I’m so very thankful and very appreciative for this opportunity to be here this evening to bring another lesson from God’s Word to you. I have to say that I’m also very privileged, I think, to be able to stand in this pulpit to preach to the members of this congregation who I deeply respect and appreciate for their stand for the Truth, and for the fact that all of you serve, I think, as a wonderful example of the very best things that there in New Testament Christianity.
We’re talking about true Christianity. And that true Christianity is a Bible-based religion. There are many advantages to this—many blessings—not the least of which is that we can know exactly what it is that we must do to become children of God. We can also know, through reliance on God’s Word, what we must do to remain faithful Christians.
There is one potential problem, though, with Bible-based Christianity. Through our reliance on the teachings that are found in the Bible, it is possible for us to become Christians only on an intellectual level, but not on a real level. The question that we must ask ourselves is this: Is our faith based on reality, or is it based only on the level of an intellectual exercise? Is our Christianity REAL to us? And I would ask this question to you: Is YOUR Christianity real to YOU?
The first thing which must be accomplished by anyone who desires to be a child of God is to have a real belief that God exists. Is God real to you, or do you simply accept His existence on an intellectual level? Now, there are many who profess a belief in God Almighty, but who believe that that there is no real way to prove that God exists. In other words, they feel that they must just accept the existence of God by faith, that there is no concrete way of proving that He is. Now, that’s an intellectual belief in God, but it’s a belief that lacks depth.
Now, those who accept the existence of God simply because they want to accept His existence have no real foundation for their religion, and they may be subject to intellectual confusion when that shallow faith is challenged by the so-called “scientists,” who offer “intellectual proof” that the theory of evolution is a better intellectual explanation of the origins of the universe, and of man.
If you want to be a faithful Christian, you must answer the question, “Is God real to you?” We could spend a great deal of time investigating the scientific proofs for the existence of God, and we could indeed prove His existence by these things, but there is another way which is effective in proving that God is real. This proof for God’s existence will not only make God real to us, but will also bring both the Bible and Jesus Christ Himself into that realm of reality.
This proof involves the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus of Nazareth was a real person. He lived in this world some two thousand years ago. There are, however, many “scholars”—and I use the term loosely—who, over the years, have cast doubt upon the reality of Jesus by saying, “Well, He lived too long ago for us to have any way of knowing for certain that He did live on this earth.” The intellectual dishonesty of those kinds of statements should be readily apparent to everyone. These same “scholars” have no problem at all in believing in the existence of many other historical figures who lived far longer ago than Jesus. These who cast doubt on the reality of the life of Jesus of Nazareth have no problem at all in believing in the existence of someone like Julius Caesar or Alexander the Great or Plato or Archimedes or any number of other historical figures, all of whom lived before Jesus was born. In fact, in many cases, there is far less historical evidence for the existence of these other historical figures than there is for the existence of Jesus Christ.
There were many men who wrote prior to, and during the time frame of, the book of Acts, men such as Josephus and Tacitus, whose writings offer contemporary—for that time—proof of the existence of Christ. Unfortunately, we don’t have the time to cover these things which they wrote, and for the purpose of our study this evening, we’ll simply assume that which is the Truth: Jesus of Nazareth was a real person; He was born; He lived and He died—actual facts; solid reality.
Since Jesus did truly live on this earth, how does this enter into a discussion of the reality of the existence of God? By one simple, unalterable fact: Jesus Christ, after having been crucified outside the city of Jerusalem, rose from the dead after three days. In any study of the facts of the story of the death, the burial and the resurrection of Jesus, several things become very apparent.
Now, we all know this story. We were raised on it. Jesus was crucified; He was taken down from the cross and laid in the newly created tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. The tomb was sealed by rolling a massive stone in place in front of the tomb, and a Roman guard was set at the tomb. This guard, which was changed with fresh guards every six hours, was provided because of the concerns of the Jews who had delivered Jesus to be crucified. Their concern was that since Jesus had openly claimed that He would rise from the grave on the third day, His followers might come to the tomb and steal the body, claiming later that Jesus had risen as He had predicted. The Jews wanted to make sure that this did not happen. The setting of this guard by Pilate would ensure that no one would be able to get anywhere near the tomb of Jesus. By setting this guard, the Jews felt that the followers of Jesus would soon fade away from the scene once they saw that there was no resurrection of Jesus.
