Resurrection Proof
Selected verses
Let’s Pray
In the early church after Jesus resurrection they would greet each other by these words- He is Risen! He is Risen indeed!
This morning we celebrate and greet each other with those words He is Risen indeed! The joyful and praiseworthy Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Empty Tomb of the living savior Jesus. They are words of encouragement to each other.
As a believer we need to acknowledge that He has done all that is needed for us to have a restored relationship with God the Father.
If you remember a few weeks ago I said that part one of this sermon was Resurrection Truth and part two today was Resurrection Proof.
Part one was that nothing will point us more to Jesus than the cross and the resurrection.
That Jesus had to have the gruesome week where Jesus endured suffering and death on the cross and three days later as said, He would be resurrected and witnessed alive by over 500 people. Recorded in all the Gospels.
My prayer is that you will have an open heart this morning as we look at His word and understand that everything for our salvation hinges on the cross and the resurrection. It is more than a one day thing!
You cannot spend eternity with the Lord without accepting and believing what He has done on the cross for us.
Our hope is not wishful thinking- it is not about Luck. It is not about doing enough good to outweigh the bad things we have done. It is all about Jesus and what He has done.
The debt of our sin has been already paid for… everyone of us- there is nothing more that Jesus has to do for our salvation and Jesus could not show us anymore love than what He has already done and what He has already shown us.
If you remember we read of His crucifixion and death on the cross and his being buried in the borrowed tomb of Joseph and the concern of the Romans was that his body would be stolen by his disciples so they placed soldiers at the front to make sure he was not taken.
Without Friday where Jesus died we cannot have Sunday where we celebrate His resurrection. The two had to happen.
The disciples and followers of Jesus were after his death between a rock and hard spot. Some thought that this was a disappointment and that all the things Jesus had taught was for nothing- forgetting that it was the very words of Jesus that these things had to happen and that there would be a resurrection.
We pick up the event in Luke 24 where Jesus is dead and in the tomb at least 24 hours and Mary and some of the other women have prepared spices to prepare the body for burial. The guards outside protecting the entrance and they begin to go to the tomb.
Marks account Mark 16 “Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb.”
Matthews account 28- “There was an earthquake, for the angel of the Lord came down from heaven and going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.”
Luke 24- “They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen: remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee. The Son of Man must be delivered unto the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again. Then they remembered his words.”
Here are three different accounts of the resurrected Jesus in the Bible. It does not mean that there is a discrepancy.
The funny thing about witnesses is that they can see things at different times of the event and record what they felt and what they saw. It does not mean one was right and one wrong because you put those witness accounts together and try to set up a time line and a complete story of what happen. That is what happens here- no account dismisses the other, it is recorded at different times of the event. Some people share great detail and some share just the facts-
Luke a doctor, Luke shares just the facts- he is like Joe Friday from the old Dragnet series that tells the people just the facts- don’t give me your opinion or how you felt- just what you saw and what happen!
The bottom line of all the gospel accounts is that a well protected tomb with Jesus in was now an empty tomb and they were told by the angel of the Lord that it happened just as Jesus told them it would.
“The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised from the dead.”
What are you going to do with that truth this morning?
Here’s your first decision as you make a decision on the empty tomb-
Is God’s Word trustworthy?
Do you believe the Word of God?
Do you acknowledge and believe the witnesses that saw Jesus after the resurrection?
Do you understand the resurrection?
Jesus tells us that His word is the “inspired word of God”. That God had protected His word from being polluted and taken out of context. Many tried to destroy or get rid of God’s word, it has stood the test of time.
Jesus said that He is the truth and no man comes to the Father except through him.
Jesus coming is spoken of by the prophets in OT and numerous times in the NT.
Jesus said- “For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.”(Matt 5:18)
Everything Jesus proclaimed will come to pass- Every word written is truth and every promise will be kept by the one who wrote them and gave them to us. Every T will be crossed and every I dotted.
Back to the text and then to 1 Corinthians 15
Remember;
“He is not here; he has risen: remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee.
1 Corinthians 15- it is the explained gospel- “Now brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved!
What gospel?
1 Corinthians 15:12-19- read from bible
That would mean every disciple lied, every preacher and every sermon was a lie, Our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. Means the cross did not do what Christ said it would do.. More over, he says that we are false witnesses against God. We call God a liar that he did not raise His Son Jesus from the grave. That all those who died in the hope of Jesus resurrection would be lost. If that is our destiny he says that we are but a group of people to be pitied.
