Live with Lon-Easter Message - The Compelling Evidence of Jesus' Resurrection

Well hello everybody and happy Easter to you as we love to say the Lord is risen and you say he is risen indeed. So let's try ready the Lord is risen, a man so were going to be talking today about Easter and about the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and what that means for our faith and what that means for our lives, but first I thought it would be wonderful for us to have a great old hymn of the faith that exalts the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's called Christ the Lord is risen today and so listen and be encouraged as an while what great you may like you like him. We rise while awesome.

Well let's open the Scripture now and let's talk about the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. But before we do that I want us to quiet our hearts. Let's take a moment and just pray and let's take the burdens of our heart, which I know could be manifold right now… Lay them on the Lord Jesus Christ. He said come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden with burdens and I will give you rest for your soul for my burden is easy and my guilt is like so later burdens on me. I can carry and the Lord said you can go to heaven for you, so let's take a moment after Chapter 11.

Jesus said that. And let's pray Lord Jesus, we come to you today because there is no place else for us to go with our problems in our burdens.

Nowhere else we can get relief.

Nowhere else we can exchange those third for the sweet peace of God that passes all understanding.

Philippians chapter 4. And so, dear God take the burdens of our heart. Whether it's our health or the health of our loved ones or our financial issues or whatever it may be, Lord Jesus, our children, our grandchildren are parents and Lord Jesus, you carry those burdens for us. Thank you father that you offer to do that help us take advantage of that and help us understand is the great hymn in Christ alone says that from our very first breath to our very last breath. Jesus controls our destiny and so it's in the power of Christ, that we stay in your sovereign knowledge of every moment of every day of our life.

So Jesus give us that peace that only you can do because you said in John's Gospel. Peace I give you not like the world gives you, my peace I give give it to our hearts. Now as we open the word of God and rejoice at your resurrection. This Easter we pray this in Jesus name. And everybody said a man okay while also so ready to study the word of God, yeah, okay, great. Now talk about the resurrection today because it's Easter weekend and you know the resurrection was central to the preaching of the early church.

It was an a a a sine qua non, without which nothing of every message that we find in the New Testament of the apostle Peter, which were going to see in just a moment in acts chapter 2 included the resurrection is very first sermon in his second sermon in acts chapter 4 of Peter preach the resurrection to Cornelius Paul preach the resurrection to the philosophers on Mars Hill in Athens and everywhere else. He went Stephen preach the resurrection just before he was stoned in acts chapter 7 Paul preach the resurrection to the Roman governor, Felix, and then again to the Roman governor Festus, there is no Christian faith without the resurrection. Take the resurrection away from Christianity and Christianity is no more because Christianity is not a religion. It is a relationship between us as sinners and they risen alive for ever Savior. And if there is no reason alive forever Savior, then there is nothing that Christianity offers that is unique, special, or efficacious in getting us to heaven and forgiving our sins, but let me read you would Peter said in his very first sermon of course were using the new King James Bible and I'm in acts chapter 2 beginning at verse 22. There we go men of Israel, he said, hear these words, Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested by God to you by miracles and wonders and signs which God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know him. Jesus being delivered by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, you, if taken by lawless hands and have crucified and put to death of the story didn't end there. Verse 24 whom God raised up, that is the resurrection, having loosed the pains of death because look at this.

It was not possible that he, Jesus was should be held by it. Death for David says concerning him.

Verse 27 Psalm 16 because you will not leave my soul in Hades, nor will you allow your holy one to see corruption. Verse 29 men and brethren. Peter says let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, who wrote Psalm 60 that he is both dead and buried in his tomb is with us to this day.

Another words, David was not talking about himself. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn an oath to him that of the fruit of his body. David's body according to the flesh on the human level, he would raise up the Messiah to sit on his throne and he David for seeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Messiah, that his soul was not left in Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God has raised up that is from the dead, of which we are all witnesses.

