(TRUTH MATTERS) “The Truth Concerning the Resurrection!” (C.S.I. and the Resurrection of Christ) 1 Corinthians 15:1-9

The very hub of Christianity rest on the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. Why? Why is the resurrection of Jesus… such a “deal breaker”?

… Everything about our relationship with God and thus with each other rest totally upon the FACT of the bodily resurrection of Christ…

CSI: JERUSALEM

“The evidence only knows one thing: the truth. It is what it is.”

Purpose: to examine carefully the historical evidence surrounding the resurrection of Christ

I REMOVE ALL PREJUDICE A. Theological Prejudice

If Jesus did not bodily resurrect, then Christianity is a hoax…

I Remove All PREJUDICE A. Theological Prejudice B. Scientific Prejudice

“I tend not to believe people. They lie. The evidence never lies.”

Do you see resurrected people or are you like the movie character: “I see dead people”?

II Investigate All FACTS A. Jesus Really Was Dead

The Romans had crucifixion down to an art… It was and is to this day one of the most excruciating methods to die…

Mark 15:39, 44-45 “And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard His cry and saw how He died, he said, ‘Surely this man was the Son of God!’ … Pilate was surprised to hear that He was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph.”

John 19:34-35 “Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe.”

II Investigate All FACTS A. Jesus Really Was Dead B. Jesus Was Buried

This and other theories like it ignore the deadly character of Jesus’ wounds, the constricting grave clothes, the crushing weight of 75 to 100 lbs of spices, the lack of human help, and the sealed tomb.

II Investigate All FACTS A. Jesus Really Was Dead B. Jesus Was Buried C. Jesus’ Tomb Was/Is Empty

In the book of Acts there’s enormous emphasis on the resurrection of Christ, but not a single reference to the empty tomb. Why?

“Men will die for what they believe to be true, though it may actually be false. They do not, however, die for what they know is a lie.” Paul E. Little

Confucius’ tomb – occupied Buddha’s tomb – occupied G.B. Hardy in a book entitled Countdown published by Moody Press summarized it well: Confucius’ tomb – occupied Buddha’s tomb – occupied Mohammed’s tomb – occupied Jesus’ tomb – EMPTY!

Martin: “But, Katie, He did!” Katie: “I do not believe it. God would not have treated His Son like that!” Martin: “But, Katie, He did!” Martin & Katie Luther

“…Suppose you were going down the road and suddenly the road forked in two directions. And you didn’t know which way to go, and there at the fork in the road were two men, one dead and one alive. Which one would you ask which way to go?” David A. Seamonds

Dr. George Sweeting writes (Today in the Word, September, 1989, p Dr. George Sweeting writes (Today in the Word, September, 1989, p. 8) of an historical happening that took place in the early 1920’s. Communist leader Nikolai Bukharin was sent from Moscow to Kiev… Nikolai Bukharin

Conclusion and Summary HE IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED!