I am The Evidence of the Resurrection

Sermon Text: John 20: 9 NIV (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)
Sermon Title: I am The Evidence of The Resurrection
Point 1: Jesus life on earth Jesus was either a fool or who he said he was. The Jewish historian Josephus verifies he lived. Few people deny his existence... What do you say? What does the bible say?
(a) First he was born of the Virgin Mary. Luke 1: 27 to a virgin…31…35…”The Holy Spirit will come upon you…will be the Son of God…You will be with child…2: 7and she gave birth to her firstborn
(b) His humanity and development was evident Luke 2: 52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man.
(c) Jesus miracle working power was undeniable. Matt 14: 19 Taking the five loaves and the two fish…21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand…25…Jesus went out to them walking on the lake John 21 25 Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.
Point 2: Jesus was crucified. It weighed over 300 pounds. It was not neatly carved from a tree and sanded smooth like Jesus father made furniture. It was cut from a tree hacked into shape and rough to the touch. It may have had the stains and flesh of its previous victims still stuck…The patibulum was strapped to the arms and the shoulders of the criminal. They would travel from trial to execution down the Vela Rosa the way of the cross. In Jesus’ case, he was scourged before the walk. Scourging was whipping with metal and clams tied to the whip to rip out the flesh off its victims. Now a raw back carrying a rough cross bar was the way of the cross.
The cross was designed to dehumanize…The victim was stripped naked in public view the cross was not intended to execute the victim but bring death in the cruelest most public way possible…Then a titulus or small sign, stating the victims crime was carried on staff ahead of the victim, then nailed to the upright stipe which gave the crucifixion the look of a cross.

So cruel was this form of execution the Romans would not permit a Roman citizen to be executed like this. So effectively dehumanizing and embarrassing was the cross that several years after Jesus’ death, it was outlawed. It’s sole purpose was not just to kill, execute or humiliate…

The cross took several days to kill and by design any effort to lengthen life by pushing up not only delayed death, but enhanced the death process.
(a) The cruelty of the cross was real and it was efficient in what it was designed to do.
(b) The cross had a purpose that exceeded killing it had to remove the curse over our lives. Galatians 3: 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”
(c) There was a cause for the cross it was to erase our sin. Rom 3: 23 for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God Galatians 3: 22…the whole world is a prisoner of sin…
Point 3: Jesus resurrection was verifiable…His body wasn’t stolen as the Jewish authorities tried to say… And finally the disciples weren’t hallucinating because you do not dye for a figment of your imagination.
(a) Person—Jesus was raised from the dead When John wrote this account, he used three different Greek words for seeing. In John 20:5, the verb simply means “to glance in, to look in.” In John 20:6, the word means “to look carefully, to observe.” The word “saw” in John 20:8 means “to perceive with intelligent comprehension.” Their Resurrection faith was now dawning!

(b) Presence—Jesus showed himself to individuals and groups of people for 40 days after his resurrection. John 20: 19 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” 1 Cor 15: 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.
(c) Power—Jesus resurrection means we live a life full of power. Phil 3: 10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
Life Application: