Jesus was miraculously raised from the dead nearly 2,000 years ago.

It is interesting to note that while many Christians talk frequently about the Cross, and yet they only seem to speak about the Resurrection at Easter! Why? Many sermons today tend to assume the Resurrection while emphasizing the Cross. The sermons in the book of Acts do the exact opposite. The sermons in Acts speak far more about the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead and how it we can be forgiven our sin by God they they do about the cross.

The Resurrection of Jesus verifies the fact that his death was more than that of a martyr. The death of Jesus on the cross was both a spiritual and physical when he died as a sacrifice for sin, a sin offering. The Resurrection of Jesus declares that to be a fact and it is on the basis of the death of Jesus, God commands all people everywhere to repent

he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed, Jesus Christ. He has given proof of this to all men by raising Jesus from the dead. Acts 17:30-31

Charles Spurgeon argued that if preaching better matched the book of Acts, we would see more people become Christians! The apostle Paul cut to the core of Christianity with his statement on the Resurrection: "But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain" 1 Corinthians 15:13-14

Evidences That Jesus Rose Physically From The Dead

1 Security precautions taken to ensure no-one stole the body of Jesus from the tomb

there were six trials - 3 Jewish and 3 Roman. Pilate, the Roman Governor in Jerusalem condemned Jesus to death
crucifixion of Jesus is a historical fact attested by non-biblical historians
the body of Jesus was removed from the cross and buried - Matthew 27:57-60
the body of Jesus was entombment in a new tomb - Matthew 27:57-60
The tomb where Jesus' body was place was seal with a Roman Seal - Matthew 27:66
Roman soldiers guarded to tomb to prevent anyone breaking in - Matthew 27:65-66

2 Signs that Jesus actually died

his cry - “it is finished”
the earthquake
the resurrection of saints from the grave
the curtain in temple is torn from the top to the bottom

3 Confirmation that Jesus actually died

Bible says that the death of Jesus was all that was required by God to make possible eternal salvation
it is a finished work
the results are eternal
Disciples go back into city and proclaim Christ is risen!

Fact #1 - broken Roman seal Matthew 27:66

Fact #2 - empty tomb - no one ever found or produced the body of Jesus

Fact #3 - large stone was moved from the entrance to the tomb Matthew 28:1-3

Fact #4 - the Roman solders guarding the tomb desert their post Matthew 28:4-15

Fact #5 - the way the grave clothes lay indicate Jesus came back to life Luke 24:12 “like an empty chrysalis”

Fact #6 Jesus’ multiple appearances after resurrection to so many different people in different geographic locations

11 different appearances to the disciples & others
four appearances to Paul
one appearances to John - Revelation 1
to Mary Magdalene
to other women
to Peter
to the disciples walking along the road to Emmaus
to the ten disciples in a room
to the eleven disciples in a room
to the seven disciples by the Sea of Galilee
to 500 people at once
to James the Lord's brother
to the eleven on a mountain in Galilee
to the disciples on the Mount of Olives
to Stephen Acts 7:55-56
to Paul on Damascus road Acts 9:3-6; 22:6-11; 26:13-18
to Paul in Arabia? Galatians 1:10-12
to Paul in the temple Acts 22:17-21
to Paul in prison in Caesarea Acts 23:11
to the Apostle John on Patmos Revelation 1:12-20

Fact #7 - conversion and work of the Apostle Paul

Fact #8 - existence of the early church

Fact #9 - miracle of the Bible

Fact #10 - attested by all four Gospels, the Acts the Epistles, and Revelation

Fact #11 - Disciples appealed to the Old Testament, Ps 2:1, 7 cf Acts 2; Ps 16:10; Ps 49:15; Ps 110:1

The resurrection of Christ is crucial to:

the promises made to Abraham & David
the predictions made by Jesus
the identity of Jesus Christ
the salvation of the sinner
the hope of the believer
the establishment of the christian church

Key reason why Jesus rose from the dead

because Old Testament prophets predicted Jesus would rise from the dead
because Jesus repeatedly said he’d rise
as the source of Life and Hope Christ had to be raised
because of who He was - the Son of God Acts 2:23-36
because of the covenant made with Abraham
because of the covenant made with David
His resurrection enables him to be head of the new creation, head of the church
His resurrection is the supreme display of his power and authority over sin, Satan, death
His resurrection validates the Gospel
His resurrection makes possible the redemption and justification of those who believe in Him
His resurrection guarantees the resurrection of all

Dr Keith Graham