Members Trust in A Risen Savior
Clarify, Unify, Glorify in Matthew • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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ME (A hook):
ME (A hook):
We live in a culture that promotes this idea that we all just go about life,
And simply choose to do whatever works best for me.
It is this idea that you just live your truth,
And I will live mine.
Might sound good,
But let’s play this out in an example.
Imagine for a moment,
You wake up not feeling well one day.
You have a stomach ache,
Nausea,
Runny nose,
And a fever.
Clearly, you are sick and need some medicine.
So, you head to the doctor,
And they confirm everything you say.
Yup, your temperature is way up,
Yup, you have not been able to keep any food down,
Yup, your blood pressure is even pretty high.
All the facts indicate you are sick.
However, the doctor turns to you and says,
“I just don’t feel like you are sick.”
Then you get sent home,
No medicine,
No treatment plan,
Nothing.
All the facts say you are sick,
And you need medicine.
Therefore, how the doctor feels really doesn’t matter.
Whatever is true for you must also be true for the doctor.
Either you are sick or you aren’t.
The last thing any of us want,
Is to go to a doctor who prescribes medicine based solely on how they feel.
So, when this live your truth and I’ll live mine philosophy is actually put into practice,
It becomes clear that people don’t really believe this.
Because it completely avoids what is true.
A belief is irresponsible and empty if it is not based on truth.
As human beings,
We instinctively operate on a basis of truth.
Because we are made in the image of a God,
And He has written His truth on our hearts.
This morning,
We come to the final chapter in Matthew,
Looking at vs. 1-15,
Talking about how Members Trust in A Risen Savior.
Here, the Gospel narrative turns to an empty tomb,
And the appearance of the risen Christ.
When it comes to what we believe about this historical event,
We must trust in what is true,
Rather than what we feel.
Because our eternal fate depends on whether the resurrection of Jesus Christ actually happened or not.
Slide
So, our outline this morning is rather simple,
We will first look at the Resurrection account itself.
Then we will consider the explanations of the resurrection,
The implications of the explanations,
And end with the applications.
WE - The Resurrection (Why does this matter to us?):
WE - The Resurrection (Why does this matter to us?):
In Matthew, the resurrection account is relatively brief and straightforward.
But it is still a supernatural and spectacular event!
Before we look at the resurrection, though,
Turn back in your Bibles to the end of ch. 27,
To set the stage.
Starting in vs. 57,
Just after Jesus’ death on the cross,
Bible (27:57-61)
Bible (27:62-66)
So, this tells us Jesus was buried in a rock-cut tomb,
Which is then sealed with a large round wheel-shaped stone.
Then, it says the tomb is guarded by a detail of Roman soldiers.
Slide
Next, ch. 28 begins early on the following Sunday morning.
It says,
Mary Magdalene,
One of Jesus’ earliest followers,
Who is known for Jesus casting seven demons out of her,
And the other Mary,
Presumably, the mother of James and Joseph,
Go to the tomb together.
Vs. 2 says they arrive at Jesus’ tomb,
And this violent earthquake breaks out.
Because an angel of the Lord descends from heaven,
Rolls the stone back,
Allowing the women to see inside the tomb,
And just plops down right on top of the stone.
The description of this being’s appearance in vs. 3,
Ensures it is an angel,
Because it matches the angelic descriptions in Daniel.
So, here we have these women,
Going to the tomb to grieve the loss of Jesus,
When they unsuspectingly stumble into the fundamental truth that radically alters all of human history,
The tomb is empty!
Slide
We get an idea of how terrifying the angel is.
Vs. 4 says the guards shook and trembled like dead men.
They presumably lose consciousness,
Fall to the ground,
And start convulsing in terror.
But then the angel speaks to the women,
Telling them not to be afraid.
The angel knows they are looking for Jesus.
So, the angel tells them,
Come and see where He had laid,
See that He is no longer there.
Why?
Because He has miraculously risen from the dead!
Just as He said He would!
Therefore, the angel commands the women to go quickly,
Tell the disciples that Jesus has risen from the dead,
He is going ahead of them to Galilee,
And they will see Him there.
Slide
So, these women,
These unlikely witnesses of the greatest event in human history,
Run toward Galilee with fear and great joy!
The reason they are unlikely witnesses,
Is because in a first century culture,
The testimony of women was not highly valued.
So, if this story is made up,
As some have claimed,
Then choosing a group of women as your key witnesses in the first century would be...strange,
To say the least.
I mean,
If you are making up a story about the most significant miracle in the history of the world,
You want every detail to be sound.
So, you would not make a group of women your key witness.
But that is what we see in Matthew;
A group of culturally undervalued women,
Who in all genuineness,
Were just going to visit the tomb of their beloved Teacher.
And end up being the first ones to witness,
To see and know and experience,
The empty tomb.
So, in their great fear and joy,
They take off for Galilee to tell the disciples,
And on the way,
The risen Jesus Christ,
Meets them,
And greets them!
Immediately,
They bow down,
Take hold of His feet,
And worship Him.
Slide
But Jesus doesn’t want them to stay in this moment for too long,
They have been sent to Galilee with a message,
So, Jesus reminds them to go and tell His brothers,
His disciples.
Not just the 12,
But all His disciples.
So, they do!
Slide
Instead of focusing on what happens next with the disciples,
Matthew tells us what happens with the guards and the Jewish leaders.
First,
We have the guards,
Who witness the fact that Jesus rose from the dead,
It caused them to tremble like dead men.
They go and report this to the Jewish leaders.
Next, the Jewish leaders show how sometimes irrefutable evidence can have no effect on some people,
If they are committed to their unbelief.
It says these Jewish leaders hear the report from the guards,
And instead of believing the facts,
They immediately assemble together to come up with a plan to cover up the truth.
Part one,
Pay off the guards with a large bribe.
Part two,
Make up a story that the disciples stole Jesus’ body.
Part three,
Spread this lie throughout the Jewish community.
Part four,
Pay off the governor too,
If he find out about the guards apparent failure.
This is their grand plan.
There are two key issues with this plan:
A logical issue and an ethical issue.
Let’s consider the illogical issues,
Specifically regarding their story.
First, if the guards were sleeping,
They could only assume the disciples removed the body,
They would not know that for certain.
Second, if the disciples did quickly steal Jesus’ body at night,
Why did they take the time to remove His grave clothes and neatly fold them in the tomb?
Three, why don’t the guards go and get the disciples,
And find Jesus’ body?
If they could produce the body,
Then it would put an end to this supposed resurrection right then and there.
Fourth, are we really supposed to believe that a detail of trained Roman soldiers all fell asleep at the same time?
And that they weren’t put to death for failing at their job?
You see,
None of it makes sense,
It is illogical!
But it was the best they could do,
Because the fact was,
The tomb was empty!
So, they did whatever they could to explain away the reality of an empty tomb.
But perhaps the bigger issue is the ethical issue.
The sheer fact that the religious leaders would concoct a plan like this,
Is a gross display of hypocrisy!
Their responsibility was to teach and uphold God’s law,
Which explicitly forbids bribery!
Bible
Exodus 23:8 says,
And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of those who are in the right.
In God’s Word,
Bribery is always associated with corruption.
Job says, fire consumes the tent of bribery.
1 Samuel says the sons of Samuel turned from God for selfish gain,
Taking bribes and perverting justice.
Bible
Psalm 26:9-10 says,
Do not sweep my soul away with sinners, nor my life with bloodthirsty men, in whose hands are evil devices, and whose right hands are full of bribes.
God condemns His people for taking bribes.
Bible
He says to the leaders of His people in Ezek 22:12-13,
So, this is what God’s Word says about bribery,
Yet, here are the leaders of God’s people,
Initiating a hefty bribe to the guards and the governor.
Then lying about why Christ’s tomb is empty.
These leaders are so desperate to explain away the empty tomb,
That they are both illogical and hypocritical.
Yet, many people believed them.
The early church historian, Justin Martyr,
Wrote that over 100 years after the resurrection,
The Jews were still circulating this same made-up story.
So, today,
The ultimate question for us is:
Did Jesus truly rise from the dead?
Not, was He resuscitated?
Not, was He reincarnated?
Did Jesus die on the cross,
Stay dead for three days in the tomb,
And afterwards,
Truly rise from the dead,
And physically walk out of the grave?
What we believe about this has eternal ramifications.
Because if He didn’t,
Then all of us here are not only wasting our time,
We are wasting our lives.
In 1 Cor. 15,
The apostle Paul says,
1 Corinthians 15:14 (ESV)
If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.
And we Christians are of all people,
To be most pitied.
But...if Jesus did rise from the grave.
Well then,
That is a completely different story.
So, let’s take a step back,
And look at the facts objectively.
A little over 2,000 years ago,
This movement formed overnight,
Hundreds of people were claiming the linchpin of their movement,
A man named Jesus Christ,
Rose from the grave.
It was immediately met with violent opposition.
Yet, many of these people were willingly dying for this rapidly growing movement.
Today, this movement has not only survived,
But some estimates say it makes up one third of the world’s population.
These are the facts.
So, how do we explain this,
IF we don’t believe the resurrection of Jesus is true?
Well, throughout history,
Several explanations have been given.
As we consider five of the most common explanations,
We must ask, is this plausible?
GOD - The Explanations (Teach the text):
GOD - The Explanations (Teach the text):
Slide
The first explanation is that Jesus didn’t actually die on the cross.
There are two forms of this explanation.
First, an ancient Islamic teaching from Mohammed himself,
Argues that Jesus didn’t go to the cross,
But rather someone who looked like Jesus died on the cross.
But this teaching did not come until 600 years after Jesus’ death.
And both Christians and non-Christians from the first century report that it was Jesus on the cross.
So, Mohammed’s claim is not very plausible.
The second form of this explanation says Jesus did go to the cross,
He just didn’t die on the cross.
They claim He merely fainted,
Went unconscious,
And seemed to die.
Since it was Passover,
They had time constraints,
So, they took Him down before He actually died,
And quickly buried Him.
If this were so,
Then it was clearly no supernatural resurrection.
But think about the details of what this is implying.
Jesus went through multiple trials throughout the night,
So, He had no sleep.
Then He was scourged,
Had a crown of thorns thrust into His head,
Beaten some more,
Nailed to a cross by His hands and feet,
Hung from the cross for several hours,
Then after He was thought to be dead,
He was stabbed with a spear,
Causing blood and water to flow out.
Was then taken down,
Mistakenly examined as dead,
Was wrapped in grave clothes,
Stuck in a tomb,
That was sealed with a large stone.
And supposedly,
In that condition,
Jesus regained consciousness three days later,
After not having any food or water that whole time,
Still healed enough to have the strength to roll the stone out of the way,
And managed to sneak past the Roman soldiers guarding the tomb unnoticed.
Are we really supposed to believe that?
Does that seem plausible?
Because to me,
It not only seems implausible,
It seems ridiculous!
But it is one explanation.
Slide
The second explanation is that the tomb was not really empty.
This is called the wrong tomb theory.
This explanation says the women went to a tomb to mourn the loss of Jesus,
And those overly emotional women were so sad that Jesus died,
They went to the wrong tomb,
To one that was empty,
And mistakenly concluded that Jesus rose from the dead.
If we are to believe this explanation,
For one,
We have to discredit these followers of Jesus.
But even if we were to just write them off,
Then everyone who went to the tomb after them,
Somehow mistakenly went to the wrong tomb also.
Not one person ever realized,
“Wait a minute, this is the wrong tomb!”
And just checked the tomb next door?
Not to mention,
Were the Roman soldiers guarding the wrong tomb the whole time?
A tomb that was apparently open,
And they just didn’t notice?
Or did they know where the right tomb was,
But never identified the correct tomb,
The moment people started going around saying Jesus has risen?
The historical evidence supports the reality of Jesus’ tomb being empty,
Therefore, this explanation is also implausible.
Slide
The third explanation finds its roots in our passage this morning,
The disciples stole the body.
I have already mentioned many reasons this explanation is implausible,
But one other reason to consider,
The disciples already proved they were scared.
