6/24/13

From Gary... SUPERMOON

The Rock
The Color
The Wonder

Balrath Photography from Facebook

Last night as I took Buddy for his nightly walk, one of my grand-daughters (Elizabeth) went with me.  She brought along her camera and tried to take pictures of the "SUPER-MOON", but there were just too many clouds to get a good shot.  Today, I posted several different pictures of the moon, chosen because of how people view this satellite of our precious Earth.  Some people look at it strictly from a scientific point of view (hence the "rock"), while others consider its beauty (the picture labeled "color") and lastly, others just look and wonder about it ("the wonder" labeled picture).  I enjoyed the last one from Balrath photography the most, not only because it is a happy medium of all of them, but because of his explanation about this phenomenon.  Still, something was missing- God's part in the SUPER-MOON.  As I reflected on this, I found the following while I was searching the Scriptures...

Psalm, Chapter 136
 1 Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good;
for his loving kindness endures forever.
  2 Give thanks to the God of gods;
for his loving kindness endures forever.
  3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords;
for his loving kindness endures forever:
  4 To him who alone does great wonders;
for his loving kindness endures forever:
  5 To him who by understanding made the heavens;
for his loving kindness endures forever:
  6 To him who spread out the earth above the waters;
for his loving kindness endures forever:
  7 To him who made the great lights;
for his loving kindness endures forever:
  8 The sun to rule by day;
for his loving kindness endures forever;
  9 The moon and stars to rule by night;
for his loving kindness endures forever:
  10 To him who struck down the Egyptian firstborn;
for his loving kindness endures forever;
  11 And brought out Israel from among them;
for his loving kindness endures forever;
  12 With a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm;
for his loving kindness endures forever:
  13 To him who divided the Red Sea apart;
for his loving kindness endures forever;
  14 And made Israel to pass through its midst;
for his loving kindness endures forever;
  15 But overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea;
for his loving kindness endures forever:
  16 To him who led his people through the wilderness;
for his loving kindness endures forever:
  17 To him who struck great kings;
for his loving kindness endures forever;
  18 And killed mighty kings;
for his loving kindness endures forever:
  19 Sihon king of the Amorites;
for his loving kindness endures forever;
  20 Og king of Bashan;
for his loving kindness endures forever;
  21 And gave their land as an inheritance;
for his loving kindness endures forever;
  22 Even a heritage to Israel his servant;
for his loving kindness endures forever:
  23 Who remembered us in our low estate;
for his loving kindness endures forever;
  24 And has delivered us from our adversaries;
for his loving kindness endures forever:
  25 Who gives food to every creature;
for his loving kindness endures forever.
  26 Oh give thanks to the God of heaven;
for his loving kindness endures forever.


The SUPER-MOON is a created object, intricate in design, beautiful in appearance and wonderful to consider.  But, don't stop there!!!  How did such a thing come to be- by accident? No, the entire cosmos is not just a gigantic happenstance or random occurrence.  It makes to sense to me that a universe so incredibly complex could not just happen.  God made it for a reason- so that people could understand that "his loving kindness endures forever".  This loving kindness is not restricted to just inanimate objects, for he cares for all creatures and works for good in the lives of those who love him because "his loving kindness endures forever".  And forever is a very, very long time to be loved.  So, when I think of the moon, I am reminded once again of how much I am loved.  That singular realization has changed my life and it can do the same for you!!!!  Let it; you will never look back to viewing the moon (or anything else for that matter) the same way again!!!


PS.  God keeps repeating the phrase "his loving kindness endures forever" because he wants us to remember it!!!  Considering just this one concept would result in a day "well spent"!!!!

From Bill and Laura Dayton... Are You Responsible?




Are You Responsible?

Over the years there have been a number of different situations where I have had to be responsible for making an important decision. Decision making consists of receiving, researching, and responding. First, one must receive the information necessary to form a decision. Second, one must research the information received, making sure it is accurate. Third and finally, after researching the received information, it is time to respond by making a decision.
This process to decision making can be used for just about any decision that has to be made, especially decisions regarding one's salvation. After all, it is a Biblical approach! Consider Acts 17:10-12

Once Paul and Silas arrived at Berea and started preaching, the men and women there had a decision to make. What did they do? First "they received the word with all readiness" (verse 11). They received the information they needed to make their decision. Second, they researched the information they received by "searching the Scriptures daily to find out whether" the things Paul and Silas taught were true (verse 11). They didn't just take what Paul and Silas taught at face value; rather, they researched the scriptures to make sure the information they received was true. Third, they responded by making their decision. What was their response? "Many of them believed..." (verse 12).

