Jesus Rose From Grave Series

-A couple of weeks ago I heard about a Hawaiian man who had been reporting missing was presumed dead.

-He had ventured into some caves and hadn’t made it out.

-A missing person report was filed with police but after 3 ½ days no one had seen him and they assumed the worst.

-His family and friends thought he was dead!

-His aunt goes to our church and had written his name down on the prayer card…I wasn’t praying for him; he was dead!

-I was praying for his grieving family!

-But that whole time he was actually lost in a network of caves and all he had on him was small flashlight.

-And amazingly the batteries in his little flashlight held out.

-And after 3days he came out of those caves alive!

-We all know what it’s like to lose someone.

-We’ve all gotten the news that someone passed away and we have all kind of reactions.

-But rarely do we have hope that they’re coming back.

-I’ve met guys who died on the operating table brag about it, because they know it’s a big deal!

-“I died on the table and they brought me back.”

-I’m like, “That’s great…try and eat more vegetables!”

-Anyone who cheats death is a hero! But it’s kind of temporary.

-All people die, and when they die there is no coming back.

-When someone dies the realization that they’re gone sinks in.

-That’s why the resurrection of Jesus is such a powerful story.

-Dead people don’t come back; but Jesus did!

-We’re on week 4 of a 10 week series called “Gospel Deep” and today we are talking about the resurrection.

-Easter is the day churches tell the resurrection story and we’re going to have 4 services this Easter…stay tuned for info on that.

-But today we’re going to talk about what the resurrection means.

-But before we get into our text hold up that right hand!

• Jesus came to save.

• Jesus never sinned.

• Jesus died on the cross.

• Jesus rose from the grave.

• Jesus is coming back.

-If you know these 5 points you have a basic outline to help you share the Gospel.

-What is our response to the Good News? Raise that left hand up!

• Admit my sin.

• Trust in Jesus.

• Turn away from sin.

• Be baptized.

• Follow Jesus.

-This the basic gospel message and this is how we respond to the gospel. If you know this you can share this with people who don’t know Jesus.

-Now let’s talk about the only man who never sinned, who died on a cross for other people’s sins, AND…the only man who ever raised himself from the dead!

1 Corinthians 15:3 “I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said.

4 He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.”

-Notice that Paul says Jesus was raised from the dead just as the Scriptures predicted. (Ps 16:10)

-For thousands of years people had been waiting for the coming of the Savior.

-The Bible not only predicted the coming of Jesus and the death of Jesus and the burial of Jesus…but also his resurrection!

-Please notice that the apostle Paul calls these basic Gospel truths “most important.”

-The death, burial & resurrection of Jesus are foundational beliefs in the Christian faith.

-That’s why critics have a bullseye on the resurrection of Christ.

-They understand something that many Christians don’t.

-That without the resurrection Jesus was just some guy who made some claims, made a stir, and then died like everyone else.

-Without the resurrection he was not God’s Son, he has no power, he cannot save, and he might as well be forgotten.

-You need to know, that there are people who vehemently oppose the resurrection of Christ.

JESUS ROSE FROM THE GRAVE…OUR CRITICS HATE THAT! (1 Cor 15:3-4)

-There are all kinds of theories people have proposed to explain away the resurrection. I’ll give you four common theories.

-Swoon theory…is one that many people have passed along.

-The idea is that Jesus recovered from all his wounds.

-The magazine Christianity Today used to have a letter to the editor section called “Eutychus and his Kin” One letter said this:

Dear Eutychus: ( the editor)

Our preacher said, on Easter, that Jesus just swooned on the cross and that the disciples nursed Him back to health. What do you think?

Sincerely, Bewildered

Dear Bewildered:

Beat your preacher with a cat-of-nine-tails 39 times, nail him to a cross; hang him in the sun for 6 hours; run a spear through his side; embalm him; put him in a tomb for 72 hours and see what happens.