Church Sermon - April 11, 2004

Rev. Bernt P. Tweit

Old Testament Lesson; Psalm 118:14-24
Gospel Lesson; Luke 24:1-11
Sermon Text; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Thirteen years ago, in February of 1991, during the height of the Gulf War, Desert Storm, a woman here in the United States received a phone call from the Pentagon. In that phone call she was told that her son had stepped on a land mine in Kuwait and was dead. For the next three days she was filled with excruciating pain. For the next three days there was no one who could console her from her grief, from her sorrow, and from her pain.

But three days later, she received a phone call. It was a voice that was very familiar to her. It was the voice of her son! He said, "Mom, it is me! I am alive!"

The grief, and the sorrow, and the pain that she once had, quickly went away. She had a joyful heart once again, knowing that her son was not dead. He was living! He was alive!

During these last three days, we also have gone through those same emotions. On Friday, we had that same pain, that same sorrow, and that same grief, because we heard and remembered that God’s Son, our Savior, was dead. But today, that emotion has changed. And we are filled with great joy, because our Savior, God’s Son, who was dead, is now living!

Every year, in major newspapers, throughout the country, we hear stories that are written that attempt to discredit the resurrection. The world, today, can’t stand the thought of the resurrection of our Savior, Jesus, any more than the sophisticated Greeks could, back in Paul’s day. That is Satan’s attempt to undermine the resurrection, by trying to undermine the resurrection, to undermine Christianity. Today, as we look at our text, I want us to see that Jesus’ resurrection is a fact. First of all, let’s remember what we have learned and what we have been taught. Think about what Paul says, in our text for this morning.

"Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures,

that He was buried,

that He was raised on the third day,

according to the Scriptures."

It was only in the year 160 AD that the early church fathers wanted to confirm what scripture says, about Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. So they got together and wrote the Apostle’s Creed saying: I believe that Jesus was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. And the third day He rose again, from the dead.

The resurrection is a fact. But today I want to look at some of the false theories that have been shared throughout the ages, trying to discredit the resurrection of our Savior, Jesus.

It was already on that very first Easter morning, that false theories were spreading forth. After Jesus rose from the tomb, it was the Roman guards who went to the Jewish religious leaders and they explained everything that happened. Those religious leaders gave those Roman guards large sums of money and told them to say that the disciples had come and stolen Jesus body from the grave. A false report.

Other false theories have also arisen, during the years. One is known as the Swoon Theory. The Swoon Theory states that Jesus simply fainted on the cross. He was only unconscious on the cross. And yet, that theory does not hold water. You see, the Roman soldiers were experts at what they did. They were experts at crucifixion. They knew dead, when they saw dead. They came up to Jesus, as His head was hanging from the cross. To confirm that He was dead, they jabbed a spear into His side. Out flowed blood and water. That is a false theory.

Another false theory that has risen over the years is that the women went to the wrong tomb on Easter morning. And yet, that theory doesn’t hold water either, because the women were there on that very first Good Friday, as Joseph of Arimathea placed Jesus in his very own tomb.

Another false theory is the Theft Theory. This is a two-pronged theory. Some people say that it was the religious leaders who stole Jesus’ body. If that was the case, when the disciples started preaching and teaching the resurrection of Jesus from the grave, all they would had to have done was to present Jesus’ dead body, which they never did. It is a false theory, because Christ had arisen.

The other false theory is that the disciples came and stole Jesus’ body away. But here we are talking about fishermen. Here we are talking about people trying to move a large stone away from the entrance. The tomb was sealed. It was tamperproof. There was a Roman guard who was standing there. (A Roman guard was not just one or two Roman soldiers, but probably ten to twelve soldiers.) And, if one of them would have fallen to sleep, they all could have been put to death for not meeting up to the standards of their job. It would have been impossible for the disciples to steal Jesus’ body out of that tomb, with that Roman guard there.

