Upload
bodie-quirk
View
187
Download
2
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
for the Resurrection
Making the Case that Jesus Rose From the Dead
Evidence
1 Corinthians 15:12-19
What’s at Stake?
Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the
dead?
1 Corinthians 15:12-19
But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your
faith is also empty.
What’s at Stake?
1 Corinthians 15:12-19
Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God
that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is
not risen.
What’s at Stake?
1 Corinthians 15:12-19
And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins! Then also
those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.
1 Corinthians 15:12-19
What’s at Stake?
God will judge the world with justice by the man He has appointed.
He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.
Acts 17:31
What’s at Stake?
EVERYTHING
What’s at Stake?
Positive ?
I serve a risen Savior He’s in the world today. I know that He is living, Whatever men may say.
“He Lives” Hymn Lyrics
I see His hand of mercy; I hear His voice of cheer;
And just the time I need Him He’s always near.
“He Lives” Hymn Lyrics
He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me along life’s narrow way.
“He Lives” Hymn Lyrics
He lives, He lives, salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives?
“He Lives” Hymn Lyrics
He lives within my heart.
Is this positive evidence?
Yes, but it is NOT persuasive evidence.
So what persuasive evidence do we
have?
THERE ARE 4 CENTRAL, HISTORICAL FACTS
THAT SUPPORT THE CLAIM THAT JESUS
ROSE FROM THE DEAD
So what are they?
4 Historical Facts
The Burial
about the resurrection
1 The Empty Tomb2
Appearances of Jesus3
The Disciples’ Lives and Deaths4
FACT #1:After Being Crucified,
Jesus was buried in a tomb by Joseph of Arimathea.
FACT #1: After His Crucifixion, Jesus was buried in a
tomb by Joseph of Arimathea.
Why Does This Matter?
FACT #1: After His Crucifixion, Jesus was buried in a
tomb by Joseph of Arimathea.
Why Does This Matter?
This was a location anyone could go
investigate
FACT #1: After His Crucifixion, Jesus was buried in a
tomb by Joseph of Arimathea.
Why Does This Matter?
It would be pretty hard to proclaim that Jesus rose from the dead when anyone could go visit his tomb and see Him still lying
dead there.
FACT #1: After His Crucifixion, Jesus was buried in a
tomb by Joseph of Arimathea.
Why Does This Matter?
The burial story is a very early claim, not something
that got made up later.
FACT #1: After His Crucifixion, Jesus was buried in a
tomb by Joseph of Arimathea.
Why Does This Matter?
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received:
. . . that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in
accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve.
1 Corinthians 15:3-5
FACT #1: After His Crucifixion, Jesus was buried in a
tomb by Joseph of Arimathea.
Why Does This Matter?
Joseph of Arimathea was a member of the
group that killed Jesus.
“As a member of the Jewish court that condemned Jesus, Joseph of Arimathea is unlikely to be a
Christian invention. There was strong resentment against the Jewish leadership for their role in the
condemnation of Jesus.
It is therefore highly improbable that Christians would claim that a member of the court that
condemned Jesus (Pharisees) would then honor him with a proper burial instead of allowing him
to be dispatched as a common criminal.”
- William Lane Craig
FACT #1: After His Crucifixion, Jesus was buried in a
tomb by Joseph of Arimathea.
1. Location of tomb known 2. Burial story very early tradition 3. Joseph of Arimathea inclusion
“The burial of Jesus in the tomb is one of the earliest and best-attested facts about Jesus.”
- John A. T. Robinson of Cambridge University,
Why Does This Matter?
On the Sunday following the crucifixion, Jesus’ tomb was found
empty by some of his women followers.
FACT #2:
FACT #2: On the Sunday following
the crucifixion, Jesus’ tomb was found empty by some of his women
followers.
This was also part of the earliest source
material of the Bible.
Why Does This Matter?
The story is simple and lacks legendary embellishment.
Why Does This Matter?FACT #2:
On the Sunday following the crucifixion, Jesus’
tomb was found empty by some of his women
followers.
“And in the night in which the Lord's day was drawing on, as the soldiers kept guard two by two in a watch, there was a great voice in the heaven; and they saw the heavens opened, and two men descend from thence with great light and approach the tomb.
And that stone which was put at the door rolled of itself and made way in part; and the tomb was opened, and both the
young men entered in.
…When therefore those soldiers saw it, they awakened the centurion and the elders; for they too were hard by keeping
guard. And as they declared what things they had seen, again they see three men come forth from the tomb, and two
of them supporting one, and a cross following them…
…and of the two, the head reached unto the heaven, but the head of him who was lead by them overpassed the heavens. And they heard a voice from the heavens, saying, Thou hast
preached to them that sleep. And a response was heard from the cross, Yea.”
The Gospel of Peter 2:10 (Apocraphal Gospel)
The story is simple and lacks legendary embellishment.
Why Does This Matter?FACT #2:
On the Sunday following the crucifixion, Jesus’
tomb was found empty by some of his women
followers.
Women’s testimony was worthless in the first
century.
Why Does This Matter?FACT #2:
On the Sunday following the crucifixion, Jesus’
tomb was found empty by some of his women
followers.
Any made up legend about Jesus rising from the dead and women
finding the empty tomb first would have been laughable in
that time.
Why Does This Matter?FACT #2:
On the Sunday following the crucifixion, Jesus’
tomb was found empty by some of his women
followers.
1. Earliest Source Material 2. Simple and Lacks Embellishment 3. Women’s testimony worthless
““By far most exegetes hold firmly to the reliability of the biblical statements concerning the empty tomb.””
- Jacob Kremer, Astrian specialist in the resurrection
Why Does This Matter?FACT #2:
On the Sunday following the crucifixion, Jesus’
tomb was found empty by some of his women
followers.
On multiple occasions and circumstances, different individuals and groups of people
experienced appearances of Jesus alive from the dead.
FACT #3:
FACT #3: On multiple occasions
and circumstances, different individuals and
groups of people experienced
appearances of Jesus alive from the dead.
Why Does This Matter?
There are multiple independent claims of Jesus being seen alive
after dying.
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received:
. . . that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the
third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to
the Twelve.
1 Corinthians 15:3-5
Why Does This Matter?FACT #3: On multiple occasions
and circumstances, different individuals and
groups of people experienced
appearances of Jesus alive from the dead.
After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but
some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles.
Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.
1 Corinthians 15:6-8
Why Does This Matter?FACT #3: On multiple occasions
and circumstances, different individuals and
groups of people experienced
appearances of Jesus alive from the dead.
Jesus’ brother James was an unbeliever
until after the resurrection.
Why Does This Matter?FACT #3: On multiple occasions
and circumstances, different individuals and
groups of people experienced
appearances of Jesus alive from the dead.
Then he became a leader in the church and was killed for preaching
the resurrection.
Why Does This Matter?FACT #3: On multiple occasions
and circumstances, different individuals and
groups of people experienced
appearances of Jesus alive from the dead.
WHAT WOULD IT TAKE TO CONVINCE
YOU THAT YOUR BROTHER IS THE
LORD TO THE DEGREE THAT
YOU WOULD BE WILLING TO
DIE FOR THAT BELIEF?
Can there be any doubt that this remarkable transformation in Jesus’ younger brother
took place because, in Paul’s words, “then he appeared to James”? - WLC
Why Does This Matter?
1. Multiple Resurrection Claims 2. Independent Resurrection Claims 3. Conversion of Jesus’ brothers
“It may be taken as historically certain that Peter and the disciples had experiences after Jesus’ death in which Jesus
appeared to them as the risen Christ.”
-Gerd Ludemann, Critic of the historical resurrection story
FACT #3: On multiple occasions
and circumstances, different individuals and
groups of people experienced
appearances of Jesus alive from the dead.
The original disciples believed and preached that Jesus was risen from
the dead despite their having little to gain and much to lose.
FACT #4:
FACT #4: The original disciples
believed and preached that Jesus was risen
from the dead despite their having little to
gain and much to lose.
Their leader was dead. Nobody at that time
believed in a dying and rising messiah.
Why Does This Matter?
FACT #4: The original disciples
believed and preached that Jesus was risen
from the dead despite their having little to
gain and much to lose.
Jesus’s execution on the cross was viewed as someone who was
cursed by God.
Why Does This Matter?
FACT #4: The original disciples
believed and preached that Jesus was risen
from the dead despite their having little to
gain and much to lose.
“his body shall not remain overnight on the tree, but you shall surely bury
him that day, so that you do not defile the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance; for he who is hanged is accursed of God.”
Why Does This Matter?
Deut 21:23
FACT #4: The original disciples
believed and preached that Jesus was risen
from the dead despite their having little to
gain and much to lose.
Imagine the dismay and discouragement of the disciples after Jesus’ death, thinking they had left everything to follow an
accursed criminal. They were wrong and the Pharisees were right. Ouch.
Why Does This Matter?
FACT #4: The original disciples
believed and preached that Jesus was risen
from the dead despite their having little to
gain and much to lose.
They had given up everything for Jesus
and He was gone.
Why Does This Matter?
Yet despite all this, the disciples gave their LIVES and DEATHS to the preaching of the Resurrection
of Jesus Christ
What did they have to gain for this?
“Some sort of powerful, transformative experience is required to generate the sort of movement
earliest Christianity was.”
- Luke Johnson, a New Testament scholar ,Emory University
FACT #4: The original disciples
believed and preached that Jesus was risen
from the dead despite their having little to
gain and much to lose.
1. Hope gone after Jesus’ death 2. Nothing to gain much to lose 3. All disciples died to proclaim this!
“That is why, as a historian, I cannot explain the rise of early Christianity unless Jesus rose again, leaving an empty
tomb behind him.”
- NT Wright, British Theologian and Author
Why Does This Matter?
So what best explains these 4 historical facts?
FACT #1: Jesus was buried.
FACT #2: Women found the tomb empty on Easter
FACT #3: People experienced appearances of Jesus
FACT #4: The disciples preached the resurrection and were killed for it.
GOD RAISED JESUS FROM THE DEAD
But what if the disciples lied?
Burial
Empty Tomb
Appearances
Disciples Lives
Did the disciples
make up the resurrection
story?
X
X
X
The "cruncher" in this argument is the historical fact that no one, weak or strong, saint or sinner, Christian or
heretic, ever confessed, freely or under pressure, bribe or even torture, that the
whole story of the resurrection was a fake a lie, a deliberate deception…
Even when people broke under torture, denied Christ and worshiped Caesar, they
never let that cat out of the bag, never revealed that the resurrection was their
conspiracy.
No Christians believed the resurrection was a conspiracy; if they had, they wouldn't have become Christians.”
- Peter Kreeft
So what best explains these 4 historical facts?
GOD RAISED JESUS FROM THE DEAD
We have a solid foundation for the trust we place in
Jesus Christ.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His
abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of
Jesus Christ from the dead
to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in
heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to
be revealed in the last time.
1 Peter 1:3-5