1. Sunday’s Comin’ -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tn94B3GHcjY
2. Sunday is here! It is the Son’s Day!
3. Justin Martyr’s (ca 130-165 AD) Description of early NT worship –
“And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things.
Then we all rise together and pray, and, as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought, and the president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people assent, saying, Amen; and there is a distribution to each, and a participation of that over which thanks have been given, and to those who are absent a portion is sent by the deacons.
And they who are well to do, and willing, give what each thinks fit; and what is collected is deposited with the president, who succors the orphans and widows, and those who, through sickness or any other cause, are in want, and those who are in bonds and the strangers sojourning among us, and, in a word, takes care of all who are in need.
**But Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God, having wrought a change in the darkness and matter, made the world; and Jesus Christ our Savior on the same day rose from the dead. For he was crucified on the day before that of Saturn (Saturday): and on the day after that of Saturn, which is the day of the sun, having appeared to his apostles and disciples, he taught them these things, which we have submitted to you also for your consideration.” Remember the anguish of the disciples just a few days ago; but it’s Sunday – the tomb is empty
4. Matthew 28.1-10
I. The Resurrection Was a Documented Fact -- Gospel accounts Declare It
[How do you know George Washington existed? Faith in eyewitness accounts
A. Evidence of Eye Witnesses
A carpenter was giving evidence about an accident he had witnessed. The judge asked him how far away he was from the accident.
The carpenter replied, "Twenty-seven feet, six and one half inches."
"How can you be so sure of that distance?" asked the judge.
"Well, I knew some idiot would ask me. So I pulled my steel tape and measured it!" replied the carpenter.
1. 1 John 1.1-3
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.
2. 1 Corinthians 15.3-11 (No resurrection – No Purpose)
• Peter
• The 12
• 500
• James
• Apostles
• Paul
B. Evidence of Scripture –
1. And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself" (Luke 24:25-27)
2. Psalm 22.14-15; 25-27
3. Psalm 16.10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.
C. Evidence of Changed Lives
1. Disciples went from Fear-FULL to Fear-LESS – the difference was the resurrection – Acts 2.36ff
2. Modern Disciples?
Cultural Change
In a recent Breakpoint radio commentary, Eric Metaxas says, “It was 1939, just before the outbreak of what would come to be known as the Second World War. Hitler was on the move, the dominoes were starting to fall. The British government, facing what Winston Churchill would soon call 'an ordeal of the most grievous kind,' needed to bolster the people’s flagging spirits. So it began producing a series of propaganda posters.
"One of them, with a bold, red background, was to be used only in the event of an invasion. That invasion never came, and so the poster never was used. Yet the slogan on it has lived on, and it has particular relevance to our day. The message: 'Keep Calm and Carry On.' I like that.
"Now let’s face it, American society, while not facing an immediate existential threat, nevertheless faces cultural decay that is a direct result of our lamentable rejection of the Judeo-Christian worldview.
"Whether it’s the redefinition of marriage; continuing attacks on religious liberty; the relentless push to undermine human dignity and the protection of the unborn; fears for what’s ahead politically in this momentous election year; or whether it’s concerns about ISIS or Iran that are keeping you up at night; the fact is, 'Keep Calm and Carry On' is an appropriate watchword at this moment in American history.
"Now of course as followers of the Lord Jesus we must keep calm and carry on. It’s our duty. If this moment has taught us anything, it’s that cultural power is fleeting. In the old days, calling yourself a Christian was a sure route to respectability, whatever you believed in your heart.
"While that’s still true in some quarters, now lots more people look on matters of faith with a jaundiced eye, and growing numbers of them aren’t interested in the old American ideal of religious tolerance. Yet for all these unhappy and undeniable trends, we’re still called—you guessed it—to keep calm and carry on. We must keep standing for righteousness, come what may. God remains on His throne.” (Breakpoint.org)
II. The Resurrection is a Declaration of Jesus’ Conquests
A. Jesus Conquered Death
1. We have conquered diseases – polio; AIDS;
2. We have conquered Discomfort – "Everybody talks about the weather but nobody does anything about it." ~Mark Twain//AC and Heating
3. We have conquered many Difficulties – economics; technology
B. Jesus Conquered Sin
1. Sin is the blight on humanity
2. Jesus is at the right hand of the Father – Hebrews 1.3 After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
3. He has the power to forgive sin – Mark 2.1ff – Son, your sins are forgiven; Luke 24.32 – Today you shall be with me; Acts 2.38
C. Jesus Conquered our Fear
1. What do we fear more than death?
2. [1993 Survey – 45% feared public speaking; 30% feared death
3. Peter and John – Acts 4.13 13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.
4. Prayer for Boldness – Acts 4.32ff
D. Jesus Will Conquer in Judgment
1. He IS coming Again
2. Everyone will know and be in awe – none of this, I am going to run over and hug Jesus when he comes – we will fall on our faces as John
3. He will judge in his coming
1. Judgment of Fire
2. Judgement’s Finality
3. Deathly serious – Habakkuk 2.20
4. He will ultimately conquer all enemies
a. Death
b. Sin
c. Satan
1. Harry Truman’s Election
IN 1948 Harry Truman ran for election as the 33rd POTUS. It was his first time to run for the office. Truman became President after FDR died 83 days into his fourth term. Truman ran against Thomas Dewey. Every opinion poll predicted that Dewey would easily defeat Truman.
• NEWSWEEK MAGAZINE polled fifty top experts and they gave Dewey 366 electoral votes, 100 more than he needed to win.
• THE FT. LAUDERDALE DAILY NEWS announced Dewey would win with 62% of the vote.
• LIFE MAGAZINE featured a full page picture of Dewey with the caption, “New President Travels by Ferryboat over the Broad Waters of San Francisco Bay
• THE KIPLINGER LETTER, already on the desks of leading business men, described the economic policies of the new Dewey administration.
• AND THE MANCHESTER GUARDIAN’S final election report was called, “Harry S. Truman, A Study of Failure
• THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE had already published as its headline, “Dewey Defeats Truman.”
On election night, as Dewey was in New York working on his final draft of his election speech, Truman was in Excelsior Springs, MO, taking a Turkish bath, eating a ham sandwich, drinking a glass of milk, and listening to election returns.
"At 6 o’clock, I was defeated; I was defeated at 10 o’clock; at midnight I heard the report that I was 1,200,000 ahead but was still undoubtedly beaten.”
Truman went to bed and was awakened at 4 AM by a secret service agent who told him he was ahead by 2,000,000. However, the news commentators continued saying that they could not see how Truman could be elected.
Despite all of the commentators, newspapers, and polls that said he did not have a chance of winning, Harry Truman was still elected as the choice of the people.
2. What appeared to be a sure defeat turned into a great victory.
a. The same is true of Jesus’ victory at Calvary. Many viewed him as defeated. He had lost and the religious leaders of the Jews had won.
b. That was Friday, but Jesus turned defeat into victory on the first day of the week, what we refer to as Sunday.
3. Job asks the universal question: "If a man die, shall he live again?" (Job 14:14). A little later, however, his strong faith in a future resurrection returns, and he exclaims: "For I know that my redeemer lives, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And . . . in my flesh shall I see God" (Job 19:25, 26).
