16

The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christfoothillsfamily.net/clientimages/44106/the bodily resurrection student... · The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ 8 “But in your hearts

  • Upload
    others

  • View
    23

  • Download
    2

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

Page 1: The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christfoothillsfamily.net/clientimages/44106/the bodily resurrection student... · The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ 8 “But in your hearts
Page 2: The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christfoothillsfamily.net/clientimages/44106/the bodily resurrection student... · The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ 8 “But in your hearts

The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ

2 Lesson #1: Why is the Resurrection so crucial to the Christian faith? “…regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 1:3-4 In Hawking’s book, A Brief History of Time" he posits that a unifying theory of science would help mankind "know the mind of God." Hawking explained: "What I meant by 'we would know the mind of God' is, we would know everything that God would know, if there were a God. Which there isn't. I'm an atheist." Question: What Makes an Atheist?

A. If it’s all a lie or a fantasy, then there is no real __________ to life other than what you bring to it.

Questions:

• How then will people live if they accept that as true in life?

• How does one make sense of suffering and death?

• Of what intrinsic value is the life of one human being?

B. If it’s all a lie then nothing of what Jesus said can be believed at all. The Test – The _____________ is the only test by which we can know that Jesus was telling the _____________.

Page 3: The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christfoothillsfamily.net/clientimages/44106/the bodily resurrection student... · The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ 8 “But in your hearts

The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ

3 Now as unique as that fact is, there are many who remain convinced that it never happened! Many have the same doubts about the Resurrection today, as those in the 1st Century: Skeptics ask:

• Was the Resurrection merely the product of grief-stricken ______________ followers whose love for Jesus made them think that he had come back to life?

• Was it simply a case of mistaken _____________, that in their sorrow the disciples mistook a man who looked like Jesus for their resurrected Savior?

• Is the Resurrection of Jesus really true or was it simply a grand ______________ cooked up by the ardent followers of Jesus? Did it begin as an intentional lie that grew ____________ over time?

• Was the Resurrection merely a ___________ that developed in church over time but was not something that was actually _____________ by the original disciples?

• Is there really enough ___________for a rational person to be justified in concluding that Jesus’ Resurrection was a real event in history?

C. If the Resurrection is a lie then nothing the apostles wrote can be believed. The Competency of the Witnesses! Vv.5-8 Question: Why should we accept these people as credible witnesses? What you will find is that each person listed as first-hand witnesses builds a stronger and stronger case for the reality of the resurrection.

• Peter

• The Twelve / All the Apostles Some of the strongest evidence for the resurrection was the confusion, assumptions and disbelief of the disciples themselves.

Page 4: The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christfoothillsfamily.net/clientimages/44106/the bodily resurrection student... · The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ 8 “But in your hearts

The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ

4 Remember:

When Jesus predicted his resurrection, we’re told that the disciples didn’t have a _________ what he was talking about or simply did not __________ him. (Mark 8:31-33; 9:31-32)

Even when his empty tomb was discovered, it is reported that the first conclusion was that someone had___________ the body. (John 20:2, 13-15)

When the women reported that they had seen him risen, the disciples thought they were telling an ___________tale (Luke 24:10-12)

Upon viewing the empty tomb, they still did not know what to ____________ (John 20:9)

Thomas simply __________ to believe (John 20:24-25) In this we find two principles of evidentiary arguments that boldly suggests a witness is telling the truth:

→ Principle of ________________: The testimony of ___________ is stronger than the testimony of a ________________.

Listen to what John writes years later about his encounter with the resurrected Jesus: 1 John 1:1-3

→ Principle of ___________________: It seems unlikely that the disciples _____________ a story of the resurrection that would paint them in such a __________ light.

Question: What changed these skeptics into ardent and passionate believers?

Page 5: The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christfoothillsfamily.net/clientimages/44106/the bodily resurrection student... · The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ 8 “But in your hearts

The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ

5 • 500 brothers at one time –

• James –.

• Paul –

Point: For if these guys believed it? Then it must be true! Jesus really did come back to life! For every one of these men lived one way before the resurrection… and after it? They never were the same! It must be true! How else can you explain it?

Conclusion: Did the Resurrection really happen? Dr. Simon Greenleaf (a very famous Harvard University professor of Law) is quoted as saying:"According to the laws of legal evidence used in courts of law, there is more evidence for the historical fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ than for just about any other event in history." That from a Harvard Law Professor! “If Jesus rose from the dead, then you have to accept all that he said; if he didn't rise from the dead, then why worry about any of what he said? The issue on which everything hangs is not whether or not you like his teaching but whether or not he rose from the dead.” ― Timothy Keller, The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism If Jesus isn’t alive from the dead, then the whole thing…the existence of God, eternal life, life after death, forgiveness, the second-coming; the whole thing is nothing but a house of cards.

Page 6: The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christfoothillsfamily.net/clientimages/44106/the bodily resurrection student... · The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ 8 “But in your hearts

The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ

6 Lesson #2: A Reasoned defense of the Resurrection “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to every one who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” 1 Peter 3:15 Here Peter commands Christians not to be afraid of unbelievers but to rest in the Lord and instead to be ready to give an answer for why they believe; for why they have hope in Jesus. The word translated “an answer” in the NIV, means literally, “a reasoned defense”. The word is ἀπολογία from which we get the English word “apology”. But the meaning of the English word doesn’t mean the same thing in Greek. To make an apology in English; you are expressing regret and a plea for forgiveness for having offended someone. But an apology is an altogether different thing in Peter’s world. To make an apology…was to make a reasoned defense for what you believe. This word was used in a court room setting when the defense attorney stood up and argued for the innocence of his client. Here Peter probably has in mind those everyday times when a family or friend is asking why you believe what you believe. This is what we call in theological circles: Apologetics or Defending the Faith

Questions:

Why is it important to defend your Faith? Why do apologetics?

Most non-Christian people are not willing to take the truth at face value: “People

seldom immediately accept Jesus as Lord or believe he rose from the dead just

because the Bible says so. If they genuinely seek to know the truth, they ask tough

questions.” Habermas, p.33

In other words, for most people a simple answer is not enough.

1. It’s not enough because they’ve been blinded by Satan (2 Cor.4:3-4), and their

own depravity and sinfulness…that is, the lost lack the spiritual capacity to

understand and process spiritual truth on their own (1 Cor.2:14).

2. A simple answer not enough because they are living in rebellion against God and

must be persuaded to accept Jesus as Savior (2 Corinthians 5:11) [Our Job is

persuasion]

3. But also for salvation to occur, the sinner must be convicted by the work of the

Holy Spirit. [The Holy Spirit’s job is conviction: For them to be saved, the Spirit must

convict or convince the sinner of three things - John 16:7-11]

This is why a person cannot be saved by reasoned argument alone. (Sin has affected

every part of man’s being: mind, will, emotions; and only through the power of the

resurrected Christ working through the Holy Spirit is enough to convince a person to

accept salvation.) So while apologetics, making a reasoned defense for your faith is

necessary, only the Holy Spirit can finally convince them of the truth.

Page 7: The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christfoothillsfamily.net/clientimages/44106/the bodily resurrection student... · The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ 8 “But in your hearts

The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ

7

Experiences:

• Can you share some experiences where you saw the power of the Spirit at work in a person’s life, but you could tell… they still were resisting him? What did you learn from that experience?

• How does knowing that a person must be convinced by the Spirit keep you from being discouraged when they refuse to accept Christ?

If God is God why would he need defending? He’s God! Does God need us

to defend him? Answers:

▪ No, God does not need to be defended but truth does! 1 Timothy 3:15; Jude 3

▪ The Christian faith is just that: Faith in response to reason and evidence; it’s not a

leap in the dark or believing in something in spite of a lack of evidence.

