After Jesus Resurrection Part I LESSON 170 AIM: To show the importance of Jesus rising from the dead, and to remind them of what happens when a person only pretends to be a Christian. SCRIPTURE: Matthew 28:9-20; Mark 16:9-14; Luke 24:13-48; John 20:19-31; Matthew 27:3; Acts 1:18 INTRODUCTION: The first person to see Jesus after He rose from the dead was Mary Magdalene. She was a woman who had gotten saved when Jesus cast seven devils out of her. He told her to go tell the disciples that she had seen Him, but they weren t quite sure whether to believe her or not. But when some of the other women who had been at the tomb came in saying that they d seen Jesus too, the disciples began to believe. I. Telling the Story Two of Jesus disciples were walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus (a little village about two miles from Jerusalem) when He joined them. They were sorrowing over His death and wondering about the stories they had heard of His resurrection. They didn t recognize Him at first. But as they walked and talked, Jesus began to explain the Scriptures to them, telling them why He had to rise from the dead in order to pay for men s sins. And as they got to Emmaus, Jesus pretended that He had to go on further, but they begged Him to stay the night with them. It was at dinner, when He prayed for the food, that they realized who He was! Jesus vanished from the room at that moment, but what joy they felt to know that Jesus really was alive! That very night they went back to Jerusalem. Finding ten of the remaining eleven disciples gathered together, they told them what had happened. While they were talking, Jesus appeared to them and spoke to them. But instead of being thrilled at seeing Him the disciples were terrified, thinking He was a ghost! Jesus calmed them immediately. He said, Why are you troubled? Look at My hands and My feet. Touch Me and see if I m not alive. A ghost doesn t have flesh and bones like I do. Now the disciples were overcome with joy. Their Savior was alive! He had conquered death! Just to prove once more to them that He was alive, Jesus asked if they had anything to eat. They brought Him some fish and a piece of a honeycomb and He ate them. Then He explained to them again that He had promised them all along that He would rise from the dead to live forevermore. He helped them understand so that they could tell others exactly what had happened. The soldiers who had been on watch at the tomb came to tell the Sanhedrin about the earthquake and the angels and the empty tomb. The chief priests were alarmed and afraid. They gave the soldiers a lot of money to tell everybody that they had fallen asleep (which was true) and that Jesus followers had come and stolen His body away (which was a lie). They promised that they would take care of Pilate if he found out and tried to punish the soldiers for sleeping on the job. They thought that would surely take care of the problem. II. Application Imagine how Jesus disciples felt. They had seen their Savior crucified on a cross. The One that they had trusted everything for was gone. They were all in hiding, fearing that they would be the next ones carried off to trial and then
crucifixion. Imagine their confusion when they heard that the tomb was empty and Jesus had been seen alive. Imagine their fear when He suddenly appeared in the middle of a locked room! Imagine their joy when they realized that He was truly alive and would never die again! Imagine how those chief priests and soldiers felt when they realized Jesus was gone. They might have been afraid that Jesus was going to come after them for what they had done to Him. Maybe they were afraid and upset because their plan to kill Him and silence His followers had obviously failed. They were probably worried that when the people found out that Jesus was alive, they would turn on the chief priests and they would lose their positions. How about you? Where do you fit in this list of people? Do you feel guilty that you have sinned and feel that there is nothing you can do to ever get it forgiven? Are you afraid of the judgment that you will someday face but even more afraid of getting saved because of what others might think? Or have you come to Jesus and asked Him to take your sins away? (Give a salvation invitation.) Maybe you know for sure you re saved, but you re like the disciples - hiding your faith from others. Jesus wants us to tell everybody about His triumph over death and His payment for sin. (Give an invitation for Christians to give the Gospel and have tracts ready for anybody who wants to take some with them.)
Outline - Key When Jesus rose from the dead, many people saw Him. Many of them reacted differently. I. The Reaction Of Jesus Followers A. Mary Magdalene was overjoyed (John 20:10-18) 1. She was so excited, she fell at His feet. 2. She ran to tell the others that she had seen Jesus. B. The disciples were afraid (Luke 24:36-43) 1. They were hiding from the Sanhedrin in a locked room 2. They were terrified because they thought they were seeing His ghost C. The men on the road to Emmaus were confused (Luke 24:13-35) 1. They were so focused on their disappointment that Jesus had been crucified that they didn t recognize Him 2. They were walking in the wrong direction - away from Jerusalem and the comfort of fellow believers 3. They didn t understand Jesus prophecies until they talked to Him directly D. The Sanhedrin were afraid of Jesus vengeance and the wrath of the people II. The Reaction of People Today A. Some are glad and happy to accept Jesus as their Savior 1. They realize that they can t pay for their sins themselves 2. They want the free gift of salvation that Jesus offers B. Some are afraid 1. They don t see Jesus as a loving Savior, they see Him as an angry God 2. They think they have to do good things to go to Heaven and don t understand His free gift C. Some are confused 1. They listen to teachers and preachers who tell them different things about sin, salvation and Heaven 2. They concentrate on their own problems and troubles instead of looking to Jesus for help D. Some are full of guilt 1. They don t believe Jesus can really do anything about their sin 2. They can t get victory over sin because they try to deal with it themselves III. The Results A. Those who receive Jesus as their Savior get everlasting life in Heaven. B. Those who are afraid can find Jesus if they can truly believe in Him and only Him C. Those who are confused can find Jesus if they get their minds off themselves and on Him D. Those who are guilty must give it all to Him and hold nothing back. Only then will they have victory.
Reaction Time When Jesus rose from the dead, many people saw Him. Many of them reacted differently. I. The Reaction Of Jesus A. Mary Magdalene was (John 20:10-18) 1. She was so excited, she fell at His 2. She to tell the others that she had seen Jesus. B. The disciples were (Luke 24:36-43) 1. They were from the Sanhedrin in a locked room 2. They were terrified because they thought they were seeing His C. The men on the road to Emmaus were (Luke 24:13-35) 1. They were so focused on their that Jesus had been crucified that they didn t recognize Him 2. They were walking in the direction - away from Jerusalem and the comfort of fellow believers 3. They didn t understand Jesus until they talked to Him directly D. The were afraid of Jesus vengeance and the wrath of the people II. The Reaction of People A. Some are glad and happy to Jesus as their 1. They realize that they can t for their sins themselves 2. They want the of salvation that Jesus offers B. Some are 1. They don t see Jesus as a loving Savior, they see Him as an. 2. They think they have to do things to go to Heaven and don t understand His free gift
C. Some are 1. They listen to teachers and preachers who tell them things about sin,salvation and Heaven 2. They on their own problems and troubles instead of looking to Jesus for help D. Some are full of 1. They don t believe Jesus can really do about their sin 2. They can t get over sin because they try to deal with it themselves III. The A. Those who receive Jesus as their Savior get life in Heaven. B. Those who are afraid can find Jesus if they can truly believe in Him and Him C. Those who are confused can find Jesus if they get their minds off and on Him D. Those who are guilty must give it all to Him and hold back. Only then will they have victory.