Only Jesus' Resurrection Brings Life

Only Jesus’ Resurrection Brings Life
Matthew 12:38-45

Review:

Matthew has established Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah through both Jesus fulfillment of prophecy and His teachings and miracles. Then Matthew established Jesus as the greater Moses who brings a better understanding of the Law with the sermon on the Mount. Now Matthew shows the religious leaders and the crowd’s willful rejection of Jesus as their Messiah. 

The religious leaders rejected Jesus because they wanted power and control. The crowds rejected Jesus because they wanted a spectacular deliverance from their oppression that would bring them power and comfort. 

• The resurrection is the ultimate sign of Jesus’ identity and authority.

• Signs validate a prophet’s identity and authority (Matthew 12:38-39a).
• We must understand what a sign is and why Jesus rebuked them for asking for one. 
• Deuteronomy 13 makes it clear that the prophets were required to a sign and their message must align with the teachings of the Mosaic Covenant to prove that they spoke on Yahweh’s behalf.
• All throughout the Bible, prophets gave signs to validate that they spoke on behalf of Yahweh and with the authority of Yahweh.
• Jesus had already given the Jews many signs.
• Jesus called the Jews an unfaithful people to Yahweh’s covenant with them (Deut. 32:5). 
• Jesus had already done more miracles than any other human that has ever lived. 
• Jesus’ teachings aligned with the Law and the prophets.
• Jesus said that “If you knew the Father, then you would know me.” (John 14:7)
• Jesus had received the honors, been given the attributes and names, and performed the deeds of Yahweh.
• The Jews were rejecting the work of the Holy Spirit that clearly had been on display in Jesus. 

• The Jews were like Jonah in their rejection of Yahweh (Matthew 12:39b-40).
• The first reason that Jesus alluded to Jonah was to show that the Jews were just like Jonah in their rejection of Yahweh. 
• Summarize the story of Jonah.
• Jonah did not repent of His lack of love for Yahweh and his neighbor, rather he self-righteously agreed to obey Yahweh because Yahweh was his sovereign God not because He wanted to reflect the character and heart of Yahweh.
• Jonah had rejected Yahweh’s command to preach repentance and forgiveness to the Ninevites just like the Jews had refused to preach repentance and forgiveness to the Gentiles and even their own people. 
• Yahweh judged Jonah just like Jesus was judging the Jews by allowing chaos of Rome to swallow them.
• Jesus is the greater Jonah (Matthew 12:41b).
• The second reason that Jesus alluded to Jonah was to show that He was the greater Jonah.
• Unlike Jonah, Jesus would willingly obey Yahweh and take on the wickedness of humanity in order to bring forgiveness of sins. 
• Unlike Jonah Jesus would truly die and then resurrect Himself. 
• The resurrection is unique and essential.
• First, only Yahweh has the power over the storm, life (the womb), and death (resurrection).
• There is no other religion other than Judaism and Christianity that values the human body.
• Yahweh never intended for our bodies and spirits to be separated; this is called death.
• Second, resurrection is thus the ultimate sign/proof of Jesus’ identity.
• The First Testament establishes the importance and uniqueness of the resurrection as belonging to Yahweh. Sarah’s womb (Gen. 18; 21), the staff of Aarron’s priesthood (Num. 17), Elijah (1 Kings 17), Elisha (2 Kings 4), Jonah and the fish (Jonah 2).
• Third, only through the resurrection can we inherit the promises of Yahweh. 
• Many First Testament believers looked forward to their resurrection knowing that life was meaningless without it (Heb. 11:8-10). 

“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.” (Hebrews 11:8-10)

• The resurrection is essential to our salvation and eternal life (1 Corinthians 15:12-19).

“Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.” (1 Corinthians 15:12-19)

• Jesus is the resurrection and the life (John 11:25-26).

“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26)

• Only those who embrace Jesus and His resurrection can escape Yahweh’s judgment (Matthew 12:41-42).

• The Jewish people were held to a higher standard.

• Jonah 3: Ninevah repented not because of the faithfulness of Jonah and the Jewish people but because of the work of the Holy Spirit on their hearts. 
• 1 Kings 10: The Queen of Sheba came to see what Yahweh had provided Solomon.
• Because the Jewish leaders and the people knew all of this Jesus expected more from them then the Gentile nations (define Gentiles) (Matthew 11:20-24).
• Matthew 12:33-37: Jesus had expected them to be producing fruit. A tree is known by its fruit.

• Therefore, the judgment for the Jews is greater.

• Since Jesus is greater than Jonah and Solomon then the judgment for rejecting Him is greater.
• This would have been an incredibly insulting statement against the Jews since they believed that they were automatically saved by being Yahweh’s chosen and having the Law. 
• But Jesus point has always been that only those who respond to the Holy Spirit will have life with Yahweh. 

• Only Jesus and His resurrection can make us whole (Matthew 12:43-45).

• The unclean spirit represents chaos and disorder.

• In the ancient world unclean spirits were seen as entities of chaos.
• The unclean spirits were often associated with the desert, which was barren of life.

• Our efforts to bring order and wholeness to our life are not enough. We need Jesus.

• It does not matter what therapy, program, or religion you pursue.
• Chaos will return and ensue again.
• This is the theme of the Bible.

Conclusion:

Theologically, the resurrection is essential to our faith and salvation.

Only those who embrace Jesus and His resurrection and respond to the Holy Spirit will have life with Yahweh. 

Only Jesus can bring life, order, wholeness, and contentment.