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THE TOMB of JESUS Easter 2007 4/5/07 We Are Here This Morning

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THE TOMB of JESUS Easter 2007 4/5/07 We Are Here This Morning THE TOMB OF JESUS Easter 2007 4/5/07 We are here this morning to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ and to worship our risen Lord. Christianity is at its very heart a resurrection religion. If you remove the resurrection, Christianity is destroyed. Christ deliberately staked his credibility upon his resurrection. Twenty times in the gospel accounts we find Jesus announcing that He would rise from the dead We find the disciples proclaiming Jesus’ resurrection 145 times in the book of Acts alone. Historian Philip Schaff writes “The resurrection of Christ is therefore emphatically a test question upon which depends the truth or falsehood of the Christian religion.” On Sunday, March 4th the Discovery Channel aired a so-called documentary called, The Lost Tomb of Jesus. Movie director James Cameron (Titanic) claims that he has found the lost tomb of Jesus in Jerusalem. Along with Jesus’ tomb he claims to have found graves in the same general area of Jesus’ mother, father, supposed wife, (Mary Magdalene), and a son, Judah. A headline in the New York Time’s blog read “Raising the Titanic, Sinking Christianity?” Time followed, proclaiming that “this time the ship sinking is Christianity.” If indeed they have found the remains of Jesus, then Christianity has been debunked once and for all. But the question remains, “Is the tomb Cameron found really the tomb of Jesus? The site of Jesus’ supposed tomb was first found and excavated 27 years ago. Prominent Israeli archeologist Amos Kloner conducted extensive work and research on this tomb and its ossuaries ten years ago. He dismisses the claim that this could be the tomb of the family of Jesus. Kloner: “It’s a beautiful story but without any proof whatsoever . The inscription ‘Jesus the son of Joseph’ has been found on 3 or 4 other ossuaries. These are common names.” Lawrence Steigler of Harvard University told National Public Radio that Cameron’s claim “sounds rather preposterous.” William Dever, considered by many the leading U.S. scholar on biblical archeology, told The Washington Post, “I’m not a believer. I don’t have a dog in this fight. I’ve known about these ossuaries for many years and so have many other archaeologists and none of us thought it was much of a story, because these are rather common Jewish names from that period.” World Magazine 3/17/07: “Practically every archeologist outside the ones Cameron interviewed dismissed the film as shoddy science at best and willful manipulation with a profit motive at worst.” If Cameron had truly found the tomb of Jesus, then the foundation of Christianity would have been shattered. No body realized the significance of the resurrection more than the apostles. The Apostle Paul clearly addresses this in 1 Corinthians 15 1. If Christ Didn’t Rise From The Dead, The Christian Faith Is Not True. 15:12-20 12-14 If Christ was not resurrected, the apostle’s preaching is useless. 2 vain- means meaningless, empty, futile 15 If Christ was not resurrected, the apostles were liars. 16-17 If Christ was not resurrected we are not saved. Our faith is worthless. We’re not forgiven. 18 If Christ was not resurrected, all those who have trusted Christ throughout history have simply perished. Our loved ones have died, been buried, and cease to exist 19 If Christ was not resurrected, we Christians are of all people most to be pitied. We’re fools. We are living our lives for a lie. The millions of Christians who have died as martyrs over the centuries, died needlessly. We Christians are wasting our lives on a hoax. 20 But Christ did rise from the dead And that changes everything Christ is the Savior The gospel is true There is forgiveness Life does have meaning There is hope for here and hereafter. But how does Paul know that Christ rose from the dead? 2. Many People’s Lives Were Changed After Encountering The Resurrected Jesus. 1 Corinthians 15:3-9 5a Cephas (Peter) 3 He had cursed and denied knowing Jesus after Christ was taken captive. Fifty days later we find him boldly proclaiming the resurrected Christ to a hostile crowd. Cf Acts 2 He was ultimately willingly crucified upside down for His faith in Christ. 5b The twelve No person today could possibly be any more skeptical than the disciples were when they were first told that Christ had risen. Thomas is one example. He went from doubting Thomas to believing Thomas after seeing the resurrected Jesus. Lk 20:24-28; John 20 He died for his faith, being thrust through with a lance in India. 6 More than 500 at one time There is an implied invitation for them to check it out. 7 James James was Jesus’ half-brother. Mt 13:55 He had been an unbelieving skeptic during Jesus’ earthly ministry. John 7:5 James thought Jesus had lost His senses and tried to dissuade Him. Mk 3:20-21 He apparently didn’t come to faith until after the resurrection. James went on to become the head of the church in Jerusalem and wrote the Epistle of James in the Bible. He was stoned to death for his faith around 62AD 8-9 Paul Paul was originally an enemy of Christ and Christianity 4 He zealously persecuted the early church. Acts 8:1-3 Yet he was marvelously converted after seeing the resurrected Jesus. Acts 9:1ff He gave up everything to follow Christ. Philippians 3:4-8 The resurrection became the theme of his preaching. cf I Corinthians 15:1-10; Acts 13:28-39; 17:18, 30-34; 23:6ff He suffered greatly proclaiming the message of Christ’s death and resurrection. 2 Corinthians 11:23-29; 2 Timothy 2:8-9 He was later beheaded in Rome, holding to his faith. All these people were willing to die, still testifying that they had seen and interacted with the resurrected Jesus.. There are three things of which they were certain. They were certain that He had really died. They were certain that the tomb was empty They were certain that they had seen, talked to, eaten with, and watched the ascension of the resurrected Jesus. 3. The Resurrection Is Good News. Because Christ rose from the dead we have hope that we too will be resurrected as He promised. In the last few weeks I have spoken to several people who have recently lost a father or mother to death. It is the hope of the resurrection that gives them comfort. I have spoken to another person who is in the process of dying. It is the resurrection that gives this person the courage to face the future. LETTER- ROB HOLMAN’S FRIEND 5 Christ’s resurrection gives hope to the mother of a dying child. It gives a widow courage as she stands beside a fresh grave The resurrection gives a dying person hope to face the future It gives hope to the blind or deaf or paralyzed as they think of the life beyond It provides hope when a family receives the tragic news that their dad was killed in a car crash A world without the resurrection is a world without hope. Because He lives we can have confidence in our faith. Christ is the Savior. The gospel is true. We can truly can be forgiven. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 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, John 3:16-18 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18 "He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. Life does not end at the grave. John 11:25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, 6.
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