The Case for Christ Study, Week 2

Ice Breaker!

Get the Picture:

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How is the process we just went through similar to exploring evidence for something such as the existence of God or the resurrection of Jesus?

In life and faith, we don’t always start with the whole picture, but we can look for clues and piece together information until tje picture becomes clear.

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In this clip, Strobel has been pursuing every angel he can to find a way to undermine Christianity.

He has prodded and attacked the the death of Jesus by crucifixion, the empty tomb, the accuracy of the eyewitnesses who saw him alive again, and the resurrection itself.

He has traveled to meet with experts in each field and demanded sources outside the Bible.

But he has hidden his investigation from his boss and his wife, and he has become volatile with his family due to his frustration and anger about Leslie’s faith.

He has become obsessed.

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1. Trustworthy Sources

How important is the scientific conclusion from the Journal of the American Medical Association that Jesus truly died by crucifixion?

If you are a Christin, many will criticize you for having a bias toward Christianity, but they rarely recognize their own bias against it.

Once you recognize your own bias, is it possible to somehow compensate for it? How?

Is it important to try?

Is it fair to discount someone’s testimony about a given event just because you know that person believes something about it?

Many eyewitnesses saw Jesus AFTER he was buried in the tomb!

Do the differences in the Gospel accounts bother you?

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Example: Jesus healed a blind beggar named Bartimeus.

Matthew and Mark has this happening as they were leaving Jericho.

Luke has it occuring as they approached Jericho.

Matthew only says there were two blind men.

Mark gives details the others didn’t regarding the crowd encouraging the blind man, and the blind man throwing off his cloak.

In Matthew Jesus touched their eyes; in the others, he spoke their healing.

Strobel was VERY bothered by the things he considered to be “discrepancies” in the Bible.

Yet he couldn’t deny that the main events were the same.

The core of EVERY testimony was the SAME.

For investigative journalists (and police), that is STRONG evidence.

2. The Questions of Why?… and So What?

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When we reach the point wheer we beleive the evidence for Jesus and his death on our behalf, two questions emerge:

Why? Why would he do it?

Why allow himself to be killed?

If he was really the Son of God, why not use his powers to defend himself?

Strobel asked the priest the same question int he movie; as they stood before the Shroud of Turin the priest answered, “Love!”

It’s the film’s answer, and it’s the Bible’s answer!

The next question is...

2. So what does it mean?

What difference should it make in YOUR life if it’s true?

If Jesus is God’s Son, his teachings aren’t just good ideas; they are divine insights on which to build your life!

If Jesus really lived life here on earth, he understands my pain, and if he rose from the dead, he is still alive and available for me to encounter and live in relationship with..

If Jesus conquered death, he can give me the gift of eternal life.

If Jesus is who he says he is, he deserves every bit of your commitment, obedience, and worship!

Can you think of other answer to the question So What?

3. Can you believe it?

The only question that remains, if you can answer the ones about whether it’s true and why he did it, is Can you believe it?

The evidence is there, and it supports Christianity STRONGLY!

Romans 10:9 NIV

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.

Hebrews 11:1 NIV

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.