The Resurrection of Christ

Text: Luke 24:1-9

The resurrection of Christ is part of the foundation of the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). It proves that the Bible is true, that Jesus is who He claimed to be, and that we have hope of eternal life. Yet many deny the resurrection. In this lesson we will consider the resurrection of Christ – why it is important and why we can believe it.

A Matter of Prophecy

  • The prophecies of this event prove two things – the Bible is true and Jesus is the Son of God (Deuteronomy 18:20-22)
  • Prophecies in the Old Testament (Genesis 3:15; Psalm 16:10)
  • Prophecies of Jesus while in the flesh (John 10:17-18; 2:19-21; Matthew 12:38-40)
  • If Jesus was not raised from the dead, we can ignore the Bible and Jesus – we can also dismiss the apostles as liars (1 Corinthians 15:14-15)
  • But if Jesus was raised from the dead, we must follow Him and obey His word

A Matter of History

  • This does not just mean that the event happened, but that we can know that it happened – many events happened that have been lost to history and forgotten (Ecclesiastes 1:11); not true of the resurrection of Christ
  • Eye-witness testimony (Acts 1:3; 1 John 1:1-4; 1 Corinthians 15:5-8) – this is the foundation of all human history
  • Other evidence – the empty tomb (John 20:1-10; Matthew 28:11-15; Acts 2:29,32); the change in the apostles from being cowards (Matthew 26:56,69-75) to being courageous (Acts 4:13); the fact that the apostles (eye-witnesses) were willing to die for their testimony (most were martyred)

A Matter of Salvation

  • Without the resurrection of Christ, we have no hope (1 Corinthians 15:14,17-19) – He is the “first fruits” (1 Corinthians 15:20); first to rise from the dead, never to die again
  • Therefore, death should not be feared (1 Corinthians 15:55-57)
  • But to have this hope, we must be conformed to His death, burial, and resurrection (Romans 6:3-5) – repentance, baptism, obedience