THE POWER OF THE RESURRECTION
THE FOUNDATION OF OUR FAITH • Sermon • Submitted
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Your husband is dead
Your husband is dead
Opening Up Matthew For Further Study
1 Timothy 3:16
Dr.
“But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.
1 Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave. 2 And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. 3 And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4 The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men. 5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. 6 “He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. 7 “Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you.” 8 And they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and take word to My brethren to leave for Galilee, and there they will see Me.”
“But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.
1 Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave. 2 And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. 3 And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4 The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men. 5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. 6 “He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. 7 “Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you.” 8 And they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and take word to My brethren to leave for Galilee, and there they will see Me.”
I. THE POWER OF THE RESURRECTION:
a. IMPACTS PEOPLE TODAY!
i. Dr. Sean George video testimony.
1. He has impeccable credentials particularly in relationship to his experience. 2. He possesses the education and skills to speak authoritatively about his death and the science behind it.
3. He has the historic scientific data that has been verified by other doctors and attendants. They all give credence to his death and resurrection.
4. He has eye-witness testimony. They were with him before and after his death. Nothing like this has ever been recorded before.
They were with him before and after his death. Nothing like this has ever been recorded before. One skeptic attempted to utilize an example, claiming something similar. Dr. Sean went to the original medical file and data and revealed it was not even remotely similar. The skeptic merely asserted an opinion and relied upon a false testimony. While people may be skeptical of faith and resurrection after death, no one denies the fact that Sean George is alive today. No one refutes the medical evidence that he was dead and past the point of return by any standards of medical knowledge or science.
5. He testimony and witness has withstood an onslaught of skeptics. One skeptic attempted to utilize an example, claiming something similar happened so it really wasn’t a miracle of God. Unlike the skeptic who relied upon hearsay and assumptions, Dr. Sean went to the original medical file. The data revealed it was not even remotely similar plus the patient died. The skeptic merely asserted an opinion and relied upon a false testimony rather than examine the facts.
6. While people may be skeptical of faith and resurrection after death, no one denies the fact that Sean George is alive today. No one refutes the medical evidence that he was dead and past the point of return by any standards of medical knowledge or science. Not one of the attending doctors have any view other than what happened would be impossible according to science.
You can look at the evidence in greater detail at
ii. seangeorge.com.au
If you are skeptical today
b. SHOOK THE EARTH ON THE FIRST EASTER. V. 2
c. CONFIRMED BY AN ANGEL. V. 2-5
d. PUT FEAR IN SKEPTICAL SOLDIERS’ HEARTS. V. 4
e. BROUGHT JOY TO RECEPTIVE HEARTS. V. 5-8.
f. CONFIRMED BY EYE-WITNESSES.
II. THE RESURRECTION’S PROOF
a. HISTORICAL FACTS. V. 9-10
i. Today most skeptics now admit there is no reasonable alternative to the Empty tomb.
Whether they are Christians or not, the majority of New Testament scholars agree that:
FACT #1
FACT #1
Jesus’ tomb was found empty by a group of his women followers. Since female testimony had less value than male this aspect of the story wouldn’t have been invented.
FACT #2
FACT #2
Different individuals and groups had experiences they believed were of Jesus alive after his death.
FACT #3
FACT #3
The original disciples suddenly came to believe in the resurrection, despite it contradicting their Jewish expectations.
ii. Today most skeptics admit the testimonies past the scrutiny of cross-examination. The early disciples believed they had met the resurrected Christ.
Bart Ehrman, an agnostic New Testament Scholar and opposed to miracles, concluded that the hymn the Apostle Paul records in
By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, Was vindicated in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Proclaimed among the nations, Believed on in the world, Taken up in glory.
can be dated to within 2 years of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection.
In reviewing
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.
In his book, How Jesus Became God, Ehrman states:
“What is certain is that the earliest followers of Jesus believed that Jesus had come back to life, in the body, and that this was a body that had real bodily characteristics: It could be seen and touched, and it had a voice that could be heard.”
So the skeptics claim that Jesus was merely a good speaker and liked leader had a legend develop centuries after His disciples and followers died falls flat on its faith. No credible scholar or investigator believes such things any longer. It was all based on opinion and as people sought to prove their point, the testimony of the resurrection from the get go became clearer and clearer.
b. CHRIST’S CHARACTER.
“But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.
NASB95
24 “But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.
c. THE CHANGED LIVES OF THOSE WHO BELIEVE.
Paul Cowley was brought up on one of the roughest estates in Manchester, England. His father was an alcoholic. He left school at fifteen. He ran away from home. He lived on the streets. He joined a gang. He got involved in crime and ended up in prison. When he came out he joined the army. He went through two divorces.
In 1994, he walked into our church and did Alpha. He gave his life to Christ and was filled with the Holy Spirit. He started visiting prisoners. He joined the HTB staff team to head up the work in prisons. He started an organisation to care for ex-offenders. He set up a homeless project. He started a course to help those with addictions and courses to help those struggling with depression and debt.
Under his leadership, Alpha for Prisons has spread through the prisons in the UK and seventy-six countries around the world. Thousands have come to faith in Jesus Christ. Hundreds of men and women have been placed in churches through the ministry of Caring for Ex-Offenders.
Paul Cowley is an example of someone who was the good soil on which the seed fell. He has a noble and good heart. He heard the word, retained it and by persevering has produced a crop hundreds of times more than was sown (,). He encountered Jesus as his Saviour, Sower and Shepherd.
d. THE CONNECTION FOR THOSE WHO SEEK HIM.
If you are not careful the cares of this world can confuse you. it can take away
In chicken soup for the soul Dan Millman tells the story of Sachi. When she was 4 years old her baby brother was born. Little Saatchi began to ask her parents to leave her alone with the new baby. They worried that, like most 4 year olds, she might feel jealous and want to hit or shake him so they said no.
Overtime though , since Sachi wasn't showing any signs of jealousy, they change their minds and decide to let thought she had her private conference with the baby. Elated, thought she went into the baby's room and shut the door but it opened a crack hyphen enough for her curious parents to peak in an listen weird they saw a little Sachi walk quietly up to her baby brother put her face close to his, and say, “ baby tell me what God feels like., I'm starting to forget..”
Don’t allow your heart to slip away from the wonder and mystery the Presence of God Brings. The Resurrection still has power today for those who long to be close like the women on Easter morning.
Will you thank God for the cross and move towards meeting the Resurrected Christ today?
With you trust God’s power of the resurrection still works today?
Will you ask Jesus to restore you to the joy of His salvation today?
Like the women, who will you share your message with?