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
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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…?”
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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?”
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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
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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)
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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
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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
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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."
65 "Take a guard," Pilate answered. "Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how." 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.
A guard = 16 men
Now when it says they posted a guard, that does not mean they had one man standing there with a sword.
A Roman guard was a unit of 16 men that would be entrusted with making sure that the Roman seal was not broken. If this was an overnight detail, which this was, groups of 4 guards would take turns standing guard. This was serious business. If these guards fell asleep or failed in their mission, they could be put to death.
Break a Roman Seal = Death
Not only that, but they put a Roman Seal on the tomb.
To break a Roman Seal without authorization was punishable by death.
The less than merciful Roman guards would be happy to oblige such a request.
So you have 16 armed men guarding a tomb with a Roman seal securing the tomb so that no one could enter.
Disciples stole the body
Well maybe the Disciples came and overpowered the guards or perhaps all the guards were asleep that the Disciples snuck in moved the stone, took the body, and escaped with Jesus’ body, never waking the Roman guard unit.
Actually this is a story that has been put forth as an explanation even early on.
Matthew 28 gives some of the details of this and the events that occurred that morning.
Matthew 28:2-4, 11-15
2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men…
After these events, it records for us in verse 11 that …some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. 12 When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, 13 telling them, "You are to say, ’His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14 If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble." 15 So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.
Well, maybe that is what really happened?
Well, here is the problem with this story in explaining the empty tomb, because not only was the Tomb Secured, but
The Disciples were Scared
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We have to remember that just a few days earlier Jesus’ disciples were running scared when Jesus was arrested.
Mark tells us that “everyone deserted him and fled” (Mark 14:50) because they were so scared.
To make the argument that a few days later,
in the midst of their grief,
in the midst of their not understanding the fullness of what Jesus had meant by his rising again,
in the midst of their faithlessness and fear,
that these disciples, gathered courage to go to the tomb ready to take on an armed Roman Guard unit, but thankfully found them asleep so they could sneak up to the tomb and break a Roman Seal, which was punishable by death, steal the body, and escape unnoticed by the Roman Guard, stretches the bounds of belief.
Well maybe the whole story about the guard and the seal are made up by the Christians to support their story of the resurrection.
If that were the case we would expect to find the Jews refuting the claim of a resurrection not with a story of a Roman Guard falling asleep, but with the truth that there was never a guard posted.
But that is not what we find. We find stories of grave robbers and guards sleeping.
These stores just do not add up to the facts of the situation.
If the tomb were really empty by some other reason than the resurrection, the truth would be the best argument against it.
But the fact that precautions were taken to seal the tomb and
the fact that the disciples were so scared at Jesus’ arrest just a few days before
and the fact that Jesus himself said He would rise from the dead
shows that the fact of the empty tomb lends support to some supernatural event that is not easily explained with human wisdom and understanding.
But that is not all.
Not only is the Resurrection supported by the facts of the empty tomb, but it is supported by
The Effects on the Lives of the Disciples
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Now we just talked about how these Disciples were running scared on the night that Jesus was arrested.
Peter denied even knowing Jesus that night.
But after the disciples claimed to see the resurrected Christ, their life changed dramatically. They went from being fearful followers of Jesus, running scared on the night He was arrested, to being fearless leaders proclaiming the death and resurrection of Jesus as eyewitnesses even in the face of torture and persecution.
What can account for this transformation in the lives of the Disciples?
Having seen the resurrected Christ
Imagine following man who has been doing amazing things and proclaiming the kingdom of God.
And then before your eyes, He is arrested and crucified and dies.
You are heartbroken and disillusioned and afraid for your own life.
But then…you see the Man whom you saw die and laid in the tomb, now alive to die nevermore.
He tells you that this is the eternal life that is available to all who believe and that you are to be His witnesses to all the world.
Listen to how the Apostle John tells it in 1 John 1:1-3a
1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched-this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard
These apostles saw the resurrected Christ and knew the truth that the eternal life that Jesus offered was real so they no longer had to fear physical death.
So they went around preaching the good news of Jesus that He died and rose again.
The Jewish leaders tried to stop them.
The persecuted and threatened them and told them to stop preaching this resurrection but they would not. The Jewish leaders even recognized that something effected these men.
Acts 4:13 - When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.
These apostles lived out in a new way the truth of Psalm 118:6
Psalm 118:6 - The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
Even when the apostles were flogged for preaching the death and resurrection of Jesus, they rejoiced for being counted worthy to suffer disgrace for the Name. (Acts 5:41)
These men had been changed dramatically because they saw the resurrected Christ.
And while the circumstances of the Apostles life became harder, they found that living the full life is not dependant upon circumstances, but upon knowing Jesus Christ.
I believe one reason that the Apostles suffered so greatly was so that we would have an easier time believing their testimony about the resurrection.
If by preaching the resurrection, they benefited, we would have a harder time believing without seeing.
