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Pastor Rob Carlson: 
"The Reliability of the Resurrection: The Evidence Is In" 
series: PASSION--Experience Christ's Love
Sunday, March 21, 2004 
1 Corinthians 15:12-34 (Page 1139-1140 in pew Bible) 

 

WHAT THE RESURRECTION CAN MEAN TO YOU: 

 

1. The resurrection of Jesus proves my faith and secures my future. vs.12-19 

Acts 1:3--After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 

Acts 2:32--God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. 

Acts 3:15--You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. 

Acts 10:41--He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen--by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 

Acts 13:31--...for many days he was seen by those who had traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to our people. 

 

2. The resurrection of Jesus shows God's power and eternal plan. vs.20-28 

Romans 1:4 [LB]--By being raised from the dead he was proved to be the mighty Son of God, with the holy nature of God himself. 

 

3. The resurrection of Jesus impassions my hope. vs.29-34 

(See also 2 Corinthians 1:8-10) 

 

8 Facts About the Resurrection: 

  1. Jesus' empty grave is reported in extremely early sources that date so close to the event that they could not have been products of legend. 
  2. The fact that the gospels report women discovered the empty tomb bolsters their credibility. In a culture where women were considered unreliable witnesses, surely the writers would have claimed men found the tomb vacant if they were fabricating the story. 
  3. The site of Jesus' tomb was known to both Christians and their opponents, so it could have been checked by skeptics. 
  4. Nobody-not even the Roman or Jewish leaders-ever claimed the tomb still contained Jesus' body. Instead, they claimed the disciples, despite having no motive or opportunity, had stolen the body-an outlandish theory critics have long since abandoned. 
  5. The evidence for Jesus' numerous post-resurrection appearances didn't develop gradually over the years as mythology distorted memories of his life. Rather, the resurrection was the church's central proclamation from the beginning. 
  6. According to psychologist Cary Collins, the appearances of Jesus cannot be attributed to hallucinations or wishful thinking. 
  7. Apart from the resurrection, there's no reasonable explanation for why skeptics like Paul and James would have been converted and died for their new-found faith. 
  8. The miraculous emergence of the church in the very city where the crucifixion took place is inexplicable apart from the eyewitnesses telling the truth about seeing Jesus alive again. 

 

Books on the resurrection, etc. that Pastor Rob referred to in this message:

 

 

Small Group Discussion Questions: 

  1. Read and discuss the 8 Facts About the Resurrection as listed above. 
  2. Review the points and Bible verses from this lesson. 
    What personal application can you make from this week's teaching? 
  3. What does the resurrection mean to you?
  4. Take some time right now to pray for the needs of those in your small group. 

 

*Scripture is quoted from the New International Version unless otherwise noted.
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