Grosey's Messages

The Evidence Of The Resurrection    Luke 24, 1 Corinthians 15

Luke 24 : 1 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. 2 And 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 perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing; 5 and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, "Why do you seek the living One among the dead? 6 "He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, 7 saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again." 8 And they remembered His words, 9 and returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now they were Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James; also the other women with them were telling these things to the apostles. 11 But these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe them. 12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he *saw the linen wrappings only; and he went away to his home, marveling at what had happened.

36 While they were telling these things, He Himself stood in their midst and *said to them, "Peace be to you." 37 But they were startled and frightened and thought that they were seeing 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 While they still could not believe it because of their joy and amazement, He said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?" 42 They gave Him a piece of a broiled fish; 43 and He took it and ate it before them. 44 Now He said to them, "These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled." 45 Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and He said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 "You are witnesses of these things. 49 "And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high."

1 Corinthians 15: 1 Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which 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 according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; 7 then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; 8 and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.

11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

12 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? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. 15 Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; 17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied. 20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. 21 For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.

 

The Sydney Morning Herald recently recorded the death of an extraordinary man. He was Sir Lionel Luckhoo. The Herald called him the "Perry Mason of the Caribbean." And that he was. He had 245 consecutive successful defences in murder cases. Even the fictional Perry Mason lost a case after seventy acquittals. The Guinness Book of Records lists Sir Lionel as the world's most successful advocate. Sir Lionel was a most humble man. You would not have guessed he was knighted twice by the Queen of England, successfully argued cases before the Privy Council and was at one stage Ambassador in England for two independent countries. However, Sir Lionel shared that in spite of all his fame, court success, power and wealth he felt empty inside. The older he got the more meaningless life appeared. He said, "I had no peace." Then at age 63 he heard about the resurrection of Jesus. He personally checked it out using his legal skills. He found that the message of Jesus' resurrection satisfied not only his heart but his mind. He at age 63 checked out the facts and declared, "I have spent more than forty-two years as a defence trial lawyer 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!"  He gave his life to Jesus. He said the transformation was immediate. It's the resurrection and its evidential power that is a convincing convicting argument.

It was the New Testament argument in the book of Acts. 

Acts 2: 23 this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. 24 "But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.

Acts 3: 14 "But you disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 but put to death the Prince of life, the one whom God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are witnesses. 26 "For you first, God raised up His Servant and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways."

Acts 4:8Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers and elders of the people, 9 if we are on trial today for a benefit done to a sick man, as to how this man has been made well, 10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead--by this name this man stands here before you in good health.

Acts 5:29  But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than men. 30 "The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross. 31 "He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. 32 "And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him."

Acts 17: 18 And also some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers were conversing with him. Some were saying, "What would this idle babbler wish to say?" Others, "He seems to be a proclaimer of strange deities,"--because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection. 30 "Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, 31 because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead."

Do you notice that word Proof? The Lord has given irrefutable proof of the truth of Christianity to all men. The proof He offers is the proof of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. and this is proof adequate for all men. No matter how skeptical. No matter how ignorant. An examination of the resurrection is sufficient to convince any mind that He is the Christ, the Messiah. It does not mean that a  person will be converted by this knowledge. The New birth only occurs when the Holy  Spirit convicts a person of their sin and their need for a Saviour.  But our minds can be convinced. Our hearts must be converted.

What's The Real Evidence for the Resurrection?

To establish the resurrection one must be able to prove two things. It's not complicated really. One must show Jesus was dead at point A—beyond resuscitation. Secondly it must be shown he was alive at point B—at a later date. If someone is dead then alive, the only reasonable inference is resurrection. And if that happened Jesus deserves to be worshipped as Lord, as he has defeated our universal enemy—death.

What is the case for Jesus being dead at point A? Well let's act as a jury and look at the evidence.

We have the eyewitness accounts in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John that are found in the New Testament. They clearly testify Jesus was crucified until dead. A spear was even thrust into his side bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. He was dead. 