Now, that was a pretty smart plan on the part of the Jews if for no other reason than that they had knowledge of the dedication and the effectiveness of the Roman guards. During that time, it was virtually unheard of for any Roman guard to fail in their duties. This was especially true in regard to their remaining awake and alert at their posts. It was a capital offense under Roman military law for any guard to fall asleep at his post. So the Jews were certain that it was impossible for anyone to sneak up to the tomb, roll away that massive and noisy stone, and then steal away a body which had been wrapped and prepared for burial.
And when we read further in this story, we notice that according to the facts, there came a point in time that the body of Jesus was no longer in the tomb. “Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. 3 And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus” Luke 24, verses 1 through 3.
As we read of some of the other accounts of these events, we discover that no one KNEW what had happened to the body of Jesus. John 20, and verses 1 and 2, tell us that one of His disciples, Mary Magdalene, went early to the tomb in the first day of the week, and when she found the stone rolled away and the tomb empty, she ran back to the rest of the disciples, telling them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid Him.” These disciples apparently thought that either the Roman guard or the Jews had taken the body of Jesus out of the tomb, and that they had taken it somewhere else. The disciples, then, had no idea whatsoever of the whereabouts of the body of Jesus.
Notice, too, from the Gospel account of these events that neither the Roman guards nor the Jews knew where the body was, either: “Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and showed unto the chief priests all the things that were done. 12 And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, 13 Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole Him away while we slept. 14 And if this come to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him, and secure you. 15 So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day” Matthew 28, verses 11 through 15.
The idea that the disciples of Christ could have stolen the body of Jesus from the tomb is completely ridiculous. In order for this to have happened, the entire group of Roman soldiers would have had to fall asleep at the same time. They would have had to remain asleep throughout the very noisy process of rolling a very large and heavy stone away from the door of the tomb, AND they would have had to remain asleep while the disciples descended into the tomb and stole away the body. Just on the surface, the very idea of this is impossible to believe.
The question, then, becomes, “What happened to the body?” If the disciples couldn’t have stolen it, who did? Was it the Jews? What possible reason would the Jews have had for doing such a thing? Their whole purpose in setting a guard over the tomb was to make sure that the body stayed where it had been placed. It was secure there! To their minds, the body of Jesus was…not…going…anywhere!
Suppose, though, that they had ordered the Roman guard to remove the body of Jesus to some other place for safe keeping. Well, the question, then, comes up, “Why didn’t they produce the body of Jesus after Pentecost?” For that matter, why didn’t they produce His body after the three days had passed? Remember, their purpose in securing the body by guard was to ensure that His disciples would not be able to claim that Jesus had risen from the dead. The surest way to do that would have been to produce the body of Jesus, thus crushing the church and Christianity before it could spread.
So, the disciples didn’t take the body, and the Jews didn’t take the body. Perhaps it was the Romans who took it. Well, the question that comes up here is, “Why?” What possible reason could the Romans have had for stealing the body of a dead Jewish criminal? One of the main interests of the Roman Empire was the discouragement of civil unrest. Many of their laws were enacted with the purpose of maintaining peace between the Empire and its subjects. That goal can be easily seen in the actions of Pilate in his condemning Jesus to death in the first place. It was his interest in avoiding civil unrest among the Jews which led him to sentence Jesus to death by crucifixion. Condemning Jesus to death was the easiest way to ensure for him [Pilate] that there would be no riots among the Jews in Jerusalem over Jesus of Nazareth.
The same thing which was true of the Jews was also for the Romans in this case. Once the faith of Christianity had begun to make itself felt in the Empire, why did not the Romans produce the body of Jesus? If they had stored it away somewhere, why did they not bring it out, proving that the faith proclaimed by His disciples was based upon a lie? The Romans could have produced the body of Jesus, saying, “See! Here is the body of Jesus! It is still dead! It did not rise from the grave. These men are lying about it!” Christianity would have died right then and there.
They did not produce the body, though, did they? Why? Because…they…did…not…have it.
If the disciples, the Jews and the Romans did not take the body of Jesus, could anyone else have taken it? Not possible, for the same reasons that the disciples could not have taken it. No one could have gotten close enough to the tomb, or taken the body, without the Roman guard having known of the attempt. When the guard reported back to the Jews, they told them of all the things that had happened at the tomb—events which are described in Matthew, chapter 28, verses 2 through 4. These are their words: “And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. 3 His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: 4 And for fear of him the keepers [the Roman guards] did shake, and became as dead men.”
