2021-04-04 Easter Sunday: Jesus is Alive! - Danforth ...
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2021-04-04 Easter Sunday: Jesus is Alive!
[Reasons to believe the Resurrection is true]
Welcome to “Resurrection Sunday,” A.K.A. Easter Sunday, the commemoration and
celebration by Christians of the day Jesus rose from the grave.
● You might wonder why I’m introducing Easter Sunday and Resurrection
Sunday with this description.
● That’s because we live in a very post-Christian culture today, meaning the
majority of people in our society don’t know that Easter Sunday is actually
Resurrection Sunday.
● If church-attendance is not in your weekly habit now or recent personal
experience, then the fact may have escaped your attention that “Easter” is
actually about the week of Jesus’ being arrested, tried, flogged, illegally
and illegitimately found guilty, crucified, buried and then on Sunday rose
from the grave!
● Yet I also think it enriches our lives - all people’s lives - to know the truth,
to know history, how we got to where we are. Knowing history enriches
what we experience and celebrate today.
● Now I don’t decry or condemn in any way Easter chocolates and candy
eggs and the like. I rather think dark chocolate bunnies are
delicious…even though I should stay away from them. Haha!
● Did you know - this is a “freebie extra” - the countries that are the
highest per capita consumption of chocolate in the world?
● Switzerland with almost 20 lbs!
● Germany with slightly less
● and Austria is right up there, too.
● Closely followed now by the Ireland, the UK and Denmark.
● But now back on track…
If you’re currently a daily follower of Jesus you might be also wondering why I’d take
time for this explanation, too. (Not the stuff about chocolate, but rather the stuff about
Resurrection Sunday).)
You might be mistaken or simply unaware of why this explanation is for all of us who are
daily imitators of Jesus.
These preparatory remarks aren’t just for some so-called “them” who don’t attend;
rather they are very much for the so-called “us” who do attend worship services
regularly - even if online or over the phone !
● Why is that?
● It’s because we’re being true to who we are, true to who Jesus called us to
be, and true to working with love and devotion toward being like Jesus in
all we do.● And that means making disciples like he did.
● You see, we know “we exist to be AND to make fully committed imitators
of Jesus” everywhere we may happen to be.
● And THAT means we need to be aware of how we’re engaging with
people who are all around us all the time - people who are seeking,
searching, or not even seeking and searching!
● Missionary statesman Leslie Newbigin said it some years ago this
way: If the biblical story is not the one that really controls our
thinking, then inevitably we shall be swept into the story that the
world tells about itself. (“It’s all just about you, baby”) We shall
become increasingly indistinguishable from the pagan world of
which we are part.
Last Sunday we looked at The Wonder of Resurrection when Jesus raised Lazarus from
the dead. This event took place later in Jesus’ public ministry, a major miraculous event
not too long before Jesus’ own death and resurrection. And in that passage we saw
Jesus talking to Martha, stating it very personally, “I AM the resurrection and the life!”
And on Good Friday we looked at the Cost of New Life, that all have sinned and fallen
short of the glory - the perfection, the sinlessness - of God. And since the wages - the
payment, the cost - of our sin is eternal separation from God, because it’s an eternal
debt, we will never be able to pay off our own let alone anyone else’s.
So we’re in a conundrum: We can’t pay our debt, nor can we pay anyone else’s sin
debt. THIS is the necessity of salvation. We need someone else to save us,
because we’re rather stuck in our conundrum.And HERE is the reason for salvation: John 3:16-18
● “16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever
believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not
send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the
world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not
condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already,
because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”
● And this, from 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For our sake he made him (Jesus) to
be sin who knew no sin, that in him we might become the righteousness of
God.”
For those who have put their faith in Jesus already, who already believe He is the Son
of God, that he came, he was born of a virgin, that he lived a sinless life, that he died
being crucified, was buried and was raised from the dead on the third day later, TODAY
is a day of rejoicing!
This is illustrated so well in the story I shared with the Wednesday evening Caring
Connection crowd:
● Robert Russell was pastoring SE Christian Church in Lexington, KY.
Their church was putting on an Easter Pageant - like a play or musical - a
few years ago. He was sitting in the audience, behind a mom with a 5 year
old boy in front of him. Like you and me, he was as interested in the 5
year’s response as he was the pageant itself.
● Pastor Russell said this, “when the crucifixion scene took place, he got
real quiet. But then Jesus came back from the grave, and there was a
song of celebration, and his eyes lit up. He looked at his mother and said,
‘He’s alive, Mom! He’s alive!’ And began to clap and hugged her around
the neck.”
● Can’t you just picture it, the irrepressible excitement of a child! There’s
nothing like it.
But maybe you’re sitting there listening today and thinking,
● “Nice story. Nice story about the boy watching a pageant. But kids also get
excited about the story of the Easter bunny and Santa Claus, too. That
doesn’t make them real.”
● Maybe you’re thinking as some commonly say on social media or other
platforms that the resurrection of Jesus is just that, a story. A creation. A
tale told by some men and women for their own gain and advantage.
● Or maybe you consider yourself a religious person, a spiritually minded
person, open minded, even generously a Christian of sorts, too.
Progressively minded. Realistically minded. We don’t need stories of
miracles and even the resurrection itself to honour Jesus as a good man,
maybe even a sinless man, a man who’s teachings have changed the
world for the better. We can simply be inspired by his life, his example, his
teachings and leave it at that. We don’t need this resurrection stuff.Now if you’re listening and you don’t yet believe, you’re not yet convinced, let me ask for
you indulgence for just a moment. Here’s what we’re going to do, and this is good for
both you and for those who do believe:
1. We’re going to read the story - the historical account from eye witnesses
that meets even the standards to credibility today. The same as testimony
in a court of law, it’s important to hear the real story from these people of
what happened.
2. And then, second, we’re going to look quickly/briefly at WHY it’s
reasonable to believe this story is actually true. AND, for those who
already believe, this is important because today more than ever in our
lifetimes, you and I must know how to uphold the credibility of the Gospel
testimony in the face in increasing scepticism today.
3. And this is the Witnesses to the Resurrection, the reasons for the
veracity - the truth - of the resurrection.
So, let’s turn to Luke chapter 24 in our Bible’s today.
Luke 23:56b, Luke 24:1-12
On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment. 1 But on the first day of
the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2
And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in they did
not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two
men stood by them in dazzling apparel. 5 And as they were frightened and bowed their
faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the
dead? 6 He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in
Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be
crucified and on the third day rise.” 8 And they remembered his words, 9 and returning
from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now it was
Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with
them who told these things to the apostles, 11 but these words seemed to them an idle
tale, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and
looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what
had happened.”
● Witnesses to the resurrection:
● Roman soldiers, who at risk of death abandoned their station and fled the
tomb, sacrificed their reputations bearing witness to the resurrection to the
Jewish and Roman authorities, and accepted bribes to lie about what they
saw.
● Women: Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and other
women. If the story if false, why make women the first witnesses? Not
credible in 1st Century Roman or Jewish culture.
● Peter and John: If they were lying, why’d they pay such personal costs to
do so? All the 12: What did they gain? Gold, glory or girls? Nope. None ofthose. Some might die for the truth, but who’d willingly suffer repeatedly,
life long, and die for a lie?
Notice this, too:
● Not only did the Roman soldiers bear witness to an empty tomb, the
earthquake, the blinding light, the Roman seal broken, the stone rolled
away, and the body - but not the grave clothes - gone…
● the Jewish leaders in the Biblical record did not even act surprised when
told of the resurrection, and they immediately bribed the men to lie: Why
bribe people to tell the truth? No, they bribed them to lie.
Five Contemporary Witnesses:
How many of you like crime dramas? Police shows where they have to figure out either
in the moment who’s doing it, or detectives at work after the fact figuring out the guilty
parties? Maybe it’s in written novel form, or maybe you enjoy them in serial TV, Netflix
or some other platform, or even on the big screen at a cinema.
You love watching the mind work, collecting, sorting, and figuring out how all these
clues, facts, testimonies work together to reveal the truth.
Whether it’s the police, the detective, the investigator, all rely on the expert witness on
the stand - the specialist in their area of expertise, the one who has built and is testifying
on their knowledge from deep study.