They abandoned and denied Jesus when He got arrested.
But now that He is supposedly dead,
They have a newfound courage,
They manage to outmaneuver Roman soldiers,
Stealing Jesus’ body without anyone noticing,
Then remain so committed to this lie that they all die for it?
Once again,
This explanation is implausible.
The historical evidence includes both an empty tomb,
And several sightings of Jesus.
The first half of John 20 records a lengthy account of Jesus appearing to just Mary Magdalene.
Luke 24 talks about two disciples walking on the road to Emmaus when Jesus appears, walks with them, and teaches them how He fulfilled the OT.
The second half of John 20 has all the disciples but Thomas in Jerusalem when Jesus appears to them.
These appearances were just the first day.
Mark, Luke, and John all record the account of all the disciples together in Jerusalem,
Including Thomas this time,
When Jesus appears to them all.
John 21 tells the account of the disciples fishing at the Sea of Galilee when Jesus appears for breakfast.
1 Cor. 15:6 says He appeared to over 500 believers at once.
Lastly, the end of Mark and Luke,
And the beginning of Acts,
Says that Jesus also appeared to the apostles at the Mount of Olives,
Just before He returned to heaven.
In these varying appearances,
Jesus spoke with others,
They touched Him,
And He ate with them.
If you only had the empty tomb,
With none of these sightings,
Then, perhaps the disciples could have stolen the body and were just lying.
But it wasn’t just this small group of radical followers,
Hundreds of people were claiming to see Him in a variety of contexts after He died,
And after His tomb was found empty.
Slide
So, the only way this evidence could be explained away is the fourth explanation,
They were all delusional!
The theory is that since first century science was far less advanced,
It was common for what we understand as scientific phenomenons today,
To be considered as something supernatural back then.
So, this significantly large group of people shared a deep pain over the death of Jesus,
They were not ready to let go of the belief that Jesus was still alive in spirit,
He was still speaking to them and leading them.
Some would speak of Him as if He rose from the dead.
Others were so committed,
They hallucinated actually seeing Him.
Over the years,
Their belief manifested into a mythical tale that Jesus physically rose from the dead.
This explanation does not consider the drastic shift that took place.
How in just a relatively short time,
Thousands upon thousands of people believed Jesus rose from the grave.
If the disciples were delusional,
How do you explain their influence over so many people,
Mere days after Jesus rose from the dead?
If a person thought the disciples might be delusional,
The Bible says there are hundreds of people who saw Jesus,
Go ask one of them!
They can verify He had truly risen from the grave.
Let me demonstrate this idea with my own story.
In high school, I played wide receiver.
In the NFL this year,
The wide receivers for the Kansas City Chiefs have been struggling.
So, the Chiefs coach, Andy Reid, and their quarterback, Patrick Mahomes,
Met up with me the other day.
And they asked me to run some routes with Mahomes.
So, I did,
And I was helping Patrick to put the right amount of touch on his deep ball,
Then, as we are running routes against the defense,
I get behind the double coverage,
And catch a deep ball for a touchdown.
Patrick and Andy were both so impressed,
They asked me to come and be their wide receivers coach.
And I would have,
But I just told them that my schedule is really busy,
I don’t think I could make it work this season,
I’m sorry!
So, even though I am here and not coaching for the Chiefs,
You guys believe that really happened, right?
No?
How could you prove it?
Well you could go to Mahomes or Reid and ask,
“Do you have any idea who Josh Clink is?
Or how he would stand no chance against a single NFL defender,
Let alone, two?”
And they would probably say something like,
“I have no clue who Josh Clink is,
And I am pretty sure he cannot do anything to help our wide receivers.”
That would quickly verify that my story is completely delusional.
So, that is the idea,
If the disciples were telling a delusional story,
People in the first century could easily verify it,
By speaking with any of the hundreds of eyewitnesses.
Slide
Author, N.T. Wright simply states,
“The early Christians did not invent the empty tomb and the ‘meetings’ or ‘sightings’ of the risen Jesus…Nobody was expecting this kind of thing…nobody would have invented it…To suggest otherwise is to stop doing history and to enter into a fantasy world of our own.”
So, every one of these explanations are implausible at best.
Slide
Therefore, only one explanation remains:
Jesus actually died on the cross,
He was actually wrapped and buried in a tomb,
And three days later,
He actually rose from the dead.
The entire Bible hinges on this explanation.
During the next Pentecost,
Peter publically declares that...
God raised [Christ] up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it,
Bible (no slide)
Jesus taught this back in Matthew 20:18-19,
Saying to His disciples,
“See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.”
So, if the resurrection is not what caused this radical shift in human history,
Then what did?
Clearly, the evidence in the Bible supports this.
But so does the evidence outside the Bible.
Among historical scholars,
There are very few who dispute that Jesus died by crucifixion,
That He had a group of followers who believed He rose from the grave,
And their lives were radically changed as a result of seeing and following Who they believed to be the risen Christ.
This radical change was true even among some of the most hardened enemies of Christianity.
Slide
Historian, Gary Habermas writes,
“In particular, when the early and eyewitness experience of the disciples, James, and Paul are considered, along with their corresponding transformations and their central message, the historical Resurrection [of Jesus] becomes the best explanation for the facts, especially because the alternative theories have failed.”
From the earliest days of the church,
Enemies were working to cover up the facts of Jesus’ resurrection.
Yet, from the earliest times,
And still today,
Every alternative explanation falls short in one way or another.
Therefore, if the historical resurrection is the most plausible explanation,
And Jesus Christ truly died on the cross and rose from the grave,
Then there are some deeply important implications we must consider.
Starting with this simple reality:
If He rose,
The gospel is true.
If He didn’t,
The gospel is false.
Christianity stands or falls on the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
If He didn’t rise from the dead,
His plan for redemption failed.
All He predicted,
All the glorious results He spoke of,
Would have never been more than an unreachable dream.
We can ignore this book,
Because it is a lie.
But if He did rise from the dead,
His sacrifice on our behalf is accepted.
We are justified,
Made right with God,
By His obedience to death.
It is proof that He made the full atonement,
The full payment,
For our sins,
That His sacrifice satisfies the Father’s just wrath,
That His blood is our ransom.
And His resurrection paves the way for all His member to also rise from the dead.
It proves everything He said on earth to be true.
The kingdom of darkness has been overthrown!
Satan has fallen!
He is a defeated enemy!
Truth has triumphed over what is false!
Good has triumphed over evil!
And joy has triumphed over misery for all eternity!
YOU - The Implications (Response):
YOU - The Implications (Response):
Because Christ rose from the dead,
It proves He has absolute authority.
So, let’s consider three specific implications related to this authority.
First, He has authority over life and death.
Shortly before He died,
Bible
Jesus told His disciples in John 10:18,
John 10:18 (ESV)
No one takes [My life] from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again.”
What an astonishing claim!
Who in the history of humankind has been able to determine when they will be born,
And when they will die?
And after they die,
To say,
“I am coming back to life”?
Nobody!
Except for Jesus Christ!
His resurrection proves this to be true,
That He has authority over life and death.
But that is not where His authority stops.
Bible (1 Pet. 2:24)
The second implication is that He also has authority over sin and Satan.
The Bible says you and I die because of our sin.
Death is the payment for sin.
Jesus, however,
Is the one Person in all of history Who died without sinning.
So, why did He die?
1 Pet. 2:24 says about Jesus,
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
So, Peter is saying,
Jesus died in our place,
For our sins.
Therefore, His resurrection is His victory over sin,
And sin’s greatest weapon,
Death!
Bible (no slide)
Therefore, the Apostle Paul asks in 1 Cor. 15:55-57,
“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
So, Jesus has authority over life and death and sin and Satan.
But the third implication is that He has authority over you and me.
He is our Lord and Master.
Bible
The apostle Paul teaches this with a foundational confession in Rom. 10:9-13,
because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Jesus rules and reigns over all of our lives.
This is true,
Even if you don’t believe it.
It would be like saying you don’t believe the sky is blue.
