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The Firstfruits of Redemption
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In the verse, he keeps saying “according to the Scriptures,” I preached to you that He died
“according to the Scriptures.” He was buried “according to the Scriptures,” and “according to the
Scriptures,” He rose from the dead.
People ask, “Do you really believe that?” I believe it with every fiber of my being. It is the
culmination of the Gospel. It is the heart and the fulfillment of the truth.
Look at verses 7 through 12. “After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last
of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles,
that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the
grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I
labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed. Now if Christ be preached
that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?”
People are saying this today. It’s a prominent thing. People are writing books, they’re doing TV
series, they’re making movies, and they’re saying, “Jesus was just a man.” Recently, there was a
report of a man who is trying to say he found Jesus’ burial and His bones, and that the bones of
Mary Magdalene are in there too. First of all, how could they ever try to prove such a thing?
What could they use to test DNA? How could they make such a claim? People who have an
agenda don’t have to have any proof; they just think up stuff and tell it. Of course, if it sells
books and makes money…. and then people say, “What about that? You think that He and Mary
Magdalene were secretly married and had kids?” No way. If Jesus would have wanted to get
married, He would have gotten married. He wouldn’t have hidden it.
Some say, “Maybe He did.” If He did, then He was just a man. If He tried to hide, deceive, and
cover, then He wasn’t the Son of God.
“Well, what if He really did just die? What if He was just a man and they crucified Him? And
what if they did find His bones?” Then you should never go to another church again, because
there isn’t anything to it.
But I’m telling you, nobody has ever found it, and nobody ever will, because He isn’t there. He’s
not there. He did rise from the dead.
You hear people saying, “Well why does it have to be such an issue?” It is the issue. I don’t
believe in strife, and I don’t believe in discord, but friend, you cannot be “open-minded” about
this. You cannot be. Some say, “I just want to be cordial and show folks that I can entertain their
opinions.” You best not.
Jesus was raised physically from the dead. His bones are not in any tomb. His bones are in His
body. He is in His body. Isn’t that what He said? “Touch Me. Handle Me. A spirit doesn’t have
flesh and bone.” So I know right where His bones are. His bones are in His body, and He is in
His body.