1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Intro:

Every Other Religion in the world bases their truth upon something that no one could see or verify or prove

You take Islam: Whole religion is based on the Angel Gabriel appearing to Mohammed

Main Point: Today, we will look at 3 groups of witnesses from 1 Corinthians 15 so that you might be convinced of the truthfulness of the resurrection.

Intro:

1 Corinthians 15:1–4 ESV

1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 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,

The Gospel

Unless you believed in vain

What I already received

Christ died according to scriptures

Was buried

Raised on the Third Day

Eyewitness Group: Disciples

1 Corinthians 15:5 ESV

5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

This scared, frightened band of the apostles which was just about to throw away everything in order to flee in despair to Galilee; when these peasants, shepherds, and fisher men, who betrayed and denied their master and then failed him miserably, suddenly could be changed overnight into a confident mission society, convinced of salvation and able to work with much more success after Easter than before Easter, then no vision or hallucination is sufficient to explain such a revolutionary transformation. - Jewish rabbi Pinchas Lapide (Lapide, RJ, 125)

Serena Williams Troll with the Middle School students - Would I put my life on the line

Peter

Acts 2 Preacher

Crucified the same way Jesus was but demanded to be crucified upside down

If a student told me he could dunk a basketball

Thomas

Doubter: Like me

Planted Churches in India, Died by being speared

For one thing, the disciples had nothing to gain by lying and starting a new religion. They faced hardship, ridicule, hostility, and martyr’s deaths. In light of this, they could have never sustained such unwavering motivation if they knew what they were preaching was a lie.

Eyewitness Group: 500 eyewitnesses

1 Corinthians 15:6 ESV

6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.

It passes the bounds of credibility that the early Christians could have manufac¬ tured such a tale and then preached it among those who might easily have refuted it simply by producing the body of Jesus.

Eyewitness Group: Skeptics

1 Corinthians 15:7–10 ESV

7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.

Theories

Swoon Theory

Theft Theory

Hallucination Theory