He is RISEN, He is RISEN, INDEED - That we may Believe!

— Jesus is The Christ, He is the RESURRECTED ONE!! Listen to the scripture...

John 20:1–2 ESV

1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.”

— A couple of observations...

— The first one’s to find Jesus tomb empty was Mary Magdalene, A WOMAN!!!

The most important event in Human history was happening.

— The world and it’s “rulers” would be shaken to the core

— AND a woman, Mary Magdalene would announce it to the rest of the disciples.

—If someone were to fabricate an account of Jesus appearing to people after his death, the choice of women being the first to see him would be a very odd choice and serve only to reduce the credibility of the story.

[Listen]

John 20:11–16 ESV

11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).

DO YOU BELIEVE IN THE BODILY RESURRECTION OF JESUS?

— Here are some of the facts surrounding the resurrection

FACT: If Jesus wasn’t raised from the dead, then Christianity isn’t true.

— The apostle Paul states the following in his first letter to the Corinthians:

1 Corinthians 15:14 ESV

14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.

FACT: The gospel writers included stories to draw us nearer to Him.

— Such as the fact that Peter denied Jesus three times, and Jesus said that He would build the church on that ROCK Peter

The remaining 11 Apostles abandoned Jesus when he was arrested. Thinking this was the end of Jesus… But it was just the beginning.

— It’s easy to look back now and to make a value judgement on what was happening here.

— But… given the time, the events and the consequences their actions can be understood.

Can we say, that we would NEVER turn our backs on Jesus? They saw everything and did everything with Jesus… Still they ran!

— Just as the disciples, we claim Jesus, but will we deny that we even know him?

— Keep that in mind, at any time we may be compelled to give an answer for the faith that lies within us.

Jude 3 ESV

3 Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.

— One Faith, one Salvation, one Jesus, one God and the Spirit for ALL TIME!! FOR ALL ETERNITY…

Contend for your faith!!

— That’s why we are here, yes on the earth… but also in Sunnyside, in the job you have here, in the school you attend [public or private]

— Contend, advocate, BE WILLING to die for this Gospel and the Gospel-people in your world.

Learn, Learn, Learn

— If someone were to fabricate an account of Jesus appearing to people after his death.

— The choice of women being the first to see him would be a very odd choice and serve only to reduce the credibility of the story.

— Learn the truth well… NOT so the Gospel is weaponized and used to judge and condemn.

— But that we can share “The Love of God” that is found in a relationship with Jesus.

Fact: The Twelve died a martyr’s death. Except for Judas, who hung himself.

— While people have been known to die for a lie because they believed it to be true,

— it is almost impossible to find someone who would die for a lie with the full knowledge that it was false.

— It is highly unlikely that the disciples would have given their lives for a claim they had themselves fabricated.

Fact: Testimony of Jesus’ resurrection.

— To within approximately 20 years of the event.

— Historical evidence indicates that the apostle Paul’s letter to the Corinthians in which he writes about Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection was written sometime during the early to mid 50s.

~~ Possibly in the Gospel of Luke

— The fact that Paul wrote about Jesus’ resurrection and that many people (over 500) saw Jesus alive after his crucifixion and burial so close to the actual event is strong testimony to the accuracy of Paul's words:

1 Corinthians 15:3–6 ESV

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.

— There were most certainly people living in the Roman Empire during the 50s who were around at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion.

—  and they could have challenged Paul’s claim about the resurrection if it were untrue. BUT DID NOT!!!

Fact: Roman guards could NOT have slept through the theft of Jesus’ body.

— Falling asleep while on post was punishable by death for Roman guards, and they took their job extremely seriously.

— Additionally, the tomb was covered by a large stone, and the possibility of the disciples being able to move the stone in order to steal Jesus' body without detection by the Roman soldiers is far-fetched, to say the least.

Fact: The Disciples testify concerning the resurrection of Jesus.

— These men went from dejected, dispirited and grieving followers of a crucified rabbi to apostles, those who had beheld the Christ and who, on that basis, preached him as the Lord of life and the Judge of history.

— The actual resurrection of Jesus is the best explanation for the disciples’ transformation from despair and confusion to confident proclamation.

— Willingness to suffer persecution, hardship and even martyrdom for the sake of Jesus and his gospel.

Fact: Jesus was buried in a tomb.

— It would have been far easier for the disciples to falsely claim Jesus was resurrected if he had been buried in an unknown tomb.

— The exact location of Jesus’ burial is stated in three of the gospels.From John 19.

John 19:38–42 (ESV)

38 After these things [the crucifixion of Christ] Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body.

39 Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight.

40 So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.

41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.

42 So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.

Fact: Josephus acknowledged the historicity of Jesus.

Josephus’ (circa AD 93–94) includes two passages about Jesus.

“About this time there lived Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one ought to call him a man. For he was one who performed surprising deeds and was a teacher of such people as accept the truth gladly. “

— He was the Christ.

Fact: The Resurrection caused the growth in the church

— In less than 300 years, Christianity went from being a minority Jewish sect, to being a large enough target to warrant persecution. — To being the largest single religion in the Empire, to being a sufficiently large to prompt the emperor Constantine to adopt it as the primary tool for unifying the Empire.

Fact: Without the Resurrection...

— the whole system of Christian truth would crumble.

— The resurrection assures us of the truth of Jesus’ Divine claims (Romans 1:4).

Romans 1:4 ESV

4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,

— It assures us of our justification.

Romans 4:25 ESV

25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

— The atonement wrought at the cross could not have been applied by a dead Christ. Only a living Christ can bestow the benefits of His death.

— The bodily resurrection of Christ assures us of our own bodily resurrection

— His resurrection is the ground of victorious living for us

Romans 6:4 ESV

4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

THE ANSWER TO THESE AND MANY QUESTIONS IS SIMPLY THIS…

— “I HAVE FAITH THAT WHAT SCRIPTURE SAYS IS EXACTLY WHAT HAS HAPPENED.”

— You have a solid, faith.

SO WHAT?

— OPTION#1 If you have claimed Jesus as your Lord and Savior… You are “saved”

— OPTION #2 If you are still waiting for the tea leaves to settle, unsure of the claims of the Bible…

— OPTION #3 Those who have heard but have REJECTED the claims of Christ. Those people remain far from Jesus.

KNOW JESUS, KNOW PEACE, NO JESUS NO PEACE

I pray that the spaces of every church in our town, in our state and nation and in our world are packed with those who want to know more about Jesus.

I pray that our world, the whole world, would call of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.