He is Risen!

Easter: He is Risen!

Thomas Paine (1737–1809), American Revolutionary and Deist: "The fable of Christ and his apostles, the fable of his resurrection and ascension, is altogether a fabrication."

Bart Ehrman (b. 1955), New Testament Scholar and Agnostic: "Historians can only establish what probably happened in the past, and by definition, miracles are the least probable of occurrences."

Richard Carrier (b. 1969), Historian and Atheist: "There is no independently corroborated evidence that Jesus was raised from the dead, only the claims of believers written decades after the event."

The main sources on Alexander the Great were written 300-500 years after his death, yet historians generally trust them.

Tacitus’ account of Emperor Tiberius was written about 80 years after Tiberius’ rule, but it is still considered reliable.

Then the disciples all left him and fled. (Mk 14:50)

On the evening of that first day of the week, the disciples were together behind locked doors because of their fear of the Jews. Jesus came, stood among them, and said to them, “Peace be with you!” (Jn 20:19)

Tacitus (Annals 14.44) a Roman historian who lived from 56-120 AD and Josephus (Antiquities 18.3.3) a Jewish historian who lived from 37-100 AD both wrote this in their writings.

It flourished in Jerusalem and Judea after Jesus's death (30-33 AD).

It spread to Samaria and Syria within the first decade.

Paul's missionary journeys (approximately 45-58 AD) established Christian communities in Asia Minor (modern Turkey), Greece, and eventually Rome.

By the end of the first century, Christian communities existed in most major urban centers in the eastern Mediterranean and some western cities including Rome.

⁶² On the next day, which was the day after the Preparation Day, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered in the presence of Pilate ⁶³ and said, “Sir, we remembered what that deceiver said while he was still alive: ‘After three days I will rise again.’ ⁶⁴ So give a command that the tomb be made secure until the third day. Otherwise his disciples might steal his body and tell the people, ‘He is risen from the dead.’ And this last deception will be worse than the first.” ⁶⁵ Pilate said to them, “You have a guard. Go, make it as secure as you know how.” ⁶⁶ So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and posting a guard. (Mt 27:62–66)

^11b … some members of the guard who went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. ¹² After the chief priests had assembled with the elders and had reached a decision, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers ¹³ and said, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came at night and stole him away while we were sleeping.’ ¹⁴ If the governor hears about it, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” ¹⁵ After the soldiers took the money, they did as they were instructed. And this story has been repeated among the Jews until this day. (Mt 28:11b–15)

Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” They approached, took hold of his feet, and worshipped him. (Mt 28:9)

Later, he appeared to the Eleven themselves as they were reclining at the table. He rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen him after he had risen. (Mk 16:14)

As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” (Lk 24:36)

³ As he went on his way and was approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. ⁴ He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” ⁵ He asked, “Who are you, Lord?” He replied, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. (Ac 9:3–5)

After that he appeared to over five hundred brothers at the same time, most of whom are still alive, but some have fallen asleep. (1 Co 15:6)

⁸ I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. ⁹ Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices. Even my flesh will dwell securely ¹⁰ because you will not abandon my life to the grave. You will not let your favored one see decay. ¹¹ You have made known to me the path of life, fullness of joy in your presence, pleasures at your right hand forever. (Ps 16:8–11)

¹⁰ Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and to allow him to suffer. Because you made his life a guilt offering, he will see offspring. He will prolong his days, and the Lord’s gracious plan will succeed in his hand. ¹¹ After his soul experiences anguish, he will see the light of life. He will provide satisfaction. Through their knowledge of him, my just servant will justify the many, for he himself carried their guilt. ¹² Therefore I will give him an allotment among the great, and with the strong he will share plunder, because he poured out his life to death, and he let himself be counted with rebellious sinners. He himself carried the sin of many, and he intercedes for the rebels. (Is 53:10–12)

1. The _________________________ of Jesus Christ from the dead is a _________.

Certainly, I was guilty when I was born. I was sinful when my mother conceived me. (Ps 51:5)

For the wages of sin is death. (Ro 6:23)

Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, fear the one who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. (Mt 10:28)

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. … ¹⁸ The one who believes in him is not condemned, but the one who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God. (Jn 3:16, 18)

He was handed over to death because of our trespasses and was raised to life because of our justification. (Ro 4:25)

¹⁷ And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. … ²⁰ But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. ²¹ For since death came by a man, the resurrection of the dead also is going to come by a man. ²² For as in Adam they all die, so also in Christ they all will be made alive. (1 Co 15:17, 20–22)

⁸ Indeed, it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. (Eph 2:8–9)

So then, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message comes through the word of Christ. (Ro 10:17)

… baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the body but the guarantee of a good conscience before God through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. (1 Pe 3:21b)

¹⁰ The one who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in him, but the one who does not believe has made God out to be a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God gave about his Son. ¹¹ This is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. ¹² The one who has the Son has life. The one who does not have the Son of God does not have life. ¹³ I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. (1 Jn 5:10–13)

2. Eternal life is ________________ for all who trust ___________ as their _____________.