Can you testify to the ressurection
4/6/2007 evening service
Can You Testify To The Resurrection?
Read Matthew 28:1-10
I know we discussed Easter and the resurrection this morning…. But what a topic…
And tonight… we are going to look at it from a different perspective…
Today, is a day that most of the people in America celebrate.
Easter Sunday…
And I am on one hand happy that it is celebrated by so many… but on the other hand saddened by how it is celebrated…
Most people today think of Easter Sunday as a day that revolves around the Easter bunny, colored eggs, and candy…
How sad that is.
My first church was a mission church some 30 miles south of Tupelo Mississippi… and the church sat in the middle of 90 government subsidized apartments…
… I had started teaching the children on Wednesday nights, because we could not find enough workers to do it…
I quite often had a lot of children… anywhere from 15 to 40…
And I will never forget asking the kids that first year… what Easter was all about…
and none of them… none of them… mentioned Jesus Christ at all… and we were in Church...
You know… many people come to the cross… and they stop right there… they go no farther…
But we must understand.... without the empty tomb.... the Cross means nothing…
Without the Resurrection,.. the suffering means nothing…
Without the defeat of death...the propitiation for sin would mean nothing.
I know many of you have heard of the Apostles Creed…
Perhaps the greatest part of the Apostles Creed is in it’s final sentence… where it says…
“ I believe in the resurrection of the Body, and life everlasting”
You see… without that one article, the other great affirmations have no meaning…
Suppose someone decided to say…
“I believe in God the Father… but not in life everlasting”
or
“I believe in Jesus Christ his only son… but not in life everlasting”
or
I believe in the holy Ghost… but not in life everlasting.
Or
I believe in the holy Church, and the communion of the saints, but not in life everlasting.
All of these great affirmations would be meaningless without that great chord that is struck in the final sentence of the creed…
I believe,........ in the life everlasting
Without that final sentence… without that great affirmation… all the other affirmations would be worthless.
And just as with that final sentence of the creed…
Without the Resurrection of our savior… without the empty tomb… all of the other things would be meaningless.
…The Pyramids of Egypt are famous because they contain the mummified bodies of ancient Egyptian kings…
Westminster Abbey in London is renowned because in it rests the bodies of English Nobles, and notables…
Mohammed's tomb is noted for the stone coffin and the bones which it contains…
Arlington cemetery in Washington D.C. is revered because it is the honored resting place of many outstanding Americans…
There is, however… all the difference in the world between the tomb of Christ and these places which we have just mentioned.
They are famous and draw visitors from afar because of what they contain…
… while the garden tomb of Christ is famous because it is empty..
… I know that people come to Church on Easter Sunday Year after Year, Easter Sunday after Easter Sunday, and very often, they hear the same message, time and time again…
And very often, people will sit in Easter Sunday Services, and be thinking only of the ham and potato salad that is awaiting them at home…
I mean, they have heard the Easter message time and time again, so why listen today.
But we must understand that the resurrection is what gives us the meaning of life…
The Resurrection is what gives us hope for the future…
The Resurrection is what gives us eternity....
We can praise God today folks….
Because in John 14:19 Jesus Christ said,
Because I Live, you also will live.
Jesus Christ arose from the tomb… Jesus Christ defeated death… Jesus Christ conquered the grave… and Jesus Christ, has won the victory!!!
AND THAT IS WHY WE HAVE HOPE!!
Now… the question has been raised for thousands of years,
How do we know that Christ rose from grave?
How do we decide that this event actually occurred?
Well… in our society today… how do we decide what did or did not happen?
Who do the police contact at the scene of an accident or at a crime?
Who do the lawyers call to testify in the court of law?
They all call on Witnesses.........
I have given depositions on different occasions over the years about heavy equipment related accidents or incidents…
I have given these depositions because of what I KNEW to be TRUE about certain types of heavy equipment…
I have never been asked to testify on the stand… but to give depositions in a room full of lawyers…
I think I would rather be on the stand…
And it is sad to say but I have been a witness to numerous accidents on the roads… and I know many of you have to.
A witness is simply someone who gives testimony of what they know to be true.
Now, Christ had many witnesses to testify of who he was.
The prophets testified of Christ.
Acts 10:43
43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
The Bible says that all of the prophets were a witness to Christ… even before his birth.
Let me from read psalm 22
Psalm 22:1-26 (NIV)
…. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? 2 O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent. 3 Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the praise of Israel. 4 In you our fathers put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. 5 They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed. 6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people. 7 All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads: 8 “He trusts in the Lord; let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.” 9 Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you even at my mother’s breast. 10 From birth I was cast upon you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God. 11 Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help. 12 Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me. 13 Roaring lions tearing their prey open their mouths wide against me. 14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me. 15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death. 16 Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. 17 I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me. 18 They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing. 19 But you, O Lord, be not far off; O my Strength, come quickly to help me. 20 Deliver my life from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dogs. 21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lions; save me from the horns of the wild oxen. 22 I will declare your name to my brothers; in the congregation I will praise you. 23 You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel! 24 For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help. 25 From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows. 26 The poor will eat and be satisfied; they who seek the Lord will praise him— may your hearts live forever!
That is one of the most Descriptive accounts of the crucifixion of Christ ever recorded… and yet it was written by King David, some thousand years before the Birth of Christ!
Isaiah testified… he foretold of the virgin Birth of Jesus Christ…
All of the prophets testified of Christ…
John the Baptist testified of Christ.
John 5:37 says that the Father testifies of the Son,
And the Son also testifies of himself.
In the book of John the Bible also proclaims that the works of Christ testify of him....
But… some would say we are getting off the subject…
“We are talking about the empty tomb, the risen savior… We need to have witnesses that will testify to the fact that Christ has been raised from the tomb.”
… And there were many…
When we first read from the Word of God today, we heard of the soldiers that were guarding the tomb… Their lives were on the line… and they could testify that the Lord arose from the tomb.
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary could testify that the Lord had risen from the tomb…
In Luke the Bible tells us that certain other women were with them.
Then there were the two that had gone to Emmaus that day… and Christ met them on the road and testified of himself through the Scriptures… then they recognized him and knew that he had risen, and they ran to tell the others.
…Then there were the eleven in the room that Christ came to, and they could testify of his resurrection.
And somehow ol Thomas missed out, so even he did not believe until eight days later when Christ came to them again, and Thomas was there… And Christ said,
Thomas, reach out and touch me, touch the nail scarred hands, touch the wounded side, I want you to know, I want you to testify, I want you to be a witness to my resurrection........
And so he did.....
Then Christ showed himself again to the disciples on the sea of Tiberius… And they could testify…
The Bible clearly tells us that there were over 500 People that witnessed our Lord after his resurrection, and before his ascension into heaven.
But that was two thousand years ago right?
What about today… What about now?
Most everyone today recognizes the name of Leonardo Da Vinci…
He was the man that painted the famous depiction of Christ and the twelve at the Last Supper.
In his painting of the Last Supper, Da Vinci pictured the savior as a present Christ...
The landscape that can be seen through the window in the background is like that near Milan, not Palestine......
The table and chairs, the cloth and dishes, are not like those used in Jerusalem in the first century… but the kind found in Leonardo’s Italy.....
The men sit around the table in European, not oriental style.....
The artist most probably copied the objects that were actually being used in the monastery where the picture was painted.
You see… Leonardo Da Vinci wanted the people of his time to see Christ in their midst… to see him as blessing them daily and calling them to an ever present loyalty to himself in that day .. in that time,.. in that moment.....
And that is what Christ wants of us today....
I mentioned old doubting Thomas a moment ago… and how he touched the scarred hands and the pierced side of Christ… and he believed!
But let me read to you what Christ said to him… just after that moment....
John 20:29 (NIV)
29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
We have never seen the physical appearance of Christ…
We have not seen the physical resurrected body of Christ…
But as Christians… we should be able to be a witness… we should be able to testify to what he has done and is doing in our lives this very day....
Is there anyone here tonight that can and will testify to the risen savior… is there anyone here who would like to take a moment to testify of what Christ has and is doing in their life?
Time for Testimonies…
Eyewitness testimony to a risen savior....
A Muslim in Africa became a Christian and some of his friends asked him …“Why have you done such a thing?”
He answered… “Well, its like this, suppose you were going down the road and suddenly the road forked in two directions… You didn’t know which way to go… and there at the fork were two men-- one dead… and one alive, --- which one would you ask to show you the way?”
My friends… Over 100 million adults, will attend church this week…
Most of these have been going to Church for over 10 years...
It is reported that 49 percent, are not even believers in Christ…
But for those that are… the average Christian in America today… will die without ever having shared his faith in Christ with another person....
In Acts 1:8 Jesus Christ himself gave a command to the disciples and believers… and this command to them is also to be a command to all Christians...
Acts 1:8 (NIV)
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
….There is the possibility for two kinds of people to be here today…
those that have asked Christ into their hearts… and those that have not…
If you are a Christian here today, you must ask yourself a question...
“Have I ever given testimony for my savior?
Have I ever told of what He has done for me?
Have I ever given that eyewitness account of Him”
If not… don’t let another week go by, without giving your testimony to someone..
And if you are here today and you realize that if they were to call you into the courtroom today… and that even if your life depended on it, you could not give a testimony… because you don’t know the truth, you have never seen the savior.....
Then please… please don’t leave here today without accepting him… Don’t leave here today without asking him into your heart, and into your life....
We serve a risen savior… a risen Lord… a mighty God.....
Christ said in Revelation 1:17-18
…… “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.