The Resurrection Hoax (Easter 2015)
The Resurrection – Our Hope! What If It Never Happened?
One of the greatest motivators in our life is the feeling of hope. Think about it.
We will do so much, we will put up with so much, we will strive and work really hard if it’s something we desire or hope for.
We all say things like, “I can’t wait until… Friday, or payday, the weekend or my vacation. That which we hope for can really stir us and move us, and sometimes that’s good.
The anticipation of something we hope for can actually make us feel happy, even excited. E.g. How do you feel before a long awaited vacation or trip? (The anticipation excites us, makes us feel good) I remembering Gary Smalley saying in his seminar that it’s a noted fact that for most women the anticipation and preparation for a vacation is actually more exciting for a woman than the actual vacation time itself.
Christianity is religion based on a hope. And our hope is based on the resurrection of Jesus. Traditionally, Easter is a celebration of Christ and his resurrection. But I wonder, What if it was all a hoax?
What if Jesus was no more than a nice guy and a good teacher.
And what if He really didn’t rise from the dead on that third day?
The fact is, our faith and the hope that we have as a Christian rests on the fact that Jesus left that grave almost 2000 years ago, alive! It is the very foundation of Christianity itself.
And so, if the resurrection didn’t really happen, it would in essence pull the rug right out from under Christianity itself.
It’s sad to think that there are a lot of people in the world today who have a hard time swallowing the fact, or belief that Jesus rose from the grave. To some it is more of a story, fable, or folklore, than fact. What if it was? What if it was fairytale?
How would the face of religion in this world change? Would those who choose to believe in God still have to become a Jew and still wait for our Messiah to come into the world to save us? Would we have only synagogues?
Did you know that there were actually people in the first century church who were teaching that there idea is no resurrection of the dead?
That which we consider the very foundation, the very hope of Christianity, people were passing off as a hoax, or just a imaginary story!
This was actually being taught in some of the first century Christian churches, and when the Apostle Paul hears about it he addresses the matter right away.
Listen to what he writes to the church in Corinth. Read I Cor. 15:12-19
“12 But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15 More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.”
I can almost hear Paul shaking his head saying, ‘Where did you people get this false idea?’ ‘How could you people come up with idea that there was no resurrection?’
And so in Chapter 15, Paul reminds them of the good news which he preached to them when he first came to them, and that is the fact that Jesus came, that He died for their individual sin, was buried and then rose from the grave. So let’s back up and look at what he originally told them:
Read 1 Cor. 15:1-8 “Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.”
In verse 17-18, he says in essence, ‘if Christ didn’t really rise, if it was all hoax, then all our faith, all our hopes and dreams of heaven are worthless, a big waste of time, and we are still lost in sin.’
‘And not only that, all those we know who died before us, those we thought to be martyrs, men and women of faith, friends and family members who died believing that Jesus rose are just dead, and now dust, no more.‘
And so he writes, if Christ Jesus didn’t rise, ‘of all men, we are to be pitied the most.’ And why does he say this? Because we are living a lie, and we are without hope.
Personally, I would have wasted my life going to Bible school and teaching and preaching about Jesus, struggling trying to start and help churches here in NY. It would all have been a waste of time, effort and money.
You also wasted your time coming to church and listening to teachers and preachers all those years. All of that money ever contributed to support teachers, and preachers, and missionaries, and buy evangelistic materials and publications and radio programs, and building church buildings, and so much more, has been just a big waste.
And if it all was a big hoax, a bad joke, a fairy tale, then like Paul writes in verse 32 “If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die.”
Why, because if there is no resurrection, this is as good as it going to get!The life you are living right now is all you have.
But the pure and simple fact is, Jesus did rise from the dead!
That was the Gospel message Paul preached to them.
Now look at what Paul write to them in vs 15:20-24. “20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.”
First of all he says “Christ has been raised from the dead, and He is the first born of all those who have fallen asleep.” (that is of all those who die)
In the following verses we read of the hope we have in Christ. In vss. 21-22; “for just as death came through that one man, Adam, so in Christ we will all be made alive.” This is our hope!
But how can we know for sure that this is all true? That is isn’t just a story or fable?
1) First of all, we do know the how, when, and where Jesus died. It was done publicly.
