Resurrection!

Easter changed everything!

Had Easter not happened we probably would have never heard of Jesus of Nazareth. He would have been one more prophet tragically killed. Christianity would not exist and it’s very doubtful that his teachings would have been preserved and handed down through the centuries.

But Christ has been raised! That’s the only explanation for the existence of Christianity. Think about it. When Jesus was arrested his disciples abandoned him. 3 times Peter denied that he ever knew Christ. Only John is mentioned as being at the foot of the Cross. Where were the others? On Easter Sunday some of the disciples had gone back to fishing. When they did gather that evening they barred the windows and doors shut out of fear for their lives.

But then something happened. These men became fearless. They preached openly about Jesus the Messiah, crucified and raised from the dead. They were beaten, stoned and imprisoned, but they kept on preaching. What made the difference? They met the Risen Christ.

John Knox, the found of the Presbyterian church, put it this way: “The early Christian church was not a memorial society with its eyes fastened on a departed master; it was a dynamic community created around a living and present Lord.”

Here’s a thought: We serve a Living Savior!

Questions: Which part of Easter means the most to you? and which part is hardest to believe or understand?

Prayer: Thank You, Lord Jesus, for your victory over the grave. Thank You for your constant presence and companionship. Thank You that you’re more than a role model, teacher or martyr. You’re our Living Savior. Amen.



Extra Credit: More Apologetics

The Case for the Resurrection

1. The Tomb was empty! The body was never found.
2. Jesus predicted it. Matt. 16:21, Mark 8:31, Luke 9:22, John 2:19-21
3. The Post-Resurrection Appearances: Acts 1:1-4, I Cor. 15:3-6. These eyewitnesses were still alive during the time in which the New Testament was written & circulated.
4. The change in the disciples’ lives. They went from denying him to dying for him. Ex. Peter. 11 out of 12 were martyred. If it was all a hoax they would have known.
5. There were no earthly benefits for a hoax. (no TV evangelism!)
6. The earliest Christians (who were all Jewish) changed the primary day of worship from Saturday (the Jewish sabbath) to Sunday - the Day of Resurrection.
7. The earliest Christians celebrated adult baptism by believing it signified dying with Christ and rising like him to live new lives.
8. The joyful and widespread celebration of Holy Communion in the Early Church. No Resurrection = No Communion. Too morbid.
9. The Existence of the New Testament. No Resurrection = No NT.
10. The Resurrection is consistent with Jesus’ Divine Nature. God, the giver of life, can overcome death.