Then if that is so, Christ is not risen.
Paul addressed the whole issue of resurrection and it's implications whether it happened or not.
1 Cor 15 12-18
12But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
13If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.
14And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is worthless, and so is your faith.
15In that case, we are also exposed as 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.
16For if the dead are not raised, then not even Christ has been raised.
17And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.
18Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished
Has Jesus really been raised from the dead?
The Question Paul asks … “If Christ is not raised then!
- our preaching is worthless,
- and so is your faith
- we are also exposed as false witnesses about God
- your faith is futile;
- you are still in your sins
- The dead have perished
Assuming you know nothing of this Jesus called the Christ
ASK 5 W ? Who What When Where Why?????
Why is Resurrection Sunday sooooo important?
WHO is This Jesus of Nazareth, they call the Christ, son of man, son of God, messiah, saviour.
Biologically he is both son of man and son of God.
Virgin Mary his mother, God Almighty His Father. Joseph his step dad.
He is son of David (descendant of King David of Israel)
Joseph’s line Luke 3.23 traced Josephs genealogy (legal father) to David through his son Nathan (3rd son of David via Bathsheba)
Mary’s line Matt 1 traces to Abraham through King David by King Solomons line. (4th son of David via Bathsheba)
Any measure indicates he was David’s son/ entitled to David’s throne.
Did he fulfill the prophecies of the Old Testament?
One scholar, J. Barton Payne, has found 574 OT verses
Alfred Edersheim found 456 OT verses
Others reckon 351
Conservatively, Jesus fulfilled at least 300 or more prophecies in His earthly ministry.
Prophecies found in at least 26 books of OT
What is the chance?
Mathematician Peter Stoner worked out the statistical chance of Jesus fulfilling all the prophecies about him.
If there were only 8 prophecies that chance is 10 ^17
that is 10 and 17 0’s
EG if you take 10^17 silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas. They’ll cover all of the state two feet deep. Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly, all over the state. Blindfold a man and tell him that he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up the one silver dollar that has the special mark on it. What chance would he have of getting the right one? Just the same chance that the prophets would’ve had of writing these eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man, from their day to the present time.
What is the chance of just 48 prophecies being fulfilled in one person? the incredible number 10^157.
How long does it take to count to 10^157?
Counting 250 per minute non stop it would take 19 million years.
Professor Stoner then made the comment that, "Any man who rejects Christ as the Son of God is rejecting a fact proved perhaps more absolutely than any other fact in the world."
WHAT Did Jesus do to prove His Divinity and Messiahship?
Luke 7:21-22 At that very hour Jesus healed many people of their diseases, afflictions, and evil spirits, and He gave sight to many who were blind. So he replied to the messengers, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.
He preached the gospel of the Kingdom
He turned water into wine
He fed the 5000 men on a few loaves and fish
He fed the 4000 men on a few loaves and fish
He walked on water
John 20.30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book.
John 21.25 Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.
Paul, in his defense to King Festus, he says Acts 26.22-23
But I have had God’s help to this day, and I stand here to testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen: 23that the Christ would suffer, and as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to our people and to the Gentiles.”
Jesus prophesied his own death and resurrection
Matt 12.40 & Luke 11.29 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
His resurrection witnessed.
- He appeared to Mary Magdalene,
- Cephas (Peter)
- The 2 Pilgrims(Cleopas) on the Emmaus Road,
- and the 12,
- and over 500,
- to James (son of Mary & Joseph and not a believer until after the resurrection)
- and later to Paul on Damascus Road.
There are many accounts
Luke 1.1 Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us,
Resurrection expert Dr Gary Habermas catalogued over 3400 academic works on the fate of Jesus from conservative, critical and sceptical scholars in English, German and French from this research he was able to show that of the 3400 works studied the majority of writers accept the following twelve events as historical fact.