One of the best ways we can demonstrate the truth of the resurrection today is from
contemporary expert witnesses. And I want to share 5 of them with you today:
1. Antony Flew (Professor of Philosophy at Oxford, and in particular the
philosophy of religion - famous for his atheism, even a signatory of the
Humanist Manifesto III in 2003; Flew died in 2010, but in his time was
widely considered one of the greatest critics of Christianity.
● YET in 2004 he changed his position radically shocking the
academic world and beyond, and stated that he now believed in the
existence of an Intelligent Creator of the universe ): “The
evidence for the resurrection is better than for claimed miracles in
any other religion. It’s outstandingly different in quality and
quantity.” Antony Flew & Gary Habermas, “My Pilgrimage from
Atheism to Theism” Philosophia Christi vol. 6, no. 2 (2004): 209.
● Antony Flew - Wikipedia
2. Gary Habermas
● Habermas was initially a skeptic himself who converted upon
investigating. 4. * Gary Habermas, “Hallucination Theories to
Explain Jesus’ Resurrection?” Christian Research Journal, Vol. 23,
No. 4, 2001● In 1985, Habermas debated the then prominent atheist and
evidentialist philosopher, Antony Flew , on the question of Jesus’
resurrection as a literal and historical/physical event, before a 3000
attendees. The debate was judged by five philosophers and five
professional debate judges. Of the philosophers who judged on the
content of the debate, four voted that Habermas won and the other
was undecided. Of the debate judges who voted on debate
technique, three voted for Habermas while two voted for Flew.[3]
● The judge declaring it a draw confessed, “I would think it was time I
began to take the resurrection seriously.” Did Jesus Rise from the
Dead? The Resurrection Debate (Harper & Row, 1987), xiv.
● Dr. Gary R. Habermas - Online Resource for the Resurrection of
Jesus Christ
3. Pinchas Lapide was a prominent Israeli historian, publishing over 35
books.
● He became so convinced by the historical evidence that God raised
Jesus that, before dying a staunch Jew, he published a book on the
evidence titled The Resurrection of Jesus: A Jewish Perspective
(1977).
4. Lee Strobel Strobel was an atheist . He was the legal editor for and an
investigative journalist for the Chicago Tribune.
● He began investigating the biblical claims about
[Christ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_(title)) after his wife’s
conversion. Prompted by the results of his investigation, he became
a Christian at the age of 29.[10][11]
● Strobel was an atheist when he began investigating the biblical
claims about [Christ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_(title))
after his wife's conversion. Prompted by the results of his
investigation, he became a Christian at the age of 29.[10][11]
● Lee Strobel The Case for Christ / … Faith/ …Resurrection/ etc.
5. J. Warner Wallace, cold-case homicide detective
● J. Warner Wallace - Wikipedia
● During his law enforcement career, Wallace served on a number of
assignments, including SWAT, Gang Detail, and Robbery
Homicide. He was also one of the founding members of the
Torrance Police Department’s Cold-Case Homicide Unit.
● As a homicide detective, Wallace has investigated a number of
high-profile cold-case murders.
● His cases have been featured on Dateline (NBC)[2] and North
Mission Road (truTV). As a founding member of the Torrance
Police Department Cold-Case Homicide Unit, Wallace earned the
Sustained Superiority Award from the South Bay Police and Fire
Medal of Valor committee.[3] He also won the 2015 CaliforniaPeace Officer Association COPSWEST Award for best solved cold
case.[4]
● In 1996, Wallace became a Christian at the age of 35, after
investigating the gospels as potential eyewitness accounts to the
life of Jesus.[5]
Summary of Gary Habermas’ work:
(source: https://answersingenesis.org/jesus-christ/resurrection/infallible-proofs/)
(see also: https://answersingenesis.org/jesus-christ/resurrection/biblical-and-extra-
biblical-evidences/ )
From this research Habermas has been able to show that of the 3,400 works studied,
the majority of contemporary writers today accept the following 12 events as historical
fact:
1. Jesus died by crucifixion.
2. Jesus was buried.
3. His death caused the disciples to despair and lose hope, believing that his life
was ended.
4. The tomb was empty a few days later.
5. The disciples had experiences that they believed were literal appearances of the
risen Jesus.
6. The disciples were transformed from doubters who were afraid to identify
themselves with Jesus to bold proclaimers of His death and Resurrection.
