WHY I BELIEVE IN THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST

Introduction

-Today we celebrate the capstone of the Christian faith—a point of theology that is too often overlooked, and yet without it there would be no Christianity—the Resurrection of Jesus Christ

-There are many fine points of theology that make up our belief system as Christians, but none of them hold up the entire system like the resurrection, because if the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is false or shown to be a lie, the entire Christian faith crumbles

-Now the enemies of the faith know this as well, so they have tried hard and heavy to demonstrate that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is a charade, a scam—but they have not been successful in the least because their arguments cannot stand up to sound reasoning and the historical evidence that is available to everybody

-Yet they try and they try to undermine our faith with arguments that hold no water. Let me share a few examples and how they are weak so that if you hear some of these, you may answer them:

(1) Some argue that Jesus’ disciples stole the body----the problem with that theory is that there is no way that a bunch of scared Jewish fishermen would be able to overtake a contingent of highly trained Roman soldiers to get to the body

--and then you also have to consider that the vast majority of the disciples were martyred by often horrible and painful means; if they stole the body and knew that the resurrection was false, nobody in their right mind dies trying to defend something they know to be a lie…

(2) Some argue that Jesus’ enemies stole the body----the problem with that argument is that His enemies wanted Him and His teachings to go away; the resurrection just propelled His teachings and spread the faith even more, which is the exact opposite of what they wanted----so if they had stolen the body, to stop the spread of the faith all they had to do was produce the body, and they didn’t because they didn’t have it—and they didn’t have it because it wasn’t there—and it wasn’t there because he rose from the dead

(3) Others argue that everybody went to the wrong tomb—the argument goes that Jesus was buried in one tomb, but Mary, the disciples and everybody else went to a different tomb that was empty and they mistakenly thought that Jesus had risen from the dead

--the problem with that argument is like before, the enemies of Christ didn’t want the faith to spread, so if Jesus’ body was elsewhere, all they would have to do is produce the body to stop the spread of the faith; but they couldn’t do it because it was the right tomb with no body in it

(4) Then there’s an theory you’ve probably heard of called the swoon theory—this theory states that Jesus didn’t die on the cross, He only appeared to have died; He actually only passed out (or swooned); then later in the cool of the tomb He got up and walked away

----so many issues here==you’re going to tell me that a man who suffered the scourging of the Romans, tearing His body to shreds, losing so much blood that many men died during this process, then was crucified which pulled His shoulders (maybe ankles and other parts) out of joint, hanging there dehydrated for hours, stabbed in the side by a Roman soldier, and declared dead by a Roman soldier (who is a trained killer and ought to know when someone’s dead), was then taken down and wrapped in 75-100lbs of linen and spices and placed in a tomb with a large boulder in front of it====you’re going to tell me that He just all of a sudden woke up, got out of all the linen and spices by His dehydrated, no blood, bones out of joint self, and then moved this huge boulder that normally took several men to move, and then somehow snuck past this contingent of Roman soldiers unnoticed

~~let me ask you, how’s that theory working for you?

-Those are just some of the arguments and theories out there----but I’ve got a pretty novel theory myself----my theory is that JESUS ROSE FROM THE DEAD, which means He is Who He said He is, King of kings and Lord of lords, so He alone can be Savior and Lord of all

-but it’s not enough to negatively argue against false theories, it is also important to show positive evidence in favor of the Resurrection

-so I wanted to share with you today from Scripture why I believe in the historical, literal, physical resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, why you should too, and I pray that it bolsters your faith in the entire gospel system, or if you haven’t believed to bring you to faith…

1 Corinthians 15:1–20 ESV

1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed. 12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. 20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

First, I believe in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ because of:

I) The Historical Reliability of the Resurrection (vv. 1-8)

-In our passage, Paul points to two different historical evidences/facts as proof of the reliability of the account of the resurrection

-First he specifically tells us that the resurrection (along with the rest of the gospel) is a fulfillment of Scripture—here he gives a very succinct gospel message: Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and He rose again the third day {and Paul says that this is all} according to the Scriptures

