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THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST:

Observation: The one inherent difference between all religions, belief systems, and philosophical pre-suppositions is the resurrection of the Lord, Jesus Christ.  It is what makes Christianity stand alone.  In America we make a great deal about Christmas and the birth of Christ. Should we not give even more thanks and attention to His resurrection?
 

Scripture Study Reference # 1

"Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.  And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this (John 11:25-26)?"
 

"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)."

"Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up -- if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable (1 Corinthians 15: 12-19)."
 

Key Application Point: If there was no resurrection, Christianity would lose all of its foundational basis and the faith literally would crumble.
 

    The resurrection of the Lord, Jesus Christ is our blessed hope for life after death. It is one of the most attested events in history.  No other religion claims an empty grave, so skeptics throughout the ages have attacked this foundation of the Christian faith.  The sign of the resurrection was meant to set Jesus apart from anyone else who ever lived, and would designate and single Him out as the one and only true Son of God (Romans 1:4).
 

Scripture Study Reference # 2

"For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. 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. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time (1 Corinthians 15:3-8)."
 

"The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, 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 1:1-3)."
 

Key Application Point: The recorded proof that Jesus Christ was seen after the resurrection is an undeniable fact.
 

    Jesus Christ appeared unto many, as has been recorded in God's Word.  There were many eyewitness accounts of Jesus' appearances.  He appeared over 40 days after His public crucifixion. As he wrote and recorded it in 56 AD, the Apostle Paul mentioned that over 500 people saw Jesus. The historical evidence is more than sufficient, as there is no evidence of any possibility of the contrary having occurred.
 

    There were 12 appearances of Christ after He rose from the dead recorded in the Bible. These appearances included those made to Mary Magdalene and other women; separately to Peter, Thomas, James, and Paul; ten of the apostles, seven of the apostles, and all of them as a group, two disciples; and 500 brethren (appearances of Christ cited in John 20: 10-18, 19-23, 24-31, John 21; Matthew 28: 1-10; 1 Corinthians 15: 1-8; Luke 24: 13 -35, 36-49; Acts 1:4-8).

NOTE: Some skeptics claim that the Romans, Jews, or disciples took Jesus' body. The Romans would have not done that as it would have caused a disruption in Palestine and they wanted peace, so this would make no sense. The Jews obviously would not have taken the body, since proclaiming Jesus rose from the dead is the last thing they wanted to do. Remember, they were the ones who asked for a guard over the tomb. The disciples had no logical reason to take the body either; if they did steal the body, they certainly died for something later that wasn't true. Why die for a cause that was a fabricated lie?
 

Scripture Study Reference # 3

"That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9)."

Key Application Point: Salvation is contingent upon your faith that Jesus Christ rose from the dead to give life and take your sins away.
 

    The empty tomb is the witness that He came to bring us life. We all must cling to that hope as eternity is set before us. This fact enables us to have a "purpose driven life" and live our lives in such a wholehearted fashion that we create a pleasing aroma before Him.