The Roman soldiers were witnesses of, perhaps, the most monumental event in the history of mankind. Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, there was a mighty earthquake, an earthquake caused by the descent from heaven of the angel of the Lord. His appearance was like the brightness and intensity of lightning itself, and his clothing was as white and as brilliant as newly fallen snow. In the midst of this earthquake, the angel of the Lord came and rolled away that mighty stone from in front of the door of the tomb, and when he had done this, he sat upon it. The Roman guard, when they had seen these events, were possessed by great fear, no doubt—fear which literally made them shake and tremble, fear which made them fall to the ground in sheer terror! These mighty Roman guards fell…face…down…on the ground, too afraid to move.
What happened to the body of Jesus? The disciples didn’t steal it. The Jews did not remove it. The Romans did not take it. No one took it! The only possible explanation which remains is that Jesus did indeed rise from the dead on the third day, as He said He would.
Since this is what happened, since this is the only plausible and possible explanation for the absence of the body of Jesus from the tomb, then we are offered conclusive evidence of the very existence of God. Why? Because only God Almighty could possibly perform such an act. The bringing to life of someone who had been dead and buried for three days is a supernatural, miraculous even. This act can only be performed by the act of a miracle, an act which goes well beyond the processes which can be observed in nature. ONLY a supernatural being has the power to bring back to life those who are confirmed to be dead. Jesus was raised from the dead. This is the only explanation for the absence of the body from the tomb. Therefore, God…must…exist, because only God can raise the dead.
Not only is the existence of God proven by the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, but the very existence of that resurrected Jesus is also proven. God exists! Jesus of Nazareth was raised from the dead. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, as He claimed to be, and not only that, but the very Bible itself is, therefore, PROVEN to be the Word of God. The Old Testament contains countless prophecies of the coming of the Messiah, and the work which He would perform. These prophecies were proven to be true by the life which He led, the death which He died, AND by His resurrection from the dead, Romans 1, verses 2 through 4 [“(Which He had promised afore by His prophets in the holy Scriptures,) 3 Concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; 4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead…”].
Is God real to you? He certainly should be. Is Jesus real to you? He must be! Is the Bible real to you? Does it contain the very Words of God? It most certainly does. The very basis upon which our faith rests is the proof of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Every single point of the faith of Christianity had, at its foundation, the fact of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Peter said that our very redemption from the slavery of sin is based upon the resurrection of Jesus. He wrote, “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, 21 Who by Him do believe in God [or, “who through Him are believers in God”], that raised Him up from the dead, and gave Him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God” 1 Peter 1, verses 18 through 21.
The proclamation of the Gospel of Christ , which began shortly after Jesus was raised from the dead, is based upon the resurrection of Jesus: “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, Whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. 31 Him hath God exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are His witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, Whom God hath given to them that obey Him” Acts 5:30-32.
The fact of a coming Day of Judgment , in which all who have ever lived will be judged according to their deeds on the earth, is also based upon the resurrection of Jesus from the dead: “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: 31 Because He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that Man Whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead” Acts 17:30-31.
Our very salvation from sin is based upon the resurrection of Jesus from the dead: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” Romans 10, verse 9.
The foundation of the very church of Christ rests upon the resurrection of Jesus from the dead : “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His [God’s] calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to usward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power, 20 Which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His Own right hand in the heavenly places, 21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: 22 And hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church, 23 Which is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all” Ephesians 1:18-23.
And in actual fact, the means of entrance into that church are revealed to all mankind and are in existence because of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead: “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ” 1 Peter 3:21.
Let’s notice very carefully what Peter said here. His basic statement is this: “Baptism now saves us by the resurrection of Christ.” There can be no simpler statement than this. Baptism has the power to save because of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Without that resurrection, there would be no reason for baptism. Without His resurrection, baptism would have no power at all. But since Jesus was raised from the dead, baptism is the means which God has provided for mankind to be able to obtain salvation from sins.
In closing our lesson this evening, let me ask you in all sincerity: “Is it REAL to you? Is Christianity a REALITY for you, or is it, perhaps, an intellectual exercise? Let’s read the Words of the apostle Paul to the church at Corinth, Words in which he drove this point home. Christianity, the very faith and belief in the rewards that are waiting for the faithful, is based firmly upon the fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And this is exactly what Paul believed. He said, “Now if Christ be preached that He rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?
13 But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:
14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.
15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ: Whom He raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.
16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:
17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at His coming.
24 Then cometh the end, when He shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when He shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
25 For He must reign, till He hath put all enemies under His feet.
26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death”1 Corinthians 15, verses 12 through 26.
