He is risen indeed!
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Welcome.
Introduction
Title: He is not here; He has risen.
Title: He is not here; He has risen.
He is not here; he has risen.
Hymn:
I serve a risen Savior; He’s in the world today. I know that He is living, no matter what men may say. 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…
Today, we gather to celebrate
an unprecedented event in world history – the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. The church celebrates three important dates – Christmas, Good Friday and Easter. But if there were no Easter, Christmas is meaningless and Friday won’t be good. We won’t celebrate any of them.
Do you know he lives? Does He live in you? What a difference He makes? What a difference it makes in our lives that Jesus lives in us! My car – Jesus is alive! We live and die; Christ died and lived!
Muhammad
The world touts many great men, many religious leaders but if you visit their tombs, you will find their remains inside.
Muhammad was buried in the Al-Masjid an-Nabawi ("Mosque of the Prophet") in the city of Medina in Saudi Arabia.
The Buddha's body was cremated and the relics were placed in monuments. For example, the Temple of the Tooth in Sri Lanka is the place where the right tooth relic of Buddha is kept at present.
The remains of Bahá'u'lláh, founder of the Bahá'í Faith can be found in the the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh , located in Bahji, Israel.
The tomb of Christ is famous because of what it DOES NOT CONTAIN.” Sam Morris.
The resurrection places Jesus in a category all by Himself. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
Christianity is based upon the well-documented historical fact of crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Without these two facts, there won’t be a church. The truth of Christianity is based solidly on the bodily resurrection of Christ.
Questions
Whenever we contemplate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, a few questions arise. You will notice that at Christmas and Easter, you can usually expect the media to put out an article, a documentary that takes shots at Christianity. These do not build faith but do the opposite create more doubt and confusion. For example, MacLeans March 2016 issue asks the provocative question: Did Jesus really exist?
Whatever objections people have to the resurrection can be refuted. Many scholars have done that. There is a renowned NT scholar Dr. Gary Habermas who has extensively studied the life of Jesus.
Whatever objections people have to the resurrection can be refuted. Many scholars have done that. There is a renowned NT scholar Dr. Gary Habermas who has extensively studied the life of Jesus and does just that.“There is no historic incident better or more variously supported than the resurrection of Christ.
“There is no historic incident better or more variously supported than the resurrection of Christ.” Brooke Foss Wescott.
“There is more evidence that Jesus rose from the dead than there is that Julius Caesar ever lived or that Alexander the Great died at the age of thirty-three.” Billy Graham.
Sir Lionel Alfred Luckhoo (2 March 1914 – 12 December 1997) was a Guyana-born politician, diplomat, and well-known lawyer, famed for his 245 consecutive successful defences in murder cases.
"I humbly add I have spent more than 42 years as a defense trial lawyer appearing in many parts of the world ... I say unequivocally the evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is so overwhelming that it compels acceptance by proof which leaves absolutely no room for doubt." – Sir Lionel Luckhoo
“No matter how devastating our struggles, disappointments, and troubles are, they are only temporary. No matter what happens to you, no matter the depth of tragedy or pain you face, no matter how death stalks you and your loved ones, the Resurrection promises you a future of immeasurable good.” Josh McDowell.
v. The angel did not remove the stone so Jesus could leave the tomb but so that the disciples and others can go in and see. An empty tomb is there to prove my Saviour lives!vi.
Ill- Aunty Veira.
Jesus declared- “I am the First and the Last. 18 I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore.”
Let us examine an eyewitness historical account of the resurrection as recorded by a tax-collector, someone who had the ability because of training in accounts to keep meticulous records. .
Let us examine an eyewitness historical account of the resurrection as recorded by a tax-collector, someone who had the ability because of training in accounts to keep meticulous records. .
“No matter how devastating our struggles, disappointments, and troubles are, they are only temporary. No matter what happens to you, no matter the depth of tragedy or pain you face, no matter how death stalks you and your loved ones, the Resurrection promises you a future of immeasurable good.” Josh McDowelld.
