Sermon Tone Analysis

Resurrection

Good morning!

He is Risen!

Alright!

PRAYER

I want to speak to you for a shorter time than usual…That’s the plan.

Today as we celebrate the Resurrection of Christ, new beginning and new life, it makes sense to begin a new series.

Starting today we are walking through a series called Checkmate.

Over the next 4 weeks we will be discussing 4 of the big issues people have with Christianity.

There amore, but we are dealing with 4.

We talk about the fact that we say we worship a Good God, but there is suffering.....checkmate.

You Christians say that God is patient and does not want anyone to perish, so how does Hell fit in with that fact …checkmate

You speak about a loving God, but so many Christians are unlike the God you claim to follow; there is so much hypocrisy....checkmate.

Those are some of the light topics we will be tackling over the next few weeks, and I’ve called in the crack squad to help me

Today we talk about the resurrection; in this day and age we don’t need myth anymore!

Miracles don’t happen, they are just for explaining what we don’t understand.

We have science and human ingenuity; we do not need miracles.

Checkmate

As we walk though this series, just a warning, We can often fall into a concern with winning an argument rather than a person.

And when that becomes obvious to the person we care about, we will lose the person.

I was listening to an interview with John Lennox,

Northern Irish mathematician, philosopher of science, Christian apologist- debating Dawkins Christopher Hitchens before he passed away.

and he was asked why he was so likeable whenever he debates.

If I don’t make the person more important than the argument, I’ve lost before I start.

So as we approach each topic in this series, we do so with humility and from a love for people.

PAUSE

Today…we want to look at the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

What we as Christians call the foundation of our faith.

And I would say that

I’m not sure how you walk into this place, but I would say this, “even if you don’t believe in the resurrection, you should want it to be true.”

When it comes to Jesus....

I.

The Resurrection is not a secondary issue

As N.T. Wright says,

All that Jesus said about himself, all that God offers his creation, is confirmed in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The only point in being a Christian at all is if this message continues to be the solid ground on which we stand.

All that Jesus said about himself, all that God offers his creation, is confirmed in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

It is what proves the significance of the life, teaching, promises, and death of Jesus Christ.

How do we know that Jesus can forgive your sin?

How do we know that he was sent by God the father to show us the love of the Father?

How do we know that his promise of forgiveness, eternal life, and life after death is authentic?

It is the resurrection.

“Even if you don’t believe in the resurrection, you should want it to be true.”

A resent study published by the BBC says,

“The Resurrection did not happen, says a quarter of Christians.

A quarter of people who describe themselves as Christians in Great Britain do not believe in the resurrection of Jesus, a survey commissioned by the BBC suggests.”

So, we have a misconception right off the top.

By definition - if you do not believe that Jesus was raised from the dead....you are not a Christian.

It is not a set of beliefs.

It is not a club of likeminded people complaining about the world.

Christianity is based on historical happening.

If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Reverend Dr Lorraine “Cavanaw” is the acting general secretary for Modern Church, which promotes liberal Christian theology.

She said: "I think [people answering the survey] are being asked to believe in the way they might have been asked to believe when they were at Sunday school.

"You're talking about adults here.

And an adult faith requires that it be constantly questioned, constantly re-interpreted, which incidentally is very much what Modern Church is actually about.

"Science, but also intellectual and philosophical thought has progressed.

It has a trickle-down effect on just about everybody's lives.

"So to ask an adult to believe in the resurrection the way they did when they were at Sunday school simply won't do and that's true of much of the key elements of the Christian faith."

Now her comments have a few distortions.

First of all as a Reverend she should now that Jesus never called us to an adult type faith.

In fact he told us to approach him with the humility of children in

Secondly, she implies that science and intellect play no part in the Christian faith.

What I want to propose to you this morning (in light of the fact that the resurrection is no secondary issue to Christians) is that the resurrection is not a matter of faith.

II.

The Resurrection is not a matter of Faith

Secondly, she implies that

In the age were have to categorize some news as FAKE NEWS this is important!

If we believed that the resurrection was a spiritual thing, that happened in a different realm it becomes a faith issue; and it means nothing.

When Christians propose the resurrection of Jesus as a truth to be accepted, we are proposing that something verifiable actually happened, in an actual geographical location, to a real person, witnessed by real people, proclaimed by them and recorded by them.

Not sure how you walk into this place, but I would say this, “You should want this to be true”

What are we asking when we ask that question.

What are we asking when we ask that question.

And that this happening changes everything.

Clarification

not simply a spiritual event

It what a physical event with spiritual implications

The Resurrection took everyone by surprise.

Resurrection simply does not happen!!

We agree.

It does not simply happen!!

That is why it is a big deal.

but THAT is different than saying it didn’t !

Saying that resurrections do not happen, is different than saying that it didn’t!

We cannot belittle what happened, simply by refusing to believe that it did.

To believe that the resurrection did NOT take place requires faith as well.

Christians do not believe the resurrection because of blind faith.

Scripture says that faith is…..

So, Faith is believing in something we hope for but have not seen yet.

The resurrection does not fit into that category.

11 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

In fact that is the exact opposite of what the apostles are trying to get through to us in their writings.

John who lived with Jesus, ministered with him, went to prison becasue he wouldn’t shut up about the resurrectiion said this....

That isn’t faith, that is sense perception!

It’s Scientific method.

systematic observation, measurement, and experiment

I mean what would it take for you having walked with someone for 3 years who said he would raise himself from the dead, who said he was the Son of God, if he was then publically crucified, what woiuld it take for you to spend the rest of your life persecuted, laughed at, exiled, imprisioned, when all it would take was a word saying it’s not true, we made it up.

I will show you where we hid the body!!

What woudl it take??!! Something pretty convincing!!

Resurrection!!