Reality of the Resurrection

Intro:

Bryan Johnson is growing in popularity recently. This is his PHOTO here on the screen. What if I told you this guy is almost 50 years old? He has project Blueprint- $2m per year to study and practice reversing aging. So they have all these ways of measuring your age beyond just years you’ve been alive. And Bryan actually lowered that age by 5.1 years and he has slowed his speed of aging by over 30 years. Now, of course all that is just measuring different factors of your health and body functions and putting numbers to it. But none the less, the guy is super healthy and looks a lot younger than he is. To be clear, he genuinely believes there is a possibility that through his research and practices- he won’t die. Check out his daily routing: Wake up very early, immediately do Red light therapy for the scalp to prevent any hair loss, HRV therapy- this little electrode in your ear that calms your nervous system, he then downs literally 60 pills of vitamins and supplements every morning, drink called the green giant full of other supplements that basically completely clears out your digestive system, canned meals of almost all vegetables that are premade for him every day, monitoring all air quality and only go outside when it is good enough, lung capacity training, cardio and then strength training workout, electro abdominal stimulation, full body red light therapy, laser treatment to heal skin damage, sleep is most important to him, 2 air filters and an auto adjusting temperature bed, aims for at least 9 hrs of sleep a night, $1500 a month to live by this protocol and this isn’t even a complete list of all he does.

No why would someone live this way just to look a little younger or feel a little healthier? Again, he thinks he won’t die. But a powerful quote he said about this project is this:

“It’s really simple. I basically don’t trust anything in reality. Not authority, not my mind, not my perception. Nothing. I just trust data and numbers. And the only thing I believe in, is that I don’t want to die.”

Listen, that view of life, as cold and hopeless and pointless as it seems, is ALL anybody has without Jesus. Without Jesus there is zero purpose or hope for life and the only goal anyone could possibly have that isn’t delusional is simply avoiding death while enjoying life.

This leads to a life lacking any sort of significance, purpose, or morality. We see this growing more and more in our modern world as rejected the reality of God becomes more common. People have no source of truth, so they live however they want, and they are miserable because whether they realize it or not, their only understanding of life is avoiding death. And as we just read, people will do crazy things to avoid death. But at the same time, unfortunately this mindset also leads many people to give up on life all together- whether that is literally ending their life or by simply surviving on their own day in and day out with no purpose or significance.

Thankfully, this is not the only option though. As we said, the reality is different with Jesus. Why? 1 Simple thing: Jesus Conquered Death!

Jesus really conquered death so we could experience real life!

With Easter just a couple weeks away, and this is the only Wednesday night we have before easter, tonight we will prepare for Easter by taking a deep look at the Resurrection of Jesus.

In case you didn’t know it, Jesus raising from the dead is a very important and very big deal for our faith. If Jesus didn’t raise from the dead then we should all go home and start living however we want. But if Jesus did raise from the dead then he proves himself to be Lord and we have hope beyond the brokenness of this world!

So, tonight will feel a little different than others. We will get into a passage of Scripture and the truth from that passage will be our main focus as always, but the way we will focus on that passage will be by looking at 3 questions:

First, why do people doubt the resurrection?

Second, why can we trust the resurrection?

Finally, why should we care about the resurrection?

I hope you have a pen and notebook ok? This is a really important night to take some notes and just keep them around in your life ok? Not because what I have to say is so important, but because people will alway debate and try to throw theories out there to make you doubt your faith, and tonight we will cover the main ones and why you they don’t stand up against truth, logic, and history. Ok, so, hang on we are going to cover a lot but it;s going to be great stuff for you to reflect on and keep in mind in the future.

Let’s jump right in:

Why do people doubt the resurrection?

Let’s cover 4 of the biggest theories that have popped up throughout history- obviously there have been some others but usually they are like immediately thrown away because they are so obviously wrong. These 4 have also all been rejected or disproved by modern scholars but they are what most people have to choose from if they want to say they don’t believe in the resurrection. So we will cover the theory and then the reasons why it falls short to explain away the resurrection for each one.

