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April 2, 2021 6:00 am
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You've read accounts in the Bible how Christ impacted so many people, but we really know very little about the lives of those early followers of Jesus chosen I've called you by name imagines what life was like for those who followed Christ based on the widely acclaimed TV series. The chosen this Focus on the Family book by best-selling author Jerry Jenkins rings color and depth of the people surrounding Christ. You can find out more@focusonthefamily.com/chosen history. The disciples were in unique position. They were there they encountered personally. The resurrected Jesus.
They knew is this a lie or is it the truth and knowing it was true they were willing to die for that proclamation.
That tells me something about the veracity of their life.
Well this Easter weekend. I wonder if you can celebrate with absolute confidence that Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead. We want to give you some reasons to believe today on Focus on the Family with your host focus president Jim Daly and I'm John Fuller, John we have a great message from Pastor Lee Strobel today detailing the facts surrounding the events that we commemorate this weekend from the day Good Friday through Easter Sunday as many of you know Lee is a best-selling author and he's the founding director of the Lee Strobel Center for evangelism and applied apologetics at Colorado Christian University right up the road. Yeah, it's a great place and I were so glad to have Lee today on this broadcast. This content is included in Lee's book the case for Easter and we got copies of that here at the ministry. Just follow the link in the show notes and here's Lee Strobel speaking at passion city church in Atlanta on today's episode of Focus on the Family were picking up right after his opening remark to some simple sets tell your story's true story. My story, it's a story that begins in atheist as I decided at a rather young age that God does not and cannot exist that God didn't create people, but people created God. Why because they're afraid of.
So they made up this idea of heaven in an afterlife to make themselves feel better about dying. That's what I thought I just thought the mere concept of an all loving, all-knowing, all powerful creator of the universe, it's crazy. Was even worth my time to check out the granite on the skeptical person sort in my DNA.
My background in journalism and law the magic with those two things together were kind of a jerk. The skeptical kind of a skeptic, I was legal editor of the Chicago Tribune newspaper and we used to pride ourselves on our skepticism, we would accept anybody's word at face value. Going always want to try to get to sources to confirm a fact before you print the newspaper. So, no kidding. We had a sign in our newsroom is said if your mother says she loves you, check it out she's lying. Got any proof to back that up.
And that's okay that's all right you want journals to be skeptical. Don't sometimes don't you wish there were more skeptical in their my problem was of my skepticism bubble over in the cynicism and it cemented me in my because I had no belief in God. I really lacked the moral framework for my life. Not saying all atheists think this winter so no way I looked at the world like the logic like them to be rational. So I said okay if there is no God. If there is no heaven. If there is no hell if there is no judgment if there is no ultimate accountability than the most logical way for me to live my life would be as a hedonist, someone who just pursues pleasure and that's what I did.
So I lived a very immoral and drunk and profane and narcissistic self absorbed really self-destructive in a lot of ways I was my life.
What people saw was me winning awards for investigative reporting. What they didn't see was the other side which was me literally drunk in the snow in an alley on Saturday night. I so much rage inside me so much anger if he asked back then what's the deal. What I told you, but looking back, it's clear what was I was always after the perfect time. I was always after the ultimate experience of pleasure. But guess what everything let me down. Nothing lived up to the hype side H number once less and I got an argument in our our our old daughter was there and I have so much rage. I just blew up and I kicked a hole right through her living room wall and my daughter's crying and Rachel and Leslie's crying and sigh K was just another day in the Strobel house.
They come in to tell you the ugliest thing about me which is in my little daughter Allison was just a toddler if she was alone in the living room, play some blocks, toys or whatever and she would hear me come home from work through the front door.
Her natural reaction was just together for toys and going to room and shut the door to be drunk again yelling and screaming and and and kicking holes in walls, leases, nice and quiet in here friends. That is the ugliest truth about me.
Leslie was agnostic.
She did know what to think about God, if you seen the movie on our life what's on Netflix. My voice was free. You'll know what happened is through the relationship that Lessig developed with a Christian woman who was a nurse who shared the gospel with her who brought her to church and after many months of checking things out, Leslie, came up to me and sadly I made a big decision in my life. I said what she said. I decided to become a follower of Jesus Christ. And I thought oh no for an atheist is the worst news you can get what she was an attorney underwrites a holy roller something I didn't know.
All I knew was this wasn't part of the deal.
Just what I signed up for first word went through my mind. Divorce but I stuck around and what a couple things happen. On the positive side there were a lot of changes in Leslie and her character in the way she related to me and the kids there were when some of them were attractive and and kind of pulled me toward faith, but at the same time I wanted our old life back.
I want to the old Leslie back and so I thought what can I do to get around the scope that she's got involved, so I got a good idea.
I'll just disprove Christianity's dinner out of this cold and we go back for life the way it was and so I thought how I do that you disprove proceeding. Actually I thought this is got to be pretty easy.
I think I can do in the weekend. And here's a three day weekend okay but because I knew the key to everything is the resurrection of Jesus. Why because Jesus in a variety of different ways directly and indirectly made transcendent and messianic and divine claims about himself. He claimed to be the son of God and one point he gets up before group. John 10 verse 30 and he says I am the father are one and the word in Greek there for one is not masculine is neuter, which means Jesus was not saying I am the father of the same person. You say I am the father are the same thing one in nature, one in essence and out of the audience understand what he was saying they think I'm so sick of you. You're just a man and your claim to be God. So Jesus claimed Minnesota so I can claim to be the son of God. You claim to be God. Anybody can claim to be God.
But Jesus claimed to be God die and then three days later rose from the dead. That's pretty good evidence is telling the truth right. That's why the resurrection is the linchpin of the Christian faith by the apostle Paul says in first Corinthians 15 verse 17 if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile.
You're still in your sins. What was he say he was saying what Christianity is an investigator both faith and if you investigating you find that the resurrection is not an actual historical event.
You are fully justified in walking away from the faith. That's how bold he was. Well I was a reporter for the Chicago Tribune. I've seen plenty of dead bodies I've not seen any of them come back to life. So I thought I could easily disprove that Jesus return from the dead as I want to kinda talk about what I discovered during what turned out to be a nearly 2 year investigation into the minutia of the resurrection of Jesus into the historical data organize the data for the resurrection. Using four words to begin with the D that way gives you a framework and a resume I do. This is a couple recent something you maybe like I was maybe a friend brought you today. You're not sure about this Christianity stuff and so for you. I hope these 40s give you some the think about whether or not this is based on fairy tales of make-believe. Wishful thinking, or actual historical truth and and for those of us were followers of Jesus, you know, first Peter 315 says that we are always be prepared to give an answer to anyone who asked us to give the reason for the hope that we have and to do it gently and respectfully. So this will give you a framework you can always remember what he asked you why should I believe Christianity is true you can say let me tell you about the for ease so one of the forest. I want to emphasize that when I did this investigation. I was a skeptic so I did not give the New Testament any special credence didn't consider to be inerrant, inspired the word of God. I do now, but I was a skeptic but I had to accept the New Testament for the undeniably is, which is a set of ancient historical writings, and I know just as you can investigate any ancient writings, whether by Suetonius or Tacitus or Josephus, you can take the same investigative techniques and apply them to the historical record for the resurrection to try to come to a verdict. Is Christianity true and so that's what I did for a year and nine months in my investigation.
So what are the four ease that summarize the evidence for the resurrection.
The first E stands for the word execution that Jesus was dead after being crucified and I learned very quickly, as I did my investigation. There is no dispute among scholars in the field. I might just talk about Christian scholars. I'm talk about the wide range of scholarship around the planet. There is virtually no dispute among ancient historians that Jesus was dead after being crucified under Pontius Pilate, while because when we study ancient history were lucky if we get one order or maybe two sources to confirm that, and yet for the death of Jesus. We not only have multiple early first century accounts in the records that are contained in the New Testament. We've also got five ancient sources outside the Bible confirming an corroborating.
His death we have Josephus of first century Jewish historian work for the Romans. Tacitus, another early historian Mary Mercer, Appian Lucian. Even the Jewish town and admits that Jesus was executed. In fact, no less of an authority than the peer-reviewed scientific medical Journal of the American Medical Association conducted an investigation into the evidence for the death of Jesus. Let me quote you their conclusion quote clearly the weight of the historical and medical evidence indicates that Jesus was dead even before the wound to his side was inflicted. The first is for execution. Jesus was dead.
The second EI think is the most fascinating stands for the word early. We have early accounts are early reports that Jesus rose from the dead. Another words reports to come virtually immediately after his death wise and important because, like a lot of skeptics I used to think that the resurrection of Jesus was a legend but what I learned decimates the claim that the resurrection is merely a legend follow me on this. I think this is fascinating. We have preserved for us a creed of the earliest Christians towards right there in the first century itself. These Christians would rally around this creed based on facts that they knew to be true. This creed contains the essence of Christianity is Jesus died. Why for since he was buried in the third day he rose from the dead and images to specific names of eyewitnesses and groups of eyewitnesses to whom he appeared appeared, including opponents and skeptics now. What's important about this creed is how immediately it developed after the death of Jesus. We set up time for legend to develop well we can delete this creed. How because he apostle Paul preserved for us. He wrote a letter about 22 to 25 years after the death of Jesus. He writes a letter to the church in Corinth, we call it first Corinthians if you want to look up the creed later prescriptive 15 starting at verse three. So he writes this letter 20 to 25 years after the death of Jesus and in the context of how he writes it, it suggested he had already given him this creed on an earlier visit. He was just repeating it in the letter so we can date the creed confidently to within 20 years of the death of Jesus that we could stop there. And that would be very impressive, historically speaking.
When you consider the first two biographies of Alexander the great by Irina Plutarch written 400 years after his life, and are generally considered reliable.
So 20 years is pretty good but we can go back to earlier how because we know this other Paul used to be Saul of Tarsus, a persecutor, a hater of Christians 1 to 3 years after the death of Jesus. He's on the road to Damascus only has this encounter with the risen Christ becomes the apostle Paul immediately goes into Damascus and me for some apostles.
Now, many scholars say this is when the apostles gave in this creed that he later shared with the church in Corinth.
Other scholars say wait a minute, maybe three years later three years later, Paul goes to Jerusalem any meat for 15 days with two eyewitnesses to the resurrection were named in the creed Peter and James and the Greek word that Paul uses in Galatians. To describe this 15 day meeting history say suggested this was investigative inquiry there checking each other out what you know what you see what you experienced there checking each other out. Many scholars say this is one, Paul was given the creed by two eyewitnesses named in the creed, but either way, this means within 1 to 6 years after the death of Jesus. This creed is already in existence, and therefore the beliefs that make up this creed go back even earlier virtually to the cross itself. So friends. The point is, there is no huge time gap between the death of Jesus and the later development of a legend that he rose from the dead. We got a newsflash goes right back to the beginning. In fact, nowhere ever in history we ever see a legend developing that fast and wiping out a solid core of historical truth is that the only early report we've got we got others in Matthew Mark Luke John the book of acts elsewhere in the epistles that were all circulating during the lifetimes of Jesus contemporaries would've been all too happy to point out the errors if they were making this stuff up friends. We got an execution. Jesus was dead. We have reports of his resurrection that are so early. You can't write them off as being a legend but that's not always God got 1/3 week word that begins with the E it's the word empty. We have an empty tomb historical record tells us a Jesus body was placed in a tomb belonging to Joseph of Arimathea member the Jewish Council. It was sealed. Matthew tells us it's guarded and yet it's a stubborn empty that first Easter morning. Now some critics believe as I used to believe that wave and I'll tell you why the tomb is empty. The body was never really. Don't you know they didn't bury crucifixion victims.
They left them on the cross be eaten by birds of a throne to the dogs. They didn't allow them to be buried. That's why the tomb was empty while we I checked it out. What I find I find that when you read the digest of which is a summary of the Roman law and procedure for the first century. It specifically says that crucifixion victims execution victims can be very not only that we have in 1968.
The remains of a crucifixion victim who had been buried there were discovered right there some mail from the first century.
He was executed. They found him with that spike.
Still, through his ankle bone. So we have archaeological evidence that yes some crucifixion victims at least were very good reason to believe that's what happened with Jesus. So what happened to them.
How did the tomb get empty you know how can we we know that it really was empty in the first Easter morning what we could talk the rest of the day about all the various strands of historical evidence that established the empty tomb, but I'm silly to be one fact this to me this this is conclusive. It is even the enemies of Jesus was empty. How do we know because when the disciples began proclaiming that Jesus had risen what the opponents of Jesus never said was baloney go up and that you will find the body that's all they needed to say it would put the onus on the disciples to prove it and say that what they say. We know from sources inside and outside the New Testament when the disciples began proclaiming that Jesus had risen what the opponents said was all well. The disciples stole the body. Think about that. What is that that's a cover story very implicitly conceding the tomb is empty. They're just trying to explain how it got empty. So, either explicitly or implicitly, both the supporters and the enemies of Jesus are saying the same thing that the tomb of Jesus was empty. I don't think that's ever been the question of history were all conceding that really the question of history is how did it get me. That is the question. So you look at the usual list of suspect aromas when about to steal the body they wanted Jesus dead the Jewish leaders of they were about to steal the body they wanted Jesus to stay that the disciples were about to steal the body. They didn't have them motivated and the means. I didn't have the opportunity. I think the best explanation for the tomb being empty is a Jesus physically returned from the dead, especially when we combine it with the fourth word begins with the E which is the word eyewitnesses. Not only was Jesus tomb discovered empty, but over a period of time.