I want us to follow three individuals/groups to see how they responded to Jesus death and resurrection.
How will you respond to the resurrection of Jesus?
Three responses -
.1. Did Jesus really rise from the dead?2. What does the resurrection mean to me today?
Prop: The resurrection is mankind’s greatest hope.
1. Joseph of Arimathea: A rich man who loved Jesus
1. Joseph of Arimathea: A rich man who loved Jesus
As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away.
: 57-60
As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus.
Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him.
Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,
and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away.
Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea, and he himself was waiting for the kingdom of God.
:
Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea, and he himself was waiting for the kingdom of God.
We know few things about Joseph.
We know few things about Joseph.
We know few things about Joseph.
:
There are some common objections people have to the resurrection.a. “The disciples fabricated the resurrection.” c. “The disciples suffered from some sort of hallucination.”d. “The women and the disciples went to the wrong tomb.”e. “Jesus did not actually die and simply awoke in the tomb.”f. “The person killed was a look-alike of Jesus.”a) Objection: “The disciples fabricated the resurrection.” Answer: Hmmm, why? There is no reason for the disciples to have fabricated the resurrection of Jesus. Their loyalty to Jesus had already cost them more than they were comfortable with, so, why would they make up something that would get them into more trouble? What would they gain by doing so? Who would continue to claim they saw something they didn’t when it threatened their livelihood then their freedom and then their very lives. Eventually, in a group of eleven, it breaks down…but it didn’t!The disciples themselves did not believe when the women said HE is risen. Remember Thomas - “I have the see the nails in His hands before I believe.” b) Objection: “The Gospels set forth one of many ancient resurrection stories!” Answer: There are NO ancient resurrection stories like the one recorded in the New Testament. No one anticipated a physical resurrection. c) Objection: “The disciples suffered from some sort of hallucination.” Answer: A hallucination is a private, individual phenomenon, so a common event arrived at via the physical senses cannot be a “hallucination.” How can all the disciples have the same hallucination at the same time? How is it possible that 500 people [] had the identical hallucination m at the same time?d) Objection: “The women and the disciples went to the wrong tomb.” Answer: This one is so laughable that it barely deserves a response. It is not as if there were tombs all over Jerusalem for Jews generally avoided all grave sites like the plague and professional stone cut ones were rare. Moreover, Jerusalem, then and now, is not hard to find your way around. The Scriptures clearly tell us where he was laid. Joseph of Arimathea, a rich man and member of the Sanhedrin council, had a tomb in close proximity to the crucifixion site. He and Nicodemus, both members of the ruling religious council, the Sanhedrin, went to Pilate to request the body of Jesus. That’s where he was laid. If Mary and the disciple went to the wrong tomb to find Jesus, there is an easy solution. The answer to this is simply find the right tomb. It shouldn’t be difficult.e) Disciples stole the body. The chief priests instructed the guards. 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.’Jesus’s body was under heavy guard, how can some disciples who were so scared that they all fled from him, one naked, the night he was betrayed, muster enough courage to dare such a venture. That would be a suicide mission. The disciples never believed He would rise again. It was unprecedented.f) Swoon theory. The Romans were experts at killing. Jesus was severely scourged before he was placed o the cross. Many died of shock from such beatings. He was nailed to cross, the cruelest form of execution invented. They plunged a spear into his side. They certified him dead and as a result did not break his bones. Jesus body was wrapped in strips of linen soaked in 75 pounds of spices, myrrh and aloes. He could not have swooned from that. Surviving all of this should alone make him superhuman.g) Mistaken identity - a likeness of Him.Some news reported may say tomorrow - This is not Rob. This is someone looking like Rob. A case of mistaken identity. The solution will be either one of two things – produce the authentic Rob Ford or let those closest to him identify him.
We know few things about Joseph.
A member of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council/ supreme court. Remember Nicodemus.
Not just a member but a prominent member, outstanding, highly-respected.
God has many people serving Him in different strata of society.