When it comes to matters of religion, the Bible, and salvation, are you like the Bereans? Do you receive the word with all readiness and then research what you have been taught to make sure it is in accordance with what the Bible really teaches? Or have you just taken someone's word at face value and made a decision without checking? When it comes to your salvation, you are responsible! It doesn't matter what I or anyone else tells you; it is up to you to make sure the information you have received is the truth. On the Day of Judgment, each of us will be called to answer for our decisions, and those who have made wrong decisions based upon false or incomplete teaching will only have themselves to blame.

From Mark Copeland... The Signs That Followed (Mk. 16:17-20)


                          "THE GOSPEL OF MARK"

                   The Signs That Followed (16:17-20)

INTRODUCTION

1. As the gospel of Mark closes, it does so with an amazing promise by
   Jesus...
   a. "And these signs will follow those who believe.." - Mk 16:17
   b. That are then summarized as to their nature and fulfillment - Mk 16:18-20

2. This passage has often been used to justify various religious
   practices...
   a. By many who believe such signs exist today
   b. By some who practice snake-handling in their services

[In determining whether "The Signs That Followed" still exist today, a
good place to begin is to carefully notice what the Bible reveals about
such things.  So let’s first consider...]

I. THE PROMISE OF SIGNS

   A. GIVEN TO THE APOSTLES...
      1. Power to cast out demons - Mk 16:17
      2. Speak with new tongues - ibid.
      3. Take up serpents - Mk 16:18
      4. Drink anything deadly without harm - ibid.
      5. Lay hands and heal the sick - ibid.

   B. EXPERIENCED BY HIS DISCIPLES...
      1. Power to expel demons - Ac 5:16; 8:7; 16:18; 19:12
         a. Peter, Philip, and Paul cast out demons or unclean spirits
         b. With complete success, with no record of failures by these
            men of God
      2. Speak with new tongues - Ac 2:4-11; 10:46; 19:6; 1Co 12:10,28, 30;
         14:5-26
         a. The apostles and some disciples spoke in tongues
         b. These were clearly foreign languages, designed to convince
            unbelievers - 1Co 14:22
      3. Take up serpents - Ac 28:3-6
         a. The only example we have is that of Paul
         b. In which it was done inadvertently, not as a religious
            exercise
      4. Drink anything deadly without harm - no record
         a. We have no record in the New Testament of this being done
         b. Neither inadvertently nor as a religious exercise
      5. Lay hands and heal the sick - Ac 3:6-8; 5:15-16; 9:17-18,34,
         40-42; 19:12; 28:8-9
         a. The apostles and some disciples healed the sick
         b. Again with complete success, with no record of failures

[Clearly the rest of the New Testament record confirms Mark’s account
(cf. Mk 16:20).  To help determine whether such signs continue today,
let’s take a close look at...]

II. THE PURPOSE OF SIGNS

   A. REVEALED IN MARK’S GOSPEL...
      1. The purpose was to confirm the word being preached - Mk 16:20
      2. Demonstrating that the Lord was working with them - ibid.

   B. STATED ELSEWHERE IN THE BIBLE...
      1. The Lord Himself was bearing witness through such signs - Ac 14:3
      2. God was bearing witness through such signs, wonders, miracles,
         gifts of the Spirit - He 2:4

   C. OBSERVATIONS...
      1. Regarding the purpose of the signs
         a. "These gifts were part of the credentials of the apostles as
            the authoritative agents of God in founding the Church..."
            - B. B. Warfield
         b. "These extra gifts were given in order to the founding and
            establishing of the church in the world." - Jonathan Edwards
         c. In other words, to confirm that the apostles were indeed
            from God and that their message was truly the Word of God
      2. Regarding the duration of the signs
         a. Paul wrote that a time would come when such signs would
            cease - cf. 1Co 13:8-10
         b. "...since the canon of Scripture has been completed, and the
            church fully founded and established, these extraordinary
            gifts have ceased." - Jonathan Edwards
         c. "That with the passing away of the apostolic age these gifts
            ceased is also the testimony of Chrysostom and Augustine...
            Matthew Henry, George Whitefield, Charles Spurgeon, Robert
            L. Dabney, Abraham Kuyper, Sr., and W. G. T. Shedd."
            - William Hendriksen
         d. If such signs or spiritual gifts exist today, then we should
            expect...
            1) New revelation from God for the benefit of all
            2) Which should be added to the Bible!
         e. Who would be so bold as to say that their doctrine is from
            God?
            1) Those who have, are eventually exposed as false prophets
            2) When their prophecies are proven false, or their doctrine
               contrary to what has been revealed - cf. Deut 18:21-22;
               13:1-4

CONCLUSION

1. "The Signs That Followed" were important, the means by which the
   Lord...
   a. Bore witness to His Word and to His apostles - Mk 16:19-20; He 2:3-4
   b. Provided a full and final revelation of His Will - 2Pe 1:3; Jude 3;
      2Ti 3:16-17

2. Yet such signs were simply a means to an end...
   a. To produce the Word of God, the sword of the Spirit - Ep 6:17
   b. Which in turn produces the "fruit" of the Spirit - Ga 5:22-23; Ro 8:5-6

3. More important than signs (including tongues, prophecy, knowledge, or
   any other spiritual gift)...
   a. Are the qualities of love, joy, peace, hope, etc., in the life of
      the Christian - Ga 5:22-23
   b. I.e., the "fruit" of the Spirit in our life is more important than
      the "gifts" of the Spirit!

With the aid of the Word of God, including the wonderful Gospel of Mark,
we can be sure that we will faithfully follow the Lord who died for us
and will one day return...


Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011

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From Jim McGuiggan... Luke 15, Give me—Make me