1 Corinthians 20-22- read from bible
Gospel simplified
Christ died a horrible death
Christ died for our sins and was sinless
Christ died for our sins and was sinless and was buried
Christ died for our sins and was sinless and was buried and was resurrected.
Christ died for our sins and was sinless and was buried and was resurrected according to the scriptures.
1 Corinthians 1:18- “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.”
2 Tim. 2:8- “Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David, this is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal.”
No one goes to death for a faith they don’t believe in- Paul says that it is for this gospel that he is giving his life and it for us that Jesus went to the cross and got victory over death by His resurrection out of that grave and now seats at the right hand of the Father interceding for us.
In every survey I have seen on the subject, most Americans say they believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The figure averages around 80% of all Americans. If I were to ask each of you this morning “to explain how the resurrection of Christ impacts your life”, many would find it difficult to make a connection. How does the fact that a Jewish man 2000 years ago died and rose from the dead speak to contemporary man. Is Jesus resurrection just a fact in history to be acknowledged or is it the key that unlocks the meaning of life?
Belief in the resurrection carries with it implications for the way we live out our lives.
Jesus resurrection demonstrates God’s power over death.
Listen to what Paul says beginning in verse 20 1 Corinthians 15 (Message translation), “But the truth is that Christ has been raised up, the first in a long legacy of those who are going to leave the cemeteries.
Moving to verse 25, “For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
When Jesus rose on Easter morning, you might say that death received its death sentence.
Like a convicted criminal that has been held over for execution, Death still exists, but its fate was sealed the day, Jesus rose from the tomb.
Those who follow Jesus in life, will follow him in death, but will also follow him in resurrection.
Think about this- Death has always been around. It just did not have any power over us. Go back to the Garden of Eden- “In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”
Genesis 2:15- “The Lord took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord commanded the man, you are free to eat from any tree in the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
Death was around but until we sinned it had no power over us but when sinless Jesus died and was resurrected back to life, we again were given victory over sin and death. Amen!
Some of my most precious times as a pastor come in conducting funerals for believers. The most grieving times is doing them for one you are not sure where they will spend eternity. It is good to note what a good person they were and share some meaningful memories but the only way of offering to others hope is to share that because of Christ that death is not the final word in our lives.
Our hope for life beyond the grave doesn’t come from our good works, it doesn’t come from some Greek idea of the eternal nature of the soul, our hopes lies in the one, who has conquered death and can lead us through death to resurrection. That’s why Paul can say in verses 54-56, “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Illustration/Sermon central
Winston Churchill arranged his own funeral. There were hymns in St. Paul’s Cathedral and an impressive liturgy. But at the end of the service, Churchill had an unusual event planned. When they said the benediction, a bugler high in the dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral on one side played Taps, the universal signal that the day is over. There was a long pause. Then a bugler on the other side played Reveille, the military wake-up call.
The resurrection not only demonstrates Gods power over death, it also demonstrates the power of the living Christ.
In John 14:12, he told his disciples that after he left the scene, that “anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these”. What did Jesus mean when he said those who follow him will do greater works than he accomplished on this earth?
When Jesus lived on this earth he was limited to being at one place at one time, but today the Holy Spirit, often referred to as the spirit of Christ is present wherever believers gather together. This morning Christians are celebrating the resurrection of Christ in every continent in our world, in every country, every language, there are Christians gathered.
Matthew 18:20 reminds us, “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."
No wonder Jesus said his followers will do greater things, it is because Jesus ministry is no longer limited to space and time but his presence permeates our every gathering.
While driving to church on Easter Sunday, a friend told his children the Easter story. "This is the day we celebrate Jesus coming back to life," he explained. Right away, his 3-year-old son, Kevin, piped up from the back seat, "Will He be in church today?"
Sometimes we proclaim a risen savior Jesus from the dead on Easter Sunday and then proceed to leave him at the tomb when we leave.
It is not that Jesus was alive, JESUS IS ALIVE
How might our worship be more vibrant if we come to realize that the presence of risen Christ is present in our midst.
How might our work for Christ be more powerful, if we realize that the spirit of Christ is right beside us in all that we do for Him?
Jesus is alive and he desires to fill each and every crack in our lives with his presence.
The presence of the living Christ proves our work for Christ amounts to something. Paul encourages us in verse 58, when he reminds us, “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” The power that raised Jesus from the dead is available to us in the presence of the living Christ.
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Prayer