A good and upright man, a righteous man [Luke 23.50]
He was a rich man. It does not matter whether someone is rich or not, we all need Jesus.
He was a rich man. It does not matter whether someone is rich or not, we all need Jesus.
There was something about Jesus that attracted this man Joseph. Something that tugged his heart. Regardless of his wealth and social prominence, he had a need in his heart for God, for meaning.
He was waiting for manifestation of the kingdom of God. [Luke 23.51]
He had become a disciple of Jesus
There was something about Jesus that attracted this man Joseph. Something that tugged his heart. Regardless of his wealth and social prominence, he had a need in his heart for God, for meaning.
There was something about Jesus that attracted this man Joseph. Something that tugged his heart. Regardless of his wealth and social prominence, he had a need in his heart for God, for meaning.
He did not approve the decision to hand Jesus over to be crucified.
Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man,
He ha
who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea, and he himself was waiting for the kingdom of God.
There was something about Jesus that attracted this man Joseph. Something that tugged his heart. Regardless of his wealth and social prominence, he had a need in his heart for God, for meaning.
He had become a disciple of Jesus
He had become a disciple of Jesus
He was waiting for manifestation of the kingdom of God.
He did not approve the decision to hand Jesus over to be crucified.
Now this God-fearing aristocrat, rich man with influence was going to step forward boldly to be counted as someone who loved Jesus.
-I love when men and women of stature take their stand for God.
-went boldly to Pilate, asked for the body of Jesus, bought some linen cloth and wrapped the body of Jesus in it. He then put the body in a his own tomb, a new tomb, no one had been laid inside.
-Your tomb is your burial place, a place where after you are gone, people can visit to remember you, your legacy.
-If any close friend or relative had come to him, he probably would have said: “No way! Go get your won tomb!”
Joseph of Arimathea was saying, “When people look at my life and reflect upon it, I want them to see Jesus.”
His love for Jesus, his dedication to Him were manifested in this act.
His was a response of love.
2a. The guards: Persisting in denial.
2a. The guards: Persisting in denial.
The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate.
“Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’
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.”
“Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.”
The chief priests and Pharisees went to Pilate. They called Jesus the deceiver, completely oblivious to the fact that they were living in deception. Satan is the great deceiver. He leads the whole world astray [Rev.]
The chief priests and Pharisees went to Pilate. They called Jesus the deceiver, completely oblivious to the fact that they were living in deception. Satan is the great deceiver. He leads the whole world astray [Rev.]
The New International Version Chapter 4
4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
Make the tomb secure. They made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone - Refers to pressing wax or clay between the stone and the tomb entrance and then stamping it with an imperial insignia. If the seal was broken, they’ll know it was tampered with.
Make the tomb secure. They made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone - Refers to pressing wax or clay between the stone and the tomb entrance and then stamping it with an imperial insignia. If the seal was broken, they’ll know it was tampered with.
The grave was secured in three ways -
a large stone
a seal
Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
guards
How many of you know that no stone, no seal, no guard can withstand the power of Christ?
“No grave can hold my body down....”
Let’s leave the skeptics a little while and talk about the women -
They responded by skepticism.
3. The women: those who stuck with Jesus.
3. The women: those who stuck with Jesus.
and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out;
Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.
The New International Version Chapter 27
55 Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. 56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.
Matt. 27.
Song- At the foot of the Cross.
v61. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.
Get the picture - women following Jesus during His three year ministry, sticking with Him at crucifixion, enduring all the horrors of that cruel day. Hearts are broken, wrenched from them. They must have been crying, mourning, wailing, screaming.
v61. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.
The New International Version. (2011). (). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
He’s dead, buried, laid in a tomb. They cannot get to Him anymore. They didn’t even know how they will move the stone.
But they were still sticking with Jesus. What faith! What tenacity! What perseverance! They were not fickle-hearted.
We see so many today who are quick to quit. Quit following the Lord, leaving the church, for one reason or another. We can learn from the example of these women.
They witnessed the greatest miracle, the biggest story of the universe! When you stick with Jesus, you will see God come through for you also.
