130414 Evidence for the Resurrection

1 Corinthians 15:1-8, Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2. and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4. That he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5. And that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.

It is interesting to me that in the first century questions were raised and answered about the validity of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. I have often said that if Jesus were not raised then the Romans would have produced the body. The Romans ran a very tight government and controlled everything around them for hundreds of years. They had no regard for civil rights or human rights and would have crushed this new religion if there was no resurrection. Paul now tells us of the eyewitnesses he knew about. So far as we know, Paul was not in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection. I believe he would've made mention of it if he had been there. Now, he lists for us several eyewitnesses.

The empty tomb is one evidence of the resurrection but it is not proof of the resurrection. There are ways it could be explained. Over the centuries the empty tomb has been explained in many ways beginning with the religious leaders saying that Jesus' disciples stole the body. Everybody knows that crowd was not even brave enough to stand up for him much less overcome a troop of guards and hide his body and then "pretend" that he had been raised from the dead. No one person, much less a group of people, would be able to act with boldness and courage even to death to defend a lie! Paul's arguments were based on Scripture and eyewitnesses. Eyewitness testimony is the best testimony in any questionable situation. The more witnesses the better. Now Paul said that certain things happened…

According to the Scriptures. Paul patterned his life after the teaching of Scripture and we must also. If your faith is simply a matter of your own opinion it is empty and useless. If your faith is based on the living Word of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Bible will come alive to you as the written Word of God. According to the Scriptures…

Christ died for our sins. Listen while I read from the prophet Zechariah 13:7, “Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who stands next to me,” declares the LORD of hosts. “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered; I will turn my hand against the little ones. (see also Isaiah 53)

About five hundred years before the birth of Christ (in the case of Isaiah 700 years) a very clear prophecy was put forth about the servant of the Lord, or the shepherd. In both cases God's servant (Jesus) would suffer and die. Isaiah goes into more detail by clearly presenting what happened to Jesus. Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures and according to the Scriptures…

He was raised on the third day. Listen while I read from Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost. Acts 2:22-32, “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— 23. this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. 25. For David says concerning him, “‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; 26. Therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope. 27. For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. 28. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’ 29. “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, 31. he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.

Peter clearly understood the words of David as predicting that Jesus would be raised up. And they stood before the crowd as eyewitnesses of the resurrected Christ. Jesus himself saw the symbolism of Jonah being three days in the belly of the fish as picturing, or foreshadowing, his own descent into the grave and resurrection on the third day.

The evidence is overwhelming that…

Jesus appeared alive after his crucifixion.

To Cephas (Peter). The various eyewitness accounts give a different sequence of appearances. Paul wasn't trying to accurately list in chronological order the appearances of Jesus but simply to provide proof of the evidence for his resurrection. Listen while I read from Luke's account. Luke 24:33-35, And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34. Saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” 35. Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Here we find the gospel historian, Luke, recording what he had been told of the eyewitnesses. The people in this story were the two men on their way to Emmaus who were intercepted by Jesus. Jesus had told them, from all the Scriptures, the things concerning himself. He began by saying that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and enter into his glory. They had heard the women say that Jesus was raised from the dead but left town without any further proof. When Jesus broke bread with them they suddenly understood who he was and rushed back into town to tell the others of their experience only to find that they had missed seeing him in the upper room. However, I'm sure their walk and talk on the road to Emmaus would burn in their hearts until they stood before the throne in heaven. And then, as they recounting this Jesus appeared…

To all the twelve. Listen while I read further, Luke 24:36-43, As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” 37. But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. 38. And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39. See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40. And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41. And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” 42. They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43. And he took it and ate before them.

Oh, how wonderful it would have been to be in that room when the living Lord Jesus stood in their midst and proved that he wasn't a ghost. He encouraged them to look at his feet and his hands. Though he now lived in his resurrection body he still has the scars that he earned atoning for our sin. I suspect that part of our being like him when he returns will include scars earned in service to him. His heavenly body, or resurrection body, still has flesh and bones but they are perfect flesh and bones! Yes, Jesus appeared to the twelve after he had appeared to Simon Peter and the women and the two disciples on the road to Emmaus.