I guarantee if you walk outside on a clear day and look up,
The sky will still be blue,
Even if you don’t believe it.
In the same way,
Jesus’ sovereign rule is true whether you believe it or not.
So, let me ask you something,
Is there anything wrong with this statement:
“I decided to make Jesus Lord of my life.”?
I must confess,
This is a bit of a pet peeve of mine.
I mean, this statement sounds sounds great, right?
But the reality is,
You didn’t decide to make Jesus Lord of your life.
Jesus is Lord of your life.
Jesus always was Lord of your life.
And Jesus always will be Lord of your life.
Regardless of what you decide.
Slide
Phil. 2:10-11 says,
Philippians 2:10–11 (ESV)
At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
So, the question is not whether or not Jesus is Lord,
The question is do you trust in His lordship now?
Or are you going to wait until you are under the earth?
You see, Jesus deeply loves you.
The whole purpose of His death and resurrection is grounded in His love for you.
God sent His only Son,
To pay the price for your sin.
And His resurrection assures you this hope of salvation.
The Apostle Paul basks in this love,
In Gal. 2:20,
Saying, “the Son of God loved me and gave Himself for me.”
Brothers and sisters,
This is a cause for great joy and celebration!
Jesus loves you!
He went to the cross to show His love for you!
And He rose from the grave to assure you of that love!
You must trust this in this life!
Because if you wait to bow your knee when you sit before Jesus in judgment,
It will be too late.
The judgment the Bible speaks of is terrifying.
But Jesus loves you and died for you and rose from the dead for you.
If you trust in this in your heart,
Confess that Jesus is your Lord and Savior,
He promises to save you from eternal death.
And the assurance of hope secured by His resurrection,
Empowers you to face the tragedies of this world.
The resurrection means,
No disease,
No natural disaster,
Not even death gets the last word in this world.
As the One Who rose from the dead,
Jesus gets the last word over all.
WE - The Applications (Paint a picture of the future):
WE - The Applications (Paint a picture of the future):
So, lets close with two applications that answer the ultimate question,
Did Jesus rise from the dead?
First,
Believe in your heart that Jesus rose from the dead.
This differentiates Christianity from any other religion.
Because we do not have a list of religious deeds we must do to be saved.
It simply says to believe in your heart.
Now, heart-level belief is more than mere head knowledge.
It implies a sense of trust and submission.
There are many people who might say they believe the resurrection,
But do not actually trust in Jesus.
David Platt gives a really helpful way to understand this,
Slide
He writes,
“I could ask the Devil, ‘Do you believe the Bible is the Word of God?’ He’d say, ‘Yes.’ If I were to ask him, ‘Do you believe Jesus is the Son of God?’ He’d say, ‘Yes.’ If I were to ask him, ‘Do you believe Jesus died on the cross and rose again?’ He’d say, ‘Yes.’ If I were to ask him, ‘Do you believe Jesus is the only way to be saved?’ He’d say, ‘Yes.’ If I were to ask him, ‘Will you commit to live a moral life and come to church and get involved in leadership?’ He could say, ‘Yes.’ The crucial question is this: ‘Will you repent of your sin and surrender your life to Jesus as Lord? The Devil would clearly answer, ‘Absolutely not.’”
You see,
We can urge people to believe Jesus rose from the dead,
To pray a certain prayer,
To get involved at church,
And to live a good and moral life,
All with the promise,
That they will be saved by doing all these things.
But brothers and sisters,
That is simply not true.
There are who knows how many people who think they are saved,
Giving lip-service to Jesus,
Are a part of a church,
And are good moral people,
But never trust and surrender to Jesus as Savior and Lord.
Slide
Do you?
Do you confess that Jesus is your Savior and Lord?
This confession is not about speaking some sort of magical words,
It is a verbal stream flowing out heartfelt trust that...
“Jesus died on the cross for my sin,
Rose from the grave as my Savior,
And as Lord,
My life belongs to Him!”
Friends,
Our response to this is of eternal importance.
Only those who trust Jesus rose from the dead,
And confess Him as Savior and Lord are His members.
And only His members live eternally.
Pray.