Alderwood Community Church April 8, The Transformational Power Of The Resurrection Of Jesus Christ Luke 23:32 24:53

Transcription

1 1 Alderwood Community Church April 8, 2012 The Transformational Power Of The Resurrection Of Jesus Christ Luke 23:32 24:53 Intro: Sir Douglas Bader was a pilot who lost both his legs in a plane crash before WW2. He was fitted with artificial legs & resumed flying. In 1939, when Germany & England went to war, he enlisted in the Royal Air Force. Flying with two artificial legs, he shot down 22 enemy airplanes in the Battle of Britain. He became a national hero and an example of how even a handicapped man could still serve his country. In 1941 his plane was shot down over France and he parachuted into enemy territory. In the process, both of his artificial legs were destroyed. Helpless, he was captured by a German patrol and made a prisoner of war. Bader was so respected by his German captors that, amazingly, they contacted the British government to airdrop his two spare artificial legs so that he could have the use of his legs once again. And the British did. The Germans soon realized that they had made a big mistake, for as soon as Bader received his legs, he started trying to escape. After 4 escape attempts his captors decided that there was only one thing to do. Every night when Douglas Bader went to bed, they took his artificial legs away from him and locked them up. That was the only way they knew to keep him from trying to escape. We ve got to admire a man like that, don t we? He gives a whole new meaning to the phrase, "You can t keep a good man down." On Easter Sunday we celebrate an even greater feat, and that is Jesus Christ rose from the dead! 1. The Story of the Resurrection Read: Luke 23:32 24:53 (pg. 1,046) (7 min. 15 sec.) Prayer: Lord, just as you did with the disciples when you appeared to them in your resurrected state, open our minds so we can understand the Scriptures. 2. The Certainty of the Resurrection (A Gargantuan Fraud or The Greatest Feat In History) If liberal scholars, adherents of other world religions, or devotees of the cults are correct, the biblical account of the Resurrection is either fiction, fantasy, or a gargantuan fraud. On the other hand, if Christianity is factually reliable, the Resurrection is the greatest feat in human history. As apologist Josh McDowell puts it, After more than 700 hours of studying this subject, and thoroughly investigating its foundation, I have come to the conclusion that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of the most wicked, vicious, heartless hoaxes ever foisted upon the minds of men, or it is the most fantastic fact of history. The apostle Paul made it crystal clear that no middle ground exists. The Resurrection is either history or a cruel hoax.

2 2 If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. 1 Corinthians 15:14 19 The Resurrection is not merely important to the historic Christian faith, but without it there would be no Christianity at all! It elevates Christianity above all other world religions. Through the Resurrection Christ demonstrated that He does not stand in a line of peers with Abraham, Buddha, Confucius, or Muhammad. Jesus Christ is utterly unique. He had the power not only to lay down His life, but also to take it up again. Because of its centrality to Christianity, those who take the sacred name of Christ upon their lips need to be prepared to defend the reliability of the Resurrection. To make the process memorable Hank Hanegraaff (Christian Research Institute) has developed the acronym F-E-A-T. Each letter in this acronym serves to underscore an undeniable fact of the Resurrection: Fatal torment Empty tomb Appearances Transformation Fatal Torment - The fatal suffering of Jesus Christ is one of the most well-established facts of ancient history. Every one of the Gospel writers records the death of Jesus Christ. In our passage this morning, Luke 23:46, it is recorded that Jesus called out with a loud voice, Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. When he had said this, he breathed his last. From early that same morning, the gospels tell us that when Jesus was arrested by the temple guard, he was mocked, spit upon and beaten numerous times. The most brutal of the beatings was when he was subjected to the brutality of Roman flogging. A whip with razor sharp bones and lead balls reduced his body to ribbons of bleeding flesh. Then they led him to the place of his execution where the Roman Soldiers drove five to seven-inch iron spikes through Christ s hands and feet. Pain pulsates through his body as the nails lacerate his nerves. Breathing becomes an agonizing endeavor as he faced intermittent asphyxiation. So painful was death by crucifixion that a new word was coined to describe it, the word excruciating which is Latin for out of the cross. After 6 hours on the cross, he dies. John s gospel tells us that a Roman soldier pierced his side with a spear and punctured his heart. In response to Jesus death, the Roman Centurion (who was likely in charge of the crucifixions that day) after seeing Jesus die, declared, Surely this was a righteous man. Luke 23:47 And the next verse (48) tells us that the other witnesses beat their breasts and went away which is a clear sign of mourning the death of someone.