-The Scriptures he is referring to are the Jewish Scriptures, what we call the Old Testament—so the resurrection had already been prophesied hundreds of years before it occurred

-I have mentioned before how the prophesies, the types and the shadows of the OT give us the overall plan of redemption God had in place through Jesus Christ----and part of that eternal plan was that the Savior would die for the sins of people, but He wouldn’t stay dead----fulfilled prophecy is evidence for the resurrection

-For example, David wrote abt 900-1000 years before it happened: 10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. (Ps. 16:10 ESV)

-But you also have to take into consideration the types/pictures that were given in the OT pointing to the resurrection—there is one picture that Jesus often used Himself, and that was the picture of Jonah== 40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. (Matt. 12:40 ESV)

-Jonah was inside the belly of a big fish, and on the third day was out; in a similar manner Christ would be in the tomb and come out on the third day----the fact that this was written hundreds of years before it occurred is evidence of the historical reliability of the resurrection

-But there is also other historical evidence Paul mentions, and that is the fact that there were eyewitnesses to the resurrected Christ

-It wasn’t like there was just 1 or 2 people who claimed to have seen the risen Christ—look at the list he compiles==The risen Christ appeared to Cephas/Peter and the other original apostles, He was seen by over 500 other people all at the same time, Jesus was seen by His brother James, and also by other apostles (probably referring to people like Barnabas and others who were referred to as apostles in Scripture), and finally Paul himself was an eyewitness when Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus

-Paul brings this forth as evidence, as if saying: you don’t have to just take my word for it, there are hundreds of other people who saw it too—many were still alive at the time this was written, so the Corinthians or anyone else could just go ask them

-This is huge, because think abt a court of law==when there is a criminal case going on, some of the most compelling evidence to sway the jury are eyewitness accounts of what happened==these testimonies are given a lot of weight in making a decision for the case

-Some court cases may have 1, 2, 5 eyewitnesses, and they can be pretty compelling----Paul says: I CAN POINT YOU TO A FEW HUNDRED EYEWITNESSES WHO ALL SAW THE SAME THING==CHRIST IS RISEN

-The historical reliability of the resurrection has persuaded many who were at first hostile to Christianity, and brought them to faith. There was an English journalist, Frank Morrison, who viewed Christianity with much disfavor, and actually as a journalist set out to disprove the Resurrection of Christ. He poured over the evidence, absorbing all the information he would, marshalling his arguments. Not only was he unable to disprove the Resurrection, but also he was compelled by the weight of the evidence to become a Christian himself. He wrote a book entitled WHO MOVED THE STONE? which became a powerful argument in support of the historicity of the Resurrection.

-but that’s not the only reason I believe…

II) The Transforming Effects of the Resurrection (vv. 9-11)

-changed lives are proof of the reality of the resurrection

-in v, 9 Paul starts discussing the fact that his meeting the resurrected Christ led to a complete transformation in his life====here he is, a Jew of all Jews, persecuting this new religion that has cropped up around the crucified Jesus, having people killed or thrown in prison----all of a sudden he becomes its chief proponent and evangelist

-The only explanation for such a turnaround is that he really did meet with the resurrected Christ----having personally witnessed Christ, by grace through faith he became the hardest working apostle that there was====the resurrection is the only way to explain that

-Think of others whose lives were changed by the resurrected Christ----the original apostles, when Christ was arrested they scattered, after He was crucified they hid—these men were scared out of their wits

-All of a sudden they become bold proclaimers of faith in Christ, such that they were all persecuted and most of them martyred—what brings about such a change? It has to be because they witnessed the resurrected Christ

-or take into account Jesus’ brothers and sisters, especially James—when Jesus was really gaining popularity during his ministry, his mother, brothers and sisters went to Him to drag Him back to Nazareth—why?—because they thought He was nuts—they literally thought He went out of His mind

