Five Monuments to the Resurrection Matthew 27:50–66
What Is a Monument? Monuments are intended to remind: –Important events (The Liberty Bell) –Great men (Washington Monument) –Wars & tragedies (Mountain Meadows Massacre) –Joyful days (May 8, 1945)
What Is a Monument? Monuments are proof of fact: –The people lived (Names read & bell tolled) –The events occurred (The Holocaust Museum) –There were ample eyewitnesses (“Lest we forget”) –The people involved & the events were judged important―significant enough to be remembered by generations unborn (cf. Joel 1:1-3)
What Is a Monument? Monuments are intended to prevent: –Lapses in memory –Names (The War Memorial) –Dates (Headstones) –Places (Utah, the monument in AR) –Witnesses & beneficiaries (Normandy)
What Is a Monument? Monuments are intended to prevent: –Trivialization –Rituals –Solemnity & Reverence –Respect
God’s Monuments Divine monuments remember Jesus & His resurrection (I Corinthians 11:24–25). God’s monuments establish His life, ministry, death and resurrection in space & time.
God’s Monuments Divine memorials reveal the significance of these things (I Corinthians 15:17–19). These monuments give hope and comfort to the observant (I Corinthians 11:26).
The First Day of the Week 1500 yrs of Sabbaths (Deuteronomy 5:15). What changed? (Acts 20:7; I Corinthians 16:1) Jesus rose from the dead (Luke 24:1,13,21).
The Transformation of the 12 6 wks before (Matthew 26:69–75; Luke 23:49). From 50 & after (Acts 2:14; 4:13–21; 5:17–29). What changed these twelve men (1 John 1:1– 3; I Peter 3:15–4:2; I Corinthians 15:5–11).
Water Baptism The significance of baptism rests upon the fact of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead: – Its efficacy (I Peter 3:18–22) – Its transformation (Romans 6:1–11) – Its fellowship (Colossians 2:10–3:13) If Jesus is not raised baptism is meaningless.
The Church of Christ The existence of the church is directly attributable to preaching of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead (Acts 2:29–37; et.al.). How does one explain 2000 yrs of survival and worldwide expansion in the midst of opposition & persecution, if Christ not raised?
The Lord’s Supper The propitiation of Jesus’s death is confirmed by the resurrection (Acts 2:24; Romans 1:4). His death memorialized in the Supper (Luke 22:14–20; I Corinthians 11:23–26). It is kept “until He come” (v. 26).
God’s Monuments The First Day of the Week The Transformation of the Twelve Water Baptism The Church of Christ The Lord’s Supper