3 3 Even in today s modern age of science and technology, there is a virtual consensus among New Testament scholars, both conservative and liberal, that Jesus died on the cross, that He was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, and that His death drove His disciples to despair. The Journal of the American Medical Society concluded: "Clearly, the weight of historical and medical evidence indicates that Jesus was dead (even) before the wound to His side was inflicted.... Accordingly, interpretations based on the assumption that Jesus did not die on the cross appear to be at odds with modern medical knowledge. Empty Tomb The story as told by Luke that we just read (24:1-3), tells us that the women (at least 5 of them) went to the tomb on the first Easter morning to anoint Jesus body with spices (clearly they expected him to still be dead!) and instead they found the stone rolled away and Jesus body gone. (24:12) tells us that Peter also ran to the tomb, but Jesus was gone, only his grave clothes remained. John tells us in his gospel, he also went to the tomb to verify that it was indeed empty. Luke tell us (23:50-53) that Jesus' body was laid to rest in a tomb belonging to Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Jewish council, and the tomb was sealed and placed under heavy guard, and yet it was discovered empty on Easter morning. But here's the most powerful fact concerning Jesus' tomb: nobody ever claimed it was anything but empty! Even His opponents admitted it was vacant on Easter! They tried to bribe the guards to say that the disciples stole the body while they were asleep, which is ridiculous because they didn t have the motive or opportunity -- and, besides, how would the guards have known it was the disciples if they were sleeping? But the point is, when the disciples declared the tomb was empty, Jesus opponents didn't respond by saying, "No, it's not. Or, "You've got the wrong tomb -- His body is over there. Instead, they admitted it was true. Appearances Look at Luke 24:13-35, the resurrected Jesus appears to Cleopas and another disciple as they were on the road to Emmaus. Jesus then suddenly appeared (inside a room with the door closed and locked John 20:19) before the 5 women, the 11 disciples, the 2 on the road plus others (20 plus people). Jesus then reveals the marks in his hands and feet from his crucifixion and invites his disciples to touch him. If that isn t enough, he asks them for something to eat, and he eats right in front of them. Putting all the gospels together along with Paul s testimony in 1 Corinthians 15, over a period of 40 days Jesus appeared alive on 12 different occasions to more than 515 individuals. To men, and women, to believers and doubters, sometimes to groups, sometimes to individuals, sometimes indoors and sometimes outdoor in broad daylight. Paul testified that on one occasion Jesus appeared to over 500 people at one time and most of those people were still living and could give clear testimony to the truthfulness of his assertion! Transformation Look at what happened to the disciples. Before the Resurrection, they were dejected and despondent because they thought their leader was gone forever. Peter denied Christ three times. Most of his disciples fled the scene and were in hiding. But history clearly shows

4 4 that after the Resurrection, they're boldly proclaiming Jesus is alive. Suddenly, these oncecowardly men are transformed into people filled with courage, willing to fearlessly proclaim to their death that Jesus had conquered the grave, in fact they did willing die for their beliefs. To this day, Christ s resurrection continues to transform lives. 3. The Transforming Power of the Resurrection A. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ can transform your eternal destiny! In Luke 24:44-47 Jesus reveals the main point of the resurrection, the essence of Christianity. (Luke 24:7, 26-27, 44-47; 1 Cor. 15:1-4) (1) Repentance - Means to turn, to change one s mind. People must change their minds about God and the way to him, especially their thinking about their own sin, and their inability to overcome it. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:8-9 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 (2) Forgiveness of sins Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out. That times of refreshing may come from the Lord. Acts 3:19 God is the God of a second chance! (Mulligan a do over ) (3) In His name Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. Romans 1:16 B. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ can transform your entire person in this life! I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead Ephesians 1:18-20

5 5 Illus: Alfred Hitchcock wrote a story of a woman who murdered her husband and was sentenced to life in prison. She vowed that somehow, some way, she'd escape. As her prison bus approached the penitentiary, she saw an old man, another prisoner, covering up a grave in a small cemetery outside the prison walls. Right then and there, she hatched a plot. Once inside, she befriended this prisoner. He was going blind and needed cataract surgery. "I'll give you the money for your surgery if you'll help me escape," she said. And he agreed. Here was the plan: the next time she heard the bell toll, which indicated an inmate had died, she would sneak down to the workroom where he made the casket and slide inside with the body and pull the covering closed. He would wheel the casket out to the cemetery, lower it into the grave and cover it with dirt. But that night, when nobody was watching, he'd return and dig up the casket and set her free. Late one night, the bell tolled. The woman sneaked down to the workroom. It was dark, but she found the casket, lifted the lid, slipped inside next to the body, pulled the cover over her -- and waited. Sure enough, a few hours later she felt the casket being rolled toward the grave site. She smiled as the casket was lowered into the hole. She heard the clumps of dirt hitting the casket and covering her up. She had done it! She could barely contain her excitement. Silence followed as she waited in the dark. Time began to drag. Hours passed, then more hours. Finally, she began to worry. She broke out in a cold sweat. Where was that old man? What was keeping him? Can you imagine the emotions that would have coursed through her? In a moment of panic, she reached into her pocket and took out some matches. As she lit one, she glanced at the corpse beside her -- and saw that it was the old man himself. Her only hope lay buried right next to her! The lesson for you and me is obvious. This woman had placed her hope in another human being who she sincerely thought would be able to save her -- but he went to his grave and ended up taking her with him. Every single religious leader in history is in his grave right now: Buddha, Confucius, Mohammed, all of them -- except one, and that's Jesus Christ. His tomb is empty because He had the power of God to overcome the grave. Jesus said in John 11:25 "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies." Invitation: If you have never done so, I invite you to receive Jesus total and complete forgiveness. Here is a sample prayer you can use as a model to express your faith and your belief in Jesus Christ. Dear Jesus, I know that I am a sinner. I believe that you died on the Cross for the forgiveness of my sins. I believe that you rose from the dead three days later and are alive today. Please forgive me of all of my sins. I give my life to you. I want you to be my Lord and God. Make me into the person you want me to be. And thank you for the gift of eternal life in heaven with you.