JESUS is Alive! - Look at the Proof

Pray – (1/2 minute)

Read – (2 1/2 minutes) – “When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome brought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, ‘Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?’ But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away.” (Mark 16:1-4)
      Passage: 1 Corinthians 15:1-7

       In the world where the claims of the gospel are rejected, there are a few main reasons people give for not believing the resurrection happened. One is the first one made up by the Jewish religious leaders that the disciples stole the body after the Roman guards at the tomb had fallen asleep. A second is known as the swoon theory. It suggests that Jesus didn’t actually die, but He only appeared dead. According to this, He revived inside the tomb, unwrapped the grave clothes and moved the stone away by Himself. A third suggests that all the people who claimed to have seen the resurrected Jesus were simply hallucinating.
       Every one of these falls flat and does not hold up under scrutiny. The stone at the entrance probably weighed around 2 tons. The guards were an elite Roman army unit. Those who carried out the crucifixion knew when someone had died. It is also beyond credulity that no one who claimed to see Jesus after the resurrection would have held to the claim through their entire lives under persecution they faced. You do not have to abandon intellectual reasoning to believe in the resurrection. Look at the proof and thank God for the reality – Jesus is alive!             

Apply - (2 1/2 minutes)
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Pray - (1 1/2 minutes)