The Gospel Project: The Risen King

Intro Option 1: Impersonations

Some impressions were accurate

Others were harder to guess

When Jesus appeared after His Resurrection, there was no doubt about who he was

Main Point: Jesus’s resurrection is the center of the Christian faith and should be shared with the world.

Resisting the possibility of Jesus’ resurrection

Matthew 27:57–66 ESV

57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. 58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud 60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb. 62 The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63 and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’ 64 Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.” 65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard.

V. 57

Joseph = Sanhedrin member

The sense of danger here is intense; he was really dvoted to Jesus

Before this, he was a secret disciple

But not anymore!

Boldly asks Pilate for Jesus’ body

Joseph is contrasted with the Pharisees

V. 65-66

Pilate gives them Roman guard (16 soldiers)

The penalty for negligence was execution.

They would never let anybody steal Jesus’ body

V. 66:

The tomb was secured with a subtance of some kind, with the Roman imperial stamp

Q. When have you struggled to accept the reality of Jesus’s resurrection?

Easier to accept teachings than resurrection (requires great faith)