Sermon Tone Analysis

*The Passion: True or False?

Part 4 Jesus is alive*

*Video  -** Whether we realize it or not, all of us need a resurrection.

*Proving whether or not Jesus was raised from the dead won’t do us any good unless this power can also be applied to our own lives.

2 things – demonstrate the veracity of Jesus resurrection and help apply this to your life.

Luckhoo story – 245 aquitals – evidence expert, his quote after coming to faith and examining the evidence.

/"I say unequivocally that the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ is so overwhelming that it compels acceptance by proof which leaves absolutely no room for doubt."/

Guy a few years ago trying to explain it to his 5-year-old son Sean. in church on Easter, and just before the service began, pointed to the cross and said, "See the cross?

The people put Jesus on the cross.

/The people killed Jesus/."

Sean looked nervous, then asked: "/These /people?" heart of Easter today; heart of Christianity. 1 Corinthians 15:17: "/If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins./"

resurrection is the linchpin of Christianity and the ultimate authentication of Jesus' claims.

End of the movie – black screen, then resurrected Jesus.

Just Hollywood?

No! theories to try to explain away res.

*            False – Jesus’ Body Was Stolen *– fraud from those who had an agenda – Matthew 28:1- 14 – problem – disciples didn’t crux or res.. John 13:36And res.

John 20:9, killed for a lie.

Repeated sightings of Jesus cited as evidence.

*            False – Women went to wrong tomb.

*No brainer – here is the right one.

*            False – Jesus’ Resurrection was a Hallucination – *Mass hypnosis by those who wanted to believe – Thomas problem – show me – sceptic.

John 24:20.

hallucinations.

But psychologists said that's not possible because hallucinations are like dreams -- they're individual events that can't be shared between people.

It would be like me asking you, /"Did you enjoy the dream I had last night?"

/In fact, one expert said that 500 people sharing the same hallucination would be a bigger miracle than the resurrection itself!

But I wasn't ready to give up yet.

What if these weren't hallucinations, but instead an example of what psychologists call "group think" -- a kind of wishful thinking where people in a group subtly encourage one another through the power of suggestion to see an image?

– no anticipation of res, contrary to belief about messiah.

Still empty tomb.

*True – Jesus is alive.*

*Affirmative evidence of the resurrection*

*            Early –Reliability of the bible documents.*

account of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection date back very early.

Early church Creed recited preserved for us by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 clearly affirms that /"Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; He was buried; he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,” /specific people Jesus appeared to.

dates early as two or three years after the crucifixion, and the beliefs that underlie it go back to the cross.

This completely rebuts the idea that legends about the resurrection developed in the decades after Jesus' death.

Studies have concluded there was nowhere near enough time for that to have occurred.

In fact, when the apostle Paul mentions that Jesus appeared to 500 people at one time, specifically many still alive.

saying, /"Hey, these people are still around -- ask them yourselves if you don't believe me, and they'll tell you it's true."

/Still witnesses around because this res stuff began right after death!

*            Empty – *Caiphas high priest and Jesus accuser – we found his tomb!

Not Jesus’.

Laid in tomb of prominent – Joseph of Arimathea, found empty by women (key ) if made up story don’t use women!

/No one ever claimed anything but empty/ – story the disciples stole the body demonstrates this.

how did it get empty?

possible suspects  - no reasonable explanation.

Romans -  no.

Jews, no same reason.

disciples had nothing to gain and everything to lose by stealing the body.

Why would they want to live a life of deprivation and suffering and then be tortured to death for a lie?

If this had been a charade, certainly one of them would have broken ranks under torture and told the truth.

Unanimous testimony of history - tomb was empty on Easter Sunday.

No motive for the disciples or the Romans or the Jewish authorities to have stolen the body.

The only explanation that fits the facts is that Jesus really did return from the dead.

*            Eyewitnesses* - Not only was Jesus' tomb empty, but over a period of 40 days Jesus appeared alive a dozen different times to more than 515 individuals.

To men and women, to believers and doubters, to tough-minded people and tender-hearted people, sometimes to groups, sometimes to individuals, sometimes indoors, sometimes outdoors in broad daylight.

He talked with people, He ate with them, He even invited one skeptic to put his finger in the nail holes in His hands and to put his hand in the spear wound in His side in order to verify that it was Him.

And that disciple, Thomas, became so convinced that he ended up proclaiming to his violent death in South India that Jesus had, indeed, been resurrected.

Five hundred and fifteen people -- that's a lot of witnesses.

I had to stop to put that into context!

- talking to one bro last couple weeks who was bugged by the hole in the hand at res.

Wounds of honor!

And evidence to Thomas!

God loves doubters!

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            Condi Rice testimony the other day – 10 minutes per questioner.

Eyewitnesses to Jesus res – 15 minutes each – around the clock for 128 straight hours!

Real events of history that revolutionized the lives of whose who encountered Him. the disciples - dejected and despondent because they thought their leader was gone forever.

Peter denied Christ three times.

They fled and hid.

After Easter, they're boldly proclaiming Jesus is alive.

*Ongoing effects -* *People’s lives were changed  Suddenly*, these once-cowardly men are transformed into people filled with courage, willing to fearlessly proclaim to their death that Jesus had conquered the grave.

Lots of people have died for the faith through history.

Look at that Muslim terrorist who blew himself up and killed a lot of other people in Tel Aviv recently.

Why was he willing to die that way?

Because he sincerely believed he would immediately go to be with his god in paradise.

But then someone pointed out to me that what the disciples did was very different from that.

Listen to this: people will die for their religious beliefs if they’re convinced their beliefs are true -- like that terrorist.

But people will /not /die for their religious beliefs if they /know /their beliefs are false or don’t understand.

Young guy with all the explosives the other day.

Disciples knew!

First hand touching witnesses.

Almost all died horrible deaths for this.

Why if a lie?

*            Implications: *More than historical curiosity.

*Hitchcock story* – Woman sentenced to life in prison for husbands murder.

Vowed escape – entering prison saw old man covering grave outside walls.

Befriended him – would give money if he would help.

Plan – she would hide in next casket, he would dig up later when no one saw.

Heard bell, hid in casket, buried, waited, no one came.

Finally panicing she lit a match and looked at body with her in casket – old man.

/Her only hope lay buried right next to her!/

            Obvious lesson – hope in another she sincerely thought could save, but who died and took her with him.

All other religious leaders offer the same as that old man, But Jesus rose from the dead.

Who are you going to put your hope in to overcome the grave?

Who are you going to put your hope in to overcome the stuff of life, the relational things.

You just heard the evidence; it points compellingly toward Jesus Christ as telling the truth when He said in John 11:25: /"I am the resurrection and the life.

He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies."/

One thing we haven’t talked about today is the “why” of Jesus’ death.

You see, your wrongdoing has separated you from a perfect God, and out of His love for you Jesus chose to suffer the pain of the cross as your substitute, to pay the penalty that you deserved for your sin so that you could be reconciled with God.