Jesus says to doubting Thomas,
John 20:29 - "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
We can believe what these eyewitnesses were saying about Jesus death and resurrection because there was no earthly gain in it for them. They suffered in this life for what they were claiming and their lives changed dramatically to the point that they were willing to die proclaiming the truth of what they saw, Jesus Christ resurrected from the dead.
But
not only is there the empty tomb,
not only is there the effects on the lives of the disciples,
but there is
The Existence of Christianity today
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The very fact that Christianity exists today is evidence of the truth of the resurrection.
There are people here today who have had changed lives due to the power of the resurrected Lord in their lives. This faith has been passed down through the generations and by the word of God from the very first disciples.
Christianity would have failed if the resurrection were not true, because those people who were there could have never have orchestrated the facts to have so many people believe what they were saying, that a man died and rose back to life, and because of that, He is changing lives dramatically.
It could have been too easily been proven false by producing a body or having an eyewitness turn and confess. But they didn’t.
And besides that, there were too many appearances of the risen Christ not to believe in that first generation.
Paul told the Corinthians that over 500 men had seen the resurrected Christ at once and most of them were still alive, the Corinthians could talk to them and get even more eyewitness testimony.
It is funny that even some of the Pharisees made the argument that this would come to nothing if what they were claiming was false.
Acts 5:34-39
34 But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. 35 Then he addressed them: "Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. 36 Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. 37 After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. 38 Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. 39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God."
It is the very fact that those who could have proven it false believed and were able to persuade so many others who could have proven it false, and that lives continue to this day, 2000 years later, to be changed as Christianity continues to grow that lends even more evidence to the truth of the resurrection
Ok, So the resurrection is evidenced by facts that support the claim.
Is this really so important to believe in the resurrection?
Yes.
As we said at the beginning of this message, the resurrection is essential to Christianity.
But the reality is that the resurrection proves who Jesus claimed to be, God in the flesh.
Romans 1:3-4
3 regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, 4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. (from New International Version)
If Jesus did not rise from the dead then Jesus was not God.
If He is not God, then the eternal life that He offered is not available to us.
The Resurrection is Essential to Living Life Eternal
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Listen to how Paul says it in
1 Corinthians 15:17-18
17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.
If there is no resurrection, there is no eternal life for anyone.
There is no hope.
But if the resurrection is real, as the evidence indicates, then there is an eternal life after we die physically.
And there is hope that we can live that eternity in complete, restored relationship with God.
Paul says that if there is no resurrection,
“let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” (1 Corinthians 15:32)
The resurrection proves that Jesus is who He says He is, God in the flesh, and that there is an eternal life that we have after this life.
And when we put our trust in Jesus Christ, God who took on flesh and suffered death so He could defeat it for all of us, we too can experience a resurrection to eternal glory with the God of the Universe.
If we reject Him, If we will not believe in Him, we too will be resurrected, but eternally separated from God with no hope of that relationship being restored.
It is only in this life that we have opportunity to trust in Jesus, so we can experience the resurrection to eternal glory.
The resurrection is essential to living life eternal.
But not only is the resurrection essential to living life eternal, but
The Resurrection is Essential to Living Life Now
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1 Peter 1:3
In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead
We are spiritually reborn in that moment we believe and receive Christ as our Savior.
2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
We become a new creation with the opportunity for a new life now.
That is only available when we trust in Jesus and believe in
His death for the forgiveness of our sins and
His resurrection for the hope of eternal life with Him.
And when we do that, Christ’s resurrection power, changes our lives so we can live life to the full now.
Now that doesn’t always happen immediately, but it becomes available to all who believe immediately. We experience it as we grow in that relationship as we walk with Him and in the ways He has told us to live.
Jesus said “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).
Conclusion
Why should I believe in the resurrection?
Because it is true and the evidence supports it (empty tomb, effects on lives of disciples, existence of Christianity today) and it is essential to living life eternal as well as really living life now.
Maybe you just happened in today because you are just supposed to go to church on Easter.
Maybe you got a card in the mail and thought you would try out a new church.
Whatever your reason for being here, know this, the God who has the power to raise Jesus from the dead, wanted you to hear this message today.
He wants you to have eternal life and to live the full life now.
I am sure there are many here who could tell you that the full life can be pretty elusive. We think we can find it in more money or stuff or filling our life with physical pleasures, but we find that those things are only temporary anesthesia that covers the pain of life without Christ.
Perhaps you have never really stopped and considered the resurrection or its implications for your eternity or your life now.
Perhaps you have never thought about what it really means to believe in Jesus and what He did, that He died for your sins and resurrected from the dead.
He is your only hope for salvation in life, both eternally and presently.
The Bible says in Romans 10:9
9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
If you have never confessed with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believed in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, why not make this Easter truly a celebration of life. Celebrate the eternal life that Jesus provides through His resurrection and begin to live life to the full by receiving Him as your Savior.
If you would like to receive Jesus as your Savior then just pray along with me and confess that He is your Lord and confess your heart belief in His resurrection as you receive Him as your Savior.
Let’s pray.
