Philippians: Jesus Christ’s Resurrection from the Dead Gives His Believers JOY

Class Outline:

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He is Risen!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome To

BARAH MINISTRIES

An Online Christian Church

Teaching the Word of God

 

RORY CLARK

Pastor-Teacher

 

Good Morning!

 

My name is Pastor Rory Clark!  Welcome to a Bible lesson courtesy of Barah Ministries, an online Christian Church teaching the Word of God verse-by-verse to the hearers the Lord provides.

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Jesus Christ’s Resurrection from the Dead Gives His Believers JOY

 

LESSON INTRODUCTION

 

This is Resurrection Day!  For Christians, today is the biggest cause for celebration in the divine calendar.

 

The rest of the world calls the day Easter.  Little do they know they are celebrating an ancient spring festival honoring of the goddess of fertility and sex, Eostre, also known in various cultures as Ishtar.

 

The festival was an orgy.  Bunnies are thought to be the most fertile of creatures, so over the years the holiday has included the bunny as a mascot along with Easter eggs and candy and Easter egg hunts.

 

For Christians the day gives us a chance to call to mind three of the greatest words ever spoken…HE IS RISEN!  Matthew, Chapter 28, Verses 1 to 6…

 

MATTHEW 28:1

Now after the Sabbath…as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week (a Sunday) … Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave.

 

MATTHEW 28:2

And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred…for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven to roll away the stone from the grave…and he sat upon it.

 

MATTHEW 28:3

And the angel’s appearance was like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow.

 

MATTHEW 28:4

The grave guards shook for fear of the angel and became catatonic like dead men.

 

MATTHEW 28:5

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified.”

 

MATTHEW 28:6

“Jesus is not here.  HE IS RISEN from the dead just as He said.  Come, see the place where He was lying.”

 

 

The women saw an empty grave.  What a beautiful sight!

 

In today’s lesson we’ll investigate why Christians are filled with JOY because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

 

OPENING SONG INTRODUCTION

 

Let’s hear some music!  In Philippians, Chapter 4, Verse 11 the apostle Paul gives believers in Christ the secret to JOY…

 

PHILIPPIANS 4:11b

…I (Paul) have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.

 

Let the joyous news be spread…Jesus is risen from the dead!  This song says best why we are ecstatic with JOY.  Today we CELEBRATE JESUS!

 

NEWSPAPER CLIPPING>

MUSIC

OPENING SONG

Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises

 

CELEBRATE JESUS

Don Moen

 

OPENING PRAYER

 

Let us pray...

 

Heavenly Father, thank you for the spiritual wealth You provided to the whole world by making it possible for everyone to have a relationship with Your Son, the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ…we marvel at the reality that no matter where we go in the world, you have introduced EVERYONE to the gospel message of Jesus Christ…

 

…thank you for sending the Lord in human form as Jesus…the Christ…the Messiah…thank you for letting Him humiliate Himself to save us while we were ungodly, unrighteous, unbelieving sinners…

 

…show us how to celebrate Jesus today…He is our Redeemer who purchased us from slavery to sin…who gave us a reason not to fear death…and who reconciled us to a relationship with You…keep us focused on the resurrection life we believers in Christ share with Him, and not on the Jesus’s death…

 

…we ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s

name...Amen.

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Jesus Christ’s Resurrection from the Dead Gives His Believers JOY

 

LESSON PART ONE

 

We have been studying the apostle Paul’s letter to the believers in Christ at Philippi, a Roman colony of the first century.  Paul’s letter to the Philippians reminds us believers in Christ to live lives of JOY regardless of circumstances, a specialty of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

The Lord demonstrated an attitude of JOY, described in Philippians, Chapter 2,

Verses 5 to 8, and Paul exhorts believers in Christ to imitate Christ.  He says…

 

PHILIPPIANS 2:5

Keep on having this attitude in yourselves which was also the attitude in Christ

Jesus…

 

PHILIPPIANS 2:6

…who, although He existed in the exact same essence as God the Father, did not regard equality with God the Father as a thing to be seized and held onto…

 

PHILIPPIANS 2:7

…instead, Jesus emptied Himself (depriving Himself of the rightful functions of Deity) by taking on the form of a bond-servant, and by being made in the likeness of men.

 

PHILIPPIANS 2:8

Being found in appearance as a man, He humiliated Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a Cross.

 

Today, we celebrate the JOY of the Lord’s resurrection from the dead.  What is resurrection?

 

RESURRECTION

Bodily existence after physical death.   Coming to life in a new body after our current physical body has died.  Coming back from the dead in a real, transformed body.

 

Believers in Christ have a lot of reasons to feel JOY.  Let’s see what the Bible has to say about those reasons.  What made salvation possible for mankind?

 

WHAT MADE SALVATION POSSIBLE FOR ALL MANKIND?

 

The Lord Jesus Christ died for us

 

First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verses 3 and 4…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:3

For I (the apostle Paul) delivered to all of you as of primary importance the gospel

message I also received from God the Father…that it was Jesus Christ who died

on a Cross for our sins according to the Old Testament Scriptures…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:4

…and that He was buried…and that He was resurrected from the dead by God the

Father on the third day…according to the Old Testament Scriptures…

 

Information about Jesus’ resurrection from the dead not only was available to New Testament believers.  It is written about throughout the Old Testament scriptures as a prediction of the coming of the Messiah who would save the world from sin.  In Psalm 110, Verse 1 King David says…

 

PSALM 110:1

The Lord (God the Father) says to my Lord (Jesus Christ) …“Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”

 

The Lord is alive!

 

The Lord’s crucifixion on a Cross freed us from sin.  His resurrection from the dead made our salvation possible.  Had Jesus not been resurrected from the dead, Jesus would have been just another dead martyr.  The Lord’s resurrection from the dead made Him unique.

 

Why does the resurrection bring so much JOY to believers in Christ?  First, the Lord Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead proved that He is God.

 

WHAT IS THE JOY OF RESURRECTION?

 

1

The Lord Jesus Christ’s resurrection proved He is God

 

Matthew, Chapter 26, Verses 63 and 64…

 

MATTHEW 26:63

And the high priest said to Jesus, “I adjure You by the living God that You tell us whether You are the Christ (the Messiah) … the Son of God.”

 

MATTHEW 26:64

Jesus said to the high priest, “You have said it yourself!  Nevertheless, I tell you

hereafter you will see me…the Son of Man…sitting at the right hand of Power (next to God the Father) … and coming on the clouds of heaven (at the Rapture).”

 

The Pharisees considered this truth to be blasphemy, even though they knew they were talking to the Messiah.

 

The Lord’s resurrection not only proves He is God, but also His crucifixion proves His love for all mankind.  John, Chapter 15, Verse 13…

 

JOHN 15:13

Greater unconditional love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his

friends.

 

Why does the resurrection bring so much JOY to believers in Christ?

 

The resurrection of Jesus Christ frees all mankind from the penalty of sin

 

WHAT IS THE JOY OF RESURRECTION?

 

2

The resurrection of Jesus Christ frees all mankind from the penalty of sin

 

God doesn’t hold our sins against us, whether we are believers in Christ OR unbelievers.  When you think about it, that’s incredible!  To pay for the sins of your believers in one thing.  To pay for the sins of your enemies is “next level.”

 

All of us are born sinners according to Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 23…

 

ROMANS 3:23

…all creatures have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…

 

Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 10 says…

 

ROMANS 3:10

…it is written, “There is no creature who is righteous (that is…free from sin)…not even one…”

 

Sinners are unbelievers.  They are enemies of God and they have no chance to have a relationship with a perfect God.  At the command of God the Father, His

Son left heaven and came to earth to solve our sin problem.  In John, Chapter 1,

Verse 14 the apostle says…

 

JOHN 1:14a

…the Word (ho logos…the Lord…God the Son) became flesh (taking on human form as Jesus…the Christ…the Messiah) and He lived among us…

 

JOHN 1:14b

…and we apostles saw His glory with our own eyes…the glory of the only begotten Son from the source of God the Father…the Lord Jesus Christ…who is full of grace and full of truth.

 

Romans, Chapter 4, Verse 25 describes…

 

ROMANS 4:25

…the Lord Jesus Christ…who was delivered over by God the Father because of our transgressions and was resurrected from the dead by God the Father for the possibility of our justification…

 

Justification means Jesus purchased our acquittal from the guilt of our sinful condition at birth.  We were born physically alive and spiritually dead.  We only need to claim the benefits of this acquittal by investing our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Acts, Chapter 16, Verse 31 exhorts…

 

ACTS 16:31

“Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved by God…you and everyone in your household who also believes.”

