This has been a week long event — I took my notes from 14 years ago (sermon given 35 years ago) and ocr’d them (gocr) – I wanted a text version of this, because before this, the only existing copy was on paper.
He is risen!
Wayno
—————-
Infallible Proofs of
The Resurrection
March, 24,1995
Excerpted notes from a sermon given, Easter, 1974 by Melvin W. Steward, of La Mesa First Assembly of God.
I. Introduction
A. Read I Corinthians l Cor 1 5:1-23
B. The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that
Jesus began both to do and teach,
Until the day in which he was taken up, after that He
through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the
apostles whom he had chosen:
To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by
many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and
speaking of the Things pertaining to the kingdom of God: (ACTS 1 : 1 _3 KJV)
C. Tekmerion — connotes a demonstrable proof.
1. All of Christianity hinges on the one doctrine
of the Resurrection. AIl the sermons preached in
the early church (book of Acts) were on the
resurrection. The resurrection therefore is an
ESSENTIAL DOCTRINE of the church. That is,
if you take it away from Christianity, Christianity
falls apart.
D. No resurrection would have openly declared Jesus as a liar.
E. Proofs:
1. Logic
2. Scripture
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3. History
4. Experience
II. Proof of Logic
A. Resurrection occurred by either human means or supernatural
means.
B. If by humans:
1. Enemies or friends.
a. Enemies-
1. Would have spread the very thing
they were trying to prevent!
“Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that
deceiver said, “After three days I will rise again.
So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day.
Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people
that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse
than the first.”
“Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know
how.”
So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and
posting the guard. (MATT 27:63-66 NIV)
(2) What would have been the response
of the Church, if they could have
produced the body of Christ? They
would have silenced the church forever.
(3) It is interesting to note: The silence of
the Jews, is as significant as the
testimony or the Christian!
(4) So logically, it wasn’t the enemies of
Christ.
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b. Friends of Christ
(1) They were the very ones most
surprised by the resurrection!
(2) John 20:1-1 6 records the account of
the resurrection.
(3) Luke 24: 1 3 :49 (EM on vs 43) records
the two that ere traveling on the road
to Emmaus. They didn’t get it! They
didn’t understand. He had to show them.
(4) No, it could NOT have been the friends of
Jesus — They were most surprised.
III. Scripture Proofs
A. What does the bible itself say about his the resurrection?
1. Psalm 16:1 O because you will not abandon me to the grave,
nor will you let your Holy One see decay. (NIV)
2. Jonah – Matt 1 2 :40 for as Jonah was three days and three
nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man
will be three days and three nights in the heart
of the earth. (NIV)
3. Then the Jews demanded of him, “What miraculous sign can you
show us to prove your authority to do all this?
“Jesus answered them ; “Destroy this temple, and I will raise
it again in three days.’
The Jews replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this
temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?”
But the temple he had spoken of was his body.
After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what
he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the
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words that Jesus had spoken. (John 2 : 1 7-22 NIV)
B. God keeps His promises. Just like he said he would. On time.
Because He;s always on time.
IV. Proof by History.
A. If you would not as yet accept the Bible as being
historically accurate, than lets examine what other extra
-biblical sources say about the resurrection of Jesus
Christ. Now, I won’t ask you to turn to your bible for this.
Instead we will examine the works of others.
1. Flavious Joeshephus — noted Jewish historian of the
first century in his book entitled “Antiquities of the
Jews” records; Book 18, Chapter 3, paragraphs 1-5.
Paragraph 3 is the Testimonium Flavianum, which
contains the reference to Jesus Christ. He states the
resurrection as a matter of fact. A matter of record.
a) 3. (63) Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man,
if it be lawful to call him a man; for he was a doer of
wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the
truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of
the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ.
(64) And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal
men among us, had condemned him to the cross [2], those
that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he
appeared to them alive again the third day [3], as the
divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other
wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians,
so named for him, are not extinct at this day.
2. Noted Author CS Lewis writes:
a) The Resurrection is the central theme in
every Christian sermon reported in the Acts.
The Resurrection and its consequences were the
“gospel” or good news which the Christians
brought: what we call the ‘gospels,’ the
narratives of Our Lord’s life and death, were
composed later for the benefit of those who
had already accepted the gospel. They were in
no sense the basis of Christianity: they were
written for those already converted. The
miracle of the Resurrection, and the theology
of that miracle, comes first: the biography
comes later as a comment on it. Nothing could
be more unhistorical than to pick out selected
sayings of Christ from the gospels and to
regard those as the datum and the rest of the
New Testament as a construction upon it. The
first fact in the history of Christendom is a
number of people who say they have seen the
Resurrection. (C.S. Lewis).
3. “In Search of the Historical Jesus” by Harvey King Mc Arthur —
presents powerful, and compelling evidence of the fact
that Jesus was a historical figure. Unfortunately, I
don’t have a copy, but your welcome to check it our of
any major library.
4. Josh McDowell — noted Christian Apologist has written
many books on the sub)subject of Christ in the Resurrection.
“Evidence that Demands a Verdict” and “A Ready Defense.”
B. These are sources apart from The bible.
V. Proof by Experience: .
A. The most powerful of all proofs of the resurrection, is the
power to change and transform lives. Perhaps two of the most
famous martyrs (from Foxes Book of Martyrs are Stephen and
Polycarp.
B. Stephen. ,
1. Recall from Acts, the stoning of Stephen:
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a. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to
heaven and saw he glory of God, and Jesus standing
at the right hand of God. (NIV)
“Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of
man standing at the right hand of God.” (Acts 7:55-
56 NIV)
b. Jesus wasn’t just sitting — he was standing!
Stephen had the experience of the transforming power
of the resurrection in his life.
2. Potycarp — an early Christian that lived under
emperor Marcus Aurelius — was about the be burned at the
stake sai:.
a) “Eighty and six years have I served him, and he
never once wronged me; how then shall I blaspheme
my King, Who hath saved me?”
a. See he had an experience with the Savior. They
told him to Deny His Christ. He said, “In 86 years,
he’s done me no harm! I’ll never deny my Christ!
b. What allowed him to experience a gruesome painful
death, but yet never deny his Lord? It took
an experience. A personal relationship with his
Savior. He knew the power of the resurrection to
be true in his life.
VI. Conclusion
A. Four proofs of the resurrection. Demonstrable proofs. But it
didn’t end in biblical days. The power of the Resurrection
is for us today. Through the ages, there have literally been
transformed millions of lives. Some in this very room. Lives
that would have otherwise been destroyed by drugs, alcohol,
or suicide — but because of an encounter, because of a
living relationship with Jesus Christ — we live —
B. “and because he lives — I can face tomorrow. Because He
lives — all fear is gone. Because I know — I know he holds
the future — and life is Worth the living, just because he
lives!”
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