Paul goes on to say that at one point Jesus appeared to above five hundred brothers at one time and that most of them were still alive at the time of Paul's writing to the Corinthians. During the next 40 days Jesus would appear…

To many more. Luke wrote the gospel that bears his name and he also wrote the Book of Acts. Listen while I read from the beginning of that book. Acts 1:1-3, In the first book, (The Gospel of Luke) O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2. Until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3. He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

Jesus' disciples saw him many times during the 40 days he walked on earth after his resurrection. He did this to prove beyond a shadow of doubt that he was alive. You see, many of them had seen him being beaten and abused in the courtyard and through the streets of Jerusalem. Many of them had seen him hanging on the cross and saw the soldier push the spear into his side. They had seen him die! They had seen Nicodemus and Joseph take him down off the cross and take him away to Joseph's tomb. And, by the way, that too was according to the Scriptures. Isaiah had said, "…they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death," All of this had happened in the presence of the eyewitnesses who later became the eyewitnesses of his life in victory over death!

All of this became a large part of…

Paul's gospel. Paul did not speak of "the gospel". Instead, he spoke of "my gospel" and he considered it to be unique. It was the gospel…

That he preached. Listen to what Paul wrote to the Corinthians. 1 Corinthians 1:20-25, Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21. For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23. But we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24. But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

God, in his wisdom, had turned away from human wisdom and instead had turned to what the world thinks of as foolishness. The world demands some kind of demonstration of God's power to convince them. Like the crowd by the seashore whom Jesus fed with the lad's lunch. They would follow him if he gave them some demonstration of power. Paul preached Christ crucified, buried and raised again. And he wanted us to understand that this risen Lord is alive.

What he taught them was the same gospel that has been taught around the world in thousands of different cultures and languages for the past 2000 years. It doesn't matter where you turn for evidence everyone is saved by grace through faith in the living Lord Jesus Christ and not by works of righteousness.

The gospel Paul preached is the same as…

That which we received. The simplest presentation of the gospel is found in what we call the "Roman Road" look at the simple power for salvation found in the gospel we received. Romans 3:23, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God All includes everybody! The standard is set too high for a human to reach. Because the standard of perfection is the glory of God. Without a doubt all fall short of that standard. We are all in the same boat and faced with the same justice! Look at Romans 6:23, For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. As Jerry Clower would say, "If that's the case we are in a heap of trouble." All have sinned and the wages of sin is death. We are all in a hopeless mess. It's good news that the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus but how do we get there? Look at, Romans 5:8, but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. What a great demonstration of love. Without waiting for mankind to become good (which would be a hopeless wait) in fact, while we were still sinners Christ died for us. He took our sins into his own body and nailed them to the cross. In so doing he put them as far away from us as the east is from the west or, in another example, he put them in the bottom of the sea. Both of those are Old Testament prophecies. The wages sin is death. All have sinned. If we pay the price for our sin we are dead! Jesus paid the debt he did not owe and we could not pay. So that, we find in Romans 10:9-10, … if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

Never say, about salvation, "You simply have to…". There is nothing simple about the perfect Son of God paying the price for our sin. There's nothing simple about speaking the words, "Jesus is Lord". There needs to be a sense of God's call, or drawing, of a person to salvation and a change in their heart that causes them to believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. And with such belief they can proclaim that Jesus as their Lord and Savior. This was the gospel…

That Paul had received. Paul wrote to the Galatians the following words. Galatians 1:11-12, For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel. 12. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

"… Not man's gospel." There are lots of human teachers who present a false gospel usually based on giving them wealth and power. Paul would have none of that! He did not receive his gospel at Bible school or seminary. He was an opponent of the gospel to the point of bringing people to trial and execution for simply believing in Jesus Christ. On the road to Damascus Paul was struck down by Jesus himself and called to salvation. He spent three years preaching "his Gospel" before he went up to Jerusalem to meet with the apostles. When he did they did not correct anything he had been teaching. He left Jerusalem and spent another 12 years preaching without any apostolic direction before he was brought into prominence as an elder of the church in Antioch.

Everywhere Paul went he preached Jesus and the resurrection. It didn't matter whether he was talking to workers on the street or speaking to the philosophers on Mars Hill in Athens he preached the same thing because only in that message is there power to change the heart and mind of fallen mankind. The resurrection is absolutely essential!

If Christ was not raised then Christianity is an empty shell and our faith is empty as well. Religion has some value in that it provides spiritual discipline for its followers. However, a religion that is not focused on the living Lord Jesus Christ is ultimately empty. This is not a human opinion it is based on the word of God. Peter stood before the ruling Council and said, "… there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." Only in Christ Jesus is salvation. The greatest evidence for the resurrection is a life that has been changed by faith in Jesus Christ. Turn to him in faith and he will receive you and save you.

All scripture quotes from:The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.