The Conspiracy Theory- The disciples stole the body to trick everyone into believing the resurrection. This is the option we see play out in the Bible actually. So, after Jesus rose from the dead and the Jewish leaders heard about it, they used this theory to try to explain away the resurrection. We can read about it in Matthew’s gospel account, but essentially- The chief priests bribed the guards who were at Jesus’ tomb, instructing them: “You are to say ‘His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.’ … And they took the money and did as they had been instructed; and this story was widely spread among the Jews, and is to this day” This rumor must have been fairly current among the Jews at that time, or Matthew would not have felt obligated to expose it in his gospel account. The conspiracy theory was thus the first alternative to the resurrection of Jesus and held basically that the resurrection was a hoax: the disciples stole the body and then lied about Jesus’ appearances to them afterwards.

Why does this fall short?

The disciples suffered and died for their belief in the resurrection. Maybe you get one crazy guy who would be tortured and killed for a lie, but almost every single one of these guys was tortured and killed without ever rejecting the resurrection, that’s hard to look past.

Before the resurrection, the disciples were men of moral uprightness, not liars. They were simple, jewish men with families and jobs that, for the most part lived honest and moral lives. They had NOTHING to gain and everything to lose by making up some lie about the resurrection. Why would they ever do that?

Logically, how would the disciples have stolen the body from the roman guards at the tomb? Oh they were asleep- ok how would they move a massive boulder past the sleeping roman guards and carry the body of a full grown man around without being caught.

We see genuine change in the lives and attitudes of the disciples after the resurrection- we even see a couple serious skeptics like Paul and James become some of the boldest Christians in history because they saw the risen Jesus and believed in His resurrection! A lie doesn’t lead to transformed lives.

The disciples all believed in the resurrection despite having every skeptical doubt beforehand. They were hiding scared and defeated after Jesus died. They didn’t seem to have much hope in the resurrection, they even went back to their old jobs because they thought they were wrong about Jesus until he shows back up alive a few days later!

So, all of those things in mind- NO it was no conspiracy- that is literally just what the Jewish leaders tried to spread to prevent people from believing in Jesus! But it’s not a compelling theory.

2. The apparent death theory- Jesus didn’t fully die on the cross, but was simply unconscious and woke up in the tomb. This theory has a ton of problems with it as we will see, but simply put it’s the idea that hey that was a long time ago, they weren’t as medically advanced as we are today- they probably just thought Jesus was dead but he actually wasn’t. So he woke up in the tomb, got out and convinced the disciples that he had risen from the dead…

Holy moly- I don’t think I need to explain why this is so clearly impossible but quickly I will!

This theory suggests the Romans failed at what they did best-torture and kill people. Do we remember that Jesus was tortured and hung on across by romans? They were professional torture experts- they knew how to bring a man to the edge of death and keep him there for days on end. They also knew how to kill him! Remember how Jesus was on the cross with 2 other guys? The romans killed them all- we really think they just made an oopsie with Jesus? They double checked their work when they pierced his side with the spear. They ensured Jesus was dead.

This theory also makes Jesus into a liar. This theory needs for jesus- who was literally PERFECT in every moment, to now suddenly turn into the biggest liar and deceiver in history. It isn’t consistent with every other story of Jesus we have recored!

But finally, logically- there is no way Jesus escaped the tomb in his condition. Even if Jesus somehow survived the professional torture and execution of the romans- this beaten, broken, stabbed, and bleeding out man would not have bee able to get up and push a massive stone away from the tomb entrance- again while sneaking past roman guards!

Personally i find this theory the most absurd given the circumstances!

3. The Wrong Tomb Theory- The women, and the disciples, went to the wrong tomb and assumed Jesus had risen from the dead. This theory has the idea that they went to the wrong tomb which hadn’t been filled yet, and when they ran into the angel- who appeared as a young man by the tomb and he said Jesus wasn’t there- he was simply telling them they were at the wrong place. Afterward the disciples just saw visions of Jesus or dreams, and the women’s story was twisted into the discovery of the empty tomb.

