Monuments to the Resurrection The Washington Monument reminds us of our our first president, George Washington.

INTRODUCTION In stating his belief in God, Paul said that God “did not leave Himself without witness,” Acts 14: He is saying that God has given us some signs or evidences of His existence which we can hardly overlook. 2. He was referring to God’s general goodness to mankind -- rain from heaven, fruitful seasons, and filling our hearts with food and gladness. 3. These were God’s “monuments” to remind us of His providential love and beneficial care for man- kind

In the same way, God has not left Himself with- out witness in the spiritual realm, giving us some “monuments” to remind us of the Divine origin of Christianity. 1. There are four iron-clad evidences that con- clusively prove that Jesus was really raised from the dead. a. We have the testimony of eyewitnesses. b. The evidence of the empty tomb. c. The appearances of Jesus to many people. d. The remarkable change in the behavior of the disciples of Jesus.

2. The foundation of Christianity rests upon this fact; that Jesus was resurrected, Rom. 1:4 -- Jesus was “declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.” 3. According tp 1 Cor. 15:13-19, we learn that if Jesus has not been raised from the dead, then: a. a. There will be no resurrection for us, v. 13. b. Our preaching is vain and worthless, v. 14. c. The faith of all Christians is vain, v. 14. d. The apostles are false witnesses, v. 15. e. There is no forgiveness in the gospel, v. 17 f. All who have died are dead forever, v. 18. g. We are of all men the most pitiable, v. 19.

4. Even though the resurrection of Jesus is an indisputable fact, we still need to be reminded of that event and its consequences. 5. Therefore, God has provided us with some important and very meaningful monuments to help us remember.

Monuments to the Resurrection There Are Five Monuments to Remind Us Always that Jesus Was Raised from the Dead.

The Fact that the Church Exists Today Is a Monument to the Resurrection of Jesus The church has been in existence for more than twenty centuries, but it was not established before the death of Jesus. 1. Before He died Jesus promised to build His church, Matt. 16:18 -- “And on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hades shall not prevail against it.” a. Yet, He died before the church was built. b. The existence of the church today, therefore, is evidence that He was raised from the dead.

2. Jesus promised to build His church on the foundation of the fact that He was divine, Matt. 16:16, “Simon Peter answered and said, ‘You are the Christ, the son of the living God’” … “And on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” a. Peter had confessed that Jesus was God’s Son; that He was deity. b. It was on that fact that Jesus said His church would be built. c. The resurrection was the crowning proof of the deity of Jesus Christ, that made possible the building of His church.

d. Had Jesus not been raised from the dead, the church would not have come into existence. e. In spite of efforts made in the first century to destroy the church, it still exists -- twenty cen- turies later -- because it was built on the fact that Jesus is the Son of God! 3. The existence of the church today is a monu- ment to remind us that Jesus was raised from the dead. The Unique Position of Sunday (the First Day of the Week) in the View of the World Is a Monument to the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Why is Sunday regarded as it is by so many people in the world today? 1. Before Christianity, Sunday was just another day of the week to everyone; nothing special. 2. But now it is a day of worship 2. And a day of rest, freedom from work Why the change? 1. John 20:1 -- “Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.”

2. Matt. 28: “Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And be- hold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men, but the angel answered and said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for He is risen, as He said. Come see the place where the Lord lay.’”

3. It is because Jesus was raised from the dead on the first day of the week that early Christians began worshiping on that day. a. Acts 20:7 -- “Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread…” b. 1 Cor. 16:2 -- “On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper that there be no collec- tions when I come.” c. The Sabbath was a sacred day to Jews, but in the New Testament they worshiped as Christians on the first day of the week.

The fact that we, along with people all over the world, are meeting together for worship on the first day of the week is a “monument” to remind us that Jesus was raised from the dead. Every Observance of the Lord’s Supper Is a Monument to Remind Us that Jesus Was Raised from the Dead. 1. It was observed by Christians from the begin- ning, Acts 2:42 -- “and they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.”

2. And it was still being observed by Christians years later, Acts 20:7 -- “Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached for them…” 3. Though the Lord’s supper is primarily a com- memoration of the death of Jesus, it is also a confes- sion of belief in His resurrection from the dead, 1 Cor. 11:26 -- “For as often s you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.” Every time anyone observes the Lord supper he is confessing to the world that Jesus died, but that He is now alive, having been raised from the dead, and that He is coming again.

Baptism Is Another Monument to the Resurrection of Jesus Christ It was commanded by Christ on the basis of the authority given to Him after He was raised from the dead, Matt. 28:19 -- “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of he Holy Spirit.” 1. This never happened if Jesus was not raised from the dead. 2. But Christians have been baptizing people in all nations for more than twenty centuries.

Baptism is an obvious symbol of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. 1. Rom. 6: “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the like- ness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection.”

2. Col. 2:12 -- “Buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.” When 3,000 people were baptized in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost, AD 33, it was because they had been convinced that Jesus had been raised from the dead, see Acts 2:32. Every time a person is baptized into Christ today it is a “monument” to remind us of the fact that Jesus has been raised from the dead. The Existence of the New Testament Today Is Another Monument to Remind Us That Jesus Was Raised from the Dead.

Before Jesus died He promised the apostles that He would send the Holy Spirit to them “from the Father,” see John 15: Before the death of Jesus the apostles were unlearned Galileans, forgetful, lacking understanding of the mission of Jesus and woefully inadequate for the task given to them by Jesus. 2. To enable them to do their work of making the gospel known to the entire world the Holy Spirit was to guide them into all the truth, remind them of what they had forgotten and teach them all things, John 14:26; 16:13.

3. For Jesus to send the Holy Spirit to the apostles “from the Father” He would have to be in heaven with the Father. 4. For Jesus to have been in heaven “with the Father,” He would have to have been raised from the dead and to have ascended into heaven, Acts 1:9-11. The fact that we have the New Testament today is a monument to remind us that Jesus was raised from the dead and that He then ascended into heaven to be “with the Father” from Whom He sent the Holy Spirit to the apostles, which enabled them to write the New Testament.

CONCLUSION These five “monuments” constantly remind us and testify to the world that Jesus was raised from the dead. 1. The existence of the church today 2. The uniqueness of Sunday 3. The Lord’s supper 4. Baptism 5. The existence of the New Testament today They have continued for over two-thousand years because they rest on a proven, undeniable fact: that Jesus was actually raised from the dead.

If you aren’t a Christian, but believe that Jesus has been raised from the dead, you need to put that faith to work by being baptized into the death of Jesus. 1. Believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God, John 20:30,31 2. Confess this faith before men, Rom. 10:9,10 3. Repent of your past sins, Acts 2:38 4. Be baptized for the remission of your sins, Mark 16:16, Acts 2: And be faithful unto death and receive the crown of life, Rev. 2:10