Preview of “Prove It” Series:
Week 1 – God exists
Week 2 – The Bible is credible
Week 3 – Jesus rose from the dead
Week 4 – Christianity is the one true religion
1 Corinthians 15:14-19
And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 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. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.
We don’t believe Jesus rose from the dead because the Bible tells us so
1.) The New Testament is terrible fiction
Spin
- Courageous
- Faith Filled
- Sweet skills
What do we find?
- Faithless followers
- Despondent women
- Confusion
Nobody expected no body
2.) The motivation of the witness
Boldness
- You killed him
- He rose
- Say you’re sorry
Acts 5:40-42
His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.
3.) James the brother of Jesus
John 7:5
For even his own brothers did not believe in him.
1 Corinthians 15:3-7
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than 500 of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles
James 1:1
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ
