HE IS RISEN!

He Is Risen

“[Jesus Christ] rose from the grave to ‘become the firstfruits of them that slept’ (1 Corinthians 15:20). As Risen Lord, He visited among those He had loved in life” “The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles,”

This lesson will teach the doctrine and events associated with the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. As students increase their understanding and testimony of the Resurrection, they will gain perspective and hope as they face the challenges of mortality.

“The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it”

·         Why do you think all other gospel principles are “appendages” to the death, burial, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ?

“Without the Resurrection, the gospel of Jesus Christ becomes a litany of wise sayings and seemingly unexplainable miracles—but sayings and miracles with no ultimate triumph. No, the ultimate triumph is in the ultimate miracle: for the first time in the history of mankind, one who was dead raised himself into living immortality. He was the Son of God, the Son of our immortal Father in Heaven, and his triumph over physical and spiritual death is the good news every Christian tongue should speak”

“‘He is risen; he is not here.’ (Mark 16:6.) These words, eloquent in their simplicity, announced the most significant event of recorded history”

·         Why do you think the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the “most significant event of recorded history”?

·         What thoughts and feelings do you have knowing that because of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, all of Heavenly Father’s children born on the earth will be resurrected?

Explain that the Resurrection redeems us not only from physical death but also from spiritual death. If there were no resurrection, then all people would eventually become like the devil. Testify that the Resurrection of Jesus Christ completed the Atonement and made it possible for God’s children to return to His presence 

Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20

“If Jesus was in fact literally resurrected, it necessarily follows that He is a divine being. No mere mortal has the power in himself to come to life again after dying. Because He was resurrected, Jesus cannot have been only a carpenter, a teacher, a rabbi, or a prophet. Because He was resurrected, Jesus had to have been a God, even the Only Begotten Son of the Father.”

“Therefore, what He taught is true; God cannot lie.”

“Therefore, He was the Creator of the earth, as He said.”

 “Therefore, heaven and hell are real, as He taught.”

“Therefore, there is a world of spirits, which He visited after His death.”

“Therefore, He will come again, as the angels said [see Acts 1:10–11], and ‘reign personally upon the earth’.”

“Therefore, there is a resurrection and a final judgment for all.”

“Given the reality of the Resurrection of Christ, doubts about the omnipotence, omniscience, and benevolence of God the Father—who gave His Only Begotten Son for the redemption of the world—are groundless. Doubts about the meaning and purpose of life are unfounded. Jesus Christ is in fact the only name or way by which salvation can come to mankind. The grace of Christ is real, affording both forgiveness and cleansing to the repentant sinner. Faith truly is more than imagination or psychological invention. There is ultimate and universal truth, and there are objective and unchanging moral standards, as taught by Him.”

“Given the reality of the Resurrection of Christ, repentance of any violation of His law and commandments is both possible and urgent. The Savior’s miracles were real, as is His promise to His disciples that they might do the same and even greater works [see John 14:12]. … Given the reality of the Resurrection of Christ, death is not our end, and though ‘skin worms destroy [our bodies], yet in [our] flesh shall [we] see God’ [Job 19:26]”.

“The ‘lively hope’ we are given by the resurrection is our conviction that death is not the conclusion of our identity but merely a necessary step in the destined transition from mortality to immortality. This hope changes the whole perspective of mortal life. …

“The assurance of resurrection gives us the strength and perspective to endure the mortal challenges faced by each of us and by those we love, such things as the physical, mental, or emotional deficiencies we bring with us at birth or acquire during mortal life. Because of the resurrection, we know that these mortal deficiencies are only temporary!

“The assurance of resurrection also gives us a powerful incentive to keep the commandments of God during our mortal lives”.

·         Why is it important for each of us to develop a testimony of the reality of the Resurrection? ___ Because of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, we can have hope and an eternal perspective as we face the challenges and trials of life.)

·         In what ways has an understanding of the Resurrection brought hope or joy to you or someone you know?

“For two and a half years [the Apostles] had been upheld and inspired by Christ’s presence. But now he was gone. They were left alone, and they seemed confused and helpless. …“What was it that suddenly changed these disciples to confident, fearless, heroic preachers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ? It was the revelation that Christ had risen from the grave” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay [2003], 62).

HAPPY EASTER!