Participants: David Asscherick
Series Code: EHE
Program Code: EHE000004
|
00:17 Good evening, friends and welcome to Battle
00:19 Creek for yet another edition of Eleventh Hour 00:22 evidence. My name's Pastor Jason Seiber. 00:24 I'm so glad you can join us. This evening, 00:27 we're going to be raising one of the great 00:29 questions of all time and answering it. 00:32 What happens after this life? I for one hope 00:37 that we'll have a role that would be called up 00:39 yonder, really soon. And our friend Dan 00:42 Grentz is here with Lloyd Callum to ask us 00:44 that question. Will we be there when 00:46 the role is called up yonder." 00:55 O, we see the gleams of the golden morning 01:02 Piercing through this night of gloom! 01:09 O, we see the gleams of the golden morning 01:18 That will burst the tomb. 01:25 When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound, 01:28 and time shall be no more, 01:31 And the morning breaks, eternal, bright and 01:34 fair; When the saved of 01:37 earth shall gather over on the other shore, 01:42 And the roll is called up yonder, I'll be there. 01:48 When the roll is called up yonder, 01:53 When the roll is called up yonder, 01:59 When the roll is called up yonder, 02:07 When the roll is called up yonder, 02:10 I'll be there. On that bright and 02:15 cloudless morning when the dead 02:17 in Christ shall rise, 02:19 And the glory of his resurrection share; 02:25 When his chosen ones shall gather 02:28 to their home beyond the skies, 02:30 And the roll is called up yonder, I'll be there. 02:36 Let us labor for the Master from the 02:40 dawn till setting sun, 02:42 Let us talk of all his wondrous love and care; 02:47 Then when all of life is over, 02:50 and our work on earth is done, 02:53 And the roll is called up yonder, I'll be there. 02:59 When the roll is called up yonder, 03:04 When the roll is called up yonder, 03:10 When the roll is called up yonder, 03:18 When the roll is called up yonder, 03:21 I'll be there. 03:27 O, we see the gleams of the golden morning 03:37 That will burst the tomb. Amen. 03:52 Thanks Dan, isn't that a wonderful promise, 03:55 the gleams of the golden morning. And a role 03:57 that is going to be called yonder just on the 03:59 other side. I'll forget the night that my family 04:02 received a call from my older sister, 04:05 her voice broken, a little bit of crying in 04:08 the background and she said, I've cancer. 04:12 I don't think, I'm going to make it. 04:14 Sure enough ten days later Kelly was no 04:16 longer with us, that was 1996. And, 04:19 I wondered whether I would see her again, 04:22 my father-in-law came and was visiting our 04:24 family, trying to bring some comfort and I 04:27 remember him saying Jason is there anything 04:29 I can do for you. And, I said absolutely, 04:33 you could bring Kelly back. He said, 04:35 you know I can't do that, but I know, 04:37 somebody who can. My friend I don't know, 04:39 where you're tonight in that experience of 04:41 life and death perhaps somebody in your 04:43 family has passed away. Maybe there 04:44 someone that you just long to see, will you see 04:47 them again? Will I see my, my sister Kelly 04:50 again? The question comes down to a simple 04:53 premises. Did Jesus rise from the grave? 04:57 If Jesus rose then we've hope, if he didn't, 05:01 there is none. Tonight to answer that question, 05:03 did Jesus rise from the grave, 05:06 pastor David Asscherick. 05:08 Amen. Thank you, Jason. Good evening everyone. 05:11 Good evening. How was your day 05:12 today? I said how was your day today? 05:16 Great. Good, I'm looking for 05:18 enthusiasm, amen. Amen. 05:21 So, good to be alive, it's, it's better than 05:23 the alternative, isn't it? Yes. 05:26 You know, that's what we're going to be 05:27 speaking about this evening. Our message is 05:28 entitled, 'The Resurrection of Jesus 05:31 Christ, Fact or Fiction'. 'The Resurrection of 05:34 Jesus Christ, Fact or Fiction.' And before we 05:37 get into our message proper, what are we 05:39 going to do first, everyone? Pray. 05:41 Going to pray, that's exactly right. So, why 05:43 don't we begin with a word of prayer and then 05:44 I'll sort of explain the, the goal of tonight's 05:47 message, it will be a little different, actually it 05:49 will be a lot different then the messages that 05:51 we've had up to this point and we're going to 05:53 do something interesting. We're going to take 05:55 a different approach. And I will be very 05:57 interested to explain that to you, but first 05:59 let's begin by coming to the Lord and asking 06:02 him to bless us as we study his word tonight. 06:09 Oh! Father in heaven, what a great privilege it 06:12 is to be here this evening to study your word. 06:16 And Father in heaven, we're gathered here and 06:18 we're praying for all of those, who are 06:20 gathered out there. The globe over, the world 06:23 over, looking at their television sets or maybe 06:25 a computer monitor and they are, they are 06:27 listening in, Father. Not for the word of a man, 06:31 but for the word of God. Lord tonight as we 06:34 study, we're praying and asking that your 06:36 spirit will speak directly to our hearts and to 06:40 our minds. Father, this is one of the greatest 06:44 subjects in all of the universe, the question of 06:47 death and the resurrection. 06:50 Father tonight as we seek to understand this 06:52 better and, and still more fully. We pray that 06:54 your spirit will be with us in a marked way. 06:58 Please, come now and be our teacher for 07:00 you've promised to do that. And we ask it in 07:03 Jesus name, everyone can say, amen. Amen. 07:08 Alright, our message tonight is entitled 07:10 'The Resurrection of Jesus Christ, 07:12 Fact or Fiction.' And, what we're going to do 07:15 tonight as I've said it's just a little different. 07:17 Did you bring your Bibles this evening? 07:19 Did you bring them? Yes. 07:20 Good, you're going to need them. What we're 07:22 going to do tonight is we're going to try as 07:24 much as is possible to disassociate ourselves 07:28 from our commitment to the Bible as the 07:31 inspired word of God. You say, what does that 07:34 mean, Pastor Asscherick? It only means this; 07:37 tonight we're going to approach the Bible not 07:39 as committed Christians, but as a historian. 07:42 An historian might approach the Bible. 07:44 We're going to take our convictions that the 07:46 Bible is the inspired word of God. We'll talk 07:48 more about that in a future night. We're going 07:49 to put those on a shelf for just a moment. 07:51 And we're going to try to access, how would a 07:54 historian, a secular historian come to this 07:57 word. How would a secular historian try to 08:01 collaborate or to prove or to evince the 08:04 authenticity of the resurrection of Jesus. 08:07 The reason we're going to do this, is friends 08:09 we're going to discover that the resurrection of 08:12 Jesus Christ is one of he best attested two facts 08:16 in the history of mankind. It is firmly 08:20 anchored in antiquity and for me just to say to 08:23 you well you know, Jesus raised from the dead 08:25 because the Bible says so, that doesn't really 08:28 solve the problem, that's like saying Jesus rose 08:31 from the dead because Jesus rose from the 08:33 dead, if we assume right up front that the 08:35 Bible is the inspired word of God then we've 08:37 not proved our case. For the skeptic, 08:40 this is not convincing, for the infidel, 08:42 this is not convincing, for the atheist, 08:44 this is un-convincing, for you and I it maybe, 08:48 but what I'm going to claim tonight is that 08:50 simply based on an honest, candid survey of 08:54 history, of what word did is say? 08:56 History. History and the 08:57 historical evidences we can prove beyond a 09:01 shadow of a doubt that Jesus Christ friends did 09:04 die, but more importantly that he was raised 09:07 from the dead on resurrection morning. 09:09 Amen. Now, last evening 09:11 I gave a quotation to you, I just want to 09:12 recite it and review it very, very, quickly, 09:14 it was G.B. Hardy and he was writing in his 09:16 book Countdown and he said this, he said 09:18 there are only two essential requirements. 09:21 Two essential requirements, number one, 09:23 has anyone ever cheated death and number 09:26 two, is it available to me. Mr. Hardy said, 09:30 let us survey the record, Confucius Tomb 09:32 occupied, Buddha's Tomb occupied, 09:35 Muhammad's Tomb occupied, then he said, 09:39 Jesus Tomb what was is it everyone? 09:41 Empty and Mr. Hardy concluded with this 09:44 salient conclusion, he said argue as you may, 09:47 but for me and my purposes there is no 09:49 purpose in following a loser. Friends, this is 09:53 not speaking about a loser in the pejorative 09:55 sense. It is simply saying this, if Jesus 09:59 Christ did in fact rise bodily from the death. 10:02 If death is not the end and there is in fact an 10:05 after life, if that was available to him then it 10:08 can be available to you and I. Can you say, amen? 10:11 Amen. So, friends tonight 10:13 our message is entitled, 'The Resurrection of 10:14 Jesus Christ, Fact or Fiction.' Let's begin 10:18 with some very foundational points. 10:21 A very foundational understanding, first of 10:22 all Christianity stands or falls on the historical 10:27 reliability of the resurrection of Jesus 10:29 Christ of Nazareth. If you believe that, 10:30 say amen. Amen. 10:32 There is no Christianity apart from the 10:34 historical resurrection of Jesus Christ, 10:36 now notice this, without the resurrection there 10:38 is no Christianity, for the vindication of the 10:42 claims of Jesus Christ hinge on the 10:44 resurrection having actually happened. 10:47 Did Jesus make some incredible claims about 10:49 himself, his mission and his ministry, 10:51 yes or no? Yes. 10:52 Friends, those were some far reaching claims 10:54 as we discussed last night, but if those 10:56 claims cannot be vindicated by Jesus 10:59 rising physically and bodily from the death 11:01 then those claims of Jesus fall flat to the 11:04 ground. Now, let us continue, note here. 11:08 Jesus affirmed this, that is to say Jesus 11:11 affirmed that his resurrection was a 11:15 cornerstone to his claims to messianic and 11:19 divine identity. Go with me to Mark, 11:21 chapter 8. The Gospel of Mark, Mark chapter 11:24 8. Let's begin by noting from Jesus own words 11:28 just how important the resurrection would be, 11:30 Mark chapter 8. Mark, what chapter are we 11:34 going to everyone? Eight. 11:35 Mark chapter 8 and verse 31. Mark chapter 8 11:39 and verse 31. Jesus speaking and he says 11:41 these words. And he then began to teach them 11:44 that the Son of Man must suffer many things 11:47 and be rejected by the elders and the chief 11:49 priests and the scribes. And, be killed and 11:52 after three days, what would he do everyone? 11:55 Rise again. Rise again. Now, 11:57 did Jesus affirm that he would rise again? 12:01 Yes, he did. Now, notice also in John chapter 12:03 two in verse 19. Go from the Gospel of Mark to 12:06 the Gospel of John. John chapter 2 and verse 12:09 19. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John. Chapter 2 12:13 and I'm noting verse 19 again. Notice this, 12:15 verse 19. Jesus answered and said to them, 12:19 "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will, 12:24 what everyone? Raise it up. 12:25 Raise it up. And notice verse 20 the Jews said, 12:27 it has been 46 years to build this temple and 12:30 will you raise it up in three days and notice 12:32 this commentary by, by the Gospel writer 12:35 John in verse 21. But he was speaking of the 12:39 temple of his, what? Body. 12:41 Of his body and he adds this note here in verse 12:43 22. Therefore when he had risen from the, 12:45 his disciples remembered that he had said this 12:48 to them and they believed the scripture and the 12:50 word which Jesus had said. Now, notice here 12:54 on two occasions one in Mark and one in 12:55 John, Jesus actually communicates, he affirms 12:59 that he will be betrayed, that he will be 13:01 rejected, that he will die, but that he would 13:03 rise again. Amen. Now, that's a pretty amazing 13:07 claim, isn't it? Amen. Because friends how 13:09 many people die? All! All, everybody dies 13:13 with a few exceptions. We've people like 13:15 Elijah, he didn't die. Enoch walked with God 13:17 and he didn't die but the vast majority of 13:19 mankind die. Jesus here now makes the 13:22 remarkable claim, I will die, that's not so 13:26 remarkable is it, but then what does he say? 13:28 I will rise again. Now, friends if Jesus doesn't 13:32 rise again then we would have no compelling 13:34 reason to believe anything else he said, 13:36 amen. Amen. 13:38 Now, notice what also the Apostle Paul says, 13:40 Jesus affirmed this and Paul also affirmed it in 13:43 First Corinthians chapter 15. First Corinthians 13:47 chapter 15, just after the Gospels, Matthew, 13:51 Mark, Luke, John, then you have Acts, 13:53 Romans and then First Corinthians, chapter 15 13:56 Now, I'm going to begin in verse one. 13:57 First Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 1. 13:59 The Apostle writing and notice what he says, 14:02 moreover brethren, I declare to you the Gospel 14:04 which I preach to you, which also you 14:06 received, and in which you stand. Verse 2, 14:10 by which also you are saved, he saying you're 14:12 saved by the Gospel. If you hold that which, 14:15 that word which we preached to you, unless 14:17 you've believed in vain. Now, notice verse 3, 14:20 for I deliver to you first of all that which I also 14:22 received, that Christ died for our sins 14:25 according to the scriptures, can you 14:27 amen to that? Amen. 14:28 And that he was buried and that he rose again 14:32 the third day according to the scriptures and 14:34 that he was seen by Cephas and then by the 14:36 twelve. After that he was seen by over 500 14:39 brethren at once of whom the greater part 14:41 remain to the present, that is to say they 14:43 remain alive, but some have fallen asleep. 14:45 After that he was seen by James, then by all 14:47 the Apostles, then last of all, he was seen by 14:50 me also as one born out of due time. 14:53 Now, go back to verse 3 there and I want to, 14:54 I want to show you something, I want to 14:56 introduce you to something that is not 14:57 well-known here. Notice verse three, 14:59 the Apostle says right in the middle of that 15:01 verse that that Christ died for our sins 15:03 according to the scriptures. Then verse 4, 15:05 that he was buried, that he was rose again the 15:07 third day according to the scriptures. 15:09 Most scholars recognized that what Paul is 15:12 doing here. In First Corinthians verses 3 and 15:14 4. Is residing an ancient Creedal tradition. 15:19 Ancient is probably not the right word I'm 15:21 looking here, but a former Creedal tradition 15:23 that is to say, something that all of the 15:25 churches affirm, it was almost like the 15:28 equivalent of the Nicene Creed or the 15:30 Apostolic Creed. These kinds of things. 15:32 Notice, how nicely it reads and how nicely it 15:35 rolls off the tongue. It would have been 15:36 meant for memorization. Remember that you 15:39 and I today, we have the Bibles in printed 15:41 form, but in the days of Paul that would not have 15:43 been as easily to posses. And, so they would, 15:45 they would communicate many of the great 15:47 truths of scripture in oral form. 15:49 In what kind of form everyone? Oral 15:51 And, so they would have these, 15:52 these synopses, these affirmations of the 15:55 basics of faith. And, so let's read it again 15:58 with that in mind. Notice verse 3, for I declare 16:00 to you first of all that which I also receive that 16:03 Christ died for our sins according to the 16:04 scriptures and that he was buried and that he 16:07 rose again the third day according to the 16:08 scriptures. This was an early Christian 16:11 affirmation of the essence of the Gospel. 