Luke 15, Give me—Make me

It's often been pointed out that the difference between the prodigal on his way out into the world and the prodigal anxiously returning home is the difference been "give me" (Luke 15:12) and "make me" (15:19). I suppose if we press very hard we'd end up thinking that that's too simple; but too simple or not, I'm convinced it goes in the right direction.
I tire easily when I read authors who offer us ten-step sure-cures for selfishness and sin. Do these people—any of them—really believe what they write? I'm certain of this: when we're done reading these authors the fine print (that's scattered though their writings) requires the sensitive and desperate reader to do the very things the sensitive and desperate reader finds he/she is unable to do; that's why they come to these books in the first place for pity's sake—for enablement. They don't deny what they should do; they lack the power to do it. The weary psychologist had seen a number of clients so by the time he got "Harold" he was a bit out of sorts. Harold seemed to be overwrought about rather trivial issues and the counsellor finally and tersely told him: "Go home and pull yourself together." Harold told him that that's why he was in the office to begin with: "The thing I pull myself together with is busted."
So, what then, is there no help to be found? I'm certain that God helps sinners in their struggle against sin and I'm just as certain that that hunger for holiness, that desire to be done with sin, is part of God's redeeming work. Forgiveness for those who remain in Jesus by faith is a done deal but it isn't the entire story of redemption and reconciliation. God's redemption from the power of sin begins with our faith in Jesus and is brought to its completion through faith in that day when he returns.
You understand I'm speaking about people who care for holiness, however feeble their present struggle toward it; if its genuine it's the work of God and it will be completed by God (Philippians 1:6, for example). But there is no divine coercion!
There's some truth in the ancient saying that, "Against stupidity the gods themselves struggle in vain." An anguished Jeremiah speaking the heart of an anguished Lord (Jeremiah 8:19-22) sees the wounded and ulcerated Judah suffer greatly. "Is there no balm in Gilead? No caring doctor there—if there is, why is it that my people remain diseased and wounded?" God with a shake of the head, as if baffled. Gilead, famed for its balm as far back as Jacob's day (Genesis 37:25, Jeremiah 46:11), was there within reach but, stupidly, they didn't want cured and by and by no medicine would work (Jeremiah 46:11).
I know no comfort for those who impenitently push God away. The spookiest thing I know about God is that we can defeat him. It's true that our capacity to resist him successfully operates within his overarching purpose so that his grand plan is not thwarted; but there is ultimate personal loss for the impenitent.
"Sin may conquer love!" said George Adam Smith in a terrifying passage on Hosea. "Yet it is in this triumph that Sin must feel the ultimate revenge. When a man has conquered this weak thing, and beaten her down beneath his feet, God speaks the sentence of abandonment. There is enough of the whipped dog in all of us to make us dread penalty when we come into conflict with the strong things of life. But it takes us all our days to learn that there is far more condemnation to them who offend the weak things of life, and particularly the weakest of all, its love….God's 'little ones' are not only little children, but all things, which like little children, have only love for their strength. They are pure and loving men and women—men with no weapon but their love, women with no shield but their trust. They are the innocent affections of our own hearts—the memories of our childhood, the ideals of our youth, the prayers of our parents, the faith in us of our friends. These are the little ones of whom Christ spoke, that he who sins against them had better never to have been born. Often…a father's counsels, a mother's prayers, may seem foolish things against the challenges of a world calling us to 'play the man' and do as it does; often the vows and enthusiasms of boyhood may seem impertinent against the temptations which are so necessary to manhood; yet let us be true to the weak, for if we betray them we betray our own souls. We may sin against law and maim and mutilate ourselves, but to sin against Love is to be cast out of life altogether…If we sin against Love, we do destroy her: we take from her the power to redeem and sanctify us. Though in their youth men think Love a quick and careless thing—a servant always at their side…let them know that every time they send her on an evil errand she returns with heavier feet and broken wings. When they [cheapen her] they kill her outright. When she is no more they waken to the realisation that love abused is love lost and love lost means Hell."
This is true though fearful teaching, but those who long for righteousness or who long to long for righteousness, these have nothing to fear. To sin is inevitable but to fail in the pursuit of Christlikeness is not at all the same as sneering at the quest or despising the longing. These two responses don't belong together in the same universe! To fail is one thing and to sneer is something else.
"Give me, give me, give me" is an altogether different spirit than "make me". They're both a heart's desire but they are worlds apart. But even "make me" is an appeal and not a demand; it is a gift asked for and not a right demanded, so that when the prodigal said to his loving father "make me" the tone was altogether of a different kind.
The spiritually sensitive and desperate will be glad to confess that they are not in control and that their heavenly Father is the only one who can grant their request; a request generated in their hearts by the heavenly Father. And in making the request the already wakened sinner will not be looking for magic but will allow God to work the transformation by whatever means he sees fit however long that takes.

©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.

Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, the abiding word.com.

