Jesus’ Resurrection
An all-creatures Bible Message

Jesus’ Resurrection
 
A Sermon Delivered to
The Compassion Internet Church
 
21 April 2019
 
Frank L. Hoffman, Pastor

Scripture References

Psalm 118:14-24
John 20:1-18
Acts 10:34-43
1 Corinthians 15:19-26

Jesus’ resurrection is really what the world should be celebrating on Resurrection Day, but instead most Christians celebrate Easter with the emphasis on the tortured remains of once living animals who enjoyed life as much as we do.
 
They also hard boil and dye chicken eggs, or the embryos of their babies without any regard for their mothers who suffered greatly to lay the eggs.
 
And we cannot forget about all milk chocolate and other candies that were also made with the tortured remains of other animals along with unhealthful gobs of white sugar.
 
And these so-called “foods” have absolutely nothing to do with Jesus’ resurrection.
 
We need to unselfishly seek to resurrect this world to the condition that God created it to be, or as Paul tells us in Romans 8, we are to help free this world from its present corruption.
 
We are to live as Jesus taught us to live and take a stand against all the forces of evil upon this earth.
 
Let’s now take a look at Psalm 118:14-24, and see how it fits into our look at Jesus’ resurrection.

14. The LORD is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.

This is a brief description of who Jesus is.

15. Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous:
"The LORD's right hand has done mighty things!
 
16. The LORD's right hand is lifted high;
the LORD's right hand has done mighty things!"
 
17. I will not die but live,
and will proclaim what the LORD has done.

This is the salvation and resurrection promise that Jesus left with all true believers who live in the heavenly will of God.

18. The LORD has chastened me severely,
but he has not given me over to death.

The Lord wants all of us and all of the animals to live together in heaven where there is no longer any pain or suffering or death.

19. Open for me the gates of righteousness;
I will enter and give thanks to the LORD.

This will happen if we believe in the Lord and live in His heavenly will.

20. This is the gate of the LORD
through which the righteous may enter.

This kind of righteousness is not something that we determine for ourselves, but something that God determines, and a good start is for truly repentant sinners to live in the heavenly will of God here on earth as it is in heaven.

21. I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
you have become my salvation.
 
22. The stone the builders rejected
has become the capstone;

This is who Jesus is.

23. The LORD has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes.
 
24. This is the day the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
NIV

And we should be rejoicing if we truly believe that Jesus died and rose again, for Jesus’ resurrection is the proof that we will also rise from the dead one day.
 
In John 20:1-18, he tells us the story of Jesus’ resurrection.

1. Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.

There are different versions of this story, but the key is that Jesus’ body was no longer in the tomb.

2. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!"

In the Gospel of John, he refers to himself as the one Jesus loved, so we know that John heard, so we know that he heard firsthand from Mary what she saw and thought.
 
From a spiritual standpoint, we believe that Jesus rose from the dead; from a worldly sense, as Mary was thinking, people believed that someone had taken the body of Jesus away.
 
And it is also this worldly way of thinking that leads to all the pain, suffering, and death that is inflicted upon millions of humans and billions of animals every year.

3. So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb.
 
4. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.
 
5. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in.
 
6. Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there,
 
7. as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen.
 
8. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed.
 
9. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)

From what we are told here, Peter and John only believed what Mary had told them; they were not yet thinking spiritually.

10. Then the disciples went back to their homes,
 
11. but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb

From this verse we learn that Mary had gone back to the tomb with Peter and John, but she seemed to have some hope that she would find out the truth, and it is this hope that led to her spiritual vision…

12. and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
 
13. They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?"
"They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put him."
 
14. At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
 
15. "Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?"
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him."

Mary is struggling between thinking as the world thinks rather than thinking spiritually in the heavenly realm of God, so Jesus helps her…

16. Jesus said to her, "Mary."
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).

Now, Mary is understanding spiritually, but the important thing for us who are reading this is to believe that Jesus rose from the dead because of what we are being told, for it is doubtful that very many of us, or any of us, will ever see angels in His tomb or have Jesus speak to us as He did with Mary.

17. Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" 
 
18. Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!" And she told them that he had said these things to her.
NIV

If we truly believe in Jesus’ resurrection, then we should also be thinking and living in the heavenly realm of God, and taking a stand against all forms of human caused pain and suffering and death for these things do not exist in heaven.
 
It is also this kind of pain, suffering, and death that is being celebrated by most people this Easter in who they eat, with no regard for the pain, suffering, and death that they are contributing to.
 
Now, let us turn to Acts 10:34-43, as we celebrate this remembrance day of Jesus’ resurrection.

34. Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism
 
35. but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.

Jesus is telling us a very important thing to remember, but to this very day, we are hearing many so-called Christians, including some clergy, excluding people who are not the same as they are.
 
Another very important aspect of this lesson which is not being specifically talked about here is that we cannot exclude people who don’t understand just because they are different, because we have an obligation to try to teach them the truth about Jesus, and why it is so important for all of us to be living in the heavenly will of God.
 
And, if we are all spiritually living in the heavenly realm of God, we will also include all animals in our loving, compassionate, and empathetic way of life.

36. You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.

Jesus is indeed Lord of all: all of creation, every aspect of our environment, and every single living being on this earth, without regard to whether they are human beings or other animals.

37. You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached-
 
38. how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.

And we should be doing the same kinds of things; that is, if we are truly peacemaking children of God.

39. "We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree,
 
40. but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen.

In a way we have this same resurrection power; we may not be able to raise people from the dead in this way, but we sure can prevent many deaths every year by being vegan and not exploiting any animals.
 
This Resurrection Day should be cruelty-free, as should every day that follows.

41. He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen-by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.

This is the situation we are in today; we only have two testimonies of these witnesses from some two thousand years ago, and we pray that someday in the very near future it will being people to believe and live in the heavenly will of God.

42. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.
 
43. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."
NIV

This is our job and the resurrection promise.
 
We hope and pray that we will all accept it and live it every day of our lives, and not worry about how we may have lived in the past.
 
We are to live lovingly, and compassionately, and empathetically in the future for this is the only way we are going to be able to free creation from its present corruption.
 
Let’s conclude our discussion of Jesus’ resurrection by looking at 1 Corinthians 15:19-26…

19. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.  

Because, we are to also have hope in our afterlife with Him in heaven, according to God’s promise, which will be forever and ever.

20. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
 
21. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.
 
22. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.

This is the assurance of where we are to be spiritually living, and we are to include every other living being to be a part of this new life.

23. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.
 
24. Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.
 
25. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
 
26. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
NIV

And today, we can help destroy the death of animals by not eating or otherwise exploiting them, and doing everything in our power to end all forms of violence and warring madness, and this begins with our refusal to be silent and speaking out whenever the opportunity arises.
 
This is living in the resurrection power of Jesus’ resurrection.
 
And we wish all of you a spiritually happy, empathetic and peaceful Resurrection Day, both for now and for every day that follows.
 
Amen.

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