Sunday
Morning Bible Study
April
20, 2014
Introduction
Try the YouVersion
“Live”
Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel preached? Does it speak to the broken hearted?
Does it build up the church? Milk – Meat – Manna Preach for a decision Is the church loved? Regular: 2900 words
Communion: 2500 words
This Changes Everything
If Jesus truly was raised from the dead, what does
that mean? It changes everything.
The Skeptic
There may be some of you today who think that the resurrection
of Jesus from the dead belongs in the same category as Santa Claus and the Easter
Bunny.
You think that all three are simply mythical stories we tell to children.
Thomas was one of the twelve disciples, and he too, like you, was a
skeptic.
Initially he did not believe that Jesus had risen from the dead.
I’m thankful that Jesus picked a skeptic as one of
His disciples.
Thomas didn’t stay skeptical.
Video: Gospel of John clip – John
20:24-31
(John 20:25 NKJV) The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the
Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of
the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into
His side, I will not believe.”
(John 20:26–29 NKJV) —26 And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and
Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and
said, “Peace to you!” 27 Then He
said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My
hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not
be unbelieving, but believing.” 28 And Thomas
answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not
seen and yet have believed.”
The resurrection changed Thomas from being a skeptic to a believer
Thomas was known to have travelled and preached as
far as India.
Like the rest of the apostles, Thomas would preach that Jesus had risen
from the dead until he died.
Let me speak to the skeptic…
Historical Truth
Historical truth is verified by eyewitness
testimony.
Professor Thomas Arnold, for fourteen years the headmaster of Rugby, author of the three-volume History of Rome, and holder of the chair of modern history at Oxford, was well
acquainted with the value of evidence in determining
historical facts. This great scholar said,
“I have been used for many years to
study the histories of other times, and to examine and weigh the evidence of
those who have written about them, and I know of no one fact in the history of
mankind which is proved by better and fuller evidence of every sort, to the understanding
of a fair inquirer, than the great sign which God hath given us that Christ
died and rose again from the dead.”
He died
Jesus suffered an extremely painful death.
Before being crucified, Jesus had been scourged (beaten) as well by Romans
who were adept at torturing prisoners.
It was no uncommon for prisoners to die while being scourged.
Crucifixion was designed to make the public afraid of committing certain
deeds. It was typically a long, slow,
and very painful death. (Mat. 27:6)
(Matthew 27:26 NKJV) —26 Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged
Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.
The professional Roman executioners verified that Jesus had truly died.
(Mark 15:43-45)
(Mark 15:43–45 NKJV) —43 Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent
council member, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, coming and
taking courage, went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 44
Pilate marveled that He was already dead;
and summoning the centurion, he asked him if He had been dead for some time. 45
So when he found out from the centurion,
he granted the body to Joseph.
He was buried
The Romans, the Jews, and the disciples all knew where Jesus had been
buried (Mat. 27:57-66)
(Matthew 27:57–66 NKJV) —57 Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a
disciple of Jesus. 58 This man
went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body
to be given to him. 59 When
Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60
and laid it in his new tomb which he had
hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb,
and departed. 61 And Mary Magdalene
was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb.
62 On the next day, which followed the Day
of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, 63
saying, “Sir, we remember, while He was
still alive, how that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise.’ 64
Therefore command that the tomb be made
secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away,
and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead.’ So the last deception will
be worse than the first.” 65 Pilate
said to them, “You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you
know how.” 66 So they went and
made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard.
The tomb was one carved out of solid rock.
There were no back door escape hatches. (Mat. 27:60)
(Matthew 27:60 NKJV) —60 and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the
rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed.
The stone covering the tomb was a large one, not one easily moved by either
disciples or a severely wounded Jesus (Mark 16:1-4)
(Mark 16:1–4 NKJV) —1 Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the
mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint
Him. 2 Very early in the
morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the
sun had risen. 3 And they said among
themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” 4
But when they looked up, they saw that
the stone had been rolled away—for it was very large.
The Romans had stationed a guard at the tomb to make sure no one stole the
body. (Mat. 27:66)
(Matthew 27:66 NKJV) —66 So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and
setting the guard.
The tomb was had a Roman “seal”, meaning that anyone who messed with it
would suffer the penalty of death. (Mat. 27:66)
Jewish burial customs involved winding the body with cloth and 100 pounds
of spices. This wouldn’t have revived a fainting Jesus, it would have smothered
Him (John 19:39)
(John 19:39 NKJV) —39 And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also
came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds.