From Jim McGuiggan... Christ's Baptism and ours


Christ's Baptism and ours

In the NT, when people were called to be baptized into the name of Christ it was to have their sins forgiven (Acts 2:37-38 and 22:16). But there was much more to it than that. Peter’s central affirmation in Acts 2:38 is not that baptism brings remission of sins but that baptism is “in the name of” Jesus Christ. A faith-baptism in the NT is a confession of and identification with Jesus Christ and all he means and stands for. They wanted forgiveness—as a nation and as individuals they had foundationally sinned against God and wanted it made right. How are they to make it right (2:37)?
      [It’s silly at this point to say that they asked the wrong question—“What must we do?” Peter wasn’t offended by the question and those of us that verge on having a seizure every time we get a whiff of what we think is “legalism” are simply off base. See Acts 2:40-41.] 
How are they to make things right with God? They must accept Jesus Christ as the one God marks him out to be (2:22-33). And how was this to be done? In trusting repentance they were to be baptized in his name, that is, acknowledging him as God’s, Lord and Messiah (2:36).
But while this is true it isn’t enough. Clear teaching on baptism in the NT (setting aside some texts that may be mused over as indecisive) is a conscious and trusting response by repentant people to identify themselves with Jesus Christ and what that name means.
I mean more than that baptism does identify them with Jesus Christ; I’m saying that in clear NT teaching people who came to be baptized meant to and were called to identify themselves with Jesus Christ. As in the case of Israel with the baptism of John the Baptist so it is with all who are called together from the nations of the world by God through the gospel concerning Jesus Christ. Baptism for Israel was a turning to God, a conscious acceptance of God’s judgement on the nation and a turning to him. So it is with all who are called into the body of Christ by the gospel—it is more than a gift they are being offered (and it mostly certainly is sheer gift), it is a call to responsive commitment. Baptism is not a simple request for forgiveness—it is a commitment to God’s agenda in Christ and his method of gaining his purposes in Christ. Baptism is a God-induced and free response from the sinner by which he commits himself to God and all God’s purposes in and for the world.
      And certainly while Jesus Christ is uniquely God’s Son and was the sinless one by holy righteousness, he was called by God to commit himself to God’s creative and redemptive enterprise by being baptized by John. Though sinless and in no need of personal repentance, Jesus justified God’s judgment on a nation that needed to repent—a nation of which Christ was a part—by joining them in a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
In being baptized Jesus not only accepted the Father’s assessment of Israel’s state, he not only identified himself with his sinful family, he also saw that identification as having its place in God’s redeeming action and so he insisted on fulfilling all righteousness.
For the best reasons John might have wanted to debate the matter of Christ needing to be baptized but Jesus saw it as a matter of humble and holy obedience and not something to be debated. For the best reasons John would have turned Jesus from baptism (Matthew 3:13-15) but the sinless One saw it as the will of his Holy Father.
[And in the face of plain and consistent NT teaching why would we turn sinful ones away from baptism?]
What if Jesus had refused to be baptized? Would he even have debated it within himself?
I wonder who first asked the question, "Yes, but do I have to be baptized?"

©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.

Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, the abiding word.com.

From Jim McGuiggan... JEREMIAH GOSPELED


JEREMIAH GOSPELED

A friend of mine gospeled to a friend of his called Jeremiah and experienced the joy of seeing that friend in a repentant trust taking on him the name of the Lord Jesus in baptism [note Acts 2:37-38; 19:1-5].
Paul speaks of the gospel as "mystery" [1 Timothy 3:16]—truth once hidden but now made known to the believers. He summarized it to Timothy.
The incarnation, the death and resurrection [implied in vindication in the Spirit—see Romans 1:3 and 1 Corinthians 15:34 with 1 Peter 3:18 and elsewhere] and His glorification are there and so is preaching. Angels saw it all and [astonishingly] he was "believed on in the world."
This world where the satanic and demonic forces grin and leer at us? The world of the emperors headed up by the prince/god of this world? Jesus was preached in a world like that and believed in?
No wonder he called the mystery "great".
Now and then [not too often!] I'm again stunned by what I see and hear at a baptism. Stunned by the gospeling that goes on there. I think of the noise, the jeering, the voices, sobbing women, hammers on spikes, groans—all that and more! There’s the clash of worlds, empires coming down in ruins, someone bursting up out of the water like someone bursting out of the tomb in a resurrection to triumph and deathless glory.
All of that is rehearsed in baptism in response to a foolish preached message voiced by fools for a Lord who again plays the fool in a Church that’s called his Body [note 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 and 4:10]. 
Once more in his new body [Colossians 1:18; Ephesians 1:22-23] he embraces the mocking as he reprises his victory over a “world” of entrenched evil and shows his triumph over the world-spirit at the baptism of a single young person called Jeremiah.
There! There in that moment and in that act the gargantuan world, the behemoth that swallows up nations is shown to be the donkey it is.
Dear God, it’s done with words! How insane is that? Not just       words; words that “the world” jeers at!
“What’s wrong with these idiots—they think their ‘gospel’ makes 
         sense!”

Yes, we do!
“And more and more idiots believe the words!”
Yes, they do!
And these words bring empires down in ruins, they dismantle worlds and bring evil imaginations and lies into captivity and lay them at the feet of the King of Kings [2 Corinthians 10:3-5].
When you say these things quickly [or develop them slowly and deliberately] they can make the adrenalin rush and the heart beat faster. But when they were transpiring in actual history in the beginning—before the little house churches in Rome grew so large that they knocked down the Roman amphitheaters to make room—before that happened the Church must have appeared pathetic and its gospel weak philosophy but it was God’s power because in it God’s saving righteousness was made known and the “world” collapsed before it [Romans 1:16].
For a while it must have seemed like tens of thousands of tiny losses, endless vain rushes when the believers had hoped they would end the wicked thing in one determined push. Instead they found it a long hard, slow, unpromising series of engagements with a stubborn foe with a million satanic allies.  But it happened—rush or no rush, dramatically or in a slow resistless tide.
We hear the same jeering today, note the same bored indifference, listen to the same tolerant and “wise” dismissal, watch the same rolling of the eyes and shaking of he unbelieving heads.
Then Jeremiah in response to gospeling approaches the water and in faith plunges in and rises into a new world!
Great is the mystery of godliness!

