March 23, 2008 – Resurrection Sunday
Sun Oak Baptist Church

Introduction

        See Matt. 27:50-28:6

        “He is not here – for He has risen.” These 8 simple words changed forever the course of human history. Someone once said: “the resurrection is either one of the most wicked, heartless, vicious hoaxes in history or it is the most fantastic fact of history.”

        How can we know that Jesus Christ rose from the dead? We’ll look at just 3 of the many, many reasons why we can know for certain that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead

I. Reason #1: because of the empty tomb.

        A. What happened on the day that Jesus Christ died – what events         took place?

                1. Jesus was crucified.

                2. Jesus’ body would have been meticulously covered with over                 100 pounds of spices mixed into a paste. See John 19:39-40.

                3. The body was then placed in a solid rock tomb and a large                 stone, weighing at least 2 tons, was then rolled in front of the                 entrance to seal it.

                4. A contingent of up to 16 elite Roman soldiers was assigned                 to guard the tomb – usually in shifts of 4 at a time. What’s more,                 the Romans put a tamper-proof seal on the stone – the breaking                 of which resulted in the death penalty.

        B. What do critics and skeptics say about the empty tomb?

                1. The soldiers fell asleep.

                2. The disciples, followers of Jesus, stole the body.

                3. Jewish religious leaders disposed of the body.

II. Reason #2: because of the multiple eye-witness accounts.

        A. See 1^st Cor. 15:1-8. Even Jesus Christ’s disciples did not believe         that Jesus had risen just because of the empty tomb – it took seeing         Him alive with their own eyes to convince them.

        B. A contemporary illustration regarding the significance of these         multiple eye-witness accounts: a car accident.

III. Reason #3: because of changed lives.

        Let’s put this into perspective.

        A. Something happened that radically changed Jesus’ original group         of followers. After He was put to death, the disciples scattered.

                1. But after the resurrection Peter was changed from the                 coward who denied Christ 3 times to a man of rock who                 became one of the pillars of the early church.

                2. And…all of the apostles with the exception of John died                 martyrs deaths!

        B. If we claim to be a Christian this morning, do the people that know         us best see it?

Conclusion

        The resurrection answers the question of doubt.
        The resurrection answers the question of guilt.
        The resurrection answers the question of death.