-As Jesus’ ministry continued, they held Jesus in contempt—all in all they were very much opposed to Jesus during His earthly ministry

-Years later James becomes the head of the Jerusalem church, and then James and another brother Jude write epistles included in Scripture—what would so drastically change them from open hostility to leadership in the church? Only a resurrected Christ could do that

-You see, dead men can’t make such a change in other people—the philosophies of man maybe can do some patchwork in your life, but a resurrected Savior will completely transform you from the inside out, giving you a new nature, a new outlook, a new purpose

-I’m standing here as living proof of a transformed life by a resurrected Christ—many of you are sitting there as proof—yet, some of you are here seeking, looking for a transformed life—it’s not a matter of morals or philosophies or psychological change—there is a living Savior who conquered all our enemies, that if you believe in Him will not just remodel the old you, but give you a completely new you in soul and spirit, and someday in body as well

-a dead prophet cannot do that for you, but a living Savior can—that’s why I believe

-Third and finally, I believe because of the:

III) The Logical Necessity of the Resurrection (vv. 12-20)

-according to v. 12, it seems that there were some in the church that were falling under the influence of Greek philosophy or the Jewish Sadducees, all of which denied that there is such a thing as a resurrection

-Paul, being a philosopher himself, takes that argument along its logical progression and shows that a denial in the resurrection takes you on a very dangerous journey

-Let me see if we can get a grip on the progression here:

~if there is no such thing as resurrection from the dead, then Jesus Christ did not Himself rise from the dead

~so then if Jesus is not raised from the dead, then preaching the gospel is useless and meaningless because there is nothing to preach==the gospel stands or falls on the resurrection of Christ~~~~along with that, if Jesus isn’t raised from the dead, then Paul and the other apostles (and now preachers like me) have been preaching all this time that He was raised, then we are all nothing but false prophets, taking advantage of people and leading them astray

~Then what that means for the reader/listener of the epistle is that if Jesus is not raised from the dead then your faith in this religion is meaningless and useless, because without the Resurrection there is nothing to believe~~~~but if this gospel is false, and this faith is false, there are huge consequences to this, because it means, then, that you are still in your sins and headed to eternal judgment

~Not only that, all those loved ones who died before you believing in this Resurrected Savior Who never really did rise, they then died without a Savior and they are forever lost

~And for the here and now in this world, especially true in Paul’s day, people are being persecuted and mocked and held in contempt for a religious faith that then isn’t really true~~~~meaning Christians are suffering for nothing, so those who hold on to such a faith are to be pitied because they are suffering without having any real hope

-You see what’s going on here—it’s almost like a row of dominoes==you tip over the Resurrection, then everything else falls over / crumbles

-For the faith, for the gospel, the Resurrection of Christ is a logical necessity==without it, there is no faith, there is no salvation, just a gut-wrenching anxiety over the coming judgment

Conclusion

-and as I close the sermon, v. 19 Paul leaves us almost hanging here~~if the Resurrection isn’t true there is not hope, and we are in pretty bad shape

-but thankfully we don’t stop there-- 20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. (1 Cor. 15:20 ESV)

-This gives us hope, something many of you may need:

~hope that all the promises of Scripture are true

~hope that all the sufferings of this world cannot compare to the glory that will be ours in Christ

~hope that death is not the final say; it has been defeated; so we ourselves will be raised from the dead; and our loved ones in Christ will also

-Many here may be empty, or seeking, and you’re looking for something to fill the void of your life, give you meaning, purpose—let me tell you, the teachings of a dead philosopher will do you no good—sure, they may make you feel good for a moment, but they offer you nothing beyond the present moment—only a Risen Christ can do anything abt your eternal destiny

-Others of you may be hurting or suffering, or there’s just a bunch of mess in your life—I want you to think abt this==if Jesus could overcome death, how much more able is He to overcome the stuff going on in your life

-Jesus loves you, He died for you, He rose for you—His scarred hands are reaching out to you to come to Him and experience life, and that more abundantly