In this program, Chip tells us the integrity of the Christian message hinges on the resurrection of Jesus. If Jesus didn’t rise from death to life, none of the other tenets of the faith matter. Well, you gotta live before you can die. So, Chip begins with a look at the proofs of Christ’s life in Israel, and what the historical record says.
Main Points
Did Jesus really exist?
- Biblical manuscripts: quality and quantity
- 25,000 New Testament documents that authenticate the reality of Jesus Christ
- External verification: Josephus (Jewish historian), Pliny, Tacitus (Roman historians)
What was Jesus really like?
- Friend and foe agree: great man, moral teacher
- Claimed sinless life = John 8:46
- Affirmed by history and impact
The works of Jesus went unchallenged.
- Fact of miracles, feeding 5000 not disputed
- Eyewitness accounts validated miracles
- Critics never claimed He didn’t perform miracles; they questioned His source of power to do them = Matthew 12:24
Who did Jesus actually claim to be?
- His own claim = John 14:6
- God’s claim = Mark 9:7
- His followers’ claim = Mark 8:27-30
- His enemies’ claim = John 10:33
- External sources’ claim – Pliny, AD 111
- By fulfillment of over 700 Old Testament prophecies
Did Jesus really die?
- At the time both friend and foe thought He died
- His flogging, beating, and crucifixion
- Medical evidence: water and blood indicate puncture of pericardium
- By burial preparation: 70 pounds of spices and linen
His tomb was public and secure.
- Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb: a high-profile member of the Sanhedrin
- Roman guards
- Roman seal
- Size of tombstone: would take up to 25 men to roll away
- Penalty of death for guards sleeping
Could Jesus’ resurrection possibly be true?
- Predicted by Old Testament prophets hundreds of years earlier
- Jesus predicted it openly and repeatedly
- Appeared to over 500 eyewitnesses in 12 different locations over 40 days
- Transformation of the disciples
- Conversion of Saul of Tarsus
- Transformation of Roman empire and the world
- Best legal minds: the evidence is conclusive!
- My testimony: “He changed my life.â€
What does this mean for you?
- It validates Jesus’ claim that He is the way, the truth, and the life. = John 14:6
- It gives you absolute hope for the future. = John 14:19
- It offers spiritual life right now! = John 3:16-17
- If you believe Jesus rose from the dead, you have all the power you need to be a Christian who lives like a Christian by His grace.
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About Chip Ingram
Chip Ingram’s passion is helping Christians really live like Christians. As a pastor, author, and teacher for more than three decades, Chip has helped believers around the world move from spiritual spectators to healthy, authent
