GOOD NEWS OF THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST
I Cor. 15:1-58
http://chirb.it/MbB7An
(This sermon contains quotes from both Josh McDowell and also Jeffrey Donley that I found on the computer, but do not have the references available as to where on internet.)
INTRODUCTION:
1.) This morning I want to bring this series of messages we have looked at for three months to a close.
2.) For three months we have been looking at the Good News
that is ours because of Jesus Christ.
A.) As great as each of the other aspects of the Good news of Christ are to us, the good news of the resurrection is the greatest, because apart from that all else we have looked at would mean nothing, and would in fact be worthless.
B.) It is the resurrection of Jesus Christ that validates his authority, and all claims that Jesus has made on this earth.
I. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT JESUS CHRIST WAS RAISED FROM THE DEAD.
1.) Christianity stands or falls on the basis of the reality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
A.) I Cor. 15:1-4
B.) Paul said the death, burial and resurrection of Christ is of first importance
ba.) The reason this teaching is of first importance is that the very foundations of the Christian faith rest on the fact that Jesus is who He said he is, and that he was crucified, buried, and raised himself back to life on the third day.
bb.) The very hope we have, and salvation we are living is based on this truth.
bc.) So how do we know for sure that the
resurrection is real, and that Jesus rose from the grave?
II. THE GOOD NEWS IS THERE ARE MANY PROOFS OF THE RESURRECTION.
-- Josh McDowell has spoken on strong proofs to the Resurrection of Christ:
1.) The broken Roman seal on the grave.
A.) Matt. 27:62-66
B.) When the Romans would place a seal on anything that seal was very powerful and considered as untouchable.
C.) Jeffery Donley, Ph.D.:
ca.) The Roman seal was a cord that stretched across the stone. It was fastened at each end with sealing clay (Daniel 6:17).
cb.) Before the tomb could be opened, the fastenings would have to be broken. The seal indicated Roman power and the Emperor’s ownership.
cc.) Unauthorized breaking the Roman seal was a capital offense that carried the death penalty.
cca.) This execution would be carried out by means of crucifixion, and as an added incentive, the one breaking that seal would have been crucified upside down, to make it even more miserable.
cd.) You can be pretty sure that these Roman guards given this duty made certain the grave was well sealed, and that they never left their post.
cda.) This would have been especially since there were additional laws for dealing with Roman soldiers deserting their post. It still required the death penalty, but another means of putting Roman soldiers to death was to strip them naked and bind them on top their clothes, and some firewood and be burned to death.
cdb.) Roman soldiers knew that to falter in carrying out their duty particularly in the case of Jesus, would have resulted in their own deaths.
cdb-1.) There is no questioning that knowledge of either be crucified upside down, or being burned to death naked, would have kept this role of guarding this tomb, and maintaining the Roman seal on the grave of Jesus very seriously, and of paramount importance.
cdc.) There would not have been failure to obey their orders to ensure the body of Jesus remained in the tomb.
2.) A second proof is the empty tomb.
A.) Again many will argue this is just a Bible story with no proof, or that the disciples of Jesus stole the body.
B.) As I have already indicated with the seal on the stone, the penalty was very severe for stealing that body.
ba.) Furthermore, these soldiers would have lost their lives if the body had gone missing.
bb.) Instead these soldiers themselves saw the angel that came at the tomb.
bc.) The soldiers passed out from the sight of the angel after the resurrection.
bd.) The fact that religious leaders bribed them to say disciples of Jesus had
stolen His body, only serves to validate
the claims of the resurrection.
be.) Otherwise, these soldiers would have been executed.
bea.) Matt. 28:11-15
bf.) Today there are arguments and attempts at denying the empty tomb but this was not the case in the first century.
bfa.) In the first century the empty tomb was accepted even a generation or so after the fact.
3.) A large stone was moved.
A.) Mark 16:1-4
B.) The first ones there at the tomb were women.
C.) I want you to see how absurd the likelihood would be of these women moving that stone.
ca.) This stone would have been limestone which was quite common in that area.
cb.) A Cubic foot of limestone is 170 Lbs.
cc.) If the diameter of that stone was 3 feet across and 1 foot thick that stone would have weighed about 1,200 Lbs.
cd.) If the stone was four feet across which would be more probable, (as most of them would have been 4-6 feet across and a foot thick) the weight of it would have been one and a half to two tons, or about the size of a mid-size car.
ce.) Two men could usually roll this stone into place because it was in a channel, and rolled down hill to seal the grave.
cea.) But to roll this massive stone uphill to open the grave was a massive feat requiring several strong men.
ceb.) There is no way that 2-3 women would ever have been able to do it.
4.) The many witnesses of the resurrected Jesus.