– It is not only a Bible fact, It is a historical one as well. We know more of the specifics of his death; the date the day, time and the method, than we know about his birth.
– At the time no one seemed to doubt whether he was dead or not, and so they placed Him in a tomb and sealed it, and then posted Roman guards outside it to ensure that no one would steal the body.
But how can we be sure of His resurrection?
#2) We know that it just didn’t happen out of the blue.
What I mean is, for hundreds of years predictions had been made by the prophets that something like this would happen.
Concerning the coming Messiah the prophet Isaiah wrote in 53:11 that after his death ‘He would see the light of life and be satisfied. ‘
David wrote “God would not abandon His Holy one in the grave.”
Even Jesus Himself made the same predictions concerning himself. Read Mark 8:31-32a & 10:32-34
#3) Paul also mentions the fact that he himself as well as the other apostles personally and more than 500 others saw Jesus after His resurrection.
As I mentioned earlier, it is not only a Biblical fact, secular historians also wrote about these events, Flavius Josephus (37-97 AD), court historian for Emperor Vespasian: (Wrote) “At this time there was a wise man who was called Jesus. And His conduct was good and he was known to be virtuous. And many people from among the Jews and other nations became His disciples. Pilate condemned Him to be crucified and to die. And those who had become His disciples did not abandon His discipleship. They reported that He had appeared to them three days after His crucifixion and that He was alive; accordingly, He was perhaps the messiah concerning whom the prophets have recounted wonders.”
The Death, Burial, and Resurrection is the very pinnacle the high point of all Bible History. It is the point in history that all the Old Testament looks forward to and the Point in the New Testament Era that we all look back to as the most important event of all in history. If it never happened we simply won’t have a leg to stand on.
#4) And though many have tried, no one has ever been able to disprove these facts.
#5) And last all but not least, more evidence that this is not just a made up story is the fact that it has had a life changing effect on so many live thru the ages.
In Romans 1 Paul wrote; “I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.”
This Good New, The Gospel of Jesus Christ; His death, burial and resurrection, has changed more lives, and has brought more people back to God than we will ever know.
In I Corinthians 15 Paul had to deal with the skeptics.
They just couldn’t understand this whole idea of resurrection; so he continues and writes more..
Read I Cor. 15:35-50 & 53-55 (From the NLT. I like how they translate this text.)
35 But someone may ask, “How will the dead be raised? What kind of bodies will they have?” 36 What a foolish question! When you put a seed into the ground, it doesn’t grow into a plant unless it dies first. 37 And what you put in the ground is not the plant that will grow, but only a bare seed of wheat or whatever you are planting. 38 Then God gives it the new body he wants it to have. A different plant grows from each kind of seed. 39 Similarly there are different kinds of flesh—one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish.
40 There are also bodies in the heavens and bodies on the earth. The glory of the heavenly bodies is different from the glory of the earthly bodies. 41 The sun has one kind of glory, while the moon and stars each have another kind. And even the stars differ from each other in their glory.
42 It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. 43 Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. 44 They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies.
45 The Scriptures tell us, “The first man, Adam, became a living person.”[h] But the last Adam—that is, Christ—is a life-giving Spirit. 46 What comes first is the natural body, then the spiritual body comes later. 47 Adam, the first man, was made from the dust of the earth, while Christ, the second man, came from heaven. 48 Earthly people are like the earthly man, and heavenly people are like the heavenly man. 49 Just as we are now like the earthly man, we will someday be like[i] the heavenly man.
50 What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever.
53 For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.
54 Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die,[j] this Scripture will be fulfilled:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.[k] 55 O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
This is what we Hope for .
This is what should empower and motivate to:
– turn our lives around to please God. It should also motivate us to…
– help others who He cares about. It should also motivate us to…
– share this good news with others And it should also help us to…
– endure the struggles of this life .
Paul told the Corinthians, Jesus is the first born and if we are right with Christ, if we are ‘in Christ’, even though physical death may eventually come our way, God has an awesome plan for you, a Heavenly plan for you, you will rise again!
The question is, will you rise and live with Him in that Heavenly home, or, will we rise and be driven from His presence because we’ve rejected Him and His will for our lives? He gives us the freedom to choose. What will you choose for your life?