Because He Lives (2)
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It is Resurrection Sunday
It is Resurrection Sunday
It’s the Holiday that combines Rabbits, Eggs, and chocolate.
Today is Easter Sunday. It is the day that we celebrate the resurrection of Christ. And not just the resurrection, but we celebrate ( and it sounds weird to say) but we celebrate the death of Jesus as well.
Today is Easter Sunday. It is the day that we celebrate the resurrection of Christ. And not just the resurrection, but we celebrate ( and it sounds weird to say) but we celebrate the death of Jesus as well.
The account of the arrest, “trial”, scourging, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth can be read in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
We will start this morning by looking at Luke’s account.
1 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.
2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb,
3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing;
5 and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living One among the dead?
6 “He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee,
7 saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.”
8 And they remembered His words,
Luke 24
Amen.
This morning we will look at three aspects of the death and resurrection of Jesus. We will look at the Predictions of his resurrection, The Proof of his resurrection and the Purpose of his resurrection of Christ.
The Prediction
The Prediction
While Jesus was hangin on the cross, he uttered the words as recorded in Matthew
Matthew 27
45 Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour.
46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
Matthew 27:
Look at
1 My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?
Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning.
Psalm 22:14-
14 I am poured out like water,
And all my bones are out of joint;
My heart is like wax;
It is melted within me.
15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
And my tongue cleaves to my jaws;
And You lay me in the dust of death.
16 For dogs have surrounded me;
A band of evildoers has encompassed me;
They pierced my hands and my feet.
17 I can count all my bones.
They look, they stare at me;
18 They divide my garments among them,
And for my clothing they cast lots.
Then look as the 53rd chapter of Isaiah. There is not time to read the entire chapter.
Isaiah 53
4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we are healed.
Jesus spoke many times of his death and resurrection.
19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
21 From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day.
18 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death,
19 and will hand Him over to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify Him, and on the third day He will be raised up.”
2 “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man is to be handed over for crucifixion.”
31 Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of Me this night, for it is written, ‘I will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered.’
32 “But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.”
Proof of the Resurrection
Proof of the Resurrection
Three ways people approach the resurrection.
Open minded going where the facts lead them.
Believing it happened and looking for confirmation.
No believing it, and looking to destroy the arguments that support it.
Jesus was telling His disciples he was going away and was comforting them. Thomas said that they didn’t know where He was going and how would they know the way.
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
Truth. I am 50. That is true for me and for everyone else on the planet. It is true for everyone that on April 21, 2019 Pastor T is 50 years old.
Why is that important?
The Bible doesn’t have to be the inspired word of God for Christianity to be true.
The story of the great flood of Noah’s time doesn’t have to be a real event for Christianity to be true.
The account of Jonah and the big fish could have been a parable and not a real account and Christianity still be true.
But if the resurrection of Jesus Christ didn’t happen, the Christianity is a lie. Jesus is either a liar, a lunatic or a risen Lord. As Paul put it;
17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.
18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
19 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.
It is true that Christ was resurrected?
That is the most important question every asked.
Because if it is not true, then we should be out riding Motorcycles and not in here.
But if it true, then for those of us that believe, we have a promise of eternal life. and for those that don’t believe, they also have a promise. One of eternal separation from God.
The Evidence
The Evidence
The New Testament writings are reliable.
They were written early. Before 80 AD
William F. Albright, who in his day was the world's foremost biblical archaeologist, said: "We can already say emphatically that there is no longer any solid basis for dating any book of the New Testament after about A.D. 80.
The Gospels even earlier, prior to 70 AD
If people started writing today that John Lennon rose from the dead, there are plenty of people alive that would swear that it isn’t true. If eye witnesses were named, we could find them and ask them and determine its validity.
2. Most of the disciples were beaten, arrested, and killed because they wouldn’t recant their statements about Jesus. People will die for what they believe is the truth, but not for what they know is a lie.
Tradition has it that Peters wife was crucified because Peter wouldn’t recant and then he was crucified upside down at his request, because he said that he wasn’t worthy do die as Christ did.
Stephen was stoned to death.
3. The writers completely abandoned their way of life in an instant that can only be explained by Christ’s resurrection.
Paul was a successful, admired Jew that persecuted Christians and he gave it up for a life of persecution in an instant.
4. They contain embarrassing details about the disciples.
They fled like cowards when Jesus was arrested
Peter denied Christ x 3
Thomas didn’t believe
Paul has Stevens blood on his hands.
The Empty Tomb
Either Christ rose from the dead or these cowardice and confused disciples managed to sneak past trained Roman soldiers, move a stone covering the tomb without waking them and steal Christs body and hide it. And then send women, who’s testimony couldn’t hold up in court to find the empty tomb
Or… He rose from the dead.
Christ’s appearance to witnesses. Over 500.
The impact of Jesus Christ on the world.
The most influential person in World History wasn’t a King, a world leader, a Military General, Philosopher. He was an itinerant Rabbi that taught orally, didn’t own any property and only was active in His ministry for 3 1/2 years.
Conclusions
Professor Thomas Arnold - Oxford
"I have been used for many years to study the histories of other times, and to examine and weigh the evidence of those who have written about them, and I know of no one fact in the history of mankind which is proved by better and fuller evidence of every sort, to the understanding of a fair inquirer, than the great sign which God hath given us that Christ died and rose again from the dead."
Simon Greenleaf- Founder of the Harvard School of Law
An atheist and set out to prove that the resurrection of Jesus was just a legend. He applied the rules of legal evidence in his venture and concluded this:
“ACCORDING TO THE LAWS OF LEGAL EVIDENCE USED IN COURTS OF LAW, THERE IS MORE EVIDENCE FOR THE HISTORICAL FACT OF THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST THAN FOR JUST ABOUT ANY OTHER EVENT IN HISTORY” (7).
The Purpose
The Purpose
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
God Loves You!
5 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
What do you do with Jesus?
Reject or Accept him.
It’s not about religion. It’s not about your money. It’s not about controlling you.
It’s about Jesus.
The Check for all your debt.
Each of us owe a debt for our sin. A debt that we cannot pay.
If someone were to write you a check for everything that you owe. You may say I believe it, but you haven’t put your faith in it until you endorse it and deposit it.
It won’t do you any good to carry it around and show it off one day a week, you have to put your faith into action.
Here is what Jesus said about our faith.
27 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;
23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.
22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.
I like poker. It is a battle of intellect, instinct and will. There are times when players believe they have the best hand, but aren’t committed and fold. And then there are times that they believe it and go all in.
Some of you here believe that Jesus died and rose from the grave, but you haven’t gone all in. You’ve been playing Christian. You want a just a little Jesus.
It don’t work like that, and deep down, you know it. You know that now is the time to say, I’m all in.
