I believe in God, the Father Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth,
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:
who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell.
The third day He arose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty,

Luke 24:1-9

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.” Then they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest.

Why does the resurrection matter to us?

What benefits are ours through a once-dead-but-now-alive Lord?

1.Christ’s resurrection means the death of Jesus was enough.

1 Corinthians 15:17

If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.

• If Jesus did not rise from the dead, then death has power over Him and defeated Him.

• If death has power over Jesus, He is not God.

• If Jesus is not God, He cannot offer a complete sacrifice for sins.

• If Jesus cannot offer a complete sacrifice for sins, our sins are not completely paid for before God.

• If my sins are not completely paid for before God, then I am still in my sins.

• Therefore, if Jesus is not risen, He is unable to save.
  

2. Christ’s resurrection gives us power for new life—right now.

Romans 6:5-11

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For whoever has died is freed from sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

We are not just practicing the way of Jesus, but we are also participating in His death and resurrection.

Romans 8:11

If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.

3. Christ’s resurrection guarantees our future resurrection.

He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.

Luke 24:50-51

… and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven.

Luke 24:52

And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God.

The GREAT JOY of the Ascension:

1. Jesus is not absent from us for even a moment.

John 16:7

It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to you.

2. The ascension guarantees that our bodies will be in heaven.

Christ’s flesh in heaven is the pledge that ours will be there too.

Colossians 3:1–3

So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

3. We have an advocate & intercessor in heaven

The cross was His sacrifice.

The resurrection was His victory.

The ascension is His ongoing ministry.

Jesus, Our Only High Priest. (Heb. 7:27; 9:12, 25–26; 10:10–18).

Jesus died in our place, and He lives to pray for us.

1 John 2:1

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;