A.) Some of these were the apostles and other close people of Jesus.
aa.) Certainly there testimony is true and valid,
but many would dismiss those as being too close to Jesus and prejudiced, to accept their testimony.
ab.)Even if you dismiss the testimony of those closest to Jesus there were many others.
B.) There was an occasion where Jesus appeared to 500 people.
ba.) I Cor. 15:6
bb.) The way that account is worded, I suspect that Paul had a list of the names and addresses of these witnesses, and could have produced them if need be.
bc.) If you had a courtroom called in 500 witnesses 30 years after the actual events, it would be a powerful testimony that would sway the decision in any court of law, and with more testimony than most any other trial probably in the history of the world.
bd.) Even if each witness was given 6 minutes to testify and then be cross-examined, 500 witnesses would have made 30 hours of testimony verifying the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
C.) What about all of the hostile witnesses to the resurrection?
ca.) In addition to the friendly witnesses of Jesus there were also what we could call the hostile witnesses: Roman soldiers, Jewish religious leaders, nonreligious historians, etc. Individuals who were not believing in or supporting Jesus and Christianity yet who could not deny the facts.
D.) Another very hostile witness to the resurrection of Jesus was Saul of Tarsus.
da.) What would have made a man like Saul who had been killing Christians and seizing their property turn to Jesus
Christ, and suffer years of abuse, attempts on his life, and eventually to lose his own life because of his faith in Christ?
deb.) The Bible does not record the death of Paul the Apostle, but Ignatius writing around A.D. 110 states that Paul died as a martyr around A.D. 67 during Nero’s persecution of the church.
dec.) According to tradition he was decapitated in Rome.
5.) The transformed lives of the Apostles and others serves as another proof of the Resurrection.
A.) These cowardly men who ran for their lives when Jesus was arrested, and who like Peter even denied on oath that he didn’t even know Jesus, would not have been bold enough to confront Roman soldiers, or to steal the body of Jesus from a grave a few hours later.
B.) Yet these same men a few weeks after the resurrection boldly proclaimed the resurrection of Jesus Christ, even accusing those who had crucified Jesus on the cross.
C.) These men that once ran from the cross, each suffered greatly for their faith in Christ, and with the exception of the Apostle John died as martyrs of the faith.
ca.) To have confidence and faith like that only comes when you have great assurance that what you believe in is the truth.
cb.) Only a fool would suffer and die for less.
III. THE GOOD NEWS OF THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST HAS IMPLICATIONS FOR US TODAY.
1.) The resurrection proves that Jesus is exactly who He claimed to be.
A.) Romans 1:4
B.) What a powerful truth. Jesus many times said: “I Am” putting himself on the same level on this earth as God Almighty.
ba.) Jesus prophesied that He would go to the grave, but the grave would not master him.
baa.) Jesus made the claim that though he would go to the grave, he would rise on the third day.
C.) If the lifeless body of Jesus was still lying in a grave, the world would have had proof that Jesus was not the Son of God, and the followers of Jesus Christ would have ceased to exist by the end of the first century.
ca.) But today, 2,000 years later the Church of Jesus Christ is still alive and active because Jesus conquered the grave, declaring Himself to be the Son of God as he had claimed.
2.) The resurrection shows us that God accepted the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as the payment for our sins.
A.) I Cor. 15:17-20a.
B.) What Paul expresses here in a negative manner we can look at form the opposite view.
C.) Because Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead, our faith has great value;
ca.) We have been cleansed from our sins;
cb.) Those who have already died in Jesus Christ now have and experience the beauty of eternal life in the presence of God and His son Jesus Christ.
cc.) We can rejoice not only in what we have right now, but what we will have throughout eternity.
3.) The resurrection of Jesus Christ shows us that ultimately, the forces of Satan and wickedness will not have the upper hand.
A.) Heb. 2:6-9
B.) Today, many times it seems as though Satan and wickedness are winning the battle.
4.) The resurrection of Christ serves as the first fruits and we in turn will also conquer the grave.
A.) I Cor. 15:20-23
B.) The resurrection of Jesus Christ showed Jesus to be Lord even over the grave.
C.) His resurrection comes with both a promise, and the assurance that Jesus will one day bring the
bodies of our loved ones, and ourselves from the grave.
CONCLUSION:
1.) As I close this message, and also this series of messages, I ask what does the resurrection of Jesus Christ mean to you?
2.) Has the resurrection Of Jesus Christ changed your life?
3.) Has it become personal to you?
4.) Have you responded personally to the call of Jesus Christ?
A.) If you have not responded to the call of Christ then everything we have talked about today and the past several weeks has no value to you.
B.) Apart from Jesus, his resurrection, forgiveness of sin, prayer, eternal life, and all of the other things we have looked at are not your blessings or promises.
5.) If Christ is calling to you today, why not make them your promises, your blessings, your life, and your future?
