This better be real!
This better be real! • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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This better be real!
There are three types of ppl in church this morning.
You have accepted Jesus as your Lord but you are not walking with Him the way you would like.
You are what we call a truth seeker and have not looked into having a relationship with Jesus yet.
This better be real!
Did not grow up in church. My first Easter Sunday I was tricked into going. The pastor got up and said three words. Then out of nowhere everyone but me responded with four words.
Want to see it in action? He is Risen. He is Risen indeed.
100’s of millions of ppl worship across the world on Easter. What are they worshiping. They believe that God sent his only Son Jesus to this earth, that He lived a sinless life and died on a Roman cross for the forgiveness of sin, that humanity would be made right with God. They believe that He died and was raised to life three days later. And that they have put their trust and faith in Him and opened their heart and life to Him. And asked Jesus to come into their life, forgive their sin and to lead them as their Savior and Lord.
History acknowledges the historical Jesus, His death on the Roman cross (No one ever survived that) and His death. But the Resurrection is another thing.
What if He did not raise to life on the third day?
The Resurrection is not just important; it is “of first importance,” because all that we believe hinges on it.
Have you ever been tricked or lied too? When you find out how embarrassing.
Florida business man lottery ticket:
If the Resurrection of Jesus is a hoax or a lie, it is the greatest hoax and lie of all time.
Corinth was a Greek city, and the Greeks did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. When Paul had preached at Athens and declared the fact of Christ’s resurrection, some of his listeners actually laughed at him (Acts 17:32). Most Greek philosophers considered the human body a prison, and they welcomed death as deliverance from bondage.
This skeptical attitude had somehow invaded the church and Paul had to face it head-on. The truth of the resurrection had doctrinal and practical implications for life that were too important to ignore.
Do you want the good news or bad news first?
13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.
If Jesus has not been raised from the dead, our faith and belief are useless.
15 More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised.
We that preach about Jesus are liars. - My occupation title should not be pastor it should be liar.
16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.
Useless / If the historical Jesus died on the cross and was not resurrected then there is no forgiveness of sin.
2. If Jesus was not raised from the dead, there is no forgiveness of your sin.
18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.
Pitied: the Greek word used here is also translated pathetic.
The world should laugh at us. - Before I was a Christ follower, I used to make fun of Christians. (stryper)
https://saltandlight.sg/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/1986-To-Hell-With-The-Devil-Stryper-L.P-Alemania-Enigma-INT-148-721-2-768x768.jpg
If there is no Resurrection, what a waste of time.
32 If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus with no more than human hopes, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”
3. If Jesus was not raised from the dead, we should do whatever we want.
What is Paul saying here? Why did I give up all that I had if there is no resurrection?
What about you and me. What have we given up?
Our Sundays / Money (What could we do with the extra money)
Just go and enjoy yourself. You are just going to die. There is no hope.
Have ever thought, what if this faith thing is a hoax and a lie?
I did a personal thought experiment on this. Have I lost or gained?
Now the good part of the sermon.
1 Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
4. By putting our faith in the risen Christ, we are saved.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
Scholarly estimates for Old Testament prophecies about Jesus vary, with some suggesting over 300. These prophecies cover various aspects of Jesus's life, including his birth, ministry, death, and resurrection.
5. Because Christ is risen, we have been made right with God.
Remember I mentioned truth seekers.
Lee Strobel in his book, God's Outrageous Claims, he shares his own pilgrimage to Christ. He wrote, "I used to consider the Resurrection to be a laughable fairy tale. After all, Yale Law School had trained me to be coldly rational, and my years as an investigative reporter for the Chicago Tribune had only toughened my naturally cynical personality. But intrigued by changes in my wife after she became a Christian, I spent nearly two years systematically using my journalistic and legal experience to study the evidence for the Resurrection and the credibility of Jesus' claims to being God. I emerged totally convinced and gave my life to Christ."
What was one of Lee’s biggest details of his investigation that he couldn’t escape from? When he read this.
The scriptures and eye-witness account
5 and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. 9 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
5 and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. 9 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
Twelve: The Big Ten Conference currently consists of 18 teams
The Big Ten Conference currently consists of 18 teams
John 7:5 For even his own brothers did not believe in him. (James half brother of Jesus)
This was written roughly 20 years after Jesus Resurrection. - Whom are still alive. (Go ask them)
Paul: Vs. 8-9
(Still Alive) Why 500 eye witness acounts is so important, it could not have been a hallucination or a deception.
It mentioned James, Jesus half-brother. John 7:5-For even his own brothers did not believe in him.
And appeared to me also.
The Hallucination Theory is the idea that argues that the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus were not literal appearances but were instead hallucinations experienced by His followers.
Why over 500 eye witness accounts is so important, it could not have been a hallucination or a deception.
"I went to a psychologist friend and said if 500 people claimed to see Jesus after he died, was it just a hallucination. He said hallucinations are an individual event. If 500 people have the same hallucination, that's a bigger miracle than the resurrection." - Lee Strobel
Peter fled for his life when Jesus was beaten and killed on the cross. But after seeing the risen Lord he was bold. Even being crucified like his Saviour.
What changed? He saw Him resurrected!
Have you ever heard term doubting Tomas. It comes from the bible. Tomas was one of the original disciples of Jesus.
24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
Prove it!
26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
It is not necessary to “see” Jesus Christ in order to believe.
Jesus pronounced a special blessing on those who believe without having Thomas’s privilege.
My birthday / 420 pot smoking holiday (rent a car Oregon) / also Hitlers birthday.
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
My re-birthday is the the day I gave my life to Christ.
6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, 11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow.
12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, 11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow.
12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.
Can you say with absolute certainty, that you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour?
Can you reply with absolute certainty this declaration of faith? He is Risen, He is Risen indeed.
Have you opened up your heart and asked Jesus into your life?
I grew up catholic and was baptised as a baby.
I grew up fill in the blank religion or church denomination.
Not religion but a relationship with Jesus.