Luke 1:1-4; Acts 1:1-3

Referring to Luke 1:1-4: Remember that Luke was an educated Greek physician who

was used to study and paying attention to details! According to Luke other accounts

(Mark); and written and oral reports from first hand eyewitnesses were circulating at the

time that he wrote. He not only studied these but he talked to the eyewitnesses; he

carefully investigated every account before he wrote another Greek Christian, a man

named Theophilus. Point: There was meticulous historical research being done; and

interviews with first hand eyewitnesses who where there. In fact, Paul himself challenged

skeptics to go and do their own investigation. See→1 Cor.15:6

Referring to Acts 1:1-3: “The word proofs refers to demonstrated, decisive evidence. (that

is, enough to turn a skeptic into a believer) Jesus’ resurrection had not been a sleight of

hand or an illusion, with Jesus being merely a ghostly presence. Instead, these were solid,

visible, and undeniable proofs of the fact that Jesus was alive.” – Life Application

Commentary, pp.472

Point: Jesus had to convince his disciples! The only reason these skeptics believed was

because the evidence was so compelling and undeniable!

Page 8: The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christfoothillsfamily.net/clientimages/44106/the bodily resurrection student... · The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ 8 “But in your hearts

The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ

8 “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” 1 Peter 3:15 Critical Points:

• Some have no problem _________________ the faith; but they can struggle with showing _________________ and _________________; others are so gentle and respectful they never speak up for the truth when they should. Both truth and love are needed.

• Love must be _________________ by truth otherwise love becomes a slushy, watered-down _________________ of love that tolerates anything.

• Truth must be softened by _________________; otherwise it becomes harsh, brutal and _________________ devoid of any grace or mercy.

Question: How do we give a reasoned defense of the Resurrection?

A. Principles of Apologetics “When I was a student fielding attacks on the Bible or the logic of Christianity, feeling threatened by the claims of other religions, or merely finding myself alone in the dark night of my own doubt, the discovery of apologetics was like the discovery of a good friend or a warm blanket. It is infinitely comforting to discover a God who can handle tough inquiry, and more than assuring to realize the truth is not contingent on my making sense of it.” -- Jill Carattini Helpful principles in defense of the Resurrection:

1. Don’t make a reasoned defense of the resurrection about You!

Page 9: The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christfoothillsfamily.net/clientimages/44106/the bodily resurrection student... · The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ 8 “But in your hearts

The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ

9 2. Find common ground for an authentic, organic, kind discussion of the truth!

3. Get your skeptical friend thinking by asking sincere, but strategic questions!

Example: See John 4:7-26

• It’s slowly beginning to dawn on her, who Jesus is. “I perceive that you’re a prophet” she says.

• She seemingly redirects the conversation toward the issue of worship. (see v.20) Ask questions like “What do you mean by that?” or “What’s your thinking on that?” can help critics consider what they believe and why they believe it—perhaps for the first time.

Page 10: The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christfoothillsfamily.net/clientimages/44106/the bodily resurrection student... · The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ 8 “But in your hearts

The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ

10 Lesson #3: Presenting the Evidence Where does one begin presenting the evidence to a skeptic for the reality of the bodily resurrection? And how does one do it without so that you don’t overwhelm people with so much material that they divert the conversation off topic. Also, many skeptics will immediately discount anything you say while using the Bible. But as Dr. Gary Habermas suggests: “While we hold that the Bible is trustworthy and inspired, we cannot expect the skeptical non believer with whom we are dialoguing to embrace this view.” Therefore, Habermas recommends using what is known as “the minimal facts approach”.

Fact #1: Even _________________ and _________________ historians accept as true that Jesus died by crucifixion. Question: Why begin here? If Jesus wasn’t crucified, you can’t say he rose from the dead. Non-Christian sources during the same period:

• The 1st Century Jewish Historian Josephus: “When Pilate, upon hearing him accused by men of the highest standing amongst us, had condemned him to be crucified…” (Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 18:64)

• The 2nd Century Roman Historian Tacitus: “Nero fastened the guilt of the burning of Rome, and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty (i.e. crucifixion) during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus.” (Tacitus, Annals 15:44 c. AD 115)

• Lucian of Samosata, the Greek satirist, writes, “The Christians, you know, worship a man to this day—the distinguished personage who introduced their novel rites, and was crucified on that account.” (Death of Peregrine, 11-13 (mid-2nd century)

• Even the Jewish Talmud reports that “on the eve of Passover Yeshu was hanged.” (Sanhedrin 43a, late 2nd century)

Reasoned Conclusion: If the Bible got it right as to his death, it stands to reason that the gospels are not simply _________________ accounts by dishonest men trying to deceive the world.

