The resurrection of Jesus

Intro

Handing out of gift cards

Easter series

Death of Jesus

Resurrection of Jesus

Why does the resurrection of Jesus matter?

Body

If Jesus doesn’t raise from the dead, it makes Jesus a liar

Matthew 16:21-23 & Matthew 17:22-23

Jesus tells his disciples that he is going to be killed and raise from the dead

If Jesus is a liar, that makes him a sinner NOT the Son of God

Deuteronomy 18:20-22

If even one of the things that Jesus says doesn’t happen then we shouldn’t worship him

If Jesus is not the Son of God, then Christianity is a worthless religion

We would be worshipping a liar who tricked and manipulated people into believing that he was the Son of God

We would be putting our hope in a human being instead of the almighty creator of all things

When we talk about Jesus being raised from the dead, we mean that he was literally dead, then came back in the same physical body

He wasn’t a ghost, or a spirit, or in a new body

He was killed on the cross, was dead and buried in a tomb, then came back to life

Application

What do you believe about Jesus?

Is he a good, moral, teacher?

Is he a fictional character?

Is he the Son of God who calls us to follow Him and live in obedience to him?

Answer honestly

I don’t want you to give me the answer you know I’m looking for, I want you to give the answer that you actually believe

If you tell us that you are a Christian and want to follow Jesus, we will hold you to that and walk alongside of you

If you tell us you are not a Christian, we will love you and walk alongside you and plead with you to commit your life to Christ

Conclusion

The resurrection of Jesus is the most important part of the Christian faith. Without it, Jesus is just a crazed man fooling people into believing he is the Son of God. The resurrection gives Christians freedom from the ultimate penalty of their sins.