Luke 24 1-12 He is not here, He has Risen

Luke 24:1-12 “He is not here, He has Risen!” message I love Easter! This year Easter will certainly be different since it will be the first time, since I accepted Jesus as Lord (2001 at the age of 38), that I’ve not gathered together with brothers and sisters (church family) in the walls of a “church building.” Yes, church buildings will be empty today, but the Good News is that so is the tomb! Easter still happens! Today, we review the resurrection account to prepare us to defend the empty tomb (the resurrection of Christ). Proof that Jesus not only died but rose again. 1) The (in)____________ of the women ! • ________ were ____ regarded as ________ witnesses in the ancient world Darrell Bock: “one of the main proofs that the resurrection story is credible is realization that the first-century church would never have created a story whose main witnesses were women” 2) The first ___________ that Jesus faced were his ____________ The mere skepticism of the disciples oddly helps prove the resurrection: NT Wright: If Luke had been making this story up a generation or more after the event, as people sometimes suggest, not only would he not have had women going first to the tomb, he would have had the apostles believe the story at once, ready to be models of faith and to lead the young church into God’s future. 3) The ________ of the resurrection. As the shock factor begins to wear off (of both the women – and now Peter), we can sense that the reality of the moment is occurring. Where is the body of Christ? What happened on the first Easter? • ONLY ONE REAL EXPLANATION EXISTS….IT'S THE REALITY OF THE RESURRECTION • One explanation, and one only, exists That explanation is the one supplied by the angels: “he has risen”