Why I Believe - Why I Believe in the Resurrection, Part 2

What if Jesus didn't really die what he was simply unconscious or able to achieve some catatonic state doesn't really matter. Can we know for sure that's today. Thanks for listening. This addition of Living on the Edge with children Living on the Edges of international discipleship during the daily Bible were gratefully joined us as we pick up where we left off in our series why I believe less time to tackle the question did Jesus actually rise from the dead by walking us through the historical life and ministry.

Is that broadcast any other series catch up anytime through the chip Esther begins the second half of his talk he reminds us why Jesus literal physical death crucial piece of evidence for his resurrection: start did Jesus really.maybe he took you have heard people say maybe took some special herbs and he got his heart rate no way way way slow and it only appeared as though he die see if Jesus didn't die when he wasn't resurrected and if is not resurrected, atheist, and the apostle Paul would agree. Nothing works everything rises and falls on the resurrection, and so let's look and ask ourselves did, in fact, he really die at the time of his death. Both friend and foe thought he died. Why the Roman guards were the most formidable group of soldiers in the world. I think Navy SEALs in our day. They were professional executors.

There was a reason why they didn't break his legs because he was already dead but but to make sure they took a spear and they put it in a side and if any of you doctors here are the people into biology. You know that around the heart is called the pericardial sac. There's a fluid around the heart and it says when that spear went in both water and blood comes out putting a spear right through someone's heart is a pretty high indication that he actually was killed but it goes beyond that boy be on the medical evidence he has a burial in which about 70 pounds of spices and linen are wrapped around it. It's it's absolute absolutely incredible to think that he didn't die. His burial was secure within the next line of argument is okay if I assume he's a good man. If I really believe he did those miracles and if I believe he really died. Maybe the disciples actually went to the wrong tomb. Maybe it's just a really big mistake.

Well, his tone was very public and was very secure. A man named Joseph of Arimathea who was a wealthy high-profile member of the Sanhedrin, the Roman guards.

They put a seal on this burial spot. Everyone knew where was the size of the tomb. I wish you could've been there. I wish you could see it.

I've actually been to Israel and and watched right there at the garden tomb and the tomb is think we tend to think of like graves like we have is more like a cave and there was an opening in the cave and then there was this long.

Kind of like a ditch about this deep and a huge stone that weighed tons it took for five men and then would drop in and so it was then had a Roman seal around it and so that burial grave was absolutely secure. Some say it would take up to 25 people to move that stone and so as we go through the line of thinking.

His death was undisputed. His burial was public and secure, and I think at this point, then you get where you start to weigh this evidence and I love what someone has done what is the evidence is there any convincing evidence.

In other words, if we took all that we could know in history and all that we know from the New Testament documents and all that we know from extra biblical resources and we could just sort of weigh them like a lawyer ways evidence is there enough evidence to convict Jesus being raised from the dead and now this is really interesting because I don't know why but it seems like lawyers find themselves doing this and then something amazing happens to their life. There was a lawyer named Simon Greenlee he actually was one of the founders of Harvard Law school. He was an atheist and want to for students who was a evangelical believer questioned him and said you shouldn't dig into all the evidence and weigh it just like you would in a trial and see what happens while he ends up becoming a Christian, a man named Frank Morris an earlier time. Same thing was an atheist. He decided he is going to check it out and he'll destroy this whole story and he became the author of a book called who move the stone a Josh McDowell did the same thing in our day a guy named Lee Strobel. He was a journalist and he decided you know his wife would come to know Christ and he thought oh my gosh I have such a great wife, but she is off on this religious tangent and he shares in his book the case for Christ. He says you know her life was so winsome, so loving it had such an impact that she began to follow Jesus and he said I had to explore it for myself. I had to disapprove it to show her that this is just a fairytale so what I want to do someone a walk through some very specific evidence that legal mines have gone through to ask and answer the question. Could this possibly be true. And this is what I went through with my friend and again the way I went through.

It was not like you ought. You should. It was hey Woody think about this. I mean this is this is strong evidence first and foremost his death and resurrection were predicted by the prophets foretold hundreds of years before it happened very specifically, Jesus actually openly predicted his own death numerous times and his future resurrection we we know there's eyewitness accounts of over 500 witnesses in 12 different locations. The transformation of the disciples unexplainable. I mean, these are guys that were scared to death, and now they boldly proclaim this the transformation of the Roman Empire. I met me the transformation. I wish I am reading a book right now by Jeremiah Johnson called unimaginable in what he does. It's the best research I've ever read about what it was actually like in the first century. He talks about the poverty and the slavery and the suffering and the early deaths in and talks about just how difficult it was for people and how marginalized women were, and then he talks about that. The power that the gospel of these ordinary people.

In fact, the early disciples were uneducated that we here in the book of acts it these uneducated and untrained men.

We know that they were with Jesus because despite their lack of education.

This bold, loving, winsome faith literally turn the world upside down by 313 A.D. Rodney Stark, in his excellent book the rise of Christianity, and later the triumph of Christianity talks about the Roman empire being transformed by this man named Jesus and his followers, who risk all their life and staked all their life on one thing and this was their message. He was dead and now he's alive and we are eyewitnesses we have seen him. We have touched him.

We have eaten with him for 40 days he talked to us about the kingdom of God and this resurrection power that raised him from the dead dwells in us now dwells in every single believer and now that power is in us to live this radical new kind of life, and as they did, the world changed. Women were treated like human beings. Slavery some of the worst things were happening in the Roman world. Little by little begin to change the conversion of Saul of Tarsus Main think of the, the worst leader in the world. Think of the head of North Korea and hearing that he just became a Christian.

That's how radical was Saul of Tarsus to the apostle Paul when he was a great intellect. He was zealous in what we know in our day is one very zealous religious people are convinced of something they can do radical things and he was going through and killing Christian after Christian after Christian Christians were public enemy number one. And he's going to get rid of them and he thought he was on the right track.

Pam he meets who the resurrected Jesus the world changed. 13 of those 27 books in the New Testament are written so we have this amazing transformation of the Roman Empire. All this evidence, piled one upon another. The best legal mines have weighed the evidence and say it's conclusive, it is conclusive. Jesus rose from the dead. If you have an open heart and an open mind and you actually look at the facts. These brilliant minds from every era have said it's true what I can tell you is something that's very experiential but it's really important to me. I don't have the best legal mind, but I can tell you he change my life. I grew up in a home where I had a dad that that really love me, but went through a very painful war and they didn't talk about PTSD and he became a full-blown alcoholic. I can tell you about a life that gets changed in marrying a woman whose father was an alcoholic and and how God can stop what's happened in your past and break addictions and bring two people together and create a family that's completely different. My mind was change my life was changed my values of change my morals of changed God's given me a love for people that I'll take what I didn't care about and some of them I hated and there is no explanation except the resurrected Christ. Are you ready he lives inside of me in the person of the Holy Spirit. These seven reasons are while I'm still a Christian. That's what I share with my friend I said, I'm still a Christian because when I had my moment of doubt and doubts are okay doubts drive us to find the truth. But this is while I'm still a Christian, but is not why I became a Christian I became a Christian because of one single word. You ready. Here's the word punky. That's the name of my sister you see that the most powerful apologetic is not lots of reasons. Lots of history. Lots of smart lawyers.

I appreciate all of that I needed to hear all that.

My sister punky in high school had a friend named Tammy and unbeknownst to me or my family. Tammy came from a strong Christian family and my sister came to know the Lord high school.

Here's what I can tell you my sister is the kindest, most loving, most wonderful person I had ever known and ever met, and if any of you have been in a family with addiction and any know what's it like to live in alcoholic family and your walk on egg shells and dad might blow up and mom's enabling and there's a lot of junk going on.

My sister punky was like what I would come in with my friends my basketball buddies. And hey, can I get you guys a sandwich. I grew up an era where drugs were everywhere and I didn't I did.

I never took a drug but I didn't not take drugs because I believed in God. I didn't take drugs because I thought it would hurt me.

