Phil Callaway talks about a sleepy Sunday afternoon when his son was five years old. They drove past a cemetery together and the boy noticed a large pile of dirt beside a newly excavated grave. He pointed and said: “Look, Dad, one got out!” Phil laughed, but now, he says, “Every time I pass a graveyard, I'm reminded of the One who got out” (Phil Callaway, Men of Integrity, April 16, 2006; www.PreachingToday.com).
Praise God for the One who got out! Jesus is indeed risen. And because He is alive, we can face life with confidence no matter what is going on around us. How so? You ask. Well, if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to 1 Corinthians 15, 1 Corinthians 15, where the Bible shows us how Christ’s resurrection gives us confidence in difficult times.
1 Corinthians 15:12-14 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain (ESV).
If Christ is not raised from the dead, then everything you say and believe as a Christian is useless. It’s empty. It has no value or benefit to anyone. For the entire Christian faith stands or falls on the resurrection of Christ. So if Christ is not raised from the dead, then your faith is worthless.
But since Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, you can live your life with confidence. You can go about your daily life with assurance. You can live your life not with a tentative fear, but with certainty and conviction. So, since Christ is raised from the dead…
BE CONFIDENT THAT YOUR FAITH IS USEFUL.
Be sure that everything you believe as a Christian is valuable and worthwhile.
A few years ago (2018), in the Wall Street Journal, George Weigel described the effect of Christ’s resurrection on His followers and on the world. He writes:
There is no accounting for the rise of Christianity without weighing the revolutionary effect of the resurrection on a ragtag band of nobodies. They encountered One whom they embraced as the Risen Lord, whom they first knew as the itinerant Jewish rabbi, Jesus of Nazareth, and who died an agonizing and shameful death on a Roman cross outside Jerusalem.
That first generation answered the question of why they were Christians with a straightforward answer: because Jesus was raised from the dead… And as they worked that out, their thinking about a lot of things changed profoundly.
Then, two and a half centuries later, their thinking had permeated the entire Roman Empire, changing their world for the better. For example:
• There was a new dignity given to woman in contrast to the classical culture.
• There was a self-denying healthcare provided to plague sufferers.
• There was a focus on family health and growth.
• There was a remarkable change in worship from the Sabbath to Sunday
• There was a willingness to embrace death as martyrs—because they knew that death did not have the final word in the human story. &
• They lived as if they knew the outcome of history itself.
Weigel suggests that it's only through “the Easter Effect” that these changes make sense. The social changes that followed Good Friday occur only if they actually believed in the resurrection of Jesus (George Weigel, “The Easter Effect and How it Changed the World,” The Wall Street Journal, 3-30-18; www.PreachingToday.com).
Your Christian faith is powerful, not only to change your life, but eventually your culture, as well. Your Christian faith, fueled by the conviction that Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, makes a real difference in the world.
So, be confident! Since Christ is raised from the dead, be confident that your faith is useful. 2nd…
BE CONFIDENT THAT YOUR WITNESS IS TRUE.
Be sure that your testimony about Christ is genuine and real.
1 Corinthians 15:15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised (ESV).
Some false teachers in Bible days were teaching that the dead are not raised. They had a platonic view of the afterlife, which said that people’s spirits are freed from the prison of their bodies at death never to return again. In other words, they were teaching that there is no resurrection of the body after it dies. But if that’s the case, then Christ was not raised from the dead. And if Christ was not raised, then our witness about Christ is false.
Yet history clearly demonstrates that Christ has indeed been raised from the dead. The evidence of the empty tomb and His appearances to over 500 eyewitnesses is irrefutable (1 Corinthians 15:3-6), as we saw last week.
But what happens when a CSI-style forensic detective goes to Calvary to investigate what happened after Jesus' crucifixion? J. Warner Wallace is a forensic detective specializing in cold-case investigations. As an atheist, Wallace became intrigued with the Gospels and their account of Jesus' resurrection because, as he says, “the most important question I could ask about Christianity just so happened to fall within my area of expertise. Did Jesus really rise from the dead?” It would prove to be the ultimate cold-case forensic investigation because eyewitnesses and material evidence that could be used to prove or disprove what happened have been gone for nearly 2000 years. Wallace came away utterly convinced that it was true.
As an atheist, Wallace had always assumed that the resurrection was a lie, believing that the twelve apostles “concocted, executed, and maintained the most elaborate and influential conspiracy of all time.” When Wallace looked at the evidence and as an “unbeliever,” he found four minimal facts to be substantiated “by both friends and foes” of Christianity:
1. Jesus died on the cross and was buried.
2. Jesus’ tomb was empty, and no one ever produced his body.
3. Jesus’ disciples believed that they saw Jesus resurrected from the dead.
4. Jesus’ disciples were transformed following their alleged resurrection observations.
Wallace then used the kind of abductive reasoning he would use at a crime scene, “inferring the most reasonable explanation,” and came up with several hypotheses:
One: The disciples were mistaken about Jesus’s death. Jesus survived his crucifixion and appeared to disciples after he recovered. This theory fails to explain what the disciples saw when they brought Jesus down from the cross. Didn’t they check if he was breathing, if his body was cold, or if rigor mortis had set in? Is it reasonable to believe they would have not noticed any of these conditions common to dead bodies?
Two: The disciples stole the body and fabricated the story of the resurrection. While this explanation accounts for the empty tomb, it fails to account for the transformed lives of the apostles. The apostles, who had been cowards, were now suddenly as bold as a battleship because of the lies they themselves had concocted.
Three: The disciples were delusional. This fails to account for the empty tomb. More importantly, Wallace argues that he has never encountered large groups having identical hallucinations.
Four: An imposter tricked the disciples, convincing them that Jesus was alive. This theory fails to account for the empty tomb and requires an impersonator. The disciples were highly skeptical, and the impersonator would have had to be adept at copying Jesus’ mannerisms. Above all, he would have needed to possess miraculous powers since the disciples’ report Jesus working miracles after the resurrection.
Five: The resurrection is a wildly exaggerated legend that grew exponentially over time. This theory clashes with the record of witnesses making claims about the resurrection from the earliest days of the Christian movement.
Wallace concludes: “The resurrection is reasonable. The answers are available; you don’t have to turn off your brain to be a believer.” So Wallace joins a long line of intellectuals, who started out to disprove the resurrection and ended up believing that it is true (J. Warner Wallace, Cold-Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels, David C. Cook, 2013; www.PreachingToday.com).
You can believe it too, because there is no other reasonable explanation for the empty tomb and Christ’s appearances after He died.
Long before John Adams became the second U.S. President, in 1770 he was a respected lawyer in New England, where the Boston massacre had just occurred. No lawyers would defend the British soldiers involved for fear of the American public, which had now grown even stronger in its anti-British sentiments. But Adams believed that everyone was entitled to a fair trial. He took the case, the public turned against him, and he lost more than half of his clients.
In a courtroom that was described as crowded and “electrical,” Adams argued that the soldiers were innocent… He then added, “Facts are stubborn things and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictums of our passions, they cannot alter the state of the facts and evidence” (Michael R. Licona, The Resurrection of Jesus, InterVarsity Press, 2010, pp. 609-610; www.PreachingToday.com)
That’s what we must conclude when it comes to the resurrection of Jesus Christ: “Facts are stubborn things and whatever may be our wishes… they cannot alter the state of the facts and the evidence.”
Christ has indeed been raised from the dead. That’s what the facts clearly show, so live your life with confidence. 1st, be confident that your faith is useful. 2nd, be confident that your witness is true. And 3rd…
BE CONFIDENT THAT YOUR SINS ARE GONE!
Be sure that God has forgiven all your sins and has set you free from their power over your life.
1 Corinthians 15:16-17 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins (ESV).
You see, the resurrection of Christ was God’s sign that He had accepted Christ’s sacrifice for our sins. Without the resurrection, there would be no certainty that God had received Christ’s payment for our sins and accepted it. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, so we can be sure that God has forgiven our sins, those of us who have trusted in His Son. You don’t have to live with the guilt anymore. Instead, you can live a guilt-free life, confident that God fully accepts you in Christ.
A few years ago, Russell Moore wrote about standing at the grave of Thomas Jefferson. He says:
I was prompted to give thanks for his life and legacy. After all, if it weren’t for Jefferson and his majestic Declaration of Independence, there might not even be a United States of America, and certainly not a country quite like it is now.
But standing at Jefferson’s grave prompted me to realize that Jefferson is, well, in a grave. Jefferson’s anti-supernaturalism is seen in visual form in his famous Bible, with the miraculous parts cut out, most significantly the bodily resurrection of Jesus. I love Jefferson for standing up against King George, but not for standing up against King Jesus.
And yet, two hundred years later, belief in the resurrection of Jesus persists. Just days after I was at this hero’s grave, Christians from all over the world, despite all this science and all this progress and all this technology, confessed what the earliest believers in the catacombs of Rome cried out: “Christ is risen indeed.”
Thomas Jefferson is still dead. I thank God for him; but standing at his grave reminds me how limited even his legacy can be in the grand scheme of trillions of years of cosmic time. It also reminds me of the contrast with (the One) whose monument isn’t a house or… even a simple grave-marker. It’s instead a borrowed tomb that isn’t filled anymore.
That empty tomb is, itself, a declaration of independence. By raising Jesus from the dead, God declared him (and all who are in him) to be free from death, free from the curse, free from Satan’s accusation. I suppose you could say that Jesus was endowed by his Father with certain unalienable rights, among these life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness … except that these blessings don’t end in a graveyard (Russell Moore blog, “Independence Day and the Empty Tomb,” RussellMoore.com, 7-3-17; www. PreachingToday.com).