According to the gospel accounts, the women noted precisely where Jesus was laid (Luke 23:55) because they intended to return Sunday morning to visit him. It is therefore improbable that they would have gone to the wrong tomb.

The guy who started this theory picks very specific parts of the actual account and twists them in his favor. Like he mentions the messenger talking to the women saying Jesus is not here, but he leaves out the part of the quote saying HE is RISEN! The angel was being clear that Jesus was here and now he is not because he rose from the dead. Also, it wasn’t just some average looking young male, the greek is clear that they were speaking to an angel- a spiritual messenger of God. SO the source of this theory picks and chooses parts of scripture and twists them to come to his conclusion.

A second visit would have cleared up the error. Indeed, one wonders why the women did not, after their initial fright, go to the correct tomb. In any event, the disciples themselves would have checked it out later. They never could have believed in the resurrection with Jesus’ body still in the tomb. And even if the disciples had not looked at the tomb, the Jews would have done that duty for them. If the resurrection was a colossal mistake based on the women’s error, then the enemies of Christianity would have been more than happy to point that out, indicating where the correct tomb was or maybe even exhuming the body. The idea that the resurrection stemmed from the women’s going to the wrong tomb is too shallow.

4. Finally, The legend theory- the most modern prevailing theory in denial of the resurrection has been that the accounts themselves never actually happened.- Meaning, no one ever really did run around sharing that Jesus raised from the dead- this got made up later as a legend behind christianity’s beginnings.

Now, this is where we must ask the second question: Why can we trust the resurrection?

Aside from the flaws in all the theories we just talked about- how do we have real confidence in the resurrection instead of just throwing it out as a legend?

Here we have 4 pieces of compelling evidence. THis is of course on top of the fact that it is clearly taught as truth in scripture by all of the new testament authors individually. That is compelling in and of itself. But 4 other things: 1. Eyewitness accounts-There are multiple sincere eyewitness accounts. There were hundreds of eyewitnesses of the risen Jesus after the resurrection who were tortured and killed while refusing to reject the resurrection. Now, that doesn’t prove the resurrection so much as it gives us confidence in the witnesses. Some may say- well other religions have people die for their faith today- yeah but they die for traditions and teachings passed down over generations- this was the first generation, literal eyewitnesses dying for what they saw and knew to be true, not what someone had convinced them over thousands of years later. That is a big difference, they saw Jesus and refused to let anyone force them to say they didn’t.

2. Conversion of Critics- Many of Jesus’ biggest critics, including Paul and James, became bold believers because they saw the resurrected Jesus.

Paul was of his own admission a violent persecutor of the early Church. After what he described as an encounter with the resurrected Christ, Paul underwent an immediate and drastic change from a vicious persecutor of the Church to one of its most prolific and selfless defenders. James also was skeptical of Jesus until Jesus appeared to him after the resurrection according to 1 Corinthians 15:7 “Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.” To be clear this is James the brother of Jesus- the brother of Jesus didn’t believe in Him as the messiah until he witnessed him resurrected from the dead. That is a huge witness to believe! There are others we could mention but we need to keep moving:

3. Location of the resurrection. The hardest place for a genuine belief in the resurrection to grow was in Jerusalem. All of the Jewish leaders and roman government were trying to stop any faith in Jesus Christ as the messiah. It would be one thing if the belief int he resurrection started growing in some far off country as a rumor that grew into this story. But it took root right where it all happened and where all it’s greatest adversaries were. Again, if his body was still in that tomb it would’ve been IMPOSSIBLE to get people to believe in a fake resurrection! Not only that, but we even have a roman historian named Cornelius Tacitus who wrote about the Christians who believed in Jesus and claimed he rose from the dead. He wrote about how they were being tortured and killed but they would not reject the resurrection of Jesus. We don’t have time to read it but I have it all here if you want to read it later. That is someone with zero to gain, talking about the real belief and faith in the resurrection that was spreading across the roman empire in the years after Jesus’ resurrection.