16:14 Paul is simply quoting it. Are you 16:17 understanding that, yes or no? 16:18 Yes. To put it in a very 16:19 simple language, this is not original with Paul. 16:22 He is quoting it from an earlier Christian 16:26 source. Now, we will comeback to the 16:28 importance of that in just a moment, 16:29 but before we do notice with me in the same 16:31 chapter, beginning in verse 12. 16:33 First Corinthians chapter 15, now notice verse 16:35 12. Notice how far the Apostle Paul takes the 16:39 importance of the resurrection. He says, 16:41 "Now if Christ is preached that he has been 16:43 raised from the dead, how do some among you 16:45 say there is no resurrection of the dead? 16:49 then Christ is not risen. And, if Christ is not 16:52 risen, then out preaching is empty and your 16:55 faith is also", what's the next word? 16:57 Empty. Empty, now if you're 16:58 reading in the King James version, it says 16:59 what, vain. Now, notice what the Apostle Paul 17:03 just said, he said if Christ isn't risen your 17:06 faith is vain. Now, let me ask you a very 17:10 simple question, is the resurrection of Jesus 17:13 essential to the basis truths of Christianity, 17:15 yes or no? Yes. 17:16 According to the Apostle Paul without the 17:18 resurrection faith is vain, we've gather 17:20 tonight for no reason, if Jesus didn't rise 17:23 bodily from the death, amen. Amen. 17:26 That's Paul's whole point. Now, notice he 17:28 goes on here, picking it up in verse 15. 17:31 Yes and we're found false witnesses of God 17:33 because we've testified of God that he raised 17:35 up Christ, whom he did not raise up if in fact 17:38 the death do not rise. For if the death do not 17:40 rise, then Christ is not risen and if Christ is 17:42 not risen, your faith is my, version says, futile. 17:47 Amen. Now, friends what 17:49 does the word futile mean. It means worthless, 17:53 non meaningful, groundless, even silly. 17:57 Notice that, if Christ is not risen your faith is 18:00 silly. Your faith is futile, groundless, 18:04 even ludicrous. You're still in your 18:07 sins, then also those who have fallen asleep in 18:10 Christ, that is a metaphor for having died. 18:13 In Christ have perish, if in this life only 18:16 we've hope in Christ, we're of all men, 18:18 the most pitiable. Do you understand from 18:22 both Jesus perspective and Paul's perspective 18:25 that apart from the actual historical, 18:28 physical, bodily resurrection of Jesus, 18:30 the Christianity dissolves and dissipates into 18:33 nothing else, does that make sense, 18:34 yes or no? Amen. Yes. 18:37 What we're going to try and do this evening 18:38 then is to establish the actual historical 18:42 validity of the resurrection. And we're 18:44 going to do that by noting three firmly 18:47 established historical facts. What kind of facts 18:51 did I say everyone? Historical facts, 18:53 notice I didn't say scriptural facts. 18:55 See that's too easy, for a Christian to say, 18:57 well of course Jesus rose from the death 18:58 because the Bible says so. Friends, we're 19:01 actually asserting what we're trying to prove. 19:05 How do we speak to a skeptic, how do we 19:07 speak to somebody who is not predisposed to 19:09 believe what you and I believe tonight. 19:11 We can't say, well the Bible says, that might 19:13 not be convincing, in fact it won't be 19:15 convincing to the hardened infidel. 19:18 What we want to do tonight is look at three 19:20 historical facts that firmly anchor the 19:23 resurrection of Jesus Christ in history. 19:26 What are those three facts, number one the 19:28 fact of the empty tomb, the historical fact of 19:31 the empty tomb. Number two, 19:33 the historical fact of post-resurrection 19:36 appearances of Jesus of Nazareth, we're going 19:39 to go into each of these in more detail. 19:40 And, number three, the historical fact of 19:41 the origin and rise of the Christian religion. 19:45 Do you understand where we're headed, 19:46 yes or no? Yes. 19:47 The fact of the empty tomb, the fact of the 19:49 post-resurrection appearances and the fact 19:51 of the origin and rise of the Christian religion. 19:53 Let's begin by going to the empty tomb. 19:56 First of all note that the burial of Jesus 19:58 supports the empty tomb. The burial of Jesus 20:01 supports the empty tomb. Why would that be? 20:04 Friends the tomb location was known by both 20:07 Jews and gentiles, is that true, yes or no? 20:10 Yes. Absolutely, 20:12 we'll comeback to that in a moment. 20:13 The disciples could not have preached the 20:15 resurrection without the empty tomb, 20:18 is that true? To have gone into Jerusalem and 20:20 began to preach Jesus has risen from the dead; 20:23 Jesus has risen from the dead without the 20:25 tomb being empty would have been a 20:26 non-meaningful statement. All that the 20:28 religious rulers of that day would have to do 20:30 would go to exhume the body, to remove the 20:33 body from the tomb, hold up the body, 20:35 the cadaver of Jesus and say if he's risen 20:37 from the dead, then why do we have his dead 20:39 corpse here. Do you understand that the, the, 20:43 the ability of the disciples to preach the 20:45 resurrection, necessitates that the 20:47 tomb was empty? Are you understanding that, 20:49 yes or no? Yes. 20:50 Notice also our, our final point here. 20:52 Scholars agree that the burial is one of the best 20:55 attested two facts of Jesus life. That is to say 20:59 when historical scholars, what kind of scholars? 21:02 Historical. I didn't say necessarily 21:04 Bible scholars or theological scholars, 21:06 but historical scholars. When they go and 21:09 evaluate the evidence for the life of Jesus 21:12 that is to say the historical evidence. 21:14 Sometimes the internal Biblical evidence and 21:16 sometimes the extra Biblical evidence. 21:18 They're try to say, how much do we about the 21:20 historical Jesus, what do we really know about 21:23 the historical Jesus and many times they want 21:25 to ask questions like this. How much do we 21:27 know about historical Jesus that's not found 21:30 in the Bible? Because they would say, 21:32 if they're predisposed to disbelief. Well, of 21:34 course the Bible has searched these about the 21:36 Jesus because the Bible claims that he was the 21:38 son of God. So, they go looking for extra 21:40 Biblical evidence, what kind of evidence? 21:43 Extra Biblical. That means not, 21:45 not evidence that's found in the Bible but 21:47 evidence outside of the Bible. And, even these 21:50 scholars' secular historians, secular 21:52 scholars affirm that one of the best attested 21:55 two facts of Jesus life is the fact that he 21:57 actually died and he actually was buried in a 22:00 tomb. You with me so far. So, that's point 22:03 number one. The burial supports the empty 22:05 tomb. Now, notice this, point number two. 22:08 Paul confirms the empty tomb, we just read 22:11 that in the First Corinthians chapter 5, 22:12 verse 1 to 8. Remember I told you that were 22:14 the Gospel formula, it was not original with 22:18 Paul. He is quoting from an earlier source that 22:21 can be dated to within five years of the 22:25 crucifixion event. Okay, what year was Jesus 22:28 crucified in, do you know? A.D. 31, when Paul 22:32 here was quoting what we read in First 22:33 Corinthians chapter 15, he did not write those 22:36 words original with himself. Most scholars 22:38 agree he was quoting and existing Creedal 22:41 statements by Christians that can be dated to 22:44 within five years of the crucifixion. 22:47 In other words, right up until about 36 A.D. 22:50 Now, any historian will tell you that one of 22:53 the, the chiefest criteria by which you 22:56 determine if something is historically valid or 22:58 invalid is how close can you get 23:00 documentation to the actual events that are 23:03 being documented. Do you understand that, 23:05 yes or no? Amen. 23:06 Now, if you've documentation that the 23:09 was empty within 6 years, five years of 23:13 Jesus actual burial, the actual crucifixion 23:16 event for a historian. This is remarkably quick 23:19 information. Are you understanding that? 23:22 Yeah. Okay, great. 23:23 Now, notice also Paul could confirms the 23:25 empty tomb, the resurrection then, 23:28 this is the importance was not a later 23:31 legendary development, but something that 23:33 was rooted in early Christianity. One of the 23:37 main charges that is raised against the 23:40 resurrection of Jesus. Is that it was a later 23:43 invention by the church and maybe the third, 23:46 fourth, fifth, or even sixth century. That is to 23:49 say, maybe the disciples stole the body. 23:52 And, we'll talk more about that in just a 23:53 moment or maybe they've the wrong tomb and 23:55 in order to save face, so they didn't look like a 23:58 bunch of fools preaching the resurrection later 24:01 in the Christian tradition, later in the 24:03 history of the church, they invented the 24:06 resurrection. It was a later legendary 24:08 development. But friends, that cannot be 24:11 if we've the fact of the empty tomb utterly 24:14 attested to within five years of the crucifixion 24:18 event. There is no time for a later legendary 24:21 development to have transpired within five 24:23 years. By the way, think about this. 24:26 Many of the very people who had seen Jesus, 24:28 who had walked with him, and talked with 24:30 him and seen him, go about the hills of Galilee 24:32 and ancient Judea. They would have been able 24:34 to call the bluff of the disciples, they would 24:36 have said, no he didn't rise from the dead, 24:38 here is his tomb. Are you understanding, 24:40 yes or no? Very powerful and notice also 24:44 number three. The empty tomb story is from 24:47 pre-Markan source material. Now, let me 24:50 kind of unpack that for you. Most scholars 24:52 agree the Gospel of Mark was based on an 24:56 earlier document. On a what kind of 24:58 document. An earlier document. 24:59 An earlier document, that sort of means a 25:01 pre-Markan document. This source can be 25:04 dated again to within five years of the 25:07 crucifixion. Therefore the resurrection is not a 25:10 later development. Now, the importance of 25:12 this simply cannot be overstated, what we've 25:15 here is, is historical attestation, historical 25:19 verification of the empty tomb within five 25:22 years of the actual crucifixion of it. 25:24 We're not talking hundreds of years of 25:25 later or a thousand years later, we've got 25:28 this attestation right up next to the actual event 25:31 that is being described. Are you with me now, 25:33 yes or no? Yes. 25:34 We'll continue go impact the importance of 25:36 this. Notice also, number four, Mark's 25:39 account, if you read the account of Mark, 25:42 in fact we'll do that in just a moment. 25:43 His resurrection account is simple and lacks 25:46 legendary development. Lets go read Mark's 25:48 account in Mark chapter 15 in verse 42. 25:52 Mark chapter 15 and what verse are 25:55 we going to everyone? 42. 25:57 Verse 42. Now, again let's read this, let's try 26:01 and read this in the same way that a secular 26:03 historian might read this story. Mark chapter 26:05 15 and verse 42. Let, let's see how it's 26:08 sounds, how does it roll off the tongue, 26:10 is it replete with legendary embellishments. 26:14 Let's see, beginning in verse 42. Now, when 26:17 evening had come because it was the 26:19 Preparation Day, that is the day before the 26:21 Sabbath. Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent 26:24 Council member, who was himself waiting for 26:25 the kingdom of God, coming and taking 26:27 courage went into Pilate and asked for the 26:29 body of Jesus. What was the name of the man 26:31 that went and asked the body? 26:32 Joseph of Arimathea. Joseph of Arimathea, 26:34 verse 44, Pilate marveled that he was already 26:36 dead. And summoning the centurion, he asked 26:38 him if he had been dead for sometime. 26:40 Verse 45, so when he found out from the 26:42 centurion, he granted the body of Joseph, 26:44 then he bought fine linen, took him down and 26:47 wrapped him in the linen and laid him in a 26:49 tomb which had been hewn out of rock. 26:50 And rolled a stone against the door of the 26:52 tomb and Mary Magdalene and Mary the 26:54 mother of Jesus observed where he was laid. 26:58 That's a very simple account of the burial 27:00 isn't it? There is not a lot of legendary kinds of 27:04 details there. Mark's account of the 27:07 resurrection is almost austere. It, it, it lacks 27:10 any kind of embellishment and bells and whistles. 27:15 Now, consider what we just read and let me 27:17 contrast that for you with a later forged 27:22 account of the resurrection of Jesus. 27:24 This was taken from the so called Gospel of 27:27 Peter, a forgery from 125 A.D, listen carefully, 27:31 the Markan account is straight forward and 27:34 shows no sign of legendary embellishment, 27:37 to appreciate this fact all you've to do as 27:39 compare Mark's account of the empty tomb 27:41 with the account found in the so called Gospel 27:44 of Peter, a forgery dated from around 125 AD. 27:48 In this account the tomb is not only 27:50 surrounded by Roman guards, but also all the 27:53 Jewish Pharisees and elders as well as the 27:55 great multitude from the surrounding country 27:57 side have come to watch the resurrection. 28:01 Suddenly in the night there rings out a loud 28:03 voice in heaven and two men descend from 28:06 heaven to the tomb. The stone over the door 28:08 rolls back by itself and they go into the tomb 28:11 then three men come out of the tomb, two of 28:13 them holding up the third man. The heads of 28:16 two of them reach up into the clouds, 28:18 but the head of the third man reaches beyond 28:20 the clouds, then a cross comes out of the tomb 28:23 and a voice from heaven asks the cross, 28:26 have you preach to them that sleep and the 28:28 cross answers, yes. Does that sound like a 28:32 legend to you? Yes. 28:34 Sound like maybe somebody threw in a few 28:35 theological details that suited their fancy to 28:37 you. It sure does, it, it, it reeks of legendary 28:41 development. Listen to this one, in another 28:43 forgery called the ascension of Isaiah. 28:45 Jesus comes out of the tomb sitting on the 28:47 shoulders of Michael and Gabriel. 28:51 Are you understanding, yes or no? 28:52 Yes. Friends, listen what 28:54 happens when you have significant amounts 28:56 of time between the actual events described 28:59 and when the events are recorded, you've 29:02 centuries or decades sometimes even Millennia 29:06 for legends to develop. Yet when Mark gives 29:10 us his account, when Mark tells us how the 29:13 burial took place, you don't have these kinds 29:15 of legendary embellishments. He simply 29:17 says, a man by the name of Joseph of 29:18 Arimathea, he want to Pilate, and say can I 29:20 have the body, they put him in there, 29:21 Mary was there, Mary the mother of Jesus, 29:23 end of story. When he's raised, he comes out, 29:26 it's, it's you know, it's not sitting on the, 29:28 the shoulders of Gabriel and Michael and no 29:31 cross comes walking out of the tomb and no 29:33 great voices from heaven friends, it's just 29:35 a simple accurate historical account. 29:39 Friends, this is one of the ways that historians 29:41 try to determine historical authenticity. 29:43 If there looks to be a lot of legendary 29:46 additions, a lot of legendary embellishment, 29:48 they say well, well, well we need to find the 29:50 truth, we need to, we need to peel back these 29:53 layers of embellishment to find out what the 29:54 real colonel of truth is, but when we go to 29:57 Mark's account it's plain, it's stark, 29:59 it's simple in it's recorded details. 