This morning the last false theory that I want to share with you is the hallucination theory. Here people say that the disciples simply hallucinated, that they saw Jesus’ resurrected body. And yet, the last time I checked, hallucinations do not eat. Jesus ate breakfast with His disciples. Our risen Lord and Savior ate breakfast with His disciples. The disciples weren’t hallucinating, they saw the risen Christ.

Jesus’ resurrection is a fact. It is in keeping with scripture. In the Old Testament book of Psalms we are told that, "your Holy One will not see decay". In the Old Testament book of Isaiah, we hear Isaiah telling us, hundreds of years before Jesus rose from the grave, that, "after the suffering of His soul, He will see the light of life and be satisfied".

No, everything took place according to God’s plan and according to God’s purpose. When God makes a promise, it must come to pass, because the scriptures cannot be broken. Even today, looking at just one of the verbs in our text that Paul uses, that Jesus "was raised" from the dead according to the scriptures, the Greek verb is in the perfect tense. What that means is not only was Christ raised, but He continues to be raised. He continues to live. That is what we have been taught. Jesus’ resurrection is a fact. Remember what we have been taught.

Jesus’ resurrection is a fact. Let’s listen to the eyewitnesses. Scripture shares with us that Jesus appeared to over 500 people after He rose from the grave. He first appeared to Mary Magdalene, bright and early on that first Easter morning, after the disciples had gone back into Jerusalem. Jesus appeared to two disciples, as they were walking on the road to Emmaus. Jesus appeared to ten of His disciples, in an upper room, in Jerusalem, first of all not including Thomas, but then a week later, including Thomas. Thomas was able to put his hands in the nail marks in Jesus’ hands. And, he was able to put his hands in the spear mark in Jesus’ side. Scripture also shares with us that Jesus appeared to James, to Stephen, and then also to Paul himself, on the road to Damascus, where Paul was going to persecute the Christians. But once he arrived in Damascus, after seeing Jesus, he couldn’t help but preach and teach the resurrection of our Savior, Jesus.

Jesus’ resurrection is a fact. Simply listen to the eyewitnesses.

Jesus’ resurrection is a fact and let’s look at the results. Today, as we look at our text, we see the result that the resurrection of Jesus had for Paul. Paul calls himself an apostle. But then he goes on to say that "I am the least of the apostles…because I persecuted the church". But then he says, "But by the grace of God, I am what I am". The result of Jesus’ resurrection from the grave, in Paul’s life, is one that made him more ardent and more persistent in sharing his faith in the death of our Savior and the resurrection of our Savior, not only while he was living, but even today, long after he has since passed away. You see, we have thirteen books in the Bible written by Paul, that continue to bring down to generation after generation not only the death of our Savior, Jesus, for our forgiveness, but also the resurrection of our Savior, Jesus.

Because Jesus rose from the grave,

we also will rise from the grave!

Now for us today, it is hard to understand or appreciate the grace of God, unless we see in our own lives, how we deserve to be punished because of our sin. Even today, we recognize that the devil desires for us to be separated from God, for all eternity. And yet, listen to Paul’s answer. "By the grace of God, I am what I am."

And today, we can say the same thing. By the grace of God we are what we are. Today, we fully understand that we are sinners. But, we see that because of Jesus’ death on the cross, our sins are completely removed, wiped out, and forgiven. And because of Jesus’ resurrection from the grave, we have life with Him in Heaven. By this faith, we live. By this faith, we will die. Jesus’ resurrection is a fact. "Remember what you have learned. And, how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation, through faith in Christ Jesus." (II Timothy 3:15)

Jesus’ resurrection is a fact, and let’s listen to the eyewitnesses. It was over 500 people that Jesus appeared to, that have handed down the resurrection of our Savior Jesus, throughout the generations.

Jesus’ resurrection is a fact. Let’s see the results, especially in our own lives, as we see how the grace of God has so changed our lives, changed us from a life of sin, to desiring to walk in the newness of life, with Christ. May that be the message that we continue to share with our children, with the next generation, so that it can continue to be preached throughout the Church.

Jesus’ resurrection is a fact. Christ is arisen! He has arisen indeed! Hallelujah!

Amen.

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