Introduction: Let's read Matthew 28:1-15.
On Feb. 27, 1991, at the height of Desert Storm, Ruth Dillow received a heartbroken message from the Pentagon. It stated that her son, Clayton Carpenter, Private 1st Class, had stepped on a mine in Kuwait and was dead. Ruth Dillow later wrote,
"I can't begin to describe my grief and shock. It was almost more than I could bear. For three days, I wept. For three days, I expressed anger and loss. People tried to comfort me for three days, to no avail because the loss was too great." But three days after she received that message, the telephone rang. The voice on the other end said, "Mom, it's me. I'm alive." Ruth Dillow said, "I couldn't believe it at first. But then I recognized his voice, and he really was alive." The message was all a mistake! She said, "I laughed, I cried, I felt like turning cartwheels because my son, whom I had thought was dead, was alive. I'm sure none of you can even understand how I felt."
On Good Friday, Jesus' disciples were devastated to see Jesus was captured, tortured, hung on the cross, and died (they knew Jesus died). Their dreams were shattered; they lost hope! Friday and all-day Saturday, they mourned, until finally, on "the first day of the week, early in the morning," the scripture says, some women made their way along the path that led to His tomb, wondering who would roll away the stone for them. But when they arrived, they found the stone had already been rolled away. And an angel there told them, "You're looking in the wrong place. You're looking for Jesus among the dead. He is not dead. He is alive. He is risen, even as He said!"
When the disciples knew that Jesus had risen from the dead, their sorrow turned to great joy; their fear turned to boldness. Their faith in Jesus grew stronger, therefore, they were willing to risk their lives for Jesus.
Sadly, some people still believe the lie that the Sanhedrin first spread. Lifeway Research last year showed that 23 percent of Americans don’t believe that Jesus rose from the dead and 11 percent are not sure. They wrote and taught various theories to prove that Jesus was never resurrected from His death. Some books have been best-sellers like "Holy Grail," "Da Vinci Code," and recently shown on the Discovery channel about the Tomb of Jesus and His Family. Even though their statements about Jesus often contradict each other, they state that Jesus is still dead.
So, why do we believe that Jesus has risen? Christian faith is not blind faith. Our faith is based on what the Bible says about Jesus. But, it doesn't mean we close our minds to any facts or scientific discoveries. Our faith is also based on the facts! That is why we don't need to be afraid of any attack on our beliefs.
Many Bible Scholars, historical experts, and archeologists have written books that answer those who made wrong statements about Jesus. You can purchase those books at the bookstore. Today I want to share with you some evidence of why we believe that Jesus rose from the dead:
1. The change in the disciples.
John Stott was a best-selling author, a professor, and one of the leading theologians of the twentieth century. And this is what he said, "Perhaps the transformation of the disciples is the greatest evidence of all for the resurrection… When Jesus died, they were heartbroken, confused, and frightened. But within less than two months, they came out of hiding, full of joy, confidence, and courage. What can account for this dramatic transformation? Only the resurrection, together with Pentecost, which followed soon afterward." And this bizarre group of primarily uneducated men went on to change the world.
2. Eyewitness accounts.
Did you know that the Bible recorded eleven times on Jesus' appearances to people after His death? He appeared to individuals, the disciples, and one time, to a group of over 500 people. When the Biblical accounts were being written, most of these people were still alive and could have denied that it ever happened. But they didn't. Some people today claim that these were all hallucinations. And I could understand that if Jesus only appeared to individuals. It could have simply been wishing for fulfillment. But He didn't just appear to individuals, but also to groups of people. And hallucinations are not group events. And the truth is that having 500 different people experience the same hallucination at the same time would be a greater miracle than the resurrection itself!
3. Modern-day accounts.
We've already talked about the changes that happened in the disciples' lives. But do you realize that Jesus is still changing lives today? Many of us here know that to be true from personal experience. We have a relationship with Him today, and our lives have been transformed.
Illustration: Once a group of tourists came to a remote village. They were surprised to find that the village chief was reading the Bible. One of them arrogantly said, “Why are you reading that book? In our place, no one reads that Book anymore!” The village chief looked at the man and said, “See that rock (he pointed his finger)?” The man replied, “Yes.” The chief continued, “If it weren’t for this Book, your heads would have been crushed on that rock! But this book, which teaches that Jesus died for our sins and rose again, has changed us into what we are today.”
The power of Jesus’ resurrection continues to work today to change the lives of billions of people.
4. The Roman and Jewish leaders couldn't disprove it.
They tried to, they desperately wanted to, but they couldn't. They couldn't produce the body; they couldn't show that the body was stolen; they couldn't say that he was in a different grave, explain why the highly trained guards failed, and away from the appearances. They had all the motivation and power in the world to squash this new religion, but they simply couldn't do it because they couldn't disprove it.
5. The disciples were willing to die for their beliefs.
Do you realize the disciples had nothing to gain? They would be beaten, imprisoned, persecuted, and killed for their beliefs. Now, I am aware that plenty of people throughout history have died for their faith, whether what they believed was true or not. We've seen this in recent days with terrorists and suicide bombers. This is true: People will die for their faith if they believe it is true. But this is equally true: People will not die for their faith if they know it's false. Nobody knowingly dies for a lie. John Singleton Copley, one of the greatest legal minds in history and was the High Chancellor of England three times, declared: "I know what evidence is, and evidence like that for the resurrection has never broken down yet."
Closing:
The evidence above supports what the Bible states that Jesus rose from the dead. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:14-20 – “And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.” And because Christ has been raised from the dead, we will also be raised from the dead."
Illustration: One day, 35 years ago, when I had just started my ministry as a pastor, I received very shocking news: the child of one of our Deacons died in a car accident. He and his girlfriend were driving from Kudus to Jakarta. His girlfriend survived, but he died on the spot. He was the youngest of five siblings and
very close to his mother. His father had died when he was still small. His mother was suffering from cancer. When I prepared for the Close of the Casket and Funeral Service, I struggled with what message to convey. I imagined that his mother would find it difficult to accept the departure of her beloved child; she would certainly cry out in deep sadness, and even feel disappointed in God. But it turned out that God's grace helped and enabled her to face the sad reality. Surely, she cried and grieved deeply. But she still believed in God's love, wisdom, and beautiful plan for her child. She believed that her child would be resurrected.
After explaining the resurrection of Christ and our resurrection, Paul concluded chapter 15 by saying: “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, 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.” (1 Corinthians 15:58). Amen! Happy Resurrection Day! Jesus is alive!
Note: This sermon used many sources from other preachers