30:02 Do you understand yes or no? Amen. 30:04 Very powerful. Now, notice this number five. 30:07 It is doubtful to Joseph of Arimathea, 30:10 a member of the Sanhedrin and the man who 30:12 supplied the tomb, would be invented by 30:14 early Christian tradition. Why is that? 30:17 The Sanhedrin and its 70 members were 30:19 well-known. The Sanhedrin was the very 30:21 Council responsible for unjustly sentencing 30:23 Jesus. His invention then is highly unlikely 30:27 and this further supports the empty tomb 30:28 story. In other words why would the disciples 30:31 invent somebody named Joseph of Arimathea, 30:34 if, if the, the members of the Sanhedrin 30:37 Council were very well-known in their day. 30:40 It would be like inventing a cabinet 30:42 member for Joseph or George Bush. 30:44 It would be like saying George Bush's cabinet 30:46 member, John Johnson. Anybody that lived 30:49 during that time, we could say Umm! Umm! 30:51 Umm! George Bush doesn't have a cabinet 30:53 member named John Johnson. For the 30:55 disciples to have just invented to just who pull 30:59 out of thin air, this Joseph of Arimathea is 31:01 highly unlikely. In fact the, the, this would 31:04 have been even a point of embarrassment for 31:06 the disciples because it was the Sanhedrin that 31:08 actually condemned Jesus and why would 31:10 they make up somebody who is part of the 31:11 actual condemnation party to go and give the 31:14 tomb. Are you understanding now? 31:16 Amen. Very powerful. 31:18 So, a historian looks at that, he says well, 31:19 well why would Joseph of Arimathea have 31:21 been invented, if it's unlikely that he was 31:24 invented then it becomes increasingly likeful, 31:26 likely that he actually was a person, 31:28 an individual that donated the tomb. 31:31 Notice also now, number six, the tomb was 31:33 discovered empty by, what is that word there? 31:36 Women. By women, ladies, 31:37 you're going to have to forgive me for this. 31:41 Women could not serve as legal witnesses in 31:44 first century, in the first century Jewish 31:46 economy. Do you understand the 31:48 significance of that? In fact I actually have, 31:50 have references that I can show you that if a 31:53 man had murdered somebody in plain day 31:55 light, and it was witness by say six women. 31:59 This is in first century Judaism; the man could 32:02 not be taken to court because the testimony of 32:04 women was so totally unreliable. 32:06 Amen. I try to tell my wife 32:07 about this, but she doesn't quite buy into it. 32:09 Amen. She says, you know, 32:11 sweetie I saw you do that and so. She says, 32:12 no, no, your testimony is unreliable 32:14 sweetheart. Now, the point here is just this. 32:17 Number two; women occupied a low rung on 32:20 the social ladder. You say well I don't 32:21 understand, what's the big deal? Why does it 32:23 matter that women couldn't service legal 32:24 witnesses in first century Palestine? 32:27 And, why does it matter that in those times, 32:28 they occupied a low rung on the social 32:30 ladder. By the way, just a word here, 32:32 if you go to read the Gospel accounts, 32:33 you find Jesus dignifying and ennobling 32:36 women and restoring them to their rightful 32:39 place. Not as sub-ordinance, 32:40 not as inferior, but its actual participants 32:44 in his ministry, amen. Amen. 32:46 In fact many scholars have remark that, 32:48 that is one of the, the hallmarks of Jesus 32:50 ministry. The egalitarian spirit with which he 32:53 treated both men and women. He treated them 32:55 equally. Can you say amen to that? Amen. 32:58 Now, notice this. A later legendary 33:01 development of the empty tomb accounts 33:04 surely would have had men, probably the 33:07 disciples, discover the tomb. Do you 33:10 understand the significance of that, 33:11 yes or no? Maybe this is the best way to put it. 33:14 If the disciples made the story up, if the 33:17 whole thing was, was a later legendary 33:19 development and embellishment then surely 33:22 they would have had a man discover the tomb. 33:24 After all, it was almost the point of 33:26 embarrassment for the early church that the 33:29 women were the ones, who discover the tomb. 33:31 They would have nicely, neatly erased that out 33:34 of history and they would have said it was 33:36 Peter who discovered the tomb. Some man 33:38 probably the disciples. The fact that it comes 33:41 down to you and I 2000 years later and its 33:43 stands firm that it was the women who 33:45 discover the tomb. This is a point of 33:47 potential embarrassment for the early church and 33:50 the secular historian looks at that and says, 33:51 well Umm! If they made the whole thing up, 33:53 they wouldn't have made it that way. 33:57 Do you understand the point, yes or no? 33:58 Amen. Very powerful. 33:59 Remember brothers and sisters, we're not 34:01 just going through the word of God and I'm 34:02 saying, well Jesus was raised from the death 34:04 because the Bible says so. What we're trying 34:06 to look at tonight is, is there other evidence, 34:09 how would a secular non-committed historian 34:13 evaluate the evidence for the historicity of 34:15 Jesus resurrection and we're beginning to find 34:17 that it's very potent and powerful, amen. 34:20 Amen. Now, notice also 34:22 number seven. We're gonna look at eight 34:23 points here and this is number seven. 34:25 The disciples could not have preached the 34:27 resurrection had the tomb not been empty. 34:30 Notice this, that the Christian belief about 34:32 the resurrection of Jesus began, not in some 34:35 distant city far off in Asia minor, but in 34:39 Jerusalem, the very city where he had been 34:41 crucified and buried as significant. 34:44 This is where the empty tomb would have 34:45 been easiest to disprove were the story untrue. 34:49 Do you understand the significance of this, 34:50 yes or no. Amen. 34:52 Friends, think about that for just a moment. 34:53 It's not that the story of the resurrection began 34:56 at all. One of the chiefest significance 34:58 of this, is that it began right in Jerusalem, 35:01 the very place where it would have been 35:02 easiest to disprove that he hadn't in fact raised 35:05 from the dead. Again, all the religious leaders 35:07 had to do, to scorch the enthusiasm of the 35:10 early church would be go and exhume the body. 35:11 Amen. Just pull the body out 35:13 of the tomb, parade it before everybody in 35:14 Jerusalem. And Peter's Pentecost sermon 35:16 would have looked like a whole bunch of 35:17 foolishness and silliness because there is the 35:19 body. Are you understanding, yes or no? 35:22 It would have been so much easier to say, 35:24 he, he is back, he raised in Corinth. 35:28 He is back, he raise in Galicia. No, no, no 35:31 friends it happen right in the very heart of the 35:34 place where Jesus ministry centered, 35:36 right in Jerusalem. And, point number eight 35:38 is the most potent of all. The earliest Jewish 35:42 propaganda, follow this very carefully. 35:45 The earliest Jewish propaganda against the 35:48 disciples pre-supposes the empty tomb. 35:52 Go with me to Matthew chapter 28 in verse 35:54 11. Matthew chapter 28, and what verse are 35:57 we going to everyone? 11. 35:59 Matthew 28 in verse 11. And notice this, 36:04 Gospel of Matthew written shortly before or 36:06 shortly after 70 A.D. And notice what it says 36:09 here. In Matthew chapter 28 beginning in 36:11 verse 11 it says, now while they were going 36:14 behold some of the guards came into the city 36:16 and reported to the chief priests all the 36:18 things that had happened. What was it that had 36:19 happened? The resurrection of Jesus had 36:21 happened. Verse 2, when they had assembled 36:23 with the elders and consulted together, 36:25 they gave a large sum of money to the 36:27 soldiers. Verse 13, saying telling them, 36:30 his disciples came at night and stole him away 36:33 while we slept. What do they want them to 36:35 say, who took the body? Disciples. 36:38 The disciples took the body and now notice 36:39 verse 14, And if this comes to the governor's 36:42 ears, we will appease him and make you 36:44 secure. Verse 15, so they took the money and 36:47 did as they were instructed. And the last 36:49 part of verse 15 is the most important part, 36:52 please hold in on that, it says, and this is 36:54 saying is commonly reported among the Jews 36:56 until this day. Now, now when was Jesus 36:59 crucified tell me again. 31 A.D.. 37:01 31 A.D and let's just pretend that Matthew 37:04 wrote his Gospel just before 70 A.D. 37:06 Let say, he wrote in 68 A.D, that's 37 years 37:10 later and when Matthew sits down to write his 37:12 Gospel. He says, the same thing that they're 37:14 still saying about why the tomb is empty, 37:16 is that the disciples stole the body. 37:20 Now, think about that, think about that for just 37:22 a second. The earliest Jewish propaganda 37:25 against the resurrection was not that the 37:28 disciples were drunk with new wine. 37:30 It wasn't that the disciples were, 37:32 were crazy or that they lost their minds. 37:34 The, the earliest propaganda and polemic 37:37 against the disciples preaching at the 37:38 resurrection was that they had stolen the body. 37:42 Amen. The very fact that 37:44 they said, the body had been stolen 37:45 pre-supposes that the tomb was empty. 37:51 Do you understand the significance of that, 37:52 yes or no? Amen, yes. 37:53 Friends think about that. Now, one of the, 37:57 I mean this is not the disciples saying the tomb 37:59 is empty that's easy. If the disciples had made 38:01 the whole thing up you would expect them to 38:03 say that the tomb was empty, but here the 38:05 enemies of Jesus. They obviously had gone to 38:07 the tomb and said, it's empty we've to come up 38:10 with a way to explain the empty tomb. 38:15 Friends, even up to 40 years after the event. 38:18 Even up to 40 years and actually beyond that 38:20 because this is still commonly reported among 38:21 the Jewish authorities today, it must have been 38:23 the disciples that stole the body, but this 38:25 pre-supposes that the tomb was empty. 38:29 Amen. So, number one, 38:31 the historical fact of the empty tomb. 38:35 The historical fact of the empty tomb. 38:36 These eight lines of evidence establish 38:38 solidly the historical fact of the empty tomb, 38:41 amen. Amen. And, that's only one 38:43 out of three. But as a secular historian we've 38:46 to ask ourselves a question. Is the tomb 38:48 empty? Now, if that tomb is empty, we've got 38:51 to explain it. And, there have been four 38:54 explanations that have been advanced as to 38:56 why that tomb was empty. The conspiracy 38:58 theory, that is to say the disciples stole the 39:01 body. Well, the conspiracy theory is, 39:04 is unacceptable because it's morally 39:05 implausible. First of all, it does not take into 39:08 account that the disciples were many 39:10 things but they were not deceivers and 39:12 charlatans, amen. Amen. 39:15 Number two, it's not psychologically plausible 39:17 either, think about the condition of the 39:19 disciples after Jesus had been crucified, 39:22 were they keen minded, were they ready to go 39:24 and invent some large scheme and hide bodies 39:27 and cover their tracks. What kind of condition 39:29 where they in after the crucifixion? 39:30 They were broken men, weren't they? 39:33 Read Luke chapter 24, they're so broken, 39:35 they don't even recognize Jesus. 39:37 So, it's not psychologically plausible 39:38 that in the midst of their sadness and 39:40 depression they invent this concocted scheme. 39:43 First of all and last of all, it cannot account 39:45 for the sincerity of the disciples, if the 39:48 disciples knew that they had taken and hidden 39:50 the body, think about this, ten of the 12 39:52 disciples died a martyrs' death. What kind of a 39:55 death? Martyrs death. 39:56 Oh! Imagine that, here you're one of the 39:58 disciples. You know that you hid the body. 40:00 You know, the whole thing is a farce, 40:02 you hid the body and here you are somewhere 40:05 in Asia minor, maybe in Jerusalem or Rome 40:07 and your head is on the block, you know the 40:09 whole the thing is a farce. And your head is 40:10 on the block and there goes the executioner 40:12 and all you've to say is, we made it up, 40:16 whole thing's a joke. And you would have 40:17 been instantaneously released. Friends, you 40:19 couldn't even get one person to die for what he 40:21 or she knew was a lie. Much less ten of them, 40:25 amen. Amen. 40:26 Powerful brothers and sisters. Now, what 40:28 about this idea of the apparent death theory. 40:30 This is unacceptable because first of all it's 40:32 not physically plausible. Just go read the Gospel 40:34 accounts, look at the, the, the whipping that 40:37 Jesus endured. He hadn't eaten; he had been 40:39 up all night. The crucifixion, it is 40:41 implausible that Jesus went into the tomb and 40:44 suddenly revived. This is one of the, 40:46 the explanations. He only appeared to have 40:48 died. In fact, this is what some of our friends 40:50 in the Muslim world say, oh! He only 40:52 appeared to have died. It's not physically 40:54 plausible. In fact, the journal of the American 40:55 Medical Association published an article 40:58 about 12 years ago, in which they, they went 41:00 through and they point-by-point they 41:01 delineated the sufferings and the, and the, 41:04 the violence that Jesus would have undergone 41:06 and they said there is no question that he 41:08 would have died even in the very early 41:11 moments of the crucifixion and that's 41:12 why he was taken down and he didn't have his 41:14 legs broken. He was already dead, amen. 41:17 Amen. So, it's not plausible. 41:19 Also it's not religiously ]plausible, think about 41:21 this. If Jesus really had after all of those 41:25 whippings, after the crucifixion, after the 41:27 spear piercing his side. If he had gone into the 41:30 tomb and some of these liberal scholars say, 41:32 oh! The coolness of the tomb would have 41:34 resuscitated his body. Now, think about this. 41:36 This is the picture you have in your mind. 41:37 Not of a glorified, beautiful, resurrected 41:40 glorious body of Jesus. That's not what you 41:43 would have friends, you would have a Jesus, 41:44 who is bloodied and beaten and hurt, I have 41:47 risen from the dead disciples. Would that have 41:49 elicited worship, yes or no? No. 41:52 Hardly friends, hardly it's, it's totally 41:55 unacceptable to say that he had apparently 41:58 died. Also it's not biographically plausible; 42:00 Jesus was not a deceiver, amen. Amen. 42:05 I mean historically the things that we know 42:07 about Jesus indicate many things, but most 42:09 people even as we discussed last night, 42:11 even skeptics affirm that Jesus was of the 42:13 highest moral character of the highest moral 42:16 rectitude. So, to say that he would have 42:18 deceived the disciples about this most 42:20 important element is ridicules. It does not 42:22 take into account, the evidence of the 42:24 character of Jesus. Number three, the wrong 42:26 tomb theory, this thing is totally unacceptable 42:28 because it's says, when the ladies went, 42:30 they went to the wrong tomb. And, lo and 42:32 behold they went to an empty tomb, when 42:34 they went back and said to the disciples 42:35 Jesus is risen. Well all they would have to do 42:37 is go, hey, Joseph of Arimathea the tomb is 42:40 empty, and he was the owner of the tomb. 42:42 You think, he knew where it was. 42:43 Yeah. Amen. Amen. So, later inspection 42:46 would have revealed. No, no, no you ladies 42:47 said wrong, you went to tomb A it's really 42:49 tomb B. And, last but not least the mass 42:52 hallucination theory. And, this has been the 42:54 concoction of many you know, more recent 42:56 liberal scholars because friends they cannot 42:59 allow the resurrection to be true. Because if 43:02 the resurrection is true Jesus is who he claim 43:04 to be, the divine son of God and so they say. 43:06 Well, you know, the disciples mass 43:08 hallucinated the resurrection, but this is 43:10 unacceptable for several reasons. First of all, 43:12 is there any medical documentation of, of such 43:14 a thing as a mass hallucination that has 43:16 this kind of explanatory scope, the answer is 43:19 no. Second of all, Jesus didn't appear just once 43:22 remember what Paul said, he appeared to 43:24 Peter and he appeared to James and he 43:25 appeared to the twelve, and he appeared to all 43:26 the Apostles and to the 500. You not only 43:29 have-to-have mass hallucinations, you've to 43:31 have multiple mass hallucinations, but here is 43:33 the kicker. Even they had hallucinated that he 43:36 was risen from the death when you went to the 43:38 actual tomb, what would have been in there? 43:41 The body of Jesus. So, friends what happens is 43:43 these secular historian, they look at this and say 43:45 umm! We've to try and explain the empty 43:48 tomb and so they put forth these theories that 43:50 lack explanatory scope. Notice this incredible 43:52 quotation form J.P Moreland. The disciples 43:55 had nothing to gain by lying and starting a 43:57 new religion. They faced hardship, ridicule, 44:00 hostility, and martyr's deaths. In light of this, 44:03 they could have never sustained such an 44:04 wavering motivation. If they knew what they 44:07 were preaching was a lie. The disciples were 44:09 not fools and Paul was a cool-headed 44:11 intellectual of the first rank. There would have 44:14 been several opportunities over three 44:17 to four decades of ministry to reconsider 44:19 and renounce the lie. Do you see what he is 44:21 saying? They would have had adequate 44:23 opportunity to have decided well you know 44:25 we made the whole thing up and to have gone 44:27 back and have to recant it. So, we've looked at 44:29 the fact of the empty tomb, none of these 44:32 other explanations. Now, let's look at the 44:34 resurrection appearances. Let's note Paul's 44:36 testimony. We already read it in First 44:38 Corinthians chapter 15 in verses 1-8. 44:41 Paul says, that he appear to Peter, to who 44:43 everyone? Peter. 44:45 Peter was a contemporary of Paul's. Could 44:47 Paul have asked Peter if Jesus had appeared to 44:50 him, yes or no? Yes. 44:51 Absolutely, it says he also appeared to the 44:53 twelve and to the 500. And, do you remember 44:55 that important point that Paul made when he 44:57 said, he appeared to the 500, what did he say? 45:00 He said the majority of whom are what? 45:02 Still alive. Still a live. 45:06 Now, why would Paul say, that the majority of 45:08 whom are what still alive. If he wasn't actually 45:10 saying, if you don't believe in the 45:12 resurrection, go ask to the people who would 45:14 seen it. Yup. 45:16 Now, think if there was nobody who had seen 45:17 and this would be a ridicules thing for Paul 45:19 say. Because somebody could have gone 45:20 around like Luke did. Luke says, in the 45:22 opening part of his Gospel, he went to talk to 45:24 the eyewitnesses, if they were no eyewitnesses 45:26 then Paul's claim that there we're eyewitnesses 45:28 would have been a silly claim. Are you with 45:30 me, yes or no? Yes. 45:32 So, also he appeared to all the Apostles and 45:33 Paul says last of all he appeared to himself, 45:36 that is to say is one born out of due time. 45:39 Number two, the Gospel accounts are reliable. 45:41 First of all because there is no time for 45:43 legendary development. Even the latest 45:45 Gospel, most scholars agree that John was the 45:47 last of the gospels written that's not a, 45:49 a perfect consensus, it's, but it's a large 45:52 consensus. Even that was written in probably 45:54 the late 80s or the early 90s. So, you're dealing 45:57 with at the very most in the Gospel of John, 46:00 60 years, 70 years to invent all of these great 46:03 stories, but in the case of the Gospel of Mark, 46:05 some of that material can be dated within five 46:07 years. There is just no time for legends to 46:10 develop. In fact many historians indicate that 46:12 it takes a hundred or two hundred years for 46:15 legends to really get rolling and there is just 46:18 no time for it. Also, we will talk more about 46:21 the, the powerful evidence of the Bible 46:25 tomorrow. And, this idea of dissimilarity, 46:28 rules out collusion. What do you mean by 46:30 that? Have you ever heard somebody say that 46:33 the gospels are contradictory, have you 46:35 ever heard anybody ask you that question. 46:36 They says, well why does, why does Matthew 46:38 say this and Mark say this? Why does John 46:40 say this and Luke says this. Have you ever 46:42 heard anybody say that, yes or no? 46:43 Yes. Friends listen very 46:44 carefully. The fact that the gospels are in some 46:48 points dissimilar does not prove that they're 46:50 contradictory, it actually proves that 46:52 they're complementary and what it proves 46:54 beyond that is that the disciples didn't get 46:56 together and make the whole thing up. 46:57 Amen. Think about it at this 46:59 way, lets say there is, somebody is stationed in 47:00 that corner, and somebody on that corner and 47:02 somebody in this corner. And, we all watch a 47:04 car accident. Now, you write down your 47:07 account of the car accident. Are you going 47:09 to see things from a different perspective if 47:10 you're standing on that corner then the person 47:11 who is sitting on this corner, yes or no? 47:13 Amen. Absolutely, 47:14 now if you've all written down what is true, 47:17 will your accounts to be perfectly identical? 47:20 Will they will be complementary? 47:22 Yes. Yes, and friends the 47:24 Gospel accounts show that there is enough 47:26 dissimilarity to say, hey they weren't all 47:29 getting together and saying let's make 47:30 something up, but there is enough sameness to 47:32 show that they were writing about the same 47:34 Jesus, doing the same things, speaking the 47:36 same words. Friends, this is one of the most 47:38 powerful evidences that the Bible is inspired. 47:42 Amen. Somebody should has said amen. 47:44 Amen. Amen. Okay, 47:47 number three, the physical bodily 47:48 appearances that was Paul's whole point in 47:50 First Corinthians 15, that we rise bodily from 47:53 the death. All of the Gospel appearance of 47:55 Jesus, the resurrection appearances are bodily 47:57 appearances. This undermines the 47:59 hallucination theory because one Doubting 48:01 Thomas is actually put his hands into the side. 48:04 How you're gonna put your hands into the side 48:06 and touch a hallucination, amen. Amen. 48:09 One of the Gospel accounts has Jesus eating 48:10 fish. Friends, hallucinations don't 48:13 eat fish. And, this establishes continuity. 48:18 So, then the origin of Christianity, we've 48:19 looked to point number one and number two. 48:21 Point number one is the fact of the empty 48:23 tomb. The fact of what everybody? 48:25 The empty tomb. The empty tomb. 48:27 Number two is the fact of the post resurrection 48:29 appearances. It cannot be doubted that the 48:31 disciples believed they had seen the 48:33 resurrected Jesus. By the way that's the 48:35 whole reason the liberal scholars invent 48:37 the hallucination hypothesis because they 48:39 can't say. Well, the disciples didn't believe 48:42 they saw Jesus, of course they believe they 48:44 saw Jesus. And, so the only way the scholars 48:46 can explain this without admitting there is a 48:47 resurrection is to say, well they must have 48:49 dreamed it up. And, number three and this is 48:51 the nail in the coffin friends, for liberal 48:53 scholarship. This is the nail in the coffin for 48:55 those who choose to not believe the 48:57 historical evidences for the resurrection of 49:00 Jesus and that is the origin and rise of the 49:03 Christian church. The origin of Christianity 49:05 hinges on the resurrection. Number one, 49:08 you cannot account for the rise of the 49:11 Christian church apart from the resurrection. 49:14 That is to say, think about this, you have just 49:17 a few disciples there in, in the, in the later part 49:21 of Jesus ministry. Twelve disciples, 49:23 one betrayed him and then Jesus dies. 49:26 Now, after Jesus died they went and preached 49:28 the resurrection in Jerusalem, amen. Amen. 49:31 Within three centuries friends, the Christian 49:33 religion was the prevailing religion in 49:36 entire Greco-Roman World. Thousands of 49:39 converts. Now, a historian does the 49:42 same thing that a scientist does, 49:44 if a scientist notes that the book was here and 49:47 then the book is over there. The scientist 49:49 says, Umm! Books don't just move from here 49:51 to there. Something caused it. 49:55 Something, what everybody? Caused it. 49:56 Caused it, so they look at this explosion of 49:59 Christianity in the first, second, and third 50:01 century and they're going to ask a question. 