What if Jesus DID Rise from the Dead
An Easter Sermon
Chuck Sligh
April 19, 2020
NOTE: A PowerPoint presentation is available for this sermon by request at chucksligh@hotmail.com. Please mention the title of the sermon and the Bible text to help me find the sermon in my archives.
TEXT: 1 Corinthians 15:14-15, 17 – “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is also in vain. 15 We are feven found to be false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised Christ whom he did not raise not, if it is true that the dead are not raised. And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. 15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not….17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; and you are still in your sins.”
INTRODUCTION
Last Sunday was Easter and I preached on the resurrection. This morning I’m going to do something a little unorthodox. I’m going to talk about the resurrection again, but from a different perspective.
You know, many people don’t really grasp the significance of Easter.
Illus. – One Sunday a few weeks before Easter, a Sunday School teacher decided to ask her class what they knew about Easter. The first little guy said, “Easter is when all the family comes to the house and we eat a big turkey and watch football.”
The teacher suggested that perhaps he was thinking of Thanksgiving, not Easter. Next a pretty little girl said, “Easter is the day when you come down the stairs in the morning and you see all the beautiful presents under the tree.”
At this point, the teacher was really feeling discouraged. After explaining that the girl was probably thinking about Christmas, she called on a boy with his hand tentatively raised in the air.
Her spirits perked up as the boy began, “Easter is the time when Jesus was crucified and buried.”
She felt she’d gotten through to at least ONE child until he added, “And then He comes out of the grave, and if He sees His shadow, we have six more weeks of winter.”
We laugh, but many adult Christians do not really understand the significance of Easter either. They may not know that, in fact, both haters and lovers of Christianity have recognized the resurrection of Christ to be the FOUNDATION STONE of the Christian faith. Throw out the resurrection and Christianity as proclaimed in the Bible CRUMBLES.
Because of this, the resurrection is one of the MOST ATTACKED teachings in the Bible.
Now—either Jesus Christ DID rise from the dead or he DID NOT. If he DID, it was the most SENSATIONAL event in all of history. If He DID NOT, then, as Josh McDowell states in his book, Evidence that Demands a Verdict, the teaching of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of the “most wicked, vicious, heartless hoaxes ever foisted upon the minds of men...” (p. 179).
As Paul put in our text int 1 Corinthians 15:17 – “…if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; and you are still in your sins.” – In other words, if Christ did not rise from the dead, He was not God as He claimed to be, and if He were not God, His dying for our sins was meaningless because He would have been just another sinful man on that cross, no different than the two thieves on that hill who died with him.
The exciting thing about the resurrection is that it is one of the most indisputable and well-attested events in history, contrary to what you read or been told.
The great Roman historian, Professor Thomas Arnold—author of the 3-volume History of Rome, and holder of the chair of modern history at Oxford—was well acquainted with the value of evidence in determining historical facts. – This great scholar said:
I have been used for many years to study the histories of other times, and to examine and weigh the evidence of those who have written about them, and I know of no one fact in the history of mankind which is proved by better and fuller evidence of every sort, to the understanding of a fair inquirer, than the great sign which God [gave] us that Christ died and rose again from the dead. [Thomas Arnold, Sermons on the Christian Life—Its Hopes, Its Fears and Its Close, p. 324]
Illus. – Frank Morrison was one of America’s foremost lawyers in the early 1900s. He was ALSO A SKEPTIC of the sort of Christianity that took the Bible literally and accepted its supernatural elements. He recognized that the resurrection of Christ was the LYNCHPIN of Christianity—that if you could knock it over, the rest of Christianity as a supernatural religion would fall with it, leaving what he thought was a great moral code to live by, but nothing more. He determined to use his critical abilities as a lawyer to tear holes in what he was sure were myths and legends about the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
So he set about researching the subject, having in mind to write a book that he hoped would dispel the idea of a literal resurrection once and for all. Well, Morrison wrote his book—but it was NOT the one he set out to write! In fact, his first chapter is titled “The Book That Refused to Be Written.”
Over the course of months of EXHAUSTIVE INVESTIGATION, he came to the surprising conclusion that, from an expert lawyer’s point of view (the way he was trained to look at evidence), the story of the resurrection as found in the Gospels was an AIRTIGHT CASE! It was SO persuasive on the basis of undeniable evidence—the kind that would be allowed in a court of law—that Morrison BECAME A BELIEVER in Jesus Christ, and instead of writing a book attempting to DISPROVE the resurrection, he wrote a book that is considered THE CLASSIC DEFENSE of the resurrection, titled Who Moved the Stone?
You see, the reason many people dismiss the resurrection out of hand is NOT because the evidence does not support it, but because one of two reasons:
1) Some have just have NOT REALLY STUDIED IT OUT, and simply parrot what they have read or heard somewhere else.
2) Others REJECT the resurrection because to accept it as historical fact is TO ADMIT that JESUS CHRIST IS LORD, and as Lord, He has a legitimate claim on their lives.
So for centuries scoffers and haters of Christ have concocted some of the most bizarre explanations to explain away the resurrection. Yet today it still stands as the KEYSTONE of the Christian faith in all denominations.
Last week we looked at Easter from the view of the women who went to the tomb of Jesus This week, I want to just look answer two key questions:
I. FIRST, IS THERE CREDIBLE EVIDENCE JESUS DID RISE FROM THE DEAD?
As we have already seen YES! In fact, the evidence is overwhelming, and anyone who gives it a fair hearing comes away amazed at the volume of evidence supporting Christ’s resurrection.
For centuries there has been a number of attempts to explain away the resurrection. By dealing with them one by one, we’ll see that we’re left with only one choice: Jesus did indeed rise from the dead”
1) The earliest explanation circulated was that the disciples stole the body.
This would mean that the apostles foisted a diabolical hoax. This, of course, is one of the easiest to answer. It is a historical fact that each of the twelve apostles suffered torture and persecution for their beliefs, and the resurrection was the most prominent teaching of the apostles besides Christ’s crucifixion. Each one of them died a martyr’s death, with the exception of John, who was exiled till his death on the isle of Patmos. Now it’s true people will die for what they believe is true, though it may actually be false, but NO ONE will die for what they KNOW to be a lie!
2) The second hypothesis is that the Jewish or Roman authorities moved the body.
But why?— The last thing that they wanted was for Jesus’ body to disappear. They were well aware that Jesus prophesied His resurrection, seemingly more aware of it than the disciples themselves. This is why the chief priests and Pharisees went to Pilate requesting—and receiving—an armed guard to protect the tomb.
Also, there’s the fact that when the disciples began turning Jerusalem upside down with the preaching of Christ’s resurrection, all the Jewish or Roman authorities had to do to permanently put the matter to rest was to produce the body of Jesus and parade it through the streets of Jerusalem. But they couldn’t. Why?—Because there WAS no body to produce! The Jews and the Romans were just as baffled as everyone else as to the whereabouts of the body of Jesus.
3) Another popular theory has been that the women, distraught and overcome by grief, missed their way in the dimness of the early morning and went to the wrong tomb, and there IMAGINED that they saw angels and an empty tomb.
If the women went to the wrong tomb, why didn’t the high priest and other enemies of Christ just go to the RIGHT tomb and produce the body?
And how could Peter and John have made the same mistake when the Bible says the women reported to them that Jesus’s body was gone and Peter and John raced to the tomb, leaving the women behind? This is compounded by the fact that the Gospel of John tells us that John outran Peter to the tomb.
Why is that important?—Well, when Peter caught up with him, how did he happen to ALSO come to the SAME WRONG TOMB? Are we to seriously believe that THREE TIMES (the women, John, and then Peter)—people who had grown up in and around Jerusalem—ALL got lost, and ALL somehow INDEPENDENTLY arrived at the SAME WRONG TOMB—and that the enemies of Christ furthermore never thought to point out the RIGHT tomb?
And another thing—if they just imagined or hallucinated their supposed meetings with angels, and so on, then how is it that they ALL imagined the identically same things, or they all had the same hallucination?! Psychologists tell us that it is IMPOSSIBLE for more than one person to hallucinate at the same time and report identical details. This theory too is full of holes.
4) Then there is the famous “swoon theory” (perhaps the most bizarre explanation of all). – The swoon theory holds that Jesus did not actually die. Rather, He simply swooned on the cross; was mistaken for dead; and as he lay in the coolness of the tomb, He revived, came out of the tomb and appeared to His disciples, who mistakenly thought He had risen from the dead!
Is it possible to believe that Jesus would have survived three days in a damp tomb, without food or water or medical attention of any kind?
Is it possible to believe He then wiggled out of the spice-laden, mummy-like grave clothes that wound tightly around His body?—
Is it really possible to believe that He then, after the agonies of the cross, after three days with no food or water or medical attention, in a weakened condition, pushed away the heavy stone, which took several men to put in its place to begin with?—A stone estimated to weigh around 1 to 2 tons, (or about 900-1800 kilograms for our German members)!
Is it honestly conceivable that this half-dead ghost of a man—after pushing aside a 1 to 2 ton stone—then overcame the armed Roman guards,…
walked several miles on feet that had been pierced with spikes…
and finally appeared to His disciples and was able to CONVINCE these people,…
some of whom were SKEPTICS of Jesus’s resurrection,…
that He was not a half-corpse, but rather a resurrected, fully vibrant and alive person…
who even invited Thomas to put his finger in nail-pierced hands which would surely have by this time become severely infected?
If you can believe THAT, then you have more faith than what is required to believe in the Resurrection! You probably also believe in space aliens, leprechauns and unicorns.
Friends—none of these graspings in the air will do. None of them fit the facts as they have been recorded for us. All of these theories have at least one fatal flaw, and most have several.
Therefore, we are left with only one clear conclusion—Jesus DID rise from the dead! Yes—He is RISEN! That leads me to my second major point:
II. IF JESUS DID INDEED RISE FROM THE DEAD, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
1) First, this means that Jesus WAS who He said He was.
Jesus repeatedly claimed that He was the unique Son of God—a term used to identify Him as truly God Himself—the second Person of the Trinity. He further claimed that there was no other way to heaven except through Him, because He was THE ONLY Son of God—the ONLY one by whom we could be accepted before God the Father and be saved from sin.
These were bold claims, but not nearly as bold as when He claimed that He would PROVE His Godhood by rising from the dead. THEN HE DID IT!
This separates Christianity from all other religions or philosophical systems. No other religion claims a risen Savior.
Today you can go to the tomb of Mohammed. Millions of Moslems every year make the pilgrimage to Medina in Saudi Arabia to visit the tomb where his body lies to this day. Christian Victory Magazine says this:
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 rest 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, for 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 is famous because it is empty.
Though no one knows for sure where Buddha’s tomb is, all Buddhists claim that He simply died and was buried. – They make no claim that he rose from the dead.
But Jesus is different!
Jesus rose from the dead to prove once and for all that He was who He said He was—the eternal Son of God, and that, therefore, He has the right to make righteous demands upon your life.
2 ) Second, if Jesus DID rise from the dead, this means that what Christ said in His earthly ministry was true.
Jesus said that no one could enter into the kingdom of heaven without being born from above. He also said that He was the way, the truth and the life and that no one can come to the Father but through Him. Those are bold claims for a mere man to make. But Jesus was more than a mere man; He was also the Son of God, and that meant that everything He said about how to be accepted by God was true.
Finally, if Jesus DID rise from the dead, it means that He is in heaven now preparing a place for those who believe in Him. This is one of the most blessed truths in the Word of God. When Jesus explained to His disciples that He would be put to death, the disciples were discouraged and downhearted.
To them, such news was catastrophic, but Jesus knew better. He knew the significance of what was about to occur. Furthermore, He knew what would occur AFTER the crucifixion. So to comfort His downhearted followers, He said this: “Let not your heart be troubled: you believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many dwelling places: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” (John 14:1-3)
Isn’t that a wonderful promise? Because Jesus rose from the dead, that means He is alive right now! And what is He doing?—He’s preparing a place for those who are His!
Isn’t that fantastic? He’s up there right now, preparing our home for us. He’s getting it all ready—making it just right—making it perfect.
Wouldn’t you like to go to this place Christ is preparing for believers in Him?
Let me tell you a little about this place:
It’s a place where there will be no more SIN.
It’s a place where there will be no WAR and FIGHTING.
It’s a place of no more VIOLENCE and MURDER and RAPE.
It’s a place where there will be no more DEATH.
It’s a place where there will be no more DISEASE or SICKNESS.
It’s a place where there will be no more TEARS.
Most of all, it’s a PLACE WHERE JESUS WILL DWELL.
And it’s a place I want to go to!
CONCLUSION
Let me share with you a couple of takeaways from today’s sermon:
If you’re listening this morning and you have never turned to Jesus to be saved, let me ask you this: When you die, wouldn’t you like to go and live in that wonderful place for all eternity with the resurrected Lord?
Well, you CAN’T go there!—Not unless something is done about your sin. Heaven would not be heaven if there were sin there.
But you can go to heaven if you come through Jesus who paid the full penalty for your sin upon the cross of Calvary. Listen to what Jesus says in Matthew 11:28-30 – “Come to me, all who are that weary and are burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart: and you will find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
In John 7:37 Jesus said, “…If any man thirst, let him come to me, and drink.
Jesus’ invitation is wide open: come to Jesus this morning.
2 ) Christian, isn’t it great to know that our Lord is not in the grave?
Jesus DID rise from the dead! He WAS who He claimed to be! Everything He said has validity because of His resurrection. He’s in heaven right now lovingly preparing a place for us to live in for eternity.
Why don’t you thank the Lord for His mighty act of resurrection? Thank Him by telling others of the truth of the resurrection. Live your life in God’s resurrecting power with commitment and holiness and love. Be filled with the excitement the early believers had with the knowledge that Jesus is ALIVE and He’s working in your life today, and He’s working in our world to accomplish His plan of redemption and He wants you to be part of it!