4. Finally, Women Witnesses- if the story was fake, they never would’ve said that women were the witnesses of the empty tomb. A woman in that culture had zero status, authority or trustworthiness. They weren’t even allowed to be witnesses in legal cases- that is how low their status was. The fact that women are the first witnesses to the empty tomb is most plausibly explained by the reality that - like it or not - they were the discoverers of the empty tomb! This shows that the Gospel writers faithfully recorded what happened, even if it was embarrassing.

Listen, between the trustworthiness of Scripture as a reliable ancient text, and all of the support we have discussed tonight for trusting all the witnesses who claim the resurrection really happened- we don’t have any reason to doubt that the resurrection happened exactly how the Bible says it did.

Ok, so let’s wrap all this up with one final question:

Why should we care about the resurrection today?

Look at 1 Corinthians 15 with me. Paul is writing to the struggling church in Corinth. In this letter he is straightening them out with all the ways they have let sin and false teachings in to their church. This chapter is the most clear, bold, and complete teaching on the significance of the resurrection in the bible! Let’s read it together as we close for the night.

1 Corinthians 15:12–22 CSB

Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say, “There is no resurrection of the dead”? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is in vain, and so is your faith. Moreover, we are found to be false witnesses about God, because we have testified wrongly about God that he raised up Christ—whom he did not raise up, if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Those, then, who have fallen asleep in Christ have also perished. If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone. But as it is, Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man. For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.

In the face of people doubting Jesus’ resurrection, Paul says if Jesus didn’t raise from the dead then we have no hope to be raised after we die. And viceversa- if we reject that there will be a resurrection of the dead for us, we reject that Jesus was raised.

As Paul says, if Jesus wasn’t raised from the dead then all of our beliefs, teaching, preaching is empty and pointless. If Jesus dind’t raise form the dead, we are still lost in our sins with no hope of salvation and the only end is death.

Look at verse 19 though this is huge for us tonight- if we have put our hope in Jesus for this life alone- meaning we like Jesus but don’t believe in resurrection and eternal life with him- we should be pitied more than anyone. Listen- the christian life without resurrection is not just pointless is awful. Why would we give up our sin, turn from fleshly desires, reject the things of this world that can seem so pleasurable sometimes to follow Jesus that offers nothing but an alternate set of rules for life. Apart from the resurrection no one should follow Jesus.

But If jesus really did raise from the dead- he is the only person in all of human history worth following with every area of our life.

The resurrection is our confidence for today and our hope for the future.

It is our confidence to live as Jesus calls us to live today because he is risen- he is lord and worth following in every area of our lives.

It is our hope for the future because He conquered death so we are no longer bound to death by our sins- we are set free to live in eternal life now and forever.

These are basic truths we talk about all the time, but none of it is true if Jesus didn’t rise from the dead.

But Jesus did rise. Like no other religious leader in history- Jesus lived a perfect life, we prophesied about his own death and resurrection and then he did exactly what he said he would. He died in our place, paid for our sins and rose from the dead to offer us eternal life to anyone who follows Him as Lord!

Jesus really conquered death so we could experience real life!

Bow your heads with me and let’s respond together!

The resurrection is the climax of the Gospel! Have you responded to it? Maybe you’re here tonight and you have never turned away from your sins and followed Jesus as Lord. You are still lost in your sins and separated from God. You won’t find life or significance or purpose no matter how hard you try. But God loved you so much he sent Jesus to die on the cross for you and raise from the dead so you could be forgiven, and brought back in to a relationship with him for eternity in His kingdom. Listen, tonight you caan follow Jesus as Lord and let the resurrection become your way of life!

For us as christians- the resurrection should be the center of our life. It should impact everything we do. We live like Jesus, love people like Jesus, worship God and reach the lost all because Jesus truly rose from the dead. If we really believe that, we never stop living it out and telling people about it! Maybe you’ve had doubts or never gave real thought to the resurrection before. My prayer for tonight ahs been that a renewed confidence in the resurrection would lead to a renewed fire to follow Jesus deeply with your lives!

Lets pray and ask God to grow a bolder faith in us to live like the resurrection really happened- because it did!

Let’s pray and thank God that He really came to save us and rose from the dead for us!

Let’s pray and ask God to help us live like the resurrected Jesus until the day he returns again!

Pray.