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
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.
His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.
The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.
He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.
Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”
So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.
Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him.
Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
: 1-
They believed Him deep down in their hearts and were committed fully to Him. When everyone thought it was over, He was finished, they kept following. But in the same manner some persist in faith, others persist in denial and skepticism. Nothing will change their minds-
They responded by commitment.
2b. The guards -skeptics who persist in denial.
2b. The guards -skeptics who persist in denial.
While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened.
When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money,
telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’
If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.”
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.
: 11-
The skeptics.
The guards who were the agents of the Pilate and the priests, with perhaps the same perception of Christ, returned to report what had happened. What was the response of the priests? Did they fall on their knees and weep, being remorseful that they had crucified the Son of God? Did they repent? Did they acknowledge, they were wrong?
Muslims say “Man planned and Allah planned.” As if the death of Jesus was a miscalculation. As if Jesus lost when He was nailed to a cross. That’s the feeling you get many times about good Friday. Look what we did to a good man! It took Jesus by surprise. What they forget is that Jesus was born to die. His death was predicted in the OT way back in , the very moment man sinned. “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” God told Abraham when he was offering up his son, God will indeed provide Himself a sacrifice.”We see the death of Jesus vividly in the Passover observance. ‘Because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. “He will see the light of life and be satisfied.” "For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" ().“And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. :31Saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles: And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again. -34But after that I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee. :28Some may say he engineered, he orchestrated his death but no. He came to die and knew He would. He prophesied His betrayal, scourging, crucifixion, burial and resurrection. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father." Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” I hope we can be more strengthened in our faith today that Jesus is risen and this was His plan all the while. He came to die for our sins and prove that He alone is the Messiah and Savior of the world by being raised from the dead.
When faced with the truth, that revealed the error of their decision and the position they held, they simply decided to cover it up with lies. And of course, money, and power.
a. Jesus is unique.
Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the innocent.
When faced with the truth, that revealed the error of their decision and the position they held, they simply decided to cover it up with lies. And of course, money. and power.
The wicked accept bribes in secret to pervert the course of justice.
The truth would have jeopardized their hold of power, as well Pilate’s.
Jesus declared- “I am the First and the Last. 18 I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore.”b.
I thought that if you can convince someone of the truth they will turn to Christ. But not everyone is interested in the truth. People love their lives of comfort, living how they want.
“You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
“What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him.
:
This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.
“No matter how devastating our struggles, disappointments, and troubles are, they are only temporary. No matter what happens to you, no matter the depth of tragedy or pain you face, no matter how death stalks you and your loved ones, the Resurrection promises you a future of immeasurable good.” Josh McDowelld.
Those who choose to persist in skepticism will sadly realize it comes to an end at death. There are no atheists, unbelievers, skeptics, agnostics at the judgement and in hell. Everyone’s a believer in eternity but their conversion may be too late.
Conclusion
Conclusion
The death and resurrection of Jesus places humanity into two groups before God. Those who believe and those who do not.
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.
for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Romans 10
Which one of these three groups do you find yourself in today?
Are you like Joseph, a man who loved Jesus and took his stand against the authorities. he was bold and unashamed.
Are you like the women, who stuck with Jesus all the way and witnessed the resurrection?
Or are you an unbelieving skeptic, continuing in doubt, unbelief, skepticism, refusing to accept whatever God is revealing to you?
God pleads with us to come to Him. Come follow Jesus.
Take the resurrection and the life.
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;
and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;
and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
Jesus wept.
Hope of future resurrection. i. The Scriptures teach of the resurrection of the righteous and wicked, the just and unjust. The resurrection of Jesus is the firstfruits of the resurrection of the just. That’s why He is called the firstborn from among the dead in and “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” . 20ii. “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. 25 Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.28 “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned.……………….“If Jesus rose from the dead, then you have to accept all that he said; if he didn't rise from the dead, then why worry about any of what he said? The issue on which everything hangs is not whether or not you like his teaching but whether or not he rose from the dead.”