He rose
After Jesus rose from the dead, He was seen by quite a few people. Paul wrote,
(1 Corinthians
15:3–8 NKJV) —3 For I delivered to you first of
all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the
Scriptures, 4 and that
He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,
5 and that
He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. 6 After that
He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part
remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. 7 After that
He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. 8 Then last of all He was seen by me
also, as by one born out of due time.
Luke recorded
(Acts 1:3 NKJV) …He also presented Himself alive after His
suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and
speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.
After the forty days, Jesus ascended into heaven on a
cloud in the presence of His disciples.
There have been other people who
have been raised from the dead through the ministry of an individual.
Elijah raised the widow’s son.
(1 Ki 17:21–22 NKJV) —21 And he stretched himself out on the child three times, and
cried out to the Lord and said,
“O Lord my God, I pray, let this
child’s soul come back to him.” 22 Then the
Lord heard the voice of Elijah;
and the soul of the child came back to him, and he revived.
Elisha raised the Shunammite’s son
(2 Ki 4:34–35 NKJV) —34 And he went up and lay on the child, and put his mouth on
his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands; and he stretched
himself out on the child, and the flesh of the child became warm. 35
He returned and walked back and forth in
the house, and again went up and stretched himself out on him; then the child
sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.
Jesus raised a widow’s son
(Lk 7:14–15 NKJV)
—14 Then He came and touched the open coffin,
and those who carried him stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say to
you, arise.” 15 So he who was dead
sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother.
Jesus raised Lazarus
(Jn 11:43–44 NKJV)
—43 Now when He had said these things, He
cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” 44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus
said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”
Jesus was different – God Himself
raised Jesus from the dead.
There was no doctor or healer
involved.
Jesus would also never die
again. All the others raised from the
dead would one day die a second time.
Maybe today you too are a skeptic.
Maybe you’ve had your doubts about this resurrection thing.
I encourage you to examine the testimony.
Two books you might want to get are:
The Message
The resurrection was such an impacting event that the message of the
apostles changed.
Some people want to make you think that Jesus just had good ideas, that He
was just a good teacher.
There is truth to that.
While Jesus was on earth, people came from all over to see His
miracles. People came to be healed.
Yet after the resurrection, the emphasis of the apostles’ message
shifted.
They didn’t just talk about the things that Jesus had taught them.
They didn’t make miracles the emphasis of their ministry (though they
performed miracles)
They talked about the resurrection.
We’ve been studying the book of Acts on Thursday nights.
In addition, for the last three weeks we’ve been reading through the book
of Acts in our “Through-the-Bible” daily reading plan.
I guess it’s because I’ve been thinking about Easter coming up, but this
time as we’ve been reading I’ve been noticing how many times the resurrection
is mentioned.
If the resurrection was just some “feel good” fairy tale, I would imagine
that the apostles might stop talking about it after a while.
But it wasn’t a fairy tale.
It actually happened.
The resurrection became a cornerstone to the message that the apostles
preached everywhere they went.
In Acts 2-17 I found eight sermons by the various apostles recorded in the
book of Acts.
The resurrection is prominent in each and every sermon.
It’s at the core of the “gospel”.
Paul wrote,
(1 Corinthians
15:1–4 NKJV) —1 Moreover, brethren, I declare to
you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which
you stand, 2 by which
also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless
you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received:
that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that
He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the
Scriptures,
Jesus wasn’t just an ordinary “prophet”.
He wasn’t a teacher with a nice philosophy to pass on.
He was the Son of God.
I hear that there is a trend among some churches to study things like Buddhism.
My question to those folks is this: Why
study a dead prophet when you can follow a living Savior?
Jesus came to this earth to die for our sins.
And after three days, He rose again.
Use of “resurrection” through the
book of Acts
The messages in Acts –
resurrection?
Peter at Pentecost – Acts 2 – yes
Peter after healing the lame man –
Acts 3:15 – yes
Peter before the Sanhedrin – Acts
4:10 – yes
Peter before Sanhedrin after 2nd
arrest – Acts 5:30 – yes
Steven before Sanhedrin – not
directly, Acts 7:56, said he saw Jesus standing
Philip to Ethiopian Eunuch – Acts
8, not mentioned
Peter to Cornelius – Acts 10 – yes
Paul at Antioch of Psidia – Acts 13 – yes
Paul at Thessalonica – Acts 17 –
yes
Paul at Athens – Acts 17 – yes
(Acts 1:3 NKJV) —3 to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering
by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of
the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.