Some sceptics like Dan Brown in the Da Vinci Code say, "Look he just swooned death and was later revived and pretended he died". But can you imagine a man whipped to the point of death, as Jesus was, hanging on a cross with a spear thrust in his side, being able to jump around three days later convincing every he was 100% fit? Even the famous skeptic about Christian things David Strauss, admitted the old swoon theory is a greater miracle than the resurrection itself! Most liberal scholars invent the swoon theory because they will never accept any miracle – miracles aren't sophisticated enough for them – but yet they can't avoid the empty tomb. Their conclusions for a lawyer are biased and ridiculous.

And the Gospels that record the death of Jesus are most reliable. The former Chief Justice of New South Wales, Sir Leslie Herron stated, "Let any objective reader put side by side the four Gospels and he will be struck, as any Judge accustomed to evaluate evidence is always struck, with one outstanding fact. It is this: that while they may be a great variety of detail or form of expression or narration of or emphasis put on occurrences, underneath it all, the substance and the weight of the narration are true." Sir Leslie was one who really knew what reliable evidence was.

The New Testament gospels document that Jesus was dead. But of course there is other historical evidence that Jesus was dead at point A. The Jewish historian Josephus affirms his death as does the Roman Tacitus who states Jesus was put to death by Pontius Pilate.

Alive at point B

What is the evidence for Jesus being alive at Point B.

5 E's to remember:

You can use these 5'es with your family and friends at Easter.

You can use these 5 E's in sharing with others at any time. The disciples didn't wait for Easter to share this each day.  The book of Acts tells us that the resurrection of Jesus was a key part of sharing the gospel.

Paul tells us here in 1 Corinthians 15 that the resurrection of Jesus from the dead is a key part of the gospel itself. Listen to how the Apostle Paul shared the news in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, verses 3–5. These few verses all agree, even sceptics, was a creed the first Christians shared when they meet. Paul said "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance^: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve."

THE EMPTY TOMB

To secure the body, a Roman guard was placed outside the tomb. Such a guard would have consisted of 16 soldiers, with a disciplined rotation for sleeping at night (every four hours, four would switch). The guards all faced the rigid Roman penalty of crucifixion if they slept outside of the assigned shift or deserted their post. The idea that all guards were asleep, considering the death penalty, is especially unreasonable.

To further ensure safekeeping, a two-ton stone was rolled in front of the tomb with Pontius Pilate's seal on it. Breaking the seal without the official Roman guard's approval meant crucifixion upside down.

The central issue -- unexplainable by Jewish leaders, especially in light of the many precautions -- is:

What Happened To Jesus Corpse If He Did Not Rise From The Dead As Indicated In the Gospel Accounts?

The official explanation is that the disciples stole the body while the guards were asleep (with the priests protecting the guards from the governor). This story was necessary only because no one could produce a dead body of Jesus, which would have stopped the resurrection story forever. Is a theft of Jesus body even remotely possible given that:

All 16 guards would have had to risk the penalty of crucifixion by sleeping while on duty or deserting. Surely at least one guard would be awake.

The disciples were in a state of shock, fear, and disarray, having seen their Master crucified. Is it reasonable to think they quickly created a brilliant plan and flawlessly executed it on the Sabbath day of rest?

What possible motive could the disciples have? If Jesus was not the Son of God as He claimed, stealing the body would create a lie with no apparent benefit, and death for no purpose for the disciples.

If Jesus was not dead, what are the chances that a barely living person could move a two-ton rock from the inside of a tomb and escape a full Roman guard unnoticed?

Was the body stolen at night? Recognizing that no flashlights nor infrared sensors were available then, is it likely that a band of scared disciples carrying torches could bypass a full Roman guard, move a two-ton rock, and not be noticed? Furthermore, the Sabbath greatly limited movement. And again, for what motive?