And so my friends can you see in this sermon all the others we mentioned the heart of that sermon is the resurrection now. Not only did the apostles preach the resurrection of Jesus himself mentioned the resurrection and told people that he was going to rise from the dead. For example, Matthew chapter 16 verse 21 he told the disciples he said that from that time on Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, love, and be raised to life again on the third day Jesus also told the rabbis his enemies he was going to rise from the deer look at this. Matthew chapter 12 for as Jonah. He says to them was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights. Those so the Son of Man that is Jesus himself would be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights, and he told the crowds that he was going to rise from the deer look at John chapter 2 verse 19 Jesus said destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it back up. Verse 20 then the crowd said it has taken 46 years to build this temple and you will raise it up in three days, but he was speaking of the temple of his body. Therefore, when he risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this to them and they believe the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said folks everybody knew that Jesus had claimed he was going to rise from the dead. As a matter fact in Matthew's gospel when look at this in Matthew chapter 27, when the rabbis went to Pilate and they wanted to put guarded is to look what they said. Matthew 27 verse 63, they said, sir, we remember that when he was alive. This deceiver said after three days I will rise again, look at this and so that is they they said therefore command that the two shall be made secure until the third day left his disciples come by night steal him away and say to the people he has risen from the dead and then this last deception will be worse than the first. So Pilate said to them, you have the Gorbachev for go your way and make the tomb as secure as you know how so they went their way, and made the tomb secure ceiling. The stone with the wax seal and setting the guard so there was nobody in Israel who did not know that Jesus had claimed he was going to rise from the dead. He had made that clear.

The real question is did he do didn't really happen. Well, that's a question I want us to answer this morning and as I'm sharing this and I what I want to do is bring some evidence to bear on this question of whether or not Jesus really did rise from the dead, and I have four pieces of compelling evidence that I want to share with you that prove as much as it is possible to humanly prove that the resurrection really did happen. So are you ready and we go number one we have the compelling evidence of the Roman soldiers.

If you remember here in Matthew chapter 27 Peter said go put guarded. Thereafter, at the two, and so the rabbis did that and sealed to the stone the Rolling Stone with wax now guard like this consisted of 15 enlisted men and one officer and they understood that if they lost their prisoner. Even their dead prisoner that they would lose their lives and so they have a lot at stake in making sure that Jesus's body did not disappear from this to using a how do you know that they have to word the that that was what happened well let me read to you from acts chapter 12 here in acts chapter 12. Karen has put Peter in jail for preaching Christ and and and Peter is released by an angel and look what it says in acts chapter 12 verse 18.

Now as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers about what happened.

Wasn't there, watch and when Herod had searched for him and not found him.

He examined the guards and commanded that they should be put to death. Here they lost their prisoner and as a result, they were put to death. And this is why next chapter 16 when the apostle Paul and Silas are in jail in Philippi and and it was a massive earthquake and the angel open the doors to the prism of this is why ask chapter 16 verse 27 and the keeper of the prison was a retired soldier awaking from his sleep and seeing the prison doors open, drew his sword and would've killed himself, supposing the prisoners had fled. Why was he going to tell himself friend to me was going to kill himself because he knew that they will be reporting the death anyway for losing his prisoners so he figured he'd save them the trouble and just kill himself, and this is where next first verse 28, Paul cried out with a loud voice saying to your cell no harm.

Why, for we are all here. Nobody ran away. You didn't lose a single prisoner and of course the famous he came to Paul and Silas, and fell on the ground and said servers. What must I do to be saved. My point in all of this is that Roman soldiers understood you loser prisoner you lose your life so my friends do you really think that a bunch of fishermen and a bunch of women that could've gotten through 15 battle hardened Roman soldiers and their officer and stolen the body of Jesus when they understood what the stakes were for them. No way in possible that that could've happened now compelling piece of evidence. Number two, my friends, is the evidence of Jesus's enemies. The rabbis, the rabbis of course after Matthew chapter 27 tells us about it after the prisoners after the guards rather have lost the body of Jesus, look what happened. The Bible says and when they had assembled with the elders, the soldiers had taken counsel they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers SingTel people. His disciples came at night and stole him away while we slept.

What what about them have what are they going to lose their lives in the rabbis said. And if this comes to the governor's ears. We will appease him probably bribe him and make you secure so you don't lose your life. Now the role the rabbis were very upset that the apostles were going around in Jerusalem and the early disciples and preaching the resurrection we find that when we turn to acts chapter 4.

Take a look at that with me at chapter 4, the rabbis gathered together and with a Peter and John, and here's what it says it says and as they spoke to the people.

The praise the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them being greatly disturbed acts for two that they talk to people and preached through Jesus. The resurrection from the dead. Verse three and they laid hands on them and put them in custody until the next day for was already evening, the rabbis more than met with them and said stop preaching the resurrection. We don't want to preaching the resurrection friends doesn't occur to you that the rabbis have a much simpler solution than all the money they had to spend to bribe the guards bribe Pilate and all the effort they had to spend to arrest the early disciples and keep telling them and throwing them in jail and beating them and keep telling them not to preach resurrection doesn't occur to you that was a much simpler solution. All he had to do was go get the body of Jesus out of the tomb as stinking and rotten and and all he had to do was put on a wagon and drive around Jerusalem and say think about his body of Jesus.

You think he rose from the dead.

No way, here's the body we just took a rotten out of the grave and there is a resurrection and there is no Christian faith that will solve all problems, no brides, no beating people up just get the dead body and bring you say well yeah, oh why didn't they. Well friends there was no dead body. He is not here he is risen, just like he said that the angel and you say well maybe there was a dead body and they stolen away.

No, we just talk about those Roman soldiers and said no bunch of fishermen and women are going to get in there. You know with pitchforks and maybe a sword and steal away the body of Jesus. So if nobody stole the body of Jesus. But it wasn't in the tomb for the rabbis to show everybody where did it go, if not the resurrection. Now the third piece of compelling evidence that I want to share with you is the evidence my friends of the eyewitnesses. The Bible says that there were many people who saw the risen Christ, not just a few.

Let me read to you. I'm in first Corinthians chapter 15 the apostle Paul says I'm beginning in verse three Paul writes and says, for I delivered to you. First of all that which I also received a here comes that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.

All the messianic prophecies that predicted his death in his burial and his resurrection but he doesn't stop there. He said, and when he rose verse five he was seen by Cephas, that's Peter. Then by the 12 that's the early apostles. After that, he was seen by over 500 brethren at once, all of whom the greater part remain to this date are still alive glass don't bother visiting. Don't believe me going there for them and after that he was seen by James, then by all the apostles and last of all, on the road to Damascus.

He was seen by me also look at all of these eyewitnesses that saw the risen Christ may know I was doing a little bit of work in a book on evidence that they use in law school now. In fact, I got several of those books and took a look out and I was particularly interested in how much credence. How much power was in eyewitness testimony and I learned that there's been no movement away in these recent years in American jurisprudence from eyewitness testimony, because with DNA evidence and so many other things. And with the fact that eyewitness testimony is so offering differing sold one person says that he had a blue shirt and other eyewitnesses he a green shirt and another one says he has a black shirt that they can get people to agree and so there's not emphasis on eyewitness testimony that there used to be a disabled lawn. When you bring it up for that work against the point know it doesn't.

They were talking in these books about eyewitness testimony by only a couple of eyewitnesses who deferred in their narration of what they saw of the event. This is not what we are talking about here, with the resurrection of Jesus. We are talking about over 520 eyewitnesses who all agree with one another on what they saw. They all saw the risen living Messiah. That's a completely different thing than these logbooks are talking about 520 witnesses who all agree with one another and I ran into this interesting article that talks about Baeza fear that spelled B a YES Baeza. It's a mathematical theorem and I want region of the title of the article title of the article and will put this up on the screen for you is a Bayesian analysis of the cumulative effects of independent eyewitness testimony for the resurrection of Jesus Christ, man, what a time and it was written by a fellow named Dr. depot and and he is a mathematician and he wrote this to defend the resurrection, based upon the probability that all 520 of these witnesses saw the same thing. May I read Julia's conclusion and will put this on the spring from the New Testament. One can count as many as 520 witnesses to the resurrection. This is Dr. Capote teaches at Western Michigan University. Given such a number waxes of independent witnesses testifying that an event occurred, the probability that this event did indeed happen goes up exponentially. According to Bayes theorem and becomes look at this close to certain end of quote. I say okay understand what you say.

But isn't it possible that all these eyewitnesses in all of these people were just running a scale. I mean okay.

Who knows, maybe the soldiers were in who knows maybe it was a rabbi or two in on it that was getting paid off by Peter and the apostles, you know, maybe these witnesses were all paid off. To say they saw the living Christ on the look we live in a world with a lot of things are not what they appear to be so using the possible one. Then we just have a big old deception going on here will know that's not possible because of compelling piece of evidence number four and that is the compelling evidence of the martyrdom of the eyewitnesses you say what exactly what I mean. Very simply, friends is that of virtually all of the eyewitnesses who were apostles to the resurrection of Jesus gave their life. They were martyred as opposed to in any way saying that this was a deception in it anyway confessing that this was a hoax limited to images read to you the list. We have the apostle James, who was killed by Herod in acts chapter 12 we have Stephen who was martyred in acts chapter 7 we have Thomas, who was martyred in India, and John Mark, who was martyred in Egypt, and Philip, who was martyred in Turkey and Matthew was martyred in Ethiopia and we have Peter, who was crucified upside down by Nero in 66 A.D. and Paul said was chopped off at the third milepost of the Austrian Way in Rome in 66 also by Nero. All these people die rather than recant the resurrection. Now that if this was a hoax. There is no way that happens, not human nature being human nature.

Somebody one of these guys are human nature being what it is, would have said waited and waited and went as far while we were collected money and while this hoax was going good you're talking about cut my hair. If you're talking about killing me well know know know God didn't just know this is a sham.

I doubt I'll be happy to admit this is not real. Hey, we've all seen law and order. We know all we all know how to put them in separate rooms and they say which one of you is going to give it up quicker and get a better deal and somebody always done sooner or later pay many of us remember the Watergate fiasco back in the 70s were John D went and turned states evidence and said wall baby.

This is fine. Well it was working but it never stopped putting people in jail for this man. I'm not going down with the ship uncommon and I'm turning states evidence. This is human nature and yet none of the apostles did not want John who was the only apostle who was not martyred was exiled to Patmos for two years previous day and he didn't deny the resurrection either one. In these guys. Why didn't one of break while tell you it's very simple because this was not a hoax. They really saw the risen glorified Messiah and they knew this was real and they were willing to give their lives rather than retail. That is contrary to human nature and only happens if they knew they were telling the truth and this was the real deal so let's summarize one of the compelling pieces of evidence we have for the resurrection number one we have the compelling evidence of the Roman soldiers guarding the two number two we have the compelling evidence of the rabbis who wanted to prove the resurrection didn't happen but couldn't find the body.

Number three we have the compelling evidence of all the eyewitnesses and the probability of 520 people would all testify to the very same facts and number four we have the evidence of the martyrdom of the people who actually saw the risen Christ now cannot prove to you in a test to that the resurrection of Jesus actually happened know I can cannot prove to you with some mathematical formula that the resurrection of Jesus actually happened know I can't. But friends can I give you such compelling evidence that even George Judy would say that this evidence is beyond the reasonable doubt friends.

Not only can I give you that kind of compelling evidence, I jaws did praise the Lord now all of that leaves us to our most important quest and that is so, except we don't say so. No baby. We scream so what. And I want to Easter. So what today so are you ready to go. Come on out Easter so what was on to please black yes yes yes you know what I always say house we hear this is a okay so this is wonderful, wonderful, wonderful resurrection and that it it it happened, but tell me how this all should relate to my life on a practical level.

Well I'm going to do that. Jesus said, I want to read this. So I'm looking now in John's Gospel, and here's what Jesus said in John's Gospel chapter 11 verse 25 he said he who believes in me shall live meaning in the afterlife. Even if he dies here on earth and in John 14 nine Jesus said because I live, you who believe in me, the apostles and us shall live also. This is his amazing promise and over and over.

Jesus said this because you believe in me you have eternal life, and you shall never come. In the condemnation.

John 524 but you have passed from death into eternal life. John chapter 10 my she know me. They hear my voice, and they know me and and and I give to them eternal life, and they will never perish, neither will anyone ever pluck them out of my father's hand. My father is greater than all and no one will pluck them out of his hand. I am the father are one and we can go with all of these staggering promises that Jesus makes to those of us who believe in him who trust what he did for us on the cross, shedding his blood to pay for our sin and then rising from the dead to prove a that our sins had "had been forgiven and his payment had been accepted. This is what Romans chapter 1 verse three says it says that Jesus was confirmed to be the son of God by the resurrection you say the law. There's all these great religious leaders who all make these amazing promises about heaven and about eternal life. You know there's Mohammed and there's Confucius and there's boot up and there's Joseph Smith and the Mormons and there is the whatever. They're all there. There's just you know Scientology in their Christian science and somehow we know is right, friend cc to those right. All we have to do is see who rose from the dead and little did in fact none.

No other religion, even claims that its founder and leader rose from the dead. Because it's a preposterous claim but Christianity true biblical Christianity claims that insulator the Messiah, the second person of the Godhead clothed in human flesh from the virgin birth that he rose from the dead and is alive forevermore and is coming back again even and this is why Jesus said as long as I live, you will live and I'm gonna live forever so so will you believe in me folks I love to say Philo dead the Savior.

Mohammed, Buddha, Confucius, Joseph Smith L Ron Hubbard Mary Baker Eddy, whoever following Dan Savior and you'll end up just like but the good news of the Bible is the will and Savior. The good news of the Bible is that we have a living Savior, a risen Savior alive forevermore, seated at the right hand of God making intercession for us and waiting until it's time for the father to put all of his enemies Christ enemies and I and under his feet like a footstool when he will come back.

The Bible says and he will bring true justice and judgment to the world and to the devil and to the demons and on.

I could go but praise the Lord, we don't have again Savior. We have a living Savior who can back up the promises that he may because I live, you shall live also.

And even when you die here on this earth. You shall still live in heaven with me while awesome awesome awesome. This is the good news of the Bible, not just a Jesus went to the cross and paid for our sins, but that he rose from the dead prove that that was the one and only payment God was going to ever accept not your good works, not serving a nice person not your religious activity not teaching Sunday school not singing in the choir.

Not trying to keep the 10 Commandments, not of this God only meets and forgives sinners at the cross. That's it.

So I want to ask you what are you trusting to get you in the have what he relying on if you got to heaven and you stood at the pearly gates. Peterson why should I let you in town visiting pearly gates and on about Peter's millimeter, but let's just say, and Peterson. Why should I let you in your center.

What would even say to.

I'm even a standard and go, ha ha,,,, never auger you can have an answer what your answer going to be, well, I sang in the choir. Current work I I'd I guy I I'd I tried to teach Sunday school are not going to work I try to keep the commandments not going to work once can work friends. The only thing that's going to work is if we say I call him on the merits of Jesus on my own merits, who for sinners led and died the pearly gates will open the song says, and Bill welcomed me inside. We, on the merits of Jesus. What he did on the cross and the fact that he rose from the dead, and that we belong to him and therefore because I live Jesus said, you will live also in the pearly gates will open in their welcome you inside if you never done that, my friends, it's time today Easter to trade in all these other things you ever trusted with drunken work and to avail yourself of the one thing that the Bible says will work. Trusting in Christ and what he did on the cross and he proved God would accept this payment arising from the looks of our hands and with our heads found in her eyes close.

Here's what I want to do. I want to have a very short prayer in which those of you who never done it will give up everything else you've ever trusted to get you in the heaven and instead will rely upon what Jesus did for you on the cross.

Plus nothing. Now close your good works, not pleasure. Try to be a nice person because you need anything else it'll work all by itself and the resurrection proves it so here we go on the prey one phrase at a time. Out loud I just want you to repeat it. You can repeated out loud if you want your ego more Jesus, I come to you today because I want eternal life. I want to know that my sins are forgiven in the side of a holy God, and that when I leave this earth. I'm coming to heaven to live forever with you and so today I reject everything else I've ever trusted to forgive my sins and to get me into heaven, and instead today I placed my full trust on the work of Jesus on the cross for me shedding his blood to pay for my soon in the sight of God and then rising from the dead. Prove to me that this is the payment God will honor and accept. I surrender my heart and life to you today is my Lord and Savior Savior for my sins Savior from hell.

In Jesus name I pray a net okay. Look here in Outlook to me. If you prayed that prayer with me. I am so proud of you. Praise the Lord. How great is it to be able to tell people you gave your life to Jesus on Easter but in the matter. You give your life to Jesus. Any one of the other 364 1/4 days and it's just as good doesn't matter, but it is special. If you did that. I want you to go to Milan Solomon ministries.com and I want you to get in the sermon section I want you to pull up my sermons entitled spiritual boot camp and I want to listen to them their exactly what they say this is like boot camp. This is basic stuff that everyone was given their life to Jesus needs to know and in that series you know will give you the biblical data that you need not only to tighten down this prayer in your faith that you started today, but even to defend your faith. Others were going to challenge and say why prayed and asked Jesus in your life will why would you do that and you need you need information to defend your faith.

I'll give it to you in that sermon series spiritual cam. Now if you did not pray with me that prayer today, but you thought about that. She did, I don't want to do.

I want to go long Solomon ministries.com and listen spiritual boot camp.

We talk about who Jesus is and what he did on the cross and eternal security and all these things and give you a much deeper explanation of all of this, the plan of salvation that God established in Jesus and by the time you finish listening to that sermon series I think maybe you will be prepared to give your heart and life to Jesus and then of course we got lots of other messages there that you can listen to the deep in your faith so happy Easter Lord is risen is risen indeed. Yes, you have and thank God friends if you know Jesus, thank God.

As Peter said, you have not follow cleverly devised fables. This is my IS the real deal and praise the Lord. The day you close your eyes here on earth you will open them. The next breath you take will be on the shores of heaven in the presence of the living risen Savior because he said John 11. Even the person that dies hereunder will live forever in heaven, and he guaranteed it by his own eternal life because I live, you show live also. God bless you and hope you'll join us next week as we continue on in our study of next was