I didn't take drugs because I thought to myself, punky would be so disappointed and all I knew was some day, some way I wanted to be like my sister. You see, the most powerful apologetic people didn't come to Jesus because he had all the answers. Even though he had all the answers they came to Jesus because he was so approachable he was so loving. He was so kind that there was the result.

There was a winsome this in a holiness to his life and when he takes up residence and people surrender their life.

This becomes how they live doesn't mean a perfect, but they're different there holy their godly their caring so here's our conclusion. What we knows the evidence is overwhelming with regard to the resurrection, and here's what it means.

It means it validates Jesus claimed that he is the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through him.

Second, it gives us absolute hope for the future. You know I travel a lot in China and I travel a lot in the Middle East and I'm not afraid to die, but I'm not afraid to die because Jesus promised because I live you will live also. But when you get to go to preach at a pastors conference in a black SUVs in front of you and a police cars behind you and the guy has a machine gun who gets in where you're going, because it's not very safe or you gonna go there are a little quiver to go on inside but I have to tell you now I want. I pray I can live a long life and I get to see my grandchildren grow up. But here's here's power my future is absolutely secure. I can tell you I'm not afraid to die.

And that means you don't have to be afraid of what people think.

That means you don't have to be afraid of all the political correctness. This means that you had the power within you.

Your future is secure and we live out of the hat. The third thing it means is not only his claims are validated with absolute hope. It offers spiritual life right now. One of things I like to do is write my name in verses units or to personalize them in most all of you are followers of Christ, and I think that's wonderful. But maybe this will ring true.

Or maybe some of you are thinking to yourself, I would really like to explore this but I don't know exactly what it looks like. Let me read for you on the most famous verses in the Bible and again ask you to do the same God so loved ship that he gave his one and only son that if Chip believes in him. Chip shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn Chip, but to save Chip through him we are living in a day were Christians are intimidated and afraid were living in a day when people need hope and deliverance from addictions and from struggles I have lived in a world where I watch people believe and receive the gift of eternal life to the resurrected Christ and I watch them break addictions. I watch them say no more to materialism.

I watched them come out of homosexual lifestyles.

I watch them decide to give their time and their energy and their money. Tell people that no one else cares about and it is the very life of Christ in them. Here's the take away. If you believe that Jesus rose from the dead, you have all the power you need to be a Christian who lives like a Christian by his grace, and so father I ask that you help this to move from our heads to the very depths of our heart, Lord, that rather than whine or complain or see the problems in the world.

May we grasp that everything we need. We already have. Would you help us to love those who oppose us.

You help us to live holy lives you help us to be men and women with resurrected power every moment of every day in Jesus name: SQ is very question.

In fact, it's an eternal question. If you accept the evidence.

Have you ever placed your faith in Jesus Christ to be your savior. If you ever come to the point in your life where not religion, not morality, not just trying to be a good person not helping your good deeds will outweigh your bad deeds. Someday, in some way, but have you ever recognized fully that apart from what Christ did on the cross. We have no opportunity to be with a holy God forever and that Jesus died on the cross in your place, and in my place to pay for our sins. The biblical world is to atone for no words he covered our sins. All the punishment that I deserve for all the sins that I've ever thought ever said or ever done.

Jesus took upon himself and he received the just punishment of God and covered years and covered mine and then he says to you, and he says to me I want you to know it's a gift for by grace you are saved through faith.

That's not of yourselves. It's not a result of works leased any man should boast. It's a gift Jesus would say as he was speaking that first century, he said to anyone who believes. If anyone receives me the Scripture is very clear.

As many as received him not just intellectually believe he lived. Not trying to follow his good moral teaching, but as many as received him to them.

He gives the right or the authority to have eternal life. What I want to ask you right now. Have you ever done that and if not, would you be willing right where you're at.

Even if you're driving in your car. Please don't shut your eyes, but the God of the universe knows your heart. You can pray in your mind or out loud wherever you are and cry out to God and say Lord I need to. Of course I send. I know I don't measure up. Today I believe Christ died in my place for my sin and rose from the dead to prove it's true and I'm asking you at this moment, will you forgive me when you come into my life right now. Father made me your son make me your daughter. I believe I trust fully in you as you would declare that in your heart and then profess it with your mouth the Bible is very clear. You shall be saved. Now I know for many of you right now here in the crucible and you're feeling a lot of emotions and you feel this tug, it says yes yes yes this is true.