(Acts 1:22 NKJV) —22 beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was
taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His
resurrection.”
After the Holy Spirit filled the
early church, Peter’s first sermon was about the resurrection.
(Acts 2:24 NKJV) —24 whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because
it was not possible that He should be held by it.
(Acts 2:30 NKJV) —30 Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn
with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He
would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne,
(Acts 2:31 NKJV) —31 he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of
the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see
corruption.
(Acts 2:32 NKJV) —32 This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses.
Healing the lame man:
(Acts 3:6–7 NKJV) —6 Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I
do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”
7 And he took him by the right hand and
lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received
strength.
The same Greek word for Peter
telling the main to “rise up” is the word used to describe God raising Jesus
from the dead:
(Acts 3:15 NKJV) —15 and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the
dead, of which we are witnesses.
(Acts 3:26 NKJV) —26 To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent
Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your
iniquities.”
(Acts 4:2 NKJV) —2 being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and
preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.
(Acts 4:10 NKJV) —10 let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel,
that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God
raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole.
(Acts 4:33 NKJV) —33 And with great power the apostles gave witness to the
resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.
(Acts 5:30 NKJV) —30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by
hanging on a tree.
Paul saw the risen Christ
(Acts 9:3–5 NKJV) —3 As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light
shone around him from heaven. 4 Then he
fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you
persecuting Me?” 5 And he
said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the
Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to
kick against the goads.”
(1 Corinthians 15:8 NKJV) —8 Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out
of due time.
(Acts 9:27 NKJV) —27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the
apostles. And he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and
that He had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the
name of Jesus.
(Acts 9:40 NKJV) —40 But Peter put them all out, and knelt down and prayed. And
turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and
when she saw Peter she sat up.
(Acts 10:40–41 NKJV) —40 Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, 41
not to all the people, but to witnesses
chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He
arose from the dead.
(Acts 13:30 NKJV) —30 But God raised Him from the dead.
(Acts 13:33 NKJV) —33 God has fulfilled this for us their children, in that He has
raised up Jesus. As it is also written in the second Psalm: ‘You are My Son, Today I
have begotten You.’
(Acts 13:34 NKJV) —34 And that He raised Him from the dead, no more to return to
corruption, He has spoken thus: ‘I will
give you the sure mercies of David.’
(Acts 13:37 NKJV) —37 but He whom God raised up saw no corruption.
(Acts 17:3 NKJV) —3 explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer
and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I preach to
you is the Christ.”
(Acts 17:18 NKJV) —18 Then certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered
him. And some said, “What does this babbler want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods,”
because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection.
(Acts 17:31 NKJV) —31 because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the
world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance
of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”
(Acts 17:32 NKJV) —32 And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some
mocked, while others said, “We will hear you again on this matter.”
(Acts 23:6 NKJV) —6 But when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the
other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Men and brethren, I am a
Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; concerning the hope and resurrection of the
dead I am being judged!”
(Acts 23:8 NKJV) —8 For Sadducees say that there is no resurrection—and no angel
or spirit; but the Pharisees confess both.
(Acts 24:15 NKJV) —15 I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that
there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the
unjust.
(Acts 24:21 NKJV) —21 unless it is for this one statement which I cried
out, standing among them, ‘Concerning the resurrection of the dead I am being
judged by you this day.’ ”
(Acts 25:19 NKJV) —19 but had some questions against him about their own religion
and about a certain Jesus, who had died, whom Paul affirmed to be alive.
(Acts 26:8 NKJV) —8 Why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises
the dead?
(Acts 26:23 NKJV) —23 that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to
rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to
the Gentiles.”
Life After Death
There truly is life after death
There is someone who died and came back from the dead.
The atheist says that once you die, that’s it. You cease to exist.
Paul wrote to the Corinthians that if there was no resurrection …
(1 Corinthians
15:18 NKJV) Then also those who have fallen
asleep in Christ have perished.
Paul agreed with the atheist’s view… if Jesus hadn’t rose from the dead.
But Jesus DID rise from the dead… after being dead for three days.
The Bible says that there is clear proof that there is life after death for
all of us, and it’s that Jesus came back from the dead.
Paul spoke to the Greek pagan Athenians about God.
These were philosophers who did not have knowledge of the Hebrew
Scriptures.