7. This message was the center of preaching in the early church.
8. This message was especially proclaimed in Jerusalem, where Jesus died and
was buried shortly before.
9. The church was born in Jerusalem and grew rapidly.
10. Orthodox Jews who believed in Jesus made Sunday their primary day of
worship.
11. James, the half-brother of Jesus, converted to the faith when he saw what he
believed was the resurrected Jesus.
12. Paul was converted to the faith after his experience which he believed was with
the risen Jesus.
Further, if we compare the alternative theories of what happened to the body of Jesus
with these 12 facts, we quickly see that none of these views can even come close to
matching the evidence. Habermas has gone one step further and reduced this list to just
the top five evidences, which he calls the “minimal facts”:
1. Jesus died by crucifixion.
2. His disciples believed that He rose and appeared to them.
3. The church persecutor Paul was suddenly changed.
4. The skeptic James, brother of Jesus, was suddenly changed.
5. The tomb was empty.To make this list, each of these points had to meet two criteria: (1) the data are strongly evidenced, and (2) the data are granted by virtually all scholars on the subject, even the skeptical ones. So even if we were to use the criteria set forth by critical and skeptical scholars, the conclusion that Jesus rose from the dead is still the most reasonable explanation of the facts concerning what happened to His body on that first Easter morning. In closing, I want to share two passages of Scripture which are of paramount importance to each of us despite the status of our faith today: 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 1 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. This is actually considered the oldest or earliest portion of Scripture in the entire NT. And it follows a particular form, too. When Paul says here “For I delivered to you as of first important what I also received…“ does that sound familiar? If you’re a practicing Christian, it should; or even if just from earlier in this service when we took communion. It’s the same phrase Paul uses in 1 Cor. ch. 11. And that repetition of form should catch our attention. It is both a Greek, Roman and Jewish formal form of witness, the passing on of an oral tradition. Thus, even secular historians recognize the form, which points to the veracity of that statement that follows about the Gospel, which includes the resurrection. And notice what Paul is saying here: He’s repeating what has already been said. It’s already been passed down from person to person, leader to leader, city to city, church to church. This is not “new” in that moment: It’s already history. Paul wrote his letter to the church at Corinth around AD 55, some 25 years later. He had delivered this creed to them when he visited Corinth in AD 51. Few dates could be more certain, because while he was there he was hauled up before the Roman proconsul Gallio (Acts 18:12-17). Gallio, who subsequently conspired against Nero, was the brother of the philosopher Seneca. Proconsulship was a one year post and a Roman stone inscription found early in the 20th century at nearby Delphi records his period of office as being AD 51-52. This date is so firmly established that it has become one of the lynchpins for working out the dates of the rest of New Testament chronology.” [“The Resurrection of Jesus and the Witness of Paul,” (2008) online a bethinking.org]
If you have been listening to the prompting, the convicting work of the Holy Spirit in your
life and during this sermon, then you need to hear or hear-again this final passage from
Romans 10:9-10: “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord (God-your God)
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Not only Christianity as a whole, but our individual, very personal faith and salvation,
rest upon the truth of the resurrection. And God has made sure that we have an
overwhelming abundance of evidence that Jesus was a real person, Jesus was
crucified by the Romans, and even that Jesus was raised from the dead.
So the call to us is to both repent and rejoice today:
● Repent from our wilful ways, turn 180 degrees to follow Jesus, and
● To rejoice in Christ our risen Lord!
The One who was, is and is to come, the One who is King of heaven and earth and all
creation, came, lived, died and was raised to new life, ascended to heaven, and is
coming again soon. He died so that you and I can have eternal life with him, new life
with him in this life and the next.
Will you repent and rejoice in Him today?
Let me close with this four line anonymous poem and prayer with and for you today:
Full many a king a golden crown has worn,
But only one a diadem of thorn:
Full many a king has sat on jeweled throne;
But only One hung on a Cross alone.
(Anonymous)
(Prayer, including salvation (repentance) and rejoicing)
Benediction blessing.
Extra resources:
• https://crossexamined.org/did-the-historical-jesus-rise-from-the-dead/
• https://answersingenesis.org/jesus/resurrection/learn-to-defend-resurrection/You can also read