And there's something else inside your mind and heart.

This is will maybe I'll wait till later, or with the implications of this could be radical. What will my friends say or what were my family think I can't really do this and I'm afraid Jesus said if you deny me before men, I will deny you before my father in heaven.

The Bible says today is the day of salvation. You know, we all are concerned about what other people think were all concerned about implications in the future, but we make decisions and to not decide as a decision is to reject eternal life. So don't procrastinate. He's a good God if you prayed to receive Christ. Please contact us. We have some information to help you grow. It's absolutely free.

It's on our website LivingontheEdge.org or give us a call at 888-333-6003 and there someone there that would love to talk to you.

God bless you and welcome to the family fixture and before we go on let me take just a quick second and talk a bit more about the resource trip just mentioned. It's called starting out right and it's absolutely free. This tool will help you gain a clear biblical understanding of what it means to put your faith in Jesus and that's her whole mission here Living on the Edge helping Christians really live like Christians. So let us help you get started in your faith journey. You can request this resource by calling AAA 333-6003 or by visiting LivingontheEdge.org and clicking on the new believers button that's LivingontheEdge.org or call AAA 333-6003 will trip still with me and studio here in chip. You know it's pretty obvious to me and I'm sure door listeners to that you're really passionate about apologetics in helping Christians defend their faith. Why is this topic so important to here's the deal. Dave, many Christians have been in church all their life and they love God even read their Bible go to church but they really have never stopped to answer some of these tough questions and be able to articulate not just what they believe, but why they believe it and the world is changing all around them and are finding themselves with friends or kids or grandkids are saying hey you not know that I believe the stuff that you believe and they really need to know why they believe and have a resource that will really help them and that is exactly what we done Living on the Edge we want to give them straightforward, clear, winsome and can I say kind of warm answers to answer some of these very tough questions. In fact, we got a letter recently from Michelle and she talked about her experience. It was so encouraging. She goes while I'm in the middle of watching the why I believe series. I'm doing this study on my own right now to better articulate what I believe, for myself and get this did teach my nine month old when the time comes, and to share with others. I absolutely do not have that there my brains in the trash. To believe in Jesus Christ as my Savior.

I been raised in church and I've been a growing Christian since middle school. I've attended church my whole life but I've never seen a study like this.

I love the facts intelligent information, especially when it supports my beliefs. Yes, our beliefs require faith, but it's so interesting to me to have so much factual scientific information that God is giving us. Here's the principle behind Michelle's comments as a parent is your job to teach answers to these kind of questions to your children.

Now, I'll admit Michelle is really planning pretty far ahead, but I also want you to know that it's never too late to start to step in as a grandparent and take this series. It's simple, it's clear I just got a email this morning from a man in Florida who's become a believer in the last few months is gone to the why. I believe series and he's given the book to his 12-year-old granddaughter and as they were talking. She said to him, I'm an atheist, but she really didn't know what the word meant, and he gave her that book and they're going through it together grandparents. This is the kind of thing that we need to do and this is why we created this resource. The book in the small group series to help you answer these kind of questions to your kids, your grandkids and your close friends, the moral and spiritual health of America does not look promising, but the difference will be the church and the church will only be strong if we know what we believe and why we believe it and pass it on to the next generation fixture will get your hands on the why I believe book or the small group study visit LivingontheEdge.org or call AAA 333-6003. These tools will not only help fortify your own convictions, but will help you pass them along to the next generation to and during the series with discounted chips book and the study guides.

So take advantage now again to order these resources call AAA 333-6003 or go to LivingontheEdge.org app list or staff special offers.

Just before we close, would you stop for a minute and pray for Living on the Edge today. We've never seen a greater need for God's truths to go up and right now and by God's grace Living on the Edges been able to provide encouragement, teaching, and personal discipleship resources to more people than ever before. So thank you to those who support us with your prayers that is doing amazing things will until next time, this is Dave really saying thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge