Intro: How many of you believe Jesus is Alive?
Here’s the deal:
In churches today there are two groups of people:
A. Those who believe Jesus is Alive.
B. Those who just aren’t sure.
You don’t really believe Jesus is Alive. It just doesn’t make sense. After all, some things just don’t happen. Tom Brady doesn’t lose, the Rangers don’t win the world series, and Dead Men Don’t Rise.
If you’re not sure about the Resurrection of Jesus on Easter Morning, it’s okay. My hope for you is that at the end of our time together today, you’ve moved closer to believing Jesus is Alive.
How can I say, it’s okay if you’re not sure?
It’s simple; even His disciples weren’t sure at first.
Mark 8:31-32 NLT Then Jesus began to tell them that the Son of Man must suffer many terrible things and be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but three days later he would rise from the dead. 32 As he talked about this openly with his disciples, Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things.
Mark 9:30-32 NLT Leaving that region, they traveled through Galilee. Jesus didn’t want anyone to know he was there, 31 for he wanted to spend more time with his disciples and teach them. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies. He will be killed, but three days later he will rise from the dead.” 32 They didn’t understand what he was saying, however, and they were afraid to ask him what he meant.
Mark 10:32-34 NLT They were now on the way up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. The disciples were filled with awe, and the people following behind were overwhelmed with fear. Taking the twelve disciples aside, Jesus once more began to describe everything that was about to happen to him. 33 “Listen,” he said, “we’re going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die and hand him over to the Romans.
34 They will mock him, spit on him, flog him with a whip, and kill him, but after three days he will rise again.”
3 times in 3 chapters, Jesus told his disciples He would die and rise again.
Mark 16:1-8 NLT Saturday evening, when the Sabbath ended, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome went out and purchased burial spices so they could anoint Jesus’ body. 2 Very early on Sunday morning, just at sunrise, they went to the tomb. 3 On the way they were asking each other, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?”
4 But as they arrived, they looked up and saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled aside.
5 When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a white robe sitting on the right side. The women were shocked, 6 but the angel said, “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body. 7 Now go and tell his disciples, including Peter, that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you before he died.”
8 The women fled from the tomb, trembling and bewildered, and they said nothing to anyone because they were too frightened.
It was the women who followed Jesus that were looking for Him on Sunday morning. Did they believe more than the disciples, or were they just doing what they normally did after burials?
I believe it was part of God’s plan to have the women announce the Resurrection.
In our culture we would say, “What’s the big deal about that?” But in Bible times women were treated as second class citizens. They couldn’t even testify in a court of law.
Yet the gospel writers record for us that it was the women who discovered the empty tomb and saw Jesus first.
Now if the Gospel writers were trying to pull one over on people to make up this fabrication, the last people they would have ever mentioned were women. In their culture that would make them lose credibility right up front.
Mark 16:9-14 NLT After Jesus rose from the dead early on Sunday morning, the first person who saw him was Mary Magdalene, the woman from whom he had cast out seven demons. 10 She went to the disciples, who were grieving and weeping, and told them what had happened. 11 But when she told them that Jesus was alive and she had seen him, they didn’t believe her.
12 Afterward he appeared in a different form to two of his followers who were walking from Jerusalem into the country.
13 They rushed back to tell the others, but no one believed them.
14 Still later he appeared to the eleven disciples as they were eating together. He rebuked them for their stubborn unbelief because they refused to believe those who had seen him after he had been raised from the dead.
Think about this: Mark 16:9 NLT After Jesus rose from the dead early on Sunday morning, the first person who saw him was Mary Magdalene, the woman from whom he had cast out seven demons.
Mary Magdalene was the first person to actually see Jesus.
11 But when she told them that Jesus was alive and she had seen him, they didn’t believe her.
Mary actually saw Jesus, and still no one believed her!
Even the ones who heard Jesus 3 times in 3 chapters say He would rise again aren’t sure they believe.
Where are the disciples?
The disciples couldn’t see clearly that Jesus had taught them about the Resurrection before it happened.
And on Resurrection Sunday, they still couldn’t understand what had happened.
We are often just like the disciples. We don’t fully understand what God’s Word is saying to us and teaching us.
Luke 24:11-12 NLT But the story sounded like nonsense to the men, so they didn’t believe it. 12 However, Peter jumped up and ran to the tomb to look. Stooping, he peered in and saw the empty linen wrappings; then he went home again, wondering what had happened.
John 20:1-20 NLT Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance.
The stone was rolled away, not for Jesus to get out, but for His disciples to get in and see that Jesus was gone.
John 20:1-20 NLT 2 She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
3 Peter and the other disciple started out for the tomb. 4 They were both running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.
What do you think is going through the minds of Peter and John as they run to the tomb? – I’m thinking resurrection is not their first thought!
None of the possible explanations for the missing body would have brought them any comfort.
If Jesus’ body had been stolen or moved by the religious leaders, the disciples would have reason to worry about their own fate.
John 20:1-20 NLT 5 He stooped and looked in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he didn’t go in. 6 Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, 7 while the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying apart from the other wrappings. 8 Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed—
John points out his “seeing and believing,” to affirm his eye-witness account.
When John saw the empty tomb and the empty grave clothes, he instantly believed that Jesus might have risen from the dead.
The disciples did not fabricate this story about the Resurrection: in fact, they were surprised that Jesus was not in the tomb.
Why were they surprised?
It wasn’t until after the empty tomb that they remembered the Scriptures and that Jesus had said He would die, but He would also rise again!
John 20:1-20 NLT 9 for until then they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead. 10 Then they went home.
Why did the disciples go back home?
They believed something miraculous had happened, but there was still some confusion on what exactly happened and what they should do next. So they just went home.
John 20:1-20 NLT 11 Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she stooped and looked in. 12 She saw two white-robed angels, one sitting at the head and the other at the foot of the place where the body of Jesus had been lying. 13 “Dear woman, why are you crying?” the angels asked her. “Because they have taken away my Lord,” she replied, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”
v.11 – As Peter and John left, Mary was there alone crying, still hoping that somehow she could discover where Jesus' body had been taken, but fearing the worst.
v. 12 – The angels had appeared to the other women and then sent them to spread the good news that Jesus was alive, but apparently they were not in the tomb when Peter and John arrived. Yet here they are again, speaking to Mary.
v. 13 – “Why are you crying?”
Doesn’t this seem like a strange question?
The angels knew of the incredible joy of the empty tomb.
They also knew that if these people had listened to Jesus’ words about His resurrection while He was alive, they would not be sad and confused; instead they would be filled with great joy.
Notice Mary’s simple answer, “They have taken my Lord away, and I don’t know where they have put Him.”
John 20:1-20 NLT 14 She turned to leave and saw someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she didn’t recognize him.
15 “Dear woman, why are you crying?” Jesus asked her. “Who are you looking for?”
She thought he was the gardener. “Sir,” she said, “if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him.”
16 “Mary!” Jesus said. She turned to him and cried out, “Rabboni!” (which is Hebrew for “Teacher”).
Mary was so overwhelmed with relief when she realized it was Jesus that her immediate response was to hug Jesus.
John 20:1-20 NLT 17 “Don’t cling to me,” Jesus said, “for I haven’t yet ascended to the Father. But go find my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
18 Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them, “I have seen the Lord!” Then she gave them his message.
John 20:19 NLT That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders.
Why are they hiding behind locked doors?
Perhaps they were still confused, doubtful, and fearful. So they got together to discuss what they had been hearing.
It’s probable that Mary’s announcement in v. 18 stunned them.
And there was news of two walking with Jesus on the way to Emmaus.
Luke 24:15-16 NLT As they talked and discussed these things, Jesus himself suddenly came and began walking with them. 16 But God kept them from recognizing him.
Mark 16:12 NLT Afterward he appeared in a different form to two of his followers who were walking from Jerusalem into the country.
John 20:19-20 NLT That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said. 20 As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord!
How do the disciples respond when Jesus appears?
Look at how Luke records the event:
Luke 24:35-49 NLT Then the two from Emmaus told their story of how Jesus had appeared to them as they were walking along the road, and how they had recognized him as he was breaking the bread. 36 And just as they were telling about it, Jesus himself was suddenly standing there among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. 37 But the whole group was startled and frightened, thinking they were seeing a ghost!
38 “Why are you frightened?” he asked. “Why are your hearts filled with doubt? 39 Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it’s really me. Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost, because ghosts don’t have bodies, as you see that I do.” 40 As he spoke, he showed them his hands and his feet.
41 Still they stood there in disbelief, filled with joy and wonder. Then he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he ate it as they watched.
44 Then he said, “When I was with you before, I told you that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. 46 And he said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. 47 It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’ 48 You are witnesses of all these things.
49 “And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.”
If Jesus is Alive, that fact should impact how you live.
If not, then don’t worry about it.
If there is even the smallest chance that Jesus is alive, you must make a decision with your life.
Galatians 2:20-21 NLT My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.
1 Corinthians 15:1-8 NLT Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you still stand firm in it. 2 It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place. 3 I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. 4 He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. 5 He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. 6 After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. 7 Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him.”
Here you have the key facts about Jesus' death for our sins plus a detailed list of those to whom he appeared in resurrected form—all dating back to within two to five years of the events themselves!
The abundance of testimony from more than 500 witnesses covering no less than 10 recorded appearances of the post-resurrection Lord is powerful confirmation of the actual event.
1 Corinthians 15:14-19 NLT And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. 15 And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. 16 And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. 18 In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! 19 And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world.
Hebrews 2:14-15 NLT Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. 15 Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.
Have I convinced you? Maybe? Maybe not.
But hopefully I’ve given something to think about.
If there’s any possibility that it’s true that Jesus is Alive, that is a life changing event that requires a decision.
I’m not sure I could convince you beyond a reasonable doubt that Jesus is alive. But I can tell you this.
“The person with an experience is never at the mercy of the person with an argument.”
I’ve experienced Jesus and the power of His resurrection.
I may not convince you that He is Alive, but I can promise you that you’ll never convince me He’s not!
When Christ was crucified…everyone ran away...the Bible says they went into hiding. Simon Peter could have gone back to fishing…Luke could have gone back to practicing medicine…Matthew could have gone back to collecting taxes.
They could have…except…their lives had changed…they turned from cowards to courageous committed followers of Christ, proclaiming His name and His resurrection.
Today, skeptics deal with the same life change. Millions upon millions of people from every culture, every tribe, and every walk of life say the same thing, “I was looking for meaning and purpose. I didn’t find it until one day I found Jesus. I finally understood that God loved me so much he sent Jesus to die on the cross for my sins. I’ve applied that to my life and I’m forgiven, I’m cleansed, I have a changed life because of Jesus.
