CAN YOU PROVE IT?
Notes
Transcript
but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.
As we dive into the evidence for CHRIST this morning I want you to see it for what it is. (WORSHIP)
Three area we are going to look at today.
Literary Evidence
Physical evidence
Eyewitness accounts
Literary Evidence
Do the Gospels line up with each other? (YES)
Lets look at an example of two passages.
While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.
If this is the same account way are the details so different?
Look at Matthew’s account “mending their nets”
Look at Luke’s account “and their were breaking”
Matthew just started recording the events at a later point than Luke did.
This actually proves that they didn’t collaborate with their writings but wrote from their own perspectives.
Josephus (AD 37-101) Described Jesus
“At this time there was a wise man who was called Jesus. And his conduct was good, and [he] was know to be virtuous. and many people from among the Jews and the other nations became his disciples. Pilate condemned him to be crucified and to die. And those who had become his disciples did not abandon his discipleship. They reported that he had appeared to them three days after his Crucifixion and that he was alive; accordingly, he was perhaps the Messiah concerning whom the prophets have recounted wonders.”
THALLUS (AD 5-60) Described Jesus
“On the whole world there pressed a most fearful darkness; and the rocks were rent by an earthquake, and many places in Judea and other districts were thrown down.”
From noon until three in the afternoon, darkness came over the whole land.
But Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and gave up his spirit. Suddenly, the curtain of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom, the earth quaked, and the rocks were split.
Sounds pretty similar to me.
2. Physical evidence
Since it was the preparation day, the Jews did not want the bodies to remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a special day). They requested that Pilate have the men’s legs broken and that their bodies be taken away. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man and of the other one who had been crucified with him. When they came to Jesus, they did not break his legs since they saw that he was already dead. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out.
Why didn’t soldiers brake Jesus’s legs?
They know what death looked like.
Let zero in on the end of the verse.
Blood and water came out.
Pleural Effusion
If you are in the right position like on a cross.
This only happens if the heart stops.
The people of this time didn’t know this so if it was a lie why would John include the water unless he saw it?
It would take about 500 years before this was proved to be something that happen to a died body.
On top of this NO FUNERAL HOMES!
People know what death looked and felt like they had to deal with it all through their life.
3. Eyewitness accounts
For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve. Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers and sisters at one time; most of them are still alive, but some have fallen asleep.
After he had suffered, he also presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.
What do these names have in common?
Peter
Andrew
James
Philip
Bartholomew
Thomas
Matthew
James
They were all killed for their faith.
Do you know what else they all had in common not one said “we were just playing it was all a lie.
So if this is true what does that mean for us?
And just as it is appointed for people to die once—and after this, judgment—
But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. How much more then, since we have now been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from wrath.
So what are you going to do in response?