April 01, 2018 All across our coutry people are cryig out for aswers to some of life s toughest questios. May idividuals have tured to the church to seek these aswers but sadly may churches are ot providig the aswers to these questios. The result is that we have etire geeratios that are turig away from the church ad turig to worldly philosophies, false religios, ad atheism. The Bara Group recetly released these facts about the rise of atheism,
The fastest growig geeratio of atheist is foud amog Geeratio Z, those bor betwee 1999 ad 2015. The secod fastest growig group is the geeratio kow as Milleials, bor betwee 1984-1998. Why do we see a icrease i geeratios turig away from the Lord? The aswer is foud i the details. These geeratios are lookig for truth ad caot seem to fid aythig but aalogies, stories, arratives, ad philosophies. Carrie Da reports the outcome of this tred statig, Oe i five Americas (21%) say religio does ot play a importat role i their lives. 1 This ew evidece reveals the importat role that Christias have today as Truth Bearers ad Defeders of the Truth. May Christias are uable to give a reasoable respose for the hope they have i Christ, but Peter remids every Christia of our great resposibility, 1 Peter 3:15 (ESV) But i your hearts hoor Christ the Lord as holy, always beig prepared to make a defese to ayoe who asks you for a reaso for the hope that is i you; yet do it with getleess ad respect Eve durig the days of Peter, Christia truths ad doctries were beig misuderstood or misrepreseted, ad he urged his readers to set the record straight but to do so graciously ad cosiderately. This series of sermos are desiged to equip each Christia with the tools to cofidetly respod to Life s Tough Questios Is Jesus Christ really the So of God? Ca you really trust the Bible? Why does God allow pai & sufferig? Is there oly oe way to heave? What is the purpose of my life? 1 Carrie Da, Losig Faith: 21% Say Religio Not That Importat. Dowloaded April 14, 2014 from http://www.bcews.com/politics/politics-ews/losig-faith-21-percet-sayreligio-ot-importat-51256
Jesus Christ ad the Resurrectio The first questio this series examies deals with the idetity ad witess of Jesus Christ ad the resurrectio. The first of Life s Tough Questios has eteral ramificatios as we cosider, Big Questio Is Jesus Christ really the So of God? There is extesive, compellig, ad reliable evidece that proves that Jesus Christ is the So of God as we look to the fact that oly the oe true God ca rise from the dead after beig placed i a tomb for three days ad this truth chages everythig for makid. The evidece of the resurrectio provides us with three truths regardig the idetity ad ature of Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ is the So of God Jesus Christ rose from the Dead Jesus Christ is the Oly Savior of Makid Three Life Chagig Realities About Jesus Christ Truth #1 Jesus Christ is the Uique So of God The resurrectio of Jesus Christ uderscores the fact that He is the Uique So of God for oly God could accomplish such a miracle. A.T. Pierso observed this truth about Jesus Christ, He stads absolutely aloe i history; i teachig, i example, i character, a exceptio, a marvel, ad He is Himself the evidece of Christiaity. He autheticates Himself. 2 May skeptics have tried to disprove the deity of Jesus Christ by claimig that he was just aother good teacher, a good ma, a good prophet but othig more. This belief has a log history but still does ot address the fact that a ma that is just a good teacher could ot rise from the dead. Oly the So of God ca do that. The Bible ad reliable eyewitess accouts reveal that Jesus Christ is the Uique So of God. Eyewitess Accout #1 God Proves It Matthew 3:17 Ad behold, a voice from heave said, This is my beloved So, with whom I am well pleased. 2 A. T. Pierso, May Ifallible Proofs, Vol. 2 (Grad Rapids: Zoderva Publishig House), 48.
Eyewitess Accout #2 Jesus Proves It Mark 14:61b -62 a The high priest asked him, Are you the Christ, the So of the Blessed? Ad Jesus said, I am Eyewitess Accout #3 Prophecy Proves It There are 456 prophecies about the Jesus Christ the Messiah i the Old Testamet. Four specific prophecies about the death of Christ are show as evidece i the chart below. Descriptio Prophecy Fulfillmet Betrayed by a Fried Psalm 41:9 Matthew 10:4 Sold for 30 pieces of silver Zechariah 11:12 Matthew 26:15 Crucified with thieves Isaiah 53.12 Matthew 27:38 Buried i a rich ma s tomb Isaiah 53:9 Matthew 27:57-60 Peter Stoer ad Robert Newma demostrate the statistical probability of ay oe ma, accidetally or deliberately, fulfillig just eight of the hudreds of prophecies Jesus fulfilled. They demostrate that the chace of this happeig is 1 i 10 17 power. 3 Jesus Christ is the uique So of God as prove by history ad Biblical evidece. Jesus presets this evidece to Nicodemus, Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his oly So, that whoever believes i him should ot perish but have eteral life. Truth #2 Jesus Christ is the Rise Redeemer Who Coquered Death Forever The secod truth deals with the evidece for the resurrectio. The evidece of the resurrectio proves that Jesus Christ is the So of God, Savior of the World, ad He is God i the flesh who paid the price for our si. 3 Peter Stoer ad Robert Newma, SCIENCE SPEAKS (Chicago, IL: Moody, 1976), 106 107.
What is the evidece? We look at the eyewitess accouts for reliability. The Bible records may eyewitess accouts of the resurrected Christ. Norma Geisler & Frak Turek observe, Peter, Paul, ad Joh all claim to be eyewitesses, ad Luke ad the writer of Hebrews claim to be iformed by eyewitesses. I additio, the New Testamet writers ame others who saw the Resurrectio. Paul specifically lists 14 people whose ames are kow as eyewitesses of the Resurrectio (the 12 apostles, James, ad himself) ad claims that there were more tha 500 others. Matthew ad Luke cofirm the appearaces to the apostles. All four Gospels metio the wome as witesses, with Mark idetifyig them as Mary Magdalee, Mary the mother of James, ad Salome. Luke adds Joaa. That s four more. Acts 1 also reveals that Joseph called Barsabbas was a eyewitess (Acts 1:23). 4 Not oly do we have evidece from Biblical accouts but we also have reliable evidece from historical records as we tur our attetio to the facts surroudig the resurrectio. Biblical Eyewitess Evidece Acts 1:3 He preseted himself alive to them after his sufferig by may proofs, appearig to them durig forty days ad speakig about the kigdom of God. Acts 2:32 This Jesus God raised up, ad of that we all are witesses. 1 Corithias 15:3-7 3 For I delivered to you as of first importace what I also received: that Christ died for our sis i accordace with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised o the third day i accordace with the Scriptures, 5 ad that he appeared to Cephas, the to the twelve. 6 The he appeared to more tha five hudred brothers at oe time, most of whom are still alive, though some have falle asleep. 7 The he appeared to James, the to all the apostles. 4 Norma L. Geisler ad Frak Turek, I Do't Have Eough Faith to Be a Atheist (Wheato, IL: Crossway Books, 2004), 253.
Historical Evidece Josephus, the famed Jewish historia, lived from A.D. 37 to 95. He records the death ad resurrectio of Jesus as a fact i Jewish Atiquities as he wrote, Now, there was about this time Jesus, a wise ma, if it be lawful to call him a ma, for he was a doer of woderful works a teacher of such me as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both may of the Jews, ad may of the Getiles. He was [the] Christ; (64) ad whe Pilate, at the suggestio of the pricipal me amogst us, had codemed him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did ot forsake him, for he appeared to them alive agai the third day, as the divie prophets had foretold these ad te thousad other woderful thigs cocerig him; ad the tribe of Christias, so amed from him, are ot extict at this day. 5 Truth #3 Jesus Christ is the Oe ad Oly Savior The fial truth that we examie is foud i the evidece that shows that Jesus Christ is the Oe ad Oly Savior who has coquered death oce ad for all. The Apostle Paul observes, 1 Corithias 15:56-58 56 The stig of death is si, ad the power of si is the law. 57 But thaks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always aboudig i the work of the Lord, kowig that i the Lord your labor is ot i vai. Jesus Christ stads out amog history as more tha just a great ma or a great teacher. He stads out because He is uique i the fact that He is the oly Savior of the uiverse which proves that He is Oe with God the Father. The evidece for this truth is foud i Scripture as we look to the Old Testamet ad observe that God aloe is the oly Savior. The Lord declares i Isaiah, 5 Flavius Josephus ad William Whisto, The Works of Josephus: Complete ad Uabridged (Peabody: Hedrickso, 1987).
Isaiah 43:11 I am the Lord, ad besides me there is o savior. Fast forward to the New Testamet ad we fid that God the Father ad Jesus the So both declare that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world ad oe with the Father. Cosider the Biblical evidece that supports the fact that Jesus Christ is God i the flesh. Luke 2:11 For uto you is bor this day i the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Joh 10:30 I ad the Father are oe. Joh 8:58 Jesus said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am. As the Oe ad Oly Savior of the world the we observe that it is oly through Christ that we have victory over si ad death. This evidece brigs us to the coclusio that is through Christ aloe that we have eteral life. The Book of Acts records this truth as it states, Acts 4:12 - Ad there is salvatio i o oe else, for there is o other ame uder heave give amog me by which we must be saved. The Biblical ad historical evidece gives us reasoable proof that Jesus Christ truly is the So of God ad Savior of the World. This evidece chages everythig for makid because it forces makid to wrestle with these truths, Victory is Foud Oly i Jesus Christ 1 Corithias 15:57 But thaks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Our Sis are Forgive Oly through Jesus Christ Joh 1:29 The ext day he saw Jesus comig toward him, ad said, Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the si of the world! Salvatio is Foud Oly i Jesus Christ Joh 14:6 Jesus said to him, I am the way, ad the truth, ad the life. No oe comes to the Father except through me. Applicatio for Life The evidece has bee show ad each perso must decide for themselves as to whether they reject or accept the truth about Jesus Christ ad the resurrectio. Romas 14:12 remids us, So the each of us will give a accout of himself to God. What will you choose to do with the evidece that you have bee show regardig the idetity of Jesus Christ? Remid yourself that your resposibility, before the Lord, is to cosistetly apply the divie priciples ad truths you have discovered i the presetatio of the Word of God. Questios to Cosider What does the resurrectio mea for makid? How does the resurrectio compel you to share the Gospel with others? What does it mea for Jesus Christ to be the Oe Way, Truth, ad Life? More iformatio about this topic ad a free dowload of this booklet ca be foud at www.timluekig.com Dr. Timothy Luekig, ReStart Miistries, Ic. April 01, 2018