©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.

Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, the abiding word.com.

From Mark Copeland... He Is Risen! (Mk. 16:1-14)


                          "THE GOSPEL OF MARK"

                         He Is Risen! (16:1-14)

INTRODUCTION

1. After Jesus was buried, His body lay in the tomb until early Sunday
   morning...
   a. On Saturday evening, three women bought spices to anoint Him - Mk 16:1
   b. On Sunday morning, they came to the tomb as the sun was rising
      - Mk 16:2

2. The woman were concerned about access to the tomb...
   a. It had been sealed with a large stone - Mk 15:46; 16:3
   b. But the large stone had been rolled away! - Mk 16:4

3. Entering the tomb, they saw a young man...
   a. Clothed in a long white robe (an angel) - Mk 16:5; cf. Mt 28:2
   b. They were alarmed, but he sought to calm their fears - Mk 16:5-6

4. His message to the women...
   a. "You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.  He is risen!"
   b. "See the place where they laid Him."
   c. "But go, tell His disciples -- and Peter -- that He is going
      before you into Galilee."
   d. "There you will see Him, as He had said to you." - Mk 16:6-7

[The women left amazed and afraid (Mk 16:8).  But soon their fear would
turn into great joy!  Not just for them, but for other disciples as
well.  To appreciate why, let’s survey the appearances of Jesus in all
four gospel accounts, plus those listed by Paul...]

I. THE APPEARANCES OF CHRIST TO HIS DISCPLES

   A. TO MARY MAGDALENE...
      1. As described in our text - Mk 16:9-11
      2. Expounded by John in his gospel - Jn 20:11-18

   B. TO THE OTHER WOMEN...
      1. As revealed in Matthew’s gospel - Mt 28:9-10
      2. Where Jesus reiterated what the angel had said - ibid.

   C. TO TWO DISCIPLES WALKING IN THE COUNTRY...
      1. As described in our text - Mk 16:12-13
      2. Elaborated by Luke in his gospel - Lk 24:13-32

   D. TO PETER...
      1. Reported after the testimony of the two disciples - Lk 24:33-35
      2. Mentioned by Paul in his epistle to the Corinthians - 1Co 15:5

   E. TO THE APOSTLES WITH THOMAS ABSENT...
      1. Possibly the occasion in our text - Mk 16:14
      2. Described in detail by Luke and John - Lk 24:36-43; Jn 20:19-25

   F. TO THE APOSTLES WITH THOMAS PRESENT...
      1. A week later, as described by John - Jn 20:26-31
      2. Mentioned by Paul in his epistle to the Corinthians - 1Co 15:5

   G. TO SEVEN DISCIPLES BY THE SEA OF GALILEE...
      1. Including Peter, Thomas, Nathaniel, James and John - Jn 21:1-2
      2. While they were fishing, and then eating together - Jn 21:3-25

   H. TO FIVE HUNDRED BRETHREN AT ONCE...
      1. Recorded by Paul in his epistle to the Corinthians - 1Co 15:6
      2. Possibly in Galilee as directed by the angel and Jesus - 
         Mk 16:7; Mt 28:10,16-17
      3. Possibly when the Great Commission was first given - Mt 28:18-20

   I. TO JAMES THE LORD’S BROTHER...
      1. Recorded by Paul in his epistle to the Corinthians - 1Co 15:7
      2. Who previously did not believe, but then became a disciple - 
         Jn 7:5; Ac 1:14

   J. TO THE DISCIPLES WITH ANOTHER COMMISSION...
      1. Recorded by Luke in his gospel - Lk 24:44-49
      2. This time in Jerusalem, shortly before His ascension - Ac 1:3-8

   K. TO THOSE PRESENT AT HIS ASCENSION...
      1. Recorded in Mark’s gospel - Mk 16:19-20
      2. Also by Luke in both of his books - Lk 24:50-53; Ac 1:9-12

[These many appearances were claimed by the disciples of Jesus.  One
might properly ask, "Why should we believe them?"  That we might have
the same joy in believing that "He is risen!", consider...