Christ’s resurrection is God’s declaration that you are free from condemnation (Romans 8:1). You no longer need to fear punishment for your sin. All you have to do trust the One who died for you and rose again.
Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, so live your lives with confidence. 1st, be confident that your faith is useful. 2nd, be confident that your witness is true. 3rd, be confident that your sins are gone! And 4th…
BE CONFIDENT THAT YOUR FUTURE IS SECURE.
Be sure that when you die as a believer, you will be in heaven with Jesus.
1 Corinthians 15:18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished (ESV).
If Christ had not been raised from the dead, then all of our dead loved ones would be eternally lost. Literally, they would be ruined; they would be destroyed. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, so they are not lost. They are right now with the Lord in heaven awaiting the resurrection of their bodies from the ground.
The Bible makes it very clear: To be “away from the body” is to be “at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8). And “we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17).
Max Lucado tells the story of a missionary in Brazil who discovered a tribe of Indians in a remote part of the jungle. They lived near a large river. The tribe was in need of medical attention because a contagious disease was ravaging the population. People were dying daily.
A hospital was not too terribly far away—across the river, but the Indians would not cross it because they believed it was inhabited by evil spirits. They believe that to enter the water would mean certain death. The missionary explained how he had crossed the river and was unharmed. They were not impressed.
He then took them to the bank and placed his hand in the water. They still wouldn’t go in. He walked into the water up to his waist and splashed water on his face. It didn’t matter. They were still afraid to enter the river.
Finally, he dove into the river, swam beneath the surface until he emerged on the other side. He punched a triumphant fist into the air. He had entered the water and escaped. It was then that the Indians broke out into a cheer and followed him across.
That’s exactly what Jesus did! He entered the river of death and came out on the other side (Max Lucado, Six Hours One Friday: Living in the Power of the Cross, Thomas Nelson, 2019 reprint, pp. 126-127; www.PreachingToday.com).
Jesus died and rose again! He showed us that the river of death is powerless over those who believe in Him. So confidently face even death with the knowledge that you will come out on the other side alive.
Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, so live your life with confidence no matter your situation. 1st, be confident that your faith is useful. 2nd, be confident that your witness is true. 3rd, be confident that your sins are gone. 4th, be confident that your future is secure. And finally…
BE CONFIDENT THAT YOUR LIFE IS BLESSED.
Be certain that you, as a believer in Jesus Christ, are to be envied more than the richest man on the face of this earth.
1 Corinthians 15:19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied (ESV).
But we don’t have hope only for this life. We have hope, i.e., the assurance of a glorious future, because Christ has indeed been raised from the dead.
I like Ken Fuson’s attitude as he faced his own death a couple of years ago (2020). He actually wrote his own obituary before passing. This is what he wrote:
Ken Fuson, born June 23, 1956, died January 3, 2020, at Nebraska Medical Center, of liver cirrhosis, and is stunned to learn that the world is somehow able to go on without him. Ken attended the University of Missouri-Columbia’s famous School of Journalism, which is a clever way of saying, "almost graduated but didn't." Facing a choice between covering a story for the newspaper or taking his final exams, Ken went for the story. He never claimed to be smart, just committed.
In 1981, Ken landed his dream job, working as a reporter for The Des Moines Register. Ken won several national feature-writing awards. No, he didn't win a Pulitzer Prize, but he's dead now, so get off his back.
In 2011, Ken accepted a job in the marketing department at Simpson College, where he remained until 2018. He was diagnosed with liver disease at the beginning of 2019, which is pretty ironic given how little he drank. He is survived by his sons who all brought Ken unsurpassed joy. He hopes they will forgive him for not making the point more often. He loved his boys and was (and is) extraordinarily proud to be their father.
Ken had many character flaws—if he still owes you money, he's sorry, sincerely. He prided himself on letting other drivers cut in line. For most of his life, Ken suffered from a compulsive gambling addiction that nearly destroyed him. But his church friends never gave up on him. Ken last placed a bet on Sept. 5, 2009. He died clean. He hopes that anyone who needs help will seek it. Miracles abound.
Ken's pastor says God can work miracles for you and through you. Skepticism may be cool, and for too many years Ken embraced it, but it was faith in Jesus Christ that transformed his life. That was the one thing he never regretted. It changed everything. God is good. Embrace every moment, even the bad ones. See you in heaven. Ken promises to let you cut in line (Ken Fuson, Des Moines Register, 1-8-20; www.PreachingToday.com).
Don’t you just love that? Ken was blessed even with liver disease. He was blessed, because He believed in the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ. You, believe in Him too, so you can experience God’s blessing no matter what happens.
For Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, so live your life with confidence. Be confident that your faith is useful. Be confident that your witness is true. Be confident that your sins are gone. Be confident that your future is secure. And be confident that your life is blessed as a believer in Jesus Christ.
And if you’re not a believer in Jesus Christ, what’s keeping you from putting your faith in Him? Do it today. Trust Christ with your life, then you too can live your life with confidence.
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living just because He lives (Gaither).