(Acts 17:30–31 NKJV) —30 Truly, these times of ignorance God
overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, 31 because He
has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the
Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him
from the dead.”
Paul was saying that the proof that there will be a judgment after death is
the fact that Jesus rose from the dead.
There is something that takes place in your life after you
die.
The Bible says,
(Hebrews
9:27 NKJV) And as it is appointed for men to
die once, but after this the judgment,
Because there is life after death, you need to make sure
you are ready for what’s on the other side.
Jesus told Lazarus’ sister Martha,
(John 11:25–26 NKJV) —25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and
the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And
whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
Jesus promised that when we believe in Him, even when our body dies, our
soul will not die.
Do you believe in Jesus?
Paul wrote,
(1 Corinthians
15:53–57 NKJV) —53 For this corruptible must put
on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when
this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on
immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death
is swallowed up in victory.” 55 “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” 56 The sting
of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks
be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Because Jesus rose from the dead, we too will rise from the dead. This changes everything.
Forgiveness
Perhaps you thought you could never be forgiven. The resurrection changes
everything.
Jesus talked a lot about the possibility that we could be forgiven by God.
Early in Jesus’ ministry, He said something strange to a paralyzed man…
(Mark 2:1–12 NKJV) —1 And again He entered Capernaum after some
days, and it was heard that He was in the house. 2 Immediately many gathered
together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even
near the door. And He preached the word to them. 3 Then they came to Him, bringing a
paralytic who was carried by four men. 4 And when they could not come near
Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they
had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. 5 When Jesus
saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” 6 And some
of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, 7 “Why does
this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God
alone?”
That’s a pretty strange thing to say to someone who is looking to get
healed. The man’s friends were obviously
hoping that Jesus could heal the man.
But Jesus makes a point of forgiving the man. I’d suggest that Jesus thought that
forgiveness was more important than physical healing.
8 But
immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within
themselves, He said to them, “Why do you reason about these things in your
hearts? 9 Which is
easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to
say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to
forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, 11 “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” 12 Immediately
he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that
all were amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like
this!”
Jesus healing this paralyzed man was proof that He had the power and
authority to grant forgiveness of sins.
When we say that Jesus died for our sins, that He paid for our sins by
dying on the cross, you ought to pay attention.
He doesn’t just say it. He did
something to prove it.
Paul wrote,
(1 Corinthians
15:17 NKJV) And if Christ is not risen, your
faith is futile; you are still in your sins!
When Jesus rose from the dead, He conquered death. His resurrection showed us that He had indeed
paid for our sins as He could not be held in the grave.
When we preachers say to you that Jesus can forgive your sins, you ought to
pay attention.
The resurrected Messiah shows you can be forgiven.
Hope
Paul said that the resurrection was his reason to keep going, even when his
life got dangerous.
(1 Corinthians
15:30–32 NKJV) —30 And why do we stand in
jeopardy every hour? 31 I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our
Lord, I die daily. 32 If, in the manner of men, I have fought with beasts at Ephesus,
what advantage is it to me? If the dead do not rise, “Let us
eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”
If you have no hope in life, you are liable to do stupid things.
Paul was saying that if Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, then we would have
no hope.
The best we could do in life would be to just go out and get drunk.
But Jesus did rise from the dead. There
is life after death.
You don’t have to do stupid things. You can persevere in tough times.
Romans 8 has a lot to say about the hope of the resurrection. In this context, Paul writes,
(Romans 8:28 NKJV) And we know that all things work together for
good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His
purpose.
God can take our most difficult times and turn them for the good.
Tim Tebow knows this. Last year he was not given a contract to play
for a professional football team. Did
that stop Tim???
I don’t mean to make light of whatever difficulty you are going through,
but I have to tell you that the resurrection shows me that God can do anything.
You may not initially like the way God wants to work things out in your
life, but if you truly love God, then there will be no greater “good” than how
God works things out.
How can God promise to work all things together for the good?
He is the God who raised Jesus from the dead. And This Changes Everything.
There is nothing too difficult for God.
You just need to trust Him.
Other passages
(Colossians 2:11–15 NKJV) —11 In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made
without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the
circumcision of Christ, 12 buried
with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through
faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13
And you, being dead in your trespasses
and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made
alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14
having wiped out the handwriting of
requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it
out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public
spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.
(Hebrews 2:14–15 NKJV) —14 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and
blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might
destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15
and release those who through fear of
death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.