Page 11: The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christfoothillsfamily.net/clientimages/44106/the bodily resurrection student... · The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ 8 “But in your hearts

The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ

11 Fact #2: Jesus’ disciples really _________________ believed that he arose and appeared to them. The most ancient alternate explanation for the resurrection that makes any logical sense at all is that the disciples colluded together a group to fake the resurrection by stealing his body, secretly buried it, and then fabricated the idea that he rose from the dead. (See Matthew 28:11-15) Using our “minimal facts approach” to argue for the reality of the resurrection, we next turn our attention to what unbelieving and skeptical historians accept as true. This is important because:

• If we can prove that these men actually believed that Jesus’ rose from the dead, this would rule out _________________ or _________________ by the disciples.

Note: Collusion and Conspiracy are _________________ where truth exists!

Skeptical Argument: The resurrection is simply a _________________ that developed over time that began with the disciples _________________ together to rewrite history .

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS SUPPOSE A SKEPTIC SAID, “I DON’T BELIEVE THAT THE BIBLE IS INSPIRED BY GOD, AND I’M NOT

CERTAIN THE FOUR GOSPELS, WERE WRITTEN BY THE FOUR ALLEGED AUTHORS. SO HOW DO YOU

TRACE THESE CLAIMS BACK TO THE LIPS OF THE DISCIPLES THEMSELVES? FURTHERMORE, EVEN IF

YOU COULD TRACE THEM TO THE LIPS OF THE DISCIPLES, JUST BECAUSE THEY CLAIMED

SOMETHING DOESN’T MEAN THEY BELIEVED IT. THEY COULD HAVE BEEN LYING.”

• ARE THESE FAIR QUESTIONS?

• HOW WOULD YOU GO ABOUT PROVING WHAT THE DISCIPLES BELIEVED WITHOUT USING

YOUR BIBLE AS A PRIMARY SOURCE?

• IF SOMEONE CHALLENGES YOU TO ESTABLISH THAT THE ORIGINAL DISCIPLES REALLY

MADE THE CLAIM THAT THE RISEN JESUS HAD APPEARED TO THEM, HOW WOULD YOU GO

ABOUT IT?

Page 12: The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christfoothillsfamily.net/clientimages/44106/the bodily resurrection student... · The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ 8 “But in your hearts

The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ

12 Three Categories of Evidence for the early acceptance of the Resurrection In order to help us remember the evidence that argues for what they claimed, and for what they believed, remember the acronym POW which stands for: P – O – W –

1) P_________________ Testimony about the Original Disciples is confirmed by history.

Paul claims to have known the original disciples personally and they knew him; and he testifies that they believed to have seen Jesus alive. 1 Corinthians 15:3; Galatians 1:18-19; 2 Peter 3:15 Confirmed by non-biblical sources: “Polycarp was martyred in Smyrna, around the year 160 at the age of 86. Around 110, he wrote a letter to the Philippian church, speaking of the righteousness and endurance witnessed in the lives of several, including ‘Paul himself and other apostles’. Of them he says, ‘For they did not love the present age, but him who died for our benefit and for our sake was raised of God.’” –Case for the Resurrection, p.55 Preserved by the early church historian Eusebius is a letter by Irenaeus, to Florinus, in which he writes this of Polycarp, a disciple of John, who had direct access to the eyewitnesses of the resurrection including Paul. Irenaeus says this: “When I was still a boy I saw in Lower Asia with Polycarp, when you had high status at the imperial court and wanted to gain his favor. I remember events from those days more clearly than those that happened recently…so that I can even picture the place where the blessed Polycarp sat and conversed, his comings and goings, his character, his personal appearance, his discourse to the crowds, and how he reported his discussions with John and the others who had seen the Lord. He recalled their very words, what they reported about the Lord and his miracles and his teaching---things that Polycarp had heard directly from eyewitnesses of the Word of life and reported in full harmony with the Scripture.” – Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 5.20 Conclusion: So, what you have is an interlocking body of testimony all saying the same thing, that the disciples preached and believed from the very beginning the very same message: Jesus Christ died and arose from the dead and was seen by his disciples and they not only claimed it happened, but believed it.