- Jesus died by crucifixion
- Jesus was buried
- His death caused the disciples to despair and lose hope believing that his life was ended
- The tomb was empty a few days later
- The disciples had experiences that they believed were literal appearances of the risen Jesus
- The disciples were transformed from doubters who were afraid to identify themselves with Jesus to bold Proclaimers of his death and resurrection
- This message was the centre of preaching in the early church
- This message was especially proclaimed in Jerusalem where Jesus died and was buried earlier
- The church was born in Jerusalem and grew quickly
- Orthodox Jews who believed in Jesus made Sunday their primary day of worship
- James the half brother of Jesus converted to the faith when he saw what he believed was the resurrected Jesus
- Paul was converted to the faith after his experience which he believed was with the risen Jesus.
WHEN Did it take place
Jesus was crucified at the Jewish feast of Passover
Most likely Friday 3 April 33AD
But there is reasonable case for the argument of 2 days earlier on the Wednesday (Thursday being a special Sabbath day for Passover).
As we walk with Jesus every day of the year, we can therefore be confident that our faith is based not only on subjective personal assurance but on reliable historical data.
Does it matter which day Jesus was Crucified on?
No; it’s interesting but believe one or the other it won’t affect your salvation.
WHERE Did it take place
Golgotha, the place of the skull (an infamous location just outside the walls of Jerusalem where countless minor criminals had been crucified before and after).
There is no contention from scholars, sceptics or unbelievers that this was the location of Christ's death.
The burial taking place in a new cave tomb and arranged by Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy Jewish man, a councillor of the Sanhedrin who awaited God's kingdom, who wishes to ensure that the corpse is buried according to Jewish Law, (dead bodies could not be left exposed overnight.)
Body is wrapped in a new shroud and laid in a rock carved tomb.
The Jewish historian Josephus, writing later in the century, described how the Jews regarded this law as so important that even the bodies of crucified criminals were taken down and buried before sunset.[11]
Joseph does only the bare minimum to observe the Law,
wrapping the body in a cloth, no mention of washing (Taharah) or anointing it.
This may explain why Mark mentions an event prior to the crucifixion in which a woman pours perfume over Jesus.[12] Jesus is thereby prepared for burial even before his death.
WHY - perhaps the most important question we should ask
Why did Jesus die? Why was it necessary for him to be resurrected?
DIE
The death of Jesus was part of a divine plan to save humanity.
For Christians it is through Jesus's death that people's broken relationship with God is restored. This is known as the Atonement.
God’s relationship with Adam was broken through sin,
God had told Adam, “in the day you eat of it you shall surely die” his spirit died and his body began to decay and ultimately die.
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Rom 6.23
God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith Rom 3.25
He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. Heb 9.26
RESSURECTED
The resurrection amounts to the Father's clear signal that Jesus is the powerful Son of God who has conquered death & reigns, Lord of all.
…and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. Rom 1.4
He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. Romans 4.25
The resurrection showed that Jesus was the Son of God.
The resurrection provides hope of a future resurrection and eternal life are well grounded in historical fact.
This leaves us with a burning question that everyone must answer –
If Jesus was who He said he was – Son of God
That he paid the price for your sin on the cross
That He rose again for our justification.
If his claim is true -
I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14.6
As Peter proclaimed in Acts 4.12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.
John 3.18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
Mark 16.16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
So how will you then live ??
Will you:-
- Believe on Jesus as the Christ, your Messiah, repent of your sin?
- Follow him
- Become his disciple
- Be obedient to his words, receive salvation & forgiveness of sin.
Make a decision today.
If you have already committed to do this will you live as a disciple?
Romans 6:6 We know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.
Colossians 3.8-10 But now you must put aside all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9Do not lie to one another, since you have taken off the old self with its practices, 10and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
Will you make a decision to be his disciple – not just a church goer?
Will you renew your mind and actions in obedience to Him?
With such infallible proofs, we can say with confidence that Jesus was raised from, the dead, to permanently, once and for all, defeat sin, Satan and death.
Rev Dr Howard Sands
International Director,
Beautiful Feet Task Force,
Africa Network BFTF.
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