Let’s look at the amazing things which are true because of the historical proven fact of the resurrection of Jesus:
He is the firstfruits of all those who are dead.
Because He was raised from the dead, we have an assurance that there will be a general resurrection of all the dead on the Day of Judgment.
Because of His resurrection, we have the assurance that Jesus is now reigning and ruling at the right had of God and that someday even death itself will be destroyed.
Because of the resurrection of Jesus, we know that the dead will indeed rise again.
And because of this fact, our faith in Him is not vain; it’s not worthless, and that as Christians, we are no longer dead in our sins.
Because of the resurrection of Jesus, we are not the most miserable of all men, but are, instead, the most joyous of all men.
Because of the resurrection of Jesus, the Gospel that we preach and teach and believe is not seen as a false witness for God, but instead, is the only Truth that can truly set men free.
The resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth…is it REAL to you? It happened just as surely as the life of Jesus on this earth happened. It happened just as surely as all of the other verifiable historical facts that have been written down throughout the ages happened. This historical, verifiable fact of the raising of our Savior from the grave should make us all stop…and ponder the quality of our own Christianity.
Is it REAL to you? Because of His resurrection, is God REAL to you? Is the Bible and what it says about sin REAL to you? Is sin itself REAL to you? If God exists, and He most certainly does, then we are obligated, as the children of His creation, to obey Him in all things. The things which we must obey are given to us in the pages of His divine Word.
If God is real to you, and if sin is real to you, and if the Bible is real to you, then is eternal punishment ALSO real to you? There are only two fates which await anyone who has ever lived. If the Bible is real to you, then you MUST believe what it says about sin and punishment. If you’re lost in your sins, then you…will…be…punished. Is sin REAL to you? Is punishment REAL to you? If they are, then you must know that that punishment is eternal in nature. It will be a torment of the worst kind, and it will last for eternity!
Is eternity REAL to you? If it is, then you can also know that there is a way for you to spend that eternity in the bliss of heavenly reward, rather than in the torment of the punishment of hell. Is heaven and that reward REAL to you? If it is, why would you not do everything in your power to obtain it? “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? 37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of Me and of My Words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when He cometh in the glory of His Father with the holy angels” Mark 8, verses 36 through 38, the Words of Jesus.
If all these things are real to you, what would you be willing to give…in exchange for your soul? Would you be willing to give your belief? If you will believe in the Son of God, you will gain your soul! Would you give up your sins? If you would repent of your sins and turn from a sinful way of life, you will gain your soul. Would you give a confession? If you would confess the Name of Jesus before men, you will gain your soul. Would you be willing to give humility and obedience? If you will humble yourself under the mighty hand of God and be obedient to the command to be baptized for the remission of your sins, you will gain your soul. Indeed, these things must be given by you, if you will gain your eternal soul.
Is the Gospel of Christ REAL to you? Is salvation from sins REAL to you? Is being added to the church for which Jesus died REAL to you? Truly, Christianity is not a religion for those who only wish to have an intellectual faith. The religion of Christ is only for those who will take these and make…them…REAL! And we must make this reality a strong and vibrant part of our everyday life! When a person becomes a Christian, that person leaves behind the ways of a life which can only result in sin and eternal punishment. Paul said in Romans, chapter 6, verses 3 and 4, the following Words: “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”
Is the death of Jesus REAL to you? If it is, then you understand as a Christian that you were baptized into that death. Is the resurrection of Jesus REAL to you? If it is, then you understand that you were raised up with Jesus Himself in a figure of His resurrection, and that because of this, you were raised to walk in newness of life.
If you are a Christian who has fallen back into the life of the world, I submit to you tonight that Jesus and His resurrection are no longer real to you, and we pray that you would this very moment answer for yourself a very important question: “Is my new life in Christ REAL to me?”
For all of you who are here this evening, we ask that question: Is it REAL to you? We pray that you might take all of these things and make them real, make them all a part of your life—make them more than just an intellectual exercise. God is REAL! Jesus is REAL! The Bible is REAL! Sin, death, punishment, eternity, heavenly reward, salvation from sins, the new life in Christ—ALL of these things are REAL! If you would make these things a real part of your life, we ask you this evening to come.
If you’re subject to the invitation of our Lord and Savior, the One Whose resurrection gives us all that hope of eternal life and the most wonderful things to come, we ask you, “Won’t you come right now while we stand and sing?”