Grace Bible Church Glorifying God by Making Disciples of Jesus Christ

The Sorrow of the Empty Cross Most of the soldiers were indifferent, but the Centurion was both astonished and afraid The religious and political leaders were happy thinking they would no longer be bothered by Jesus Most of the disciples were scared and in hiding

The Sorrow of the Empty Cross All of the disciples were filled with sorrow and grief A few watched Jesus be crucified, and Joseph, Nicodemus, Mary & Mary put Him in the tomb The empty cross is the focal point of Christianity because it was the cost of atoning for man’s sin

The Beauty of the Empty Cross The beauty of the cross is not in Jesus’ death, for that was repulsive, appalling and ugly Jesus died for wicked, sinful man

The Beauty of the Empty Cross The empty cross is beautiful because it is the symbol of God’s sacrificial love - John 10:14-18, Rom. 5:8 If the tomb was not empty, then the cross would have remained a symbol of execution

The Necessity of An Empty Tomb An empty tomb determines whether Jesus’ claim to be Lord is true or not A person who knows the truth but tells a falsehood is a liar A person who believes a false claim to be true is deceived A person who believes his own false claims is delusional - a lunatic

The Necessity of An Empty Tomb Without evidence to prove or disprove a person’s claims, you cannot know if you should believe them

Jesus’ Claims Being the Son of God; Being the promised Messiah; The ability to forgive sins and grant eternal life; Being the only way to the Father Jesus said He would be killed, but would rise from the dead the 3rd day.

The Necessity of An Empty Tomb If Jesus remained in the tomb past the third day, He was either a liar, deluded or a lunatic If Jesus rose from the dead on the third day, it would prove He is indeed Lord An empty cross symbolized the payment for sin, An empty tomb proves the promises and gives hope

Evidence Jesus Physically Died Those present testified He was dead - the soldier, the Centurion, Joseph & Nicodemus The soldier pierced His side with his spear and blood and water came out - a sign of being dead An imposter could not have fooled so many of Jesus’ close friends and relatives

Evidence Jesus Physically Rose from the Dead The tomb was guarded by disciplined soldiers who could suffer severely for dereliction of duty The story of the soldiers was not questioned and they were told to lie The lie was ludicrous - If asleep, they could not know. If awake, they could stop a theft

Appearances After the Resurrection That morning to Mary & the other women in the garden - John 20:11-18; Matt 28:9- 10 That afternoon to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus - Luke 24:13-32 That evening to ten of the disciples in the Upper Room - John 20:19-25

Appearances after the Resurrection Eight days later, to the eleven disciples showing Thomas His hands and side - John 20:26-31 At the sea of Tiberias, He cooked and ate fish with five of His apostles - John 21:1- 25

Appearances after the Resurrection In Galilee to all eleven apostles and to over 500 brethren at one time - Matt. 28:16-20; 1 Cor. 15:6 At the Mount of Olives, to all eleven apostles as He ascended into Heaven - Acts 1:9-12

Additional Evidence of the Resurrection No one has refuted the claim that He has risen from the dead The disciples changed from fearful men in hiding to fearless men who turned the world upside down

Additional Evidence of the Resurrection The church is not a notable Jewish Messianic sect of history, but is alive in the present The church has traditions & rituals that are distinct from Judaism and point to Jesus death & resurrection Mary, Joanna and the other Mary found the tomb empty, and the angel told them Jesus was alive (Lk 24)

Conclusions The cross was empty because Jesus died for our sins - we have been redeemed and can be forgiven The tomb was empty because Jesus conquered sin and death - we have hope of eternal life with Him

He is Risen!

Grace Bible Church Glorifying God by Making Disciples of Jesus Christ