The Jews and Romans had no motive to steal the body. Christ's apostles were too cowardly and would have had to overcome the Roman guards. The women who found the tomb empty had earlier watched Jesus being laid away; they knew where the correct tomb was. Even if they had gone to the wrong tomb, the Sanhedrin could have produced the body from the right tomb to stop the resurrection stories. Jesus' burial cloths were left neatly folded inside, hardly the act of hurrying grave robbers. Angels said Jesus had risen from the dead.

 

THE EYEWITNESS TESTIMONY

A large crowd of more than 500 eyewitnesses saw the risen Jesus Christ at the same time. The Apostle Paul records this event in 1 Corinthians 15:6. He states that most of these men and women were still alive when he wrote this letter, about 55 A.D. Undoubtedly they told others about this miracle. Today, psychologists say it would be impossible for a large crowd of people to have had the same hallucination at once. Smaller groups also saw the risen Christ, such as the apostles, and Cleopas and his companion. They all saw the same thing, and in the case of the apostles, they touched Jesus and watched him eat food. The hallucination theory is further debunked because after the ascension of Jesus into heaven, sightings of him stopped.

Well we have the direct eyewitness accounts of the disciples and others recoded for us in the reliable Gospel accounts. And as Clarrie Briese, former Chief Magistrate of New South Wales says these testimonies have a real ring of truth to them. He says, they tell the story "warts and all". He further states "the witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus Christ are witnesses of the highest credibility."

The Apostle Paul also goes on to list there were over five hundred witnesses (1 Corinthians chapter 15). He records a superb witness list to the fact of resurrection, that included people who were initially sceptical but saw the risen Christ and then believed. He is saying to the reader, here are names, check it out.

Eyewitnesses to the Truth Died to Tell the Story

Martyrdom for a belief is not unique. But what kind of person would die for a known lie? Someone insane? Would all the disciples face hardship and death for a known lie? The disciples were with Jesus constantly for three years. They would certainly know the truth of the resurrection. Lying would serve no purpose since Jesus' ministry would then be moot. Yet historical record and reports about the disciples indicated they all died cruel deaths for their beliefs (except John). James was stoned, Peter was crucified upside down, Paul was beheaded, Thaddaeus was killed with arrows, Matthew and James (Zebedee) faced sword deaths and other believers were crucified.

The women eyewitnesses are further proof that the Gospels are accurate historical records.

Luke records Luke 24:10 Now they were Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James; also the other women with them were telling these things to the apostles. 11 But these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe them. 12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings only; and he went away to his home, marveling at what had happened.

If the accounts had been made up, no ancient author would have used women for witnesses to Christ's resurrection. Women were second-class citizens in Bible times; their testimony was not even allowed in court. Yet the Bible says the risen Christ first appeared to Mary Magdalene and the other women. Even the apostles did not believe Mary when she told them the tomb was empty. Jesus, who always had special respect for these women, honoured them as the first eyewitnesses to his resurrection. The male Gospel writers had no choice but to report this embarrassing act of God's favour because that was how it happened.

 

THE EXISTENCE OF AN ENERGISED CHURCH

After the crucifixion, Jesus' apostles hid behind locked doors, terrified they would be executed next. But something changed them from cowards to bold preachers. Anyone who understands human character knows people do not change that much without some major influence. That influence was seeing their Master, bodily risen from the dead. Christ appeared to them in the locked room, on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, and on the Mount of Olives. After seeing Jesus alive, Peter and the others left the locked room and preached the risen Christ, unafraid of what would happen to them. They quit hiding because they knew the truth. They finally understood that Jesus is God incarnate, who saves people from sin.

Apart from the eyewitness accounts there is circumstantial evidence. For example, no one ever produced Jesus' body to refute the claim. The Romans certainly didn't want any rumours out there about this crucified Jesus being a resurrected Messiah and Lord. But no one produced the body to kill the story.  Also why would the Jewish followers of Jesus change their day of worship from the sacred Saturday Sabbath to Sunday unless they truly believed he was risen? The tomb was empty.

And look at the impact the message He is Risen has had on our society. Lord Hailsham, one of the most significant lawyers of our age stated, "Our whole system of education, public or private, our network of hospitals, our social security system itself, have each a clear origin in this Christian foundation. The tomb was empty, Jesus is alive! 

A converted cannibal was sitting by the fire cooking and reading his Bible when an anthropologist walked by and said "Modern man has rejected that book. It is a pack of lies and you shouldn't waste your time reading it. The cannibal looked him over from head to toe and said, "If it wasn't for this book, you'd be on that fire."

The conversion of Paul records the most drastically changed life in the Bible. As Saul of Tarsus, he was an aggressive persecutor of the early church. When the risen Christ appeared to Paul on the Damascus Road, Paul became Christianity's most determined missionary. He endured five floggings, three beatings, three shipwrecks, a stoning, poverty, and years of ridicule. Finally, the Roman emperor Nero had Paul beheaded because the apostle refused to deny his faith in Jesus. What could make a person willingly accept—even welcome—such hardships? Christians believe the conversion of Paul came about because he encountered Jesus Christ who had risen from the dead.

 

THE EVIDENCE OF EXPERIENCE

Paul noted that ; 8 and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.

Paul, a leading executor of Christians, gave up wealth, power, and comfort upon seeing the resurrected Christ, then wrote most of the New Testament. Two Sanhedrin members (not present when the Sanhedrin sentenced Jesus to death) were secret disciples. Unbelieving natural brothers of Jesus later became believers after the resurrection.

We can join with millions of people saying Christ is Risen—He is Risen indeed! The ultimate proof we have of this is that when we put our trust in Jesus he comes into our lives. He transforms us and walks with us. We discover it is true that God loves us so much that he sent his only Son into the world to die for us. To God we are significant. Underneath Rome lie some 900 miles of carved caves where over seven million Christians, executed for their beliefs, were buried. Other believers hid and worshiped in these caves during the height of Christian persecution. The earliest known inscriptions in the walls were dated A.D. 70. Some early occupants probably communicated directly with eyewitnesses of Jesus. Since about A.D. 400, the Catacombs were buried and "forgotten" for over 1000 years. In 1578 they were rediscovered by accident. Today they can be seen as silent memorials to many who died rather than curse Jesus or bow down to an emperor's statue. Christian martyrs differed greatly from other world martyrs in that historical facts were the foundation of their beliefs -- facts verifiable at the time -- not just ideas

 

THE EVIDENCE OF EVALUATION

The Lord Jesus Christ asked His disciples gathered in that upper room to evaluate the events they had seen of His resurrection against the Old Testament scriptures: Luke 24: 44 Now He said to them, "These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled."

The Lord Jesus expected them to look at these scriptures, and at the events that had unfolded before their eyes and evaluate that He is most certainly the Christ, the Messiah promised from the day of the Fall in the Garden of Eden, promised in the Psalms (Psalm 16, Psalm 22), promised in the Prophets (Isaiah 53 and throughout Isaiah, Jeremiah 31), promised in the Mosaic Law as the prophet to follow Moses.  The disciples were to evaluate this. And commit themselves to Him who is their Saviour.  You are asked to make that same Evaluation.  Is Jesus risen? Yes! Is He the Messiah promised in the Scriptures? Yes!  You are called upon to commit yourself to this same Messiah, this same Saviour, this same Lord.  Will you do that today?

 

As the hymn writer wrote, "Thine is the glory, Risen conquering Son, endless is the victory Thou o'er death has won. Jesus meets us, Risen from the tomb, longingly he greets us, scatters fear and doom." Our hope is the truth He is Risen.

Sir Lionel Luckhoo said of his commitment to the risen Christ, "From that day my life changed. My life took a 180-degree change. I found real peace and happiness and joy." If we want forgiveness and power for living it's truly found in the crucified and risen Christ.

You can find Pardon for your past.

54 But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, "Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; 57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

You can find Promise for Your Future

You can find Power for Your Present

58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.