 

Why does the resurrection bring so much JOY to believers in Christ?

 

WHAT IS THE JOY OF RESURRECTION?

 

3

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is absolute truth

 

Jesus gives us His Word in the written Canon of Scripture…the Bible…and we can count on His Word!  Truth is not “all relative” as some claim.  It’s ABSOLUTE!  There is no validity to the claim many make describing truth as “my truth.”  We don’t get to make up our own truths.  There is THE truth…God’s truth…and that’s

it.

 

The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is true because the Lord, who is incapable of lying, says it’s true.

 

God the Father gives us His Word that He loves ALL mankind…Romans, Chapter 5, Verse 8 says…

 

ROMANS 5:8

God the Father demonstrates His own unconditional love toward all mankind in

that while we were yet sinners (while we were unrighteous, ungodly unbelievers), Christ died a sacrificial death for us.

 

God the Father gives us His Word that He is merciful toward sinners…Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verses 4 and 5 say…

 

EPHESIANS 2:4

God the Father, being rich in mercy (toward unbelievers) because of His great unconditional love with which He loved all mankind…

 

EPHESIANS 2:5

…even when we were spiritually dead (from birth) in our transgressions…made us believers in Christ spiritually alive and placed us into union with Christ (for by God the Father’s grace you have been saved)…

 

Why does the resurrection bring so much JOY to believers in Christ?

 

WHAT IS THE JOY OF RESURRECTION?

 

4

The Lord’s resurrection proved His power over sin

 

Romans, Chapter 1, Verse 4…

 

ROMANS 1:4a

…and Jesus Christ was declared the Son of God with divine power by means of His resurrection from the dead, according to the God who is the Spirit of holiness… God the Holy Spirit…

 

Because of the Lord’s resurrection from the dead, Romans, Chapter 6, Verse 14

says…

 

ROMANS 6:14

…sin shall not any longer be sovereign over you believers in Christ…for now you are not under the law but you are under God’s grace.

 

As believers in Christ, we share everything the Lord Jesus Christ possesses.

Galatians, Chapter 2, Verse 20…

 

GALATIANS 2:20a

“I (as a believer in the Lord…Jesus…the Christ) have been crucified with Christ… and it is no longer I who lives…but Christ lives indwelling me…”

 

GALATIANS 2:20b

“…and the resurrection life which I now live in my physical body I live by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ alone…the One who loved me unconditionally and who gave Himself up as a sin substitute for me.”

 

One of the things Jesus possesses is a resurrection body, and in the future we will have one, too!  Yes…we will have bodily existence after death.  Resurrection!  We will be coming back from the dead in transformed, resurrected bodies…Second Corinthians, Chapter 5, Verse 1…

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 5:1

For we believers in Christ know that if the earthly tent (our physical body) which is our current house is torn down, and it will be (through physical death)…we have a new building from God the Father (a resurrection body)…a house not made with human hands…a house eternal in the heavens.

 

In our resurrection body, the “foodies” among us believers look forward to eating for all eternity!  Luke, Chapter 24, Verses 36 to 43…

 

LUKE 24:36

…the Lord Jesus Christ Himself stood in the midst of the eleven and the disciples who were with them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

 

LUKE 24:37

But they were startled and frightened and thought that they were seeing a spirit.

LUKE 24:38

And the Lord Jesus Christ asked them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts

arise in your hearts?”

 

LUKE 24:39

“See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself…touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”

 

LUKE 24:40

And when the Lord had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet.

 

LUKE 24:41

While they still could not believe it because of their joy and amazement, the Lord said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?”

 

LUKE 24:42

The disciples gave the Lord a piece of a broiled fish…

 

LUKE 24:43

…and He took it and ate it before them.

 

Yummy!  I hope it isn’t tilapia!  We have a lot to look forward to in heaven!

 

When we return from the break, we’ll request an offering and then we’ll continue to reflect on the JOY we are offered by the Lord’s life, death, burial, resurrection from the dead, and ascension into the heavenlies.

 

During the break you’ll hear a song from the Rock Opera Jesus Christ Superstar.  In it the conspirators plot to take our Lord’s life thinking His death could erase his impact on history.  No such luck!  The song is THIS JESUS MUST DIE.  Too bad for them He came back from the dead.  The RESURRECTION!

 

FIVE-MINUTE BREAK

THIS JESUS MUST DIE

From Rock Opera Jesus Christ Superstar

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Jesus Christ’s Resurrection from the Dead Gives His Believers JOY

 

OFFERING INTRODUCTION

 

God the Father GIVES.  Romans, Chapter 8, Verses 31 and 32…

 

ROMANS 8:31b

If God the Father is for us believers in Christ, and He is, who is ever going to be successful in opposition against us?

 

ROMANS 8:32

God the Father…who (amid His feelings of WRATH) did not spare His own Son …the Lord Jesus Christ…but delivered Him over for us all…how will He not, now that we are in union with Christ, freely give us all things?

 

Since God the Father is willing to give, let’s not be conflicted about giving.  Be generous with the financial gifts the Lord has given you.  You’ll be supporting God’s ministry so we can provide the Word of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ  free of charge to people all over the world who need to hear about the Lord.

 

Let’s listen to a thoughtful and inspiring offering message from Deacon Denny Goodall.

 

THE OFFERING

Deacon Denny Goodall

 

OFFERING VERSES

 

ISAIAH 53:5

But the Lord Jesus Christ was pierced through for our transgressions, and

He was crushed for our iniquities…the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him…and by His scourging at the Cross we are healed.
 

OFFERING SONG

CHRISTMAS TO THE CROSS

June Murphy

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Jesus Christ’s Resurrection from the Dead Gives His Believers JOY

 

 

LESSON PART TWO

 

We continue our celebration of the Lord’s resurrection from the dead, an event that brings much JOY to believers in Christ.  Luke, Chapter 24, Verses 1 to 9…

 

LUKE 24:1

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.

 

LUKE 24:2

And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb…

 

LUKE 24:3

…but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

 

LUKE 24:4

While they were perplexed about this, two men (angels) suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing…

 

LUKE 24:5

…and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living One among the dead?

 

LUKE 24:6

He is not here, but HE IS RISEN. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee…

 

LUKE 24:7

…saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again from among the dead?”

 

LUKE 24:8

And the women remembered Jesus’ words…

 

LUKE 24:9

…and returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven (the apostles minus the betrayer Judas Iscariot) and to all the rest of the disciples.

 

We celebrate a living God…who is not dead at all…according to Job, Chapter 19,

Verses 25…

 

JOB 19:25

“As for me (Job)…I KNOW that my Redeemer (the Lord Jesus Christ) lives…and at the last (the second coming of Christ) … He will take His stand on the earth.”

 

I have had the pleasure of standing on the very spot where the Lord’s feet will return to the earth in the Garden of Gethsemane at the second coming.  And all of us Church Age believers will witness it, because we’ll be coming with Him.

 

Why does the resurrection bring so much JOY to believers in Christ?

 

WHAT IS THE JOY OF RESURRECTION?

 

5

The resurrection proves the Lord’s power over death

 

First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verse 26…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:26

The last enemy that will be abolished by resurrection is death.

 

First Thessalonians, Chapter 4, Verse 14 says all believers in Christ will be resurrected from the dead as well…

 

FIRST THESSALONIANS 4:14

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and we do, even so God the Father will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in union with Jesus.

 

Because of this, we join the Lord in taunting death…First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verse 55…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS

O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

 

In Revelation, Chapter 1, Verses 17 and 18 the Lord says to the apostle John, the author f the book of Revelation…

 

REVELATION 1:17

“John…do not be afraid…I (the Lord Jesus Christ) am the first and the last…”

 

REVELATION 1:18

“…and I am the living One…and I was dead…and behold I am alive forevermore (resurrected from the dead)… and I have the keys of death and of Hades.”

 

Why does the resurrection bring so much JOY to believers in Christ?

 

WHAT IS THE JOY OF RESURRECTION?

 

6

The resurrection makes it possible for all mankind to be saved through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ

 

In John, Chapter 14, Verse 6…

 

JOHN 14:6

Jesus said to the doubting apostle Thomas, “I am the way (to salvation) … and I am the truth (of the gospel message in the Word of God) … and I am the resurrection life (eternal life) … and no one comes to God the Father in heaven but through believing in Me.”

 

In John, Chapter 3, Verse 36, the Lord provides an invitation and a warning…

 

JOHN 3:36

“He who believes in the Son has the resurrection life right at that moment…but he who does not obey the command to believe in the Son will not see the resurrection life…instead the wrath of God (the Lake of Fire) abides on him.”

