Resurrection Sunday is the greatest story ever told. Now a story can be fictional (made up) or it can be non-fictional (a factual event). I am standing here before you today declaring the Resurrection Story of Jesus Christ is a factual event. It happened just as the Bible declared. And yes, death, could not hold Jesus Christ in that grave. And since I know that death could not hold Jesus is true, everything He told me about dying for my sins is true. Everything He told me about giving me a gift of eternal life if I accept His free gift is true. Everything He told me about ascending into heaven to prepare mansions so that where He is, I will be also is another truth. Everything He told me about heaven being my eternal home is true.
That is a lot to swallow, but it all hinges on the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from that borrowed tomb. Let me convince you with the evidence I see that is irrefutable.
Do you realize that nowhere in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation is there any recorded lie made by Jesus Christ? What Jesus said was true, and He told His disciples what would happen to Him when He went to Jerusalem. He would suffer many things, He would be killed , and He would rise out of the grave on the third day.
Let’s look at that.
Matthew 16:21 NKJV
21 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.
You need to understand that Matthew did not misunderstand what Jesus said that day because both Mark and Luke record this exact thing in their Gospels. All three recorded that He would suffer, be killed and raised on the third day. And since Jesus doesn’t lie, He states upon His Word that the Resurrection was to occur; and as we look back at it- it has occurred.
The University of Alabama, Department of Communication Studies lead by Dr Timothy Levine conducted a survey in 2021 on how frequently people tell lies. For this survey, they had 630 participants who over a period of time self-reported each day how many lies that they told that day.
At the end of the 90 days, the report shows that three-quarters of the study participants were consistently honest, telling between zero and two lies per day. But that leaves twenty -five percent that could not be honest even about the number the lies that they told each day. And all total over the 90 days for 630 people the number of lies that were reported was 116,336.
Forty Bible writers, sixty six books of the Bible written over a period of 1, 500 years and not a writer or a person written about, or a people group could make the accusation what God said is a lie or what Jesus said is a lie. Very remarkable! But it makes perfect sense about God and Jesus if you know the Scripture in Numbers 23 that says God is not like man that He should lie.
Jesus’ Word is factual evidence that the Resurrection occurred. We lie to each other and to ourselves, but the Godhead has never lied to us.
Do you realize after Jesus’ Resurrection from the grave, He appeared to the three women, to the two men on the Road to Emmaus, to over 500 people at once and finally to the Apostle Paul. If this account of His appearances were not accurate, with that many people involved, you would except at least one person to come forward if it was no so.
1 Corinthians 15:3–8 NKJV
3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. 6 After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. 7 After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. 8 Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.
Listen to what Proverb 11:13 says:
Proverbs 11:13 NKJV
13 A talebearer reveals secrets,
But he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter.
You cannot tell me that with over five hundred people who testified of seeing the Risen Lord, that there was not at least once talebearer who would come out and say: “I didn’t see Him; it is not true.” But not one person came forth and said what I said about seeing Jesus is not true.
That is very remarkable.
Think about what is going on in our day and time. The Ex-President was indicted in New York for paying hush money to supposedly keep people from talking. Now it seems to me as if this were hush money that meant no one was to say anything. And from what I can figure there were about ten people involved ; certainly no more than twenty-five. But yet at least one person maybe more was a talebearer in such a small group.
And yet in Jesus’ Resurrection with over 500 people involved, no one came forth as a talebearer. That can only tell me what they saw left no doubt in each one’s mind that who they saw was the Resurrected Christ.
Do you realize the change of behavior of all the disciples from men who were fearful; from men who deserted Jesus and returned to fishing to men who boldly proclaimed Jesus and were willing to die for their faith does not happen without some extraordinary event?
John 20:19–22 NKJV
19 Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.
21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
I have been pastoring since 1980. And I have seen people’s lives being changed. Sometimes, I have seen several people’s lives changed in the same service. But, I cannot tell you that I have never witnessed everyone’s life that attended church that day changed at the same time.
I believe for that to occur there has to be some extraordinary event that they all experienced or witnessed that changed their life. So, I searched the Scriptures to see what that was in the life of these disciples that took these men from fearful to boldly preach even leading to their death. I believe that I found it in the Gospel of John 20:19-22.
First of all, John tells us that these were fearful men. All the doors to where they were staying were locked because fear that the Jews might come after these former disciples of Jesus.
And then Jesus walks through the locked doors. He showed the disciples His hands that were nailed to the cross. He showed them His side that was pierced by the Roman soldiers. And then He breathed on them, and they received the Holy Spirit which came into their life in power. Now what has been described by John is an extraordinary event that could change everyone in that room.
And the evidence to me that they were changed by this event is how these men died. Experiencing the Resurrected changed their life forever!
Peter was crucified upside down.
James the son of Zebedee was beheaded.
John died of old age.
Simon the Zealot was crucified.
Jude was crucified.
Matthew was stabbed.
Doubting Thomas was speared to death
Bartholomew was either crucified or beheaded.
Philip was crucified.
Andrew was crucified.
James son of Alphaeus was stoned and clubbed to death.
How these fearful men died is a testimony that they had seen the risen Christ.
Do you realize that there is no other event in the history of the world that occurred over 2000 years ago that is still affecting people like the Resurrection?
The Great Depression of 1929 is one of those life changing events of the last century. It probably affected your grandparents and parents in a great way. It probably changed how they spent their money; it might have changed how or where they saved their money. A lot of people who went through the depression saved money hidden in their homes. But less than a hundred years later, it has had no effect on the children of this generation.
World War I of 1914 was a life changing event. The United States entered the conflict on April 6, 1917. Men went off to war, some men did not return home. Home life was changed; the war dynamic changed as many women left home to go to work. But today, little is mentioned of World War 1 and few people’s lives are today influenced by that war. And that war was only a little over 100 years ago.
Now take the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. It occurred over two thousand years ago, but it is still changing lives today. According to Barna Research there are ninety-eight million born again believers in the United States. That means that 98 million people have been affected by what had happened 2000 years ago- the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
No other life changing event can hold a candle to the importance of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Do you know Jesus and His Salvation? If not, I invite you to the altar at this time so that we show you from His Word how to know Him. Let us pray.