50:03 What do you think, they're going to ask. 50:05 What caused it? What caused it? 50:06 And friends listen very carefully the only way 50:09 to account to the sincerity and the 50:11 enthusiasm and the power and the explosion, 50:14 the meteoric rise of Christianity is to posit a 50:18 supernatural event. In fact, the story 50:21 understand there are secular, they've to 50:24 scratch their head to try and explain. How can 50:26 you have the rise of, of modern Christianity 50:28 apart from a supernatural event? And notice 50:32 also, point number two here. Not only that it is 50:35 difficult to account for Christianity apart from 50:37 the resurrection, but the disciples had no 50:39 pre-disposition to believe in the 50:40 resurrection. A pre-last day resurrection was 50:43 not a Jewish idea. Friends, there was no 50:46 anticipation in Jewish end time events, 50:49 in Jewish eschatology that there would be a 50:52 pre-last day resurrection. If you go 50:54 read in the Old Testament, 50:55 the resurrection took place in the last days. 50:59 Took place when everybody? 51:00 In the last days. Now, if the disciples 51:02 could have imagined for example, if the 51:04 disciples are going to hallucinate something or 51:06 make something up, they wouldn't have made 51:07 up that he is raised from the death. They had 51:09 no pre-disposition to believe that he would 51:11 rise from the dead. In fact, Jesus told them 51:13 that on numerous occasions and they would 51:14 say, we don't get it, if they were going to 51:16 imagine something, they would have imagined 51:18 that maybe he didn't die. Or they could have 51:20 imagined that maybe he came down off the 51:21 across, but they would have invented the 51:24 resurrection because they had no disposition, 51:26 pre-disposition to invent that particular 51:29 explanation. Does that make sense, yes or no? 51:32 Powerful to understand that friends, 51:34 very powerful. Notice this incredible 51:37 quotation. I love this quotation, it says 51:39 "If the coming into existence of the 51:41 Nazarenes, a phenomenon undeniably attested 51:44 to by the New Testament, rips a great hole in 51:46 history. I love this, a hole the size and shape 51:49 of the resurrection," what does the secular 51:51 historian propose to stop it up with? 51:54 You see, the question is asking. Okay, you've 51:56 this great bit hole and history that looks just 51:58 like the resurrection. What's the secular 51:59 historian going to stop it up with? The birth 52:02 and rapid rise of the Christian church remain 52:04 an unsolved enigma for any historian who 52:07 refuses to take seriously the only explanation 52:10 offered by the church itself. C.F.D. Moule, 52:13 Cambridge University. Do you see, what he's 52:15 saying? You've got to account for the 52:17 resurrection; you've got to account for the rise 52:19 of the church somehow, and he says that great 52:22 big hole in history, where you find the rise 52:25 and the origin and the staying part of the 52:26 Christian church, is shaped exactly like a 52:29 resurrection. Shaped like a what everybody? 52:32 Resurrection. Resurrection, final 52:33 quotation here on the screen, I've been use for 52:36 many years to study the histories of other 52:38 times, and to examine and weigh the evidence 52:40 of those who have written about them, and I 52:42 know of no one fact in the history of mankind, 52:46 which is proved by better and fuller 52:48 evidence of every sort, to the understanding of 52:50 a fair inquirer, than the great sign which God 52:53 hath given us that Christ died and rose again 52:57 from the dead. Can you say, amen? 52:59 Amen. Thomas Arnold from Oxford 53:01 University. Brothers and sisters, tonight we've 53:03 done our very best to present to you a 53:05 compelling case. What kind of a case? 53:08 Compelling case. A compelling case, 53:09 think about those three facts. These are not 53:13 just scriptural facts, these are not just the, 53:15 the rantings or ravings or beliefs of a religious 53:19 person. It is a historical fact that the tomb was 53:23 found empty. Now, you have to account for 53:26 that empty tomb. There are numerous ways to 53:28 account for you could say the disciples made 53:29 it up, you could say they hallucinated, 53:31 you could come up with some explanation, 53:32 but the best explanation is the one that Jesus 53:35 Christ himself gave, that he is risen, he is alive. 53:39 Amen, amen. Now, friends, that's 53:40 that's fact number one. The fact of the empty 53:42 tomb. Fact number two is, the, the post 53:44 resurrection appearances, what are we going 53:46 to do? People saw Jesus walking and talking 53:48 after his crucifixion, amen. Amen. 53:52 And, and the incredible point about this 53:54 friends, is that Paul said, that many of those 53:56 were still alive in his day. He is saying, he is 53:58 basically saying, go prove it. Go ask him. 54:03 And, number three, how do you account for 54:05 the rise and staying power of the Christian 54:06 church without the resurrection. The secular 54:08 historian has to scratch his head, how can the 54:11 secular historian account for these three facts. 54:13 The fact of the empty tomb, the fact of the 54:14 resurrection appearances and the fact of the 54:16 origin and rise of the Christian church. 54:18 The answer is friends, in plain language, 54:20 they can't. Amen. 54:24 And, so tonight I want you to consider 54:27 something. It's not just that somebody was 54:31 raised from the death, that's not the point. 54:34 If somebody has been raised from the dead, 54:36 well that might be interesting. The point 54:37 though is that Jesus of Nazareth was raised 54:41 from the death. Amen, amen. 54:43 What, what's so special about Jesus of Nazareth. 54:45 Well, he said things like this. "For God so 54:47 loved the world that he gave his only begotten 54:50 son that whosoever believeth in him should 54:52 not perish, but have everlasting life." 54:55 Jesus of Nazareth said things like this and not 54:57 only that I'll be lifted up from the earth, 54:58 I will draw all men unto me. Friends, it's not 55:01 just that somebody was raised, but that Jesus 55:04 of Nazareth was raised. What's the 55:06 significance of that Pastor Asscherick? 55:07 The significance of this, the resurrection of 55:10 Jesus Christ vindicates the claims that he 55:13 made about himself, about his identity, 55:16 and about his purposes and intentions to save 55:19 you and I. Amen. 55:21 Amen. Amen. 55:22 Friends, I want you to think soberly about this. 55:26 The religion of Christianity is an 55:27 intelligent religion, what kind of a religion did 55:29 I say? Intelligent religion. 55:30 The Bible as an intelligent book that 55:31 speaks to intelligent people, you don't have to 55:33 put your mind on the shelf, when you become 55:35 a Christian, amen. Amen, amen. 55:36 Jesus came to liberate men's minds, not to 55:39 enslave men's minds. And, tonight as we 55:42 close, I have two questions for you. 55:43 Question number one, was tonight's message 55:46 clear, yes or no, raise your heaven high to 55:47 heaven, the message make sense, amen. 55:50 Question number two, how many of you 55:52 believe in the historical reliability of the 55:55 resurrection of Jesus, why don't you raise that, 55:57 amen. And, now question number three, 56:00 how many of you want Jesus to be your 56:03 savior, your risen, resurrected savior. 56:08 Why don't you raise your hands? Brothers and 56:10 sisters, this is the greatest most important 56:12 decision you can ever make. Remember, 56:14 how I began. There are only two essential 56:16 points. Number one, has anybody ever cheated 56:18 death and number two, is it available to me. 56:21 I have good news for you tonight, Jesus is 56:23 alive, Jesus is alive. Amen. 56:27 Jesus friends, is alive. 56:30 Jesus is risen from the dead. |
Revised 2014-12-17