Jesus appears alive in a dozen different instances the more than 515 people. People talk to him lately touched him. They ate with them.
I think of this amendment, we said earlier were lucky in ancient history.
If we have one or two sources to confirm the fact This for the conviction of the disciples that they encountered the resurrected Jesus.
We have no fewer than nine ancient sources inside and outside the New Testament, confirming and corroborated the conviction of the disciples that they encountered the resurrected Jesus friends, that is an all hands of historical data and of course the historical record tells us this experience revolutionized the lives of the disciples after Jesus is put to death. They're afraid to get executed. They go into hiding to go back to the fishing business and yet history undeniably tells us just a few weeks later, in the very same city were Jesus been executed.
These once cowardly disciples are now proclaiming with boldness the Jesus not only claim to be the son of God, he backed up that claim by returning from the dead and they were willing to proclaim that message to their deaths. Now how some of the disciples actually died gets a little cloudy in ancient history. But that's not my point. My point is their willingness to die. Why would I want to do that to say you saw on CNN that Jesus had risen no as I read a New York Times know is a Sunday school teacher told him no because they were there of all human beings you've ever lived in history.
The disciples were in unique position.
They were there they encountered personally.
The resurrected Jesus.
They knew for a fact is this a lie or is it the truth and knowing it was the truth. They were willing to die for that proclamation that tells me something about the veracity of their claims friends.
I spent almost 2 years of my life investigating the minutia historically around the resurrection of Jesus and all came down to a Sunday afternoon and I realize you know at some point.
Every juror needs to reach a verdict, and I thought you know what the evidence is in him after two years I think I'm in a find some newsflash some I miss my second reach a verdict.
So I sat down with all the evidence I've encountered over this two-tiered and massive volumes of material and I'm kinda sorting through and stop when the second step back and said you know, in the light of the avalanche of evidence supports so powerfully toward the truth of Christianity. I realized it would take more faith to maintain my atheism, Christian was my conclusion. It was like the scales just like this and I realize based on the historical data.
I was convinced Jesus not only claim to be the son of God, he backed up that claim. Returning from the dead and then you how I felt. I kind of felt let down. I did, I have a different two years should not shorten an angel appeared.now I'm in, that would be cool, some in earthquake would be great some dramatic.
It was kind of a letdown after two years is that it said it, but then I read a verse John 112 says, but as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in his name, and I realize okay believing the evidence concluding reaching the verdict that Jesus claim to be the son of God by returning from the dead. That's great. That's important. It's not enough.
It's not enough believe plus receive I had to receive receive what receive this free gift of forgiveness and eternal life that Jesus purchased for me on the cross when he died as my substitute to pay for all of my sin when I would receive this free gift of his grace, then I would become a child of God is.
So I got on my knees and I poured out a confession of a lifetime of immorality that would absolutely curl your hair.
And at that moment I received complete and total forgiveness through Jesus Christ and I became a child how John, I always love it when local accounts are backed up by nonreligious sources and Lee Strobel did such a great job sharing some of those today and if you're wishing you could explain this content to a friend the way Lee just don't worry.
It's all in his book the case for Easter and will send that out to you for a donation of any amount as you support the ministry or Focus on the Family if you can afford it will get it out. You will trust others will cover the cost because this is getting the word of God out to people and that's what I'm excited about. You might not know this but over the last year over 800 people each and every day have dedicated or read dedicated their lives to Jesus Christ through Focus on the Family and that's the most important thing that we do here. It's, it's the foundation for everything so please donate if you can so that we can reach even more families in Christ together.
You follow the link in the episode notes to get your copy of the case for Easter work because were closed for the holiday weekend. Give us a call on Monday at 880 for and as I mentioned earlier, we do have a CD of this message from it's got quite a bit of additional content and make a great resource for you to listen together as a family or to share with a friend, on behalf of Jim Daly and the entire team. Thanks for joining us today for this Focus on the Family podcast take a moment please give us a rating and sure about this episode with friend who perhaps to know about the facts regarding Easter. I'm John Fuller inviting you back next time. As we once more help you and your family thrive in Christ. Your marriage resource your venture is not a story content in front there are thousands of stories just like from Focus on the Family's legacy community folks to leave a legacy get through their well, trust or other estate planning tool helped have a godly family. Use your resources to help families for generations to come.
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