him up.’

You know, it’s interesting, I shouldn’t go into this too long, but all the vital crises of the redemption involve all three persons of the Godhead. The conception of Jesus was by the Father through the Spirit to bring forth the Son. The ministry of Jesus, Peter says, ‘God the Father anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and with power.’ The Father anointed the Son with the Spirit. The death of Jesus, it says ‘He through the eternal Spirit offered Himself to God.’ The Son through the Spirit to the Father. The resurrection of Jesus, ‘the Father by the Spirit raised the Son.’ And the final statement at Pentecost, ‘Jesus received from the Father the gift of the Holy Spirit and poured it out on His disciples.’ You see how totally the tri-unity of the Godhead is involved in every major stage of redemption. If I may say it reverently, it was like no one of the persons of the Godhead wanted to be left out in this glorious visitation of the human race. God is much more interested in us than we realize. To me that speaks volumes. The whole Godhead was totally involved in every major phase of the process of redemption.

All right. Now then, the resurrection of Jesus is the basis for our justification. If He wasn’t raised we’d still be in our sins. Paul says in Romans 4:25–26:

“Jesus was delivered up to death for our offenses and was raised for our justification.
If He hadn’t been raised we could not be justified, we’d still be in our sins.”

And then he says about salvation in Romans chapter 10:9–10:

“If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead you will be saved. For with the heart one believes to righteousness and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.”

You understand, if you do not believe that God raised Jesus from the dead you cannot be saved. It is essential for salvation. Unfortunately there are multitudes of professing Christians who don’t believe in the physical resurrection. None of them can know the peace and joy of sins forgiven, no matter what position they may occupy in the church.

Then the resurrection is the guarantee of Christ’s power to save us. In Hebrews chapter 7:25 it says this:

“Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him [Jesus] since He ever lives to make intercession for us.”

If Jesus was still in the tomb, how could He save us? But because He’s at the right hand of God, because He’s atoned for our sins, because all authority in heaven and earth has been given to Him, He’s able to save us to the uttermost. I love that phrase. Somebody said ‘from the guttermost to the uttermost.’ There’s no limit to the power of Jesus to save. He has all power.

Then, and this again is very important, the resurrection is the completion of our redemption. Listen, our destination ultimately is not heaven. It’s wonderful that we’ll be able to go to heaven but that’s just a stopping-off place because while our spirits are in heaven our bodies will still be moldering in the grave. That’s not a complete salvation. Jesus died for the whole person. His salvation includes spirit, soul and body. And that salvation is not complete until the resurrection. Paul was very clear of this. He says in Philippians chapter 3:10 and following—he says the aim and purpose of his whole life is:

“That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death if by any means I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”

He wasn’t concerned about getting to heaven, his ambition was to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Thank God when we die our spirits will go to heaven but that’s not the completion of redemption because our bodies are still unredeemed. Paul set his sights on the resurrection and he said something very powerful. He said, ‘If by any means I may attain to the resurrection.’ Paul didn’t take for granted that he would attain to the resurrection. Dear brother and sister, you will not drift into the resurrection. If you’re drifting you’ll end somewhere else. It requires a real solemn commitment and determination.

I’m sorry to say that I meet thousands of Christians who really don’t take this sufficiently serious. If Paul had to say, ‘If by any means I may attain to the resurrection,’ who are you or I to say we’ll get there anyhow? Are we on the same spiritual level as Paul? Probably not. But even Paul didn’t take it for granted. He said again in the next verse:

“Not that I’m already attained or am already perfected but I press on that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Paul was single-minded. He said, ‘I haven’t arrived, I haven’t attained,’ at the time that he was speaking. But he said, ‘There’s one thing I do. I press toward the goal. I’ve got one supreme ambition and determination, to be there when the dead are raised in Christ.’

And when you think what that’s going to be like, brothers and sisters, it would be a shame to miss it! It really would. I mean, it’s not possible for our limited minds to conceive the glory and the power that will be released when these weak, corruptible bodies are suddenly and gloriously transformed into a body like that of Jesus. Isn’t that wonderful? It is to me.

Romans 8:23 also says this. In other words, salvation isn’t complete until the resurrection. Romans 8:23, it says in verse 22:

“The whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now . . . [Then it says:] . . . not only they but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.”

Now let me ask you, is that true of you? You have the firstfruits of the Spirit. Are you groaning within yourself? Are you eagerly waiting? What right do you or I have to suppose that God deals with us on a lesser level? The baptism in the Holy Spirit is not given just to have a good time, it’s given to prepare us for what lies ahead.

The next thing I want to say about the resurrection is it’s the consummation of our union with Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 4:17 says this:

“Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them [the dead who have been raised] in clouds to meet the Lord in the air . . .”

That’s very interesting because there are two Greek words for air. One describes the higher rarefied air, the other the air nearer the earth’s surface. The word that’s used here is the lower air. So we won’t go very far above the earth to meet the Lord.

“…and thus we shall always be with the Lord.”

After that, no more partings. We shall always be with the Lord and we shall always be with one another. Now, I have a wife whom I love dearly who’s gone ahead of me. But one day we’ll be together forever. Dear brothers and sisters, don’t miss this. It’s the greatest tragedy of your life if you miss this. It’s earnest, it’s serious.

“Finally, and I have to say this rapidly, the resurrection will be in three phases. 1 Corinthians 15:22:
For as in Adam all died, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one of us in his own order . . .”

And here’s the order, three separate phases. First, Christ the firstfruits, then those who are Christ’s at His coming, and finally the end, the final resurrection of all the remaining dead. Whom is Jesus coming back? Those that are Christ’s. He’s not coming back . . . He’s not a thief, He’s not going to take anything or anybody that doesn’t belong to Him. Do you really belong to Him? It’s an important question. Those are the ones He’s coming back for.

He’s called the firstfruits. And here’s one final passage from the Bible that is really exciting. Leviticus chapter 23. This is a ceremony under the Law of Moses.

“The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘When you come into the land which I give to you and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priests. He shall wave the sheaf before the Lord to be accepted on your behalf. On the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it.’’”

What day is the Sabbath, what day of the week? Saturday. What’s the day after the Sabbath? Sunday. What day did Jesus rise? Sunday, that’s right. He was the sheaf and He was waved on our behalf that we might be accepted because of Him.

But He wasn’t just one stalk, He was a sheaf. And if you read in Matthew chapter 27 when Jesus died, there was an earthquake, the tombs were opened and many of the righteous dead came out into the city. I don’t believe they went back into the tombs, I believe they went up with Jesus. They became the sheaf that was waived before the Lord, saying there’s a great multitude to follow. Here we are, we’re the sheaf, we’re the firstfruits.

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Join us again next week when Derek Prince concludes his series ‘Laying the Foundation’ with the final theme ‘Eternal Judgment.’ In these messages he will explain the two kinds of judgment, give five principles of God’s judgment and describe the various scenes of judgment which are yet to come.

This week’s message on ‘Resurrection of the Dead’ is available on audiocassette No. RC4168, and also on video. Our special offer this week is Chords From David’s Harp which takes you through one hundred one inspirational meditations from the book of Psalms. To receive your copy of ‘Resurrection of the Dead’ write today and include a contribution of $5.00 or more for audiocassette RC4168 or $14.95 for the video teaching. Include a gift of $5.00 or more for the book Chords From David’s Harp.

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