 

Why does the resurrection bring so much JOY to believers in Christ?

 

WHAT IS THE JOY OF RESURRECTION?

 

7

The resurrection guarantees believers in Christ a spot in heaven when they close their eyes in this life

 

Second Corinthians, Chapter 5, Verses 6 to 9…

SECOND CORINTHIANS 5:6

Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in our current physical body we are absent from the Lord—

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 5:7

…for we believers in Christ walk by faith, not by sight—

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 5:8

…we believers in Christ are of good courage, I (Paul) say, and prefer to be absent from the body and to be at home face-to-face with the Lord.

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 5:9

Therefore, we believers in Christ have as our ambition, whether at home here on earth or absent from the body in heaven, to be pleasing to Him.

 

Amen?

 

God’s enemy spreads the story that there is no resurrection from the dead.  What about his contention that this time of celebration really is about a fertility goddess and orgies and bunnies?  Paul answers the lie of no resurrection in First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verses 12 to 20…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:12

Now if Christ is preached as raised from the dead, and He is, how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead?

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:13

But if, for the sake of argument, there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been resurrected from the dead…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:14

…and if, for the sake of argument, Christ has not been resurrected from the dead, then our preaching about Christ is in vain and your faith in Christ is in vain.

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:15

It would even be true that we are misrepresenting God the Father, because we testified of God the Father that He raised Christ from the dead when He did not raise Christ from the dead if it is true that the dead are not raised.

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:16

For if, for the sake of argument, the dead are not resurrected, then Christ has not been resurrected…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:17

And if, for the sake of argument, Christ has not been resurrected, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:18

Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:19

If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, and we have, we are most of all men to be pitied (if there is no resurrection from the dead).

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:20

BUT IN FACT, Christ has been raised from the dead…and He is the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.

 

Despite Satan’s attempt to distract people from the truth, Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead is brought to the attention of every person in the world every year.  They have the choice to accept this truth or to reject it.

 

Why does the resurrection bring so much JOY to believers in Christ?

 

For many reasons, among them that we are absolutely secure when we choose a relationship with Christ.  Eternally secure!  In John, Chapter 10, Verses 28 and 29, the Lord says…

 

JOHN 10:28

“…I (the Lord Jesus Christ) give eternal life to believers in Christ, and they will never perish…and no one will snatch them out of My hand.”

 

JOHN 10:29

“And My Father, who has given believers in Christ to me, is greater than all…and no one can snatch believers in Christ out of my Father’s hand either.”

 

All praise to the resurrected Lord…Jesus Christ…whom we celebrate today.  Believe in Him and be saved!  Have a Happy Resurrection Day!

CLOSING SONG INTRODUCTION

 

Let’s close with music!

 

In Luke, Chapter 24, Verses 25 and 26, the Lord chastises two men who are walking on the road to Emmaus…

 

LUKE 24:25

And Jesus said to them, “O foolish men…slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!”

 

LUKE 24:26

“Was it not necessary for the Christ (the Messiah) to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?”

 

It was necessary indeed!  The Lord Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, His death, His burial, and His resurrection from the dead are all aspects of His strategic victory over Satan and sin and death.  That’s why we believers in Christ have so much JOY when we hear the words sung by Thrive on Faith…HE IS RISEN!

 

MUSIC

CLOSING SONG

Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises

 

HE IS RISEN

Thrive on Faith

 

CLOSING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

Almighty God and Father…

 

… thank you for sending Your Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to take on your wrath toward sin as our substitute so we would not have to bear it…thank you for the enabling power of God the Holy Spirit who makes clear in our souls the things we can’t see that You would have us believe (we walk by faith and not by sight)…thank you for forgiving us in ways we don’t forgive others…thank you for loving us unconditionally…thank you for providing a way for us to know Your thoughts through the study of the Word of God…

…as we go back into the world this week, protect us from our enemies…remind us to pray for them…let Your light shine in us for them to see so they will wonder about the hope in us…help us to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with everyone we meet one person at a time…

 

…we ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s name...Amen.

 

GOT BIBLICAL QUESTIONS OR WANT US TO PRAY FOR SOMEONE?

 

Ask the Pastor

pastor@barahministries.com

 

KEEP ON STUDYING THE WORD OF GOD DAILY!

 

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