Resurrection

Introduction:

            The Resurrection of Jesus is of primary important to the Christian faith. “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless …we are of all to be pitied”

            Frank Morrision, an English advocate of the 20th Century wanted to write a book on the last phase of Jesus in order to strip it of its overgrows and primitive beliefs and dogmatic suppositious! At the end of the ten years study he wrote a completely different book titled “who moved the stone”. The first chapter in that book is titled “The book that refused to be written”

1. The Fact of the Resurrection:

            a)   Death burial and resurrection of Christ is the very basic/foundation                                        of Christian faith (vss3&4) of first importance.

            b)   “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless” (1cor. 15:17,19).

            c)   Even the disciples did not initially accept resurrection e.g. Thomas                wanted empirical evidence, proof of scientific mind (John 20:26-29).

            d)   Frank Morrision in his book “Who moved the stone” concludes          there certainly is a deep and profoundly historical basis for that sentence in the Apostles Creed – ‘The third day He rose again from dead’ (p. 192).

            e)   The Resurrection was an objective, historical event witness to by                                           over five hundred people (1cor 15:6).

            f)    The Resurrection was a physical event (John 21:1-12).

2. The Evidence of the Resurrection:

            a)   Two main evidences for the resurrection are the testimony of the                                           disciples and the empty tomb.

            b)   One of the significant accusations that the witnesses brought at                                            Jesus trial was concerning his prediction of the resurrection

                  (John 2:19; Mk. 8:31; 9:31; 10:33-34 and Matt 27:63).

            c)   Disappearance of the body- No body of Christ has ever found.

                  The Re-appearance of the Lord- numerous appearances and to                                             large numbers of people.

            d)   Emerging of the Church which is now worldwide.

            e)   Jesus was not rebuking Thomas for asking for proof. Faith without                            sign is not faith without reason. Thomas should believed the testimony of the disciples. We have credible evidence in the testimony of    the Apostles. When Thomas realized the fact of the resurrection he responded ‘My Lord and my God’. It changed his life.

            f)    Paul was transformed person after an encounter with the Jesus. He preached the ‘Risen Jesus’ after that.

3. The implications of the Resurrection:

            a)   Assurance of God’s forgiveness (Rom 6:23; Matt 26:28

            b)   Assurance of God’s power (Rom 8:11; Eph. 1:19-20).

            c)   Assurance of God’s ultimate triumph (1cor. 15:55-57).

            d)   All the disciples gave their everything were willing to die for the risen Christ.

            e)   Resurrection declared victory over sin and death (Rom 6:6-11).

            f)    Because of resurrection we have assurance of our own resurrection and hope for eternity (1 Cor. 15:20-21).

Conclusion: We have enough evidence to know that Jesus is risen. The only respond we can have is “My Lord and my God”. His resurrection gives us victory over sin and death. May we accept His Lordship and give our lives to Him.