The Greatest Historical Event in the World

INTRODUCTION

All of us have attended a funeral

And never at any time did the person in the casket come back from the dead

Yet there is one who did

His name is Jesus

In fact His resurrection is the greatest historical event in the world

But there are always skeptics who say He didn’t rise

But…

What the Bible says is altogether different

He died and rose three days later

In Acts 2:23 we hear…

This statement of His death - He died (Acts 2:23)

And how did He die?

He died on a cross (1 Peter 2:24)

The reason why He died was to be a substitutionary death for us (Rom.5:8)

But death could not hold Him (Acts 2:24)

He laid His life down and took it back up again (John 10:17-18)

The chorus to that great hymn “Up from the grave He arose” says:

Up from the grave He arose, With a mighty triumph o’er His foes, He arose a Victor from the dark domain, And He lives forever, with His saints to reign. He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!

That is the heart of the faith that was “once for all handed down to the saints” (Jude 3)

If He didn’t rise then our faith is in vain (1 Cor.15:14)

If He didn’t rise we are still in our sins (1 Cor.15:17)

If He didn’t rise then God didn’t accept His sacrificial death

If He didn’t rise everyone who dies perishes (1 Cor.15:18)

If He didn’t rise then all of this is a lie (1 Cor.15:15)

But He did die and rise again (1 Cor.15:20)

There are 3 important elements of Jesus’ resurrection that I want to talk about this morning as the greatest historical event in the world

First…

I. His Burial and the Empty Tomb

What does the Bible say about this?

After Jesus’ death…

A. Joseph of Arimathea buries Jesus (Matthew 27:57-60)

B. Guards are placed at the tomb (Matthew 27:62-66)

C. Both of those passages show Jesus being in the tomb after His death

But all that changed when it was reported He was seen…

It was Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James (Mk.16:1) , Joanna (Lk.24:10) and other women who discovered the empty tomb (Matthew 28:1-6)

This eyewitness account is an important piece of evidence for Jesus’ resurrection

And this is what Scripture reports

There are 11 accounts of Jesus appearing to people

II. His Appearances After the Resurrection

A. Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene (John 20:11-18)

B. Jesus appears to the women (Matthew 28:9-10)

C. Jesus appears to Peter (Luke 24:34) (1 Corinthians 15:5)

D. Jesus appears to two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35)

E. Jesus appears to the disciples, Thomas absent (Luke 24:36-43) (John 20:19-25)

F. Jesus appears to the disciples, Thomas present (John 20:26-29)

G. Jesus appears to the disciples by the Sea of Galilee (John 21:1-14)

H. Jesus appears to the disciples on a mountain in Galilee (Matthew 28:16-20)

I. Jesus appears to over 500 brethren at one time (1 Corinthians 15:6)

J. Jesus appears to James (1 Corinthians 15:7)

K. Jesus appears to Saul (Paul) (1 Corinthians 15:8) (Acts 9:3-6)

Now, what is…

III. The Significance of Jesus' Resurrection

A. Fulfillment of prophecies (Psalm 16:10)

B. Victory over sin and death (1 Corinthians 15:55-57)

C. Assurance of eternal life for believers (Romans 6:4-5)

Jesus rose from the dead because it was not possible for him to be held by death

God raised him up, loosing the pains of death

This resurrection was foretold in the scriptures and fulfilled the promise made to the fathers

Through his resurrection, Jesus demonstrated his power over death and offered forgiveness of sins to all who believe in him

CONCLUSION

Jesus’ resurrection has had an impact on all of human history

We have already considered the ramifications if He didn’t rise

But He did

And that is an essential key to the gospel

If you do not believe in the resurrection, you cannot be saved

Romans 10:9–10, “9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, leading to righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, leading to salvation.”

John MacArthur…

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the single greatest event in the history of the world. It is so foundational to Christianity that no one who denies it can be a true Christian.

Everyday we should live in the understanding of His resurrection, meaning, because He rose, so shall we

His resurrection is the prototype of our resurrection

Romans 6:5, “For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection”

In other words, we will resurrect too (John 5:25-29)

Will your resurrection be “a resurrection of life” or “a resurrection of judgment”? (v.29)

Unless you repent and believe the gospel it will be “a resurrection of judgment”

So I urge you today to repent and believe in the gospel

Confess Christ as Lord

Believe in your God that God raised Him from the dead

Then call upon Him to save you

Romans 10:13, “for “WHOEVER CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.””

Let’s pray