Why Should I Believe In The Resurrection? Series

Why Should I believe the Resurrection?

The Resurrection is Evidenced by Facts

The Empty Tomb

The Tomb was Secured

The Disciples were Scared

The Effects on the Lives of the Disciples

The Existence of Christianity today

The Resurrection is Essential to Living Life Eternal

The Resurrection is Essential to Living Life Now

Video

Slide

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of the most pivotal events in all of human history.

The entire faith system of Christianity rests upon this event.

Even Paul says this about the resurrection.

“if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.”

(1 Corinthians 15:14)

Wow. That is pretty bold. Christianity is useless if Christ has not been resurrected.

That should make us stop and really consider the resurrection if it is that important, that vital to the whole of Christianity.

Now I have never personally seen anyone resurrected.

Some of you may have seen people resuscitated, but I know none of you has seen anyone resurrected, brought back to life to never die again.

So this resurrection thing can be pretty challenging since we have never seen such a thing.

Well, today, we are kicking off a new series today called “Why Should I…?”

slide

and we will be asking some questions that all of us have probably thought at one time or another, but maybe have never come up with a good answer for.

Why should I believe in God

Why should I believe in the Bible

Why should I believe…Creation vs. Evolution.

For the thinkers out there, I hope you will be back and consider the evidence that leads us to the answers to these questions.

So today we begin with “Why Should I believe the resurrection?”

Slide

Actually there are some very good reasons to believe that Jesus Christ really did rise from the dead even though we have never seen such a thing.

That is because

The Resurrection is Evidenced by Facts

Slide

This morning, we are going to look at some of the facts that support the resurrection.

But to do that, we first need to gather evidence so we can consider the facts.

If you would turn with me this morning to Luke 24:1-8 (p. 748)

Slide

We are going to read what was recorded by Luke, a doctor and historian who recorded

the account of Jesus’ life and death in the Gospel of Luke and

the history of the early church in the book of Acts.

Luke was a traveling companion of the Apostle Paul and a contemporary of all the apostles.

Here is what he records about the beginning of the third day after Jesus’ death.

Luke 24:1-8

24:1 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 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? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7’The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’" 8 Then they remembered his words.

The first Fact we find is

The Empty Tomb

Slide

Luke 24:2-3

They went to the tomb where Jesus was laid, but “they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus”

“Big deal. So the tomb was empty. That doesn’t prove anything. Perhaps the body was moved or stolen”

Well, the fact that the tomb was empty actually is a big deal when we stop and consider

the circumstances surrounding Jesus’ death and

the precautions taken to make sure that the tomb would not be empty.

We see in the passage we just read that Jesus had told people that he would rise again.

Now not everyone, including the apostles, understood what Jesus meant, but the Jewish Leaders did not want to take any chances concerning this, so

The Tomb was Secured

Slide

Listen to what Matthew records in

Matthew 27:62-66

The day “after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63 "Sir," they said, "we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ’After three days I will rise again.’ 64 So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first."