Page 13: The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christfoothillsfamily.net/clientimages/44106/the bodily resurrection student... · The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ 8 “But in your hearts

The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ

13

Paul’s Testimony about the early disciples

Confirmed by Polycarp

Confirmed by Eusebius

Confirmed by Irenaeus

2) O_________________ tradition was already in existence before Paul wrote! Application: If oral tradition and ancient creeds existed prior to the New Testament being written and if Paul learned them within 5 years of Jesus crucifixion; and since those who had direct contact with the apostles told us what they believed; there’s no historical evidence to suggest that the resurrection was just some legend which developed over time, since it takes decades and centuries for such legends to develop.

Page 14: The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christfoothillsfamily.net/clientimages/44106/the bodily resurrection student... · The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ 8 “But in your hearts

The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ

14 3) W_________________ tradition confirms the fact the disciples were willing to

suffer and die without ever recanting what they believed about the resurrection. Confirmed by non-Biblical Sources: Eusebius (c.263-339 AD) The Writings of Origen (c.185-254 AD) From Contra Celsum, 2.56 The Ante-Nicene Fathers The Writings of Tertullian (c.200) Conclusions:

• The Disciples willingness to __________ and ___________ for their beliefs indicates that they certainly regarded those beliefs as true.

• They were ____________ honest eyewitnesses.

• We’ve been able to confirm through extra-biblical historical documents, two things which the Bible got right:

The crucifixion ______________ just as the Bible said it did.

The disciples really __________________ in, proclaimed and _______________ for belief in the Resurrection.

So, if the Bible got these things right? What else did it get right?

Page 15: The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christfoothillsfamily.net/clientimages/44106/the bodily resurrection student... · The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ 8 “But in your hearts

The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ

15 Lesson # 4 Accepting the Evidence So far, we’ve established the fact from history that the disciples believed that Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to them; but that falls short of confirming that they believed he actually did rise. But belief is not proof. Afterall, the skeptic can make the case that many people embrace false beliefs and can be incorrect in the things they think, they experienced.

Question: Is there any historical date that would lead one to believe that the disciple’s claims to have seen the risen Christ, were actually true?

How do you explain this historical fact if the resurrection never happened:

Fact #1: The greatest persecutor of the church was suddenly _______________.

What historical evidence is there that Paul had truly changed?

1.) Clement of Rome:

2.) Polycarp:

Question for the Skeptic: How does one explain such a sudden and dramatic shift in Paul that one who persecuted Christians suddenly and dramatically becomes one of them?

Page 16: The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christfoothillsfamily.net/clientimages/44106/the bodily resurrection student... · The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ 8 “But in your hearts

The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ

16 Fact #2: The Skeptic James, the ______________of Jesus, was suddenly changed.

Fact #3: The Tomb was _____________.

1. The Jerusalem Factor

2. Enemy Attestation

3. The Testimony of Women Conclusion: In our presentation of the evidence, though we have not used the Bible as our primary source, nor have we appealed to divine inspiration as the reason for why a skeptic should accept the resurrection as fact. All we have done is shown that there is reasonable historical evidence to suggest that the Bible’s account is a credible account. If the Bible has gotten these 5 things right historically, then this begs the question, “What else has the Bible gotten right?” Remember the 5 Historical Facts that even skeptical historians accept as true:

1• Jesus died by crucifixion at the hands of Pilate

2• Disciples believed Jesus rose and appeared to them

3• Conversion of the Church persecutor Paul

4• Conversion of the Skeptic James

5• Empty Tomb