II. THE STRENGTH OF THE DISCIPLES’ TESTIMONY

   A. DEMONSTRATED BY THE NATURE OF THEIR TESTIMONY...
      1. Their testimony appealed to empirical evidence
         a. I.e., evidence derived from experiment and observation
            rather than theory
         b. They refused to accept second hand evidence - Mk 16:11,13;
            Jn 20:25
         c. But for forty days they were given infallible proofs Ac 1:3; 10:41
         d. They saw, heard, and touched Him - Jn 20:24-28; 1Jn 1:1-2
      2. There is no way they could have been deceived or deluded
         a. If all they had were individual dreams, visions, or
            hallucinations...perhaps
         b. But they testified that Jesus appeared to them in groups as
            well as to individuals

   B. DEMONSTRATED BY THEIR TRANSFORMATION...
      1. Prior to the resurrection, Jesus’ disciples were afraid and
         without hope
         a. They fled at his arrest - Mk 14:50
         b. Peter cowardly denied Him three times - Mk 14:66-72
         c. The women mourned His crucifixion - Lk 23:27
         d. After His death, the disciples were sad - Lk 24:13-17
         e. After His death, the disciples hid behind closed doors, for
            fear of the Jews - Jn 20:19
      2. But after the resurrection, they fearlessly praised God and
         proclaimed Jesus!
         a. Praising God in the temple - Lk 24:52-53
         b. Proclaiming Christ, despite persecution - Ac 5:28-32,41-42
      3. This transformation in their lives is strong evidence for the
         resurrection, as admitted by one Orthodox Jewish scholar:
         a. "If the disciples were totally disappointed and on the verge
            of desperate flight because of the very real reason of the
            crucifixion, it took another very real reason in order to
            transform them from a band of disheartened and dejected Jews
            into the most self-confident missionary society in world
            history."  - Pinchas Lapide, former Chairman of the Applied
            Linguistics Department at Israel’s Bar-Iland University
            (TIME, May 7, 1979)
         b. He concluded that a bodily resurrection could possibly have
            been that reason!

   C. DEMONSTRATED BY THEIR HIGH MORAL STANDARD...
      1. They taught others to live holy lives - 1Th 4:1-7; Ep 4:25
      2. They lived their own lives in unimpeachable way - 1Th 2:3-12
      -- Does this sound like people who propagate lies when they know
         better?

   D. DEMONSTRATED BY THE PRICE THEY PAID...
      1. The apostles endured much suffering because of their testimony
         - 1Co 4:9-13; 2Co 11:23-28
      2. All but one died a martyr’s death because of their testimony
      3. Even Jesus’ brother, James, was thrown off the temple and then
         clubbed to death for his testimony
      -- There was no motive for them to persistently lie about Jesus’
         resurrection!

CONCLUSION

1. As revealed in Mark’s gospel and those of Matthew, Luke, and John...
   a. Jesus Christ rose from the dead
   b. He appeared to many of His disciples
   c. Who later became witnesses of the resurrection

2. The nature of their witness does not allow for the option of being
   deceived or deluded...
   a. Again, they professed empirical evidence
   b. They claimed to eat and drink with Him, touch Him, see Him

3. If Jesus was not raised from the dead, there is only one
   alternative...
   a. These witnesses were liars, deceivers
   b. Even Paul freely admits this is the only alternative - 1Co
      15:14-15

4. Is it reasonable to believe they successfully propagated a lie...?
   a. Too many people attested to the same fact
   b. They were not the kind of people to fabricate such a falsehood
   c. They lived noble lives, and were ALL willing to suffer and die for
      their testimony!

When we carefully examine the lives and testimony of the witnesses of
the resurrection, the only reasonable conclusion to draw is that they
really saw what they claimed concerning Jesus...

                            "He is risen!"


Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011

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