The Resurrection: Evidence and Implications
The Gospel of John • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 41:18
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Introduction
Introduction
Turn with me in your Bibles to John 20.
Testimony about doubting my faith in college. As my identity became more and more built around my scientific knowledge, I began to look for a naturalistic explanation for everything.
This ultimately led to a crisis of faith, because the Bible clearly asserts supernatural explanations for many things, especially the resurrection of Christ from the dead. So that raised a question in my mind: “Did Jesus really rise from the dead? Or can his death and resurrection be explained by natural causes?”
Obviously, I concluded that natural explanations wouldn’t work. Once I realized that—that the account of the resurrection really is true—that had huge implications for my faith. That was a turning point for me in my walk with Christ.
John 20 concludes with this verse telling us the purpose of his whole book:
30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
So that’s my goal for you this morning—that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. And if you’re already a believer this morning, my prayer for you is that your faith will be strengthened and your passion for Christ ignited afresh as you consider the implications of our faith upon your life.
So turn with me in your Bibles and let’s read the greatest story ever told in John 20.
Read John 20
Prayer for Illumination
Transition: This morning, I want to draw your attention to two things—the Evidence for the Resurrection, and the Implications of the Resurrection.
Evidence for the Resurrection
Evidence for the Resurrection
Many have objected that the resurrection story simply cannot be historically accurate. People don’t rise from the dead. But if we pay close attention to the story and the testimonies of eye-witnesses, if we investigate the story like a detective, we’ll see that the most common objections to the resurrection simply don’t hold up.
Objection 1: Either his death or resurrection was faked.
Objection 1: Either his death or resurrection was faked.
Response 1: If you were going to fake someone’s death, this isn’t a good way to do it.
Response 1: If you were going to fake someone’s death, this isn’t a good way to do it.
Crucifixion was an exceptionally reliable way to kill people, and the Romans were experts in their craft.
Those who were closest to Jesus had absolutely no doubt that he died, and they were without hope when his body was placed in that tomb.
Serious historians have never really questioned the veracity of Jesus’ death.
Response 2: If you were to fabricate a resurrection story, this isn’t how you’d do it!
Response 2: If you were to fabricate a resurrection story, this isn’t how you’d do it!
Women are the first eye-witnesses in a male-dominated culture
1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.
10 Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles,
1 When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him.
1 Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb.
The disciples were low-standing members of society—fishermen, a Zealot, a tax collector
Objection 2: Jesus was just another teacher and his disciples made all of this story up after the fact.
Objection 2: Jesus was just another teacher and his disciples made all of this story up after the fact.
Response 1: Jesus’ followers had no discernable, rational motive for such a deception.
Response 1: Jesus’ followers had no discernable, rational motive for such a deception.
Political power?
Other “Messiahs” had arisen before.
Every one of them had political ambitions and attempted to overthrow the Romans or some other group in charge.
Jesus abhorred politics and explicitly rejected political ambitions.
Money?
Jesus was homeless and poor, as were the overwhelming majority of his followers.
None of his followers achieved a life of luxury like you see cult leaders doing.
Sex?
Many cults have arisen with leaders who are sexual predators in disguise.
Jesus and Paul, the two main leaders in Christianity, were both celebate.
Christianity teaches a radical form of chastity when compared to Roman/Greek religion.
Prestige?
Jewish converts to Christianity were cast out of synagogues and their own families and support networks.
Greek and Roman converts to Christianity were excluded from trade guilds, denied political and social advancement, and frequently forced to choose between being a respected Roman (a pagan) and being a dedicated Christian.
There simply is NO LOGICAL MOTIVE for crafting such a deception.
Response 2: The intensity of their subsequent actions are consistent with true belief—they weren’t intentionally deceiving people.
Response 2: The intensity of their subsequent actions are consistent with true belief—they weren’t intentionally deceiving people.
All of his remaining eleven disciples, save one (John), suffered martyrdom
Paul, a later eye-witness with absolutely NO motive for conversion, also suffered martyrdom
Many others who were eye-witnesses suffered martyrdom.
Objection 3: His followers were simply deceived. They really believed Jesus rose from the dead, but they were just mistaken.
Objection 3: His followers were simply deceived. They really believed Jesus rose from the dead, but they were just mistaken.
Response 1: If Jesus was really dead, then who would have been the source of this deception?
Response 1: If Jesus was really dead, then who would have been the source of this deception?
We’ve already established that Jesus really died.
We’ve already established that his disciples truly believed that he died and rose again, they weren’t intentionally deceiving anyone.
So, if neither Jesus nor his closest followers were the source of the deception, then who could have possibly had motive? It just doesn’t track.
Response 2: The number of contemporary eye-witness accounts points to the veracity of the resurrection.
Response 2: The number of contemporary eye-witness accounts points to the veracity of the resurrection.
If there had been only one or two eye-witnesses, we might well conclude that those eye-witnesses were simply mistaken, deluded, or crazy.
But as more and more eye-witness accounts start to add up, it becomes exponentially more difficult to deny their claims as they each verify one another’s story.
Response 3: The explosion of Christianity contemporary to the time of the eye-witnesses and in the face of immense persecution supports the veracity of their claims
Response 3: The explosion of Christianity contemporary to the time of the eye-witnesses and in the face of immense persecution supports the veracity of their claims
The testimony of contemporary eye-witnesses was so compelling that people thronged to Christianity en masse.
They remained committed in the face of intense persecution.
Conclusion: There is one, and only one, logical conclusion—Christ is risen!
Conclusion: There is one, and only one, logical conclusion—Christ is risen!
Implications of the Resurrection
Implications of the Resurrection
Christ is our Lord and our God!
Christ is our Lord and our God!
He deserves all of our worship and praise.
Nothing else in this world is worthy of devotion, allegiance, admiration, or praise to any level even close to that of Christ.
The early followers of Christ suffered: rejection by their families, rejection by other people who claimed to follow God, rejection by their nation, rejection in the business world, and more. But, nothing was worth forsaking Christ!
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
We have to tell the world!
We have to tell the world!
If you really believe, then this is the most wonderful news that you’ve ever heard and EVERYONE needs to know about it!
There’s no cost too high to pay, nothing that ought to deter us from spreading the news!
18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.
21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”
19 We love because he first loved us.
13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
We have access to the Holy Spirit
We have access to the Holy Spirit
He did not leave us as orphans!
18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
He didn’t leave us to do this job alone, we have access to the same Spirit that Jesus had!
22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”
Sin and Death are Defeated!
Sin and Death are Defeated!
Jesus rose from the grave to show that he had truly conquered death and to give us the power to overcome sin in our lives!
1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
You do not have to live in bondage to sin!
Conclusion
Conclusion
The evidence is clear—He is Risen!
And if that is true, then there are some HUGE implications for your life. What are you living for?
Are you living for your Lord and God?
Are you sharing the good news with others?
Are you living in step with the Spirit?
Are you living as one who has been freed from sin, who has power over death?
Are you living in light of the Resurrection?