"Resurrection and Reunion" (Easter 2020)

“Resurrection and Reunion”
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Easter Sunday AM, April 12, 2020

1. We are designed to be in fellowship and close relationship with one another and with God.

1. All human beings are designed to be in close relationship with other human beings.

The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." (Gen. 2:18 NIV)

A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need. (Prov. 17:17 NLT)

2. Human beings are designed to be in close relationship with their Creator God.

2. Sin has alienated us from one another and from God.

3. The penalty for sin, death, completely separates us from one another and from God.

4. Resurrection results in reunion.

The Bible actually speaks of two kinds of resurrection:

1. Resurrection from spiritual death reconciles us to God and begins to restore our broken relationships with one another.

²⁴ "Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. ²⁵ Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. ²⁶ For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. (Jn. 5:24­–26 NIV)

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, (1 Pet. 1:3 NIV)

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. (Eph. 2:13 NIV)

²¹ Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. ²² But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation-- (Col. 1:21-22 NIV)

2. Resurrection from physical death reunites us with the whole family of God and with the full presence of God—Father, Son, and Spirit.

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. (1 Cor. 15:20 NIV)

And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. (Col. 1:18 NIV)

²⁹ For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. ³⁰ And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. (Rom. 8:29-30 NIV)

¹³ Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. ¹⁴ For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. ¹⁵ According to the Lord's word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁶ For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. (1 Thess. 4:13-17 NIV)

Main Idea: The resurrection of Jesus Christ restores our fellowship with one another and with God and one day will reunite us with one another and with our God.