Christmas Eve - Lord of All
Calvary Chapel Cherry Creek
December 24, 2020 • Pastor Matt Korniotes
Easter 2024
March 31, 2024 • Pastor Matt Korniotes • 1 Peter 1:3–5
I cannot comment on the significance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, not an ounce better, than Peter. Peter commenting on the resurrection of Jesus Christ says this in 1 Peter 1:3-5: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” The cross of Christ was the payment for the sins of the world, proving the humanity of Jesus as He yielded to death, and yet the resurrection of Christ was the proof of eternal life, proving the deity of Jesus as He set death aside and walked out of His own grave. And now through that, simply by receiving that personally, for yourself, Peter says through that comes the abundant mercy of God, living hope, inheritance incorruptible and undefiled not based on my performance or perfection but based on the performance and perfection of Jesus Christ through the resurrection! I want to give you two things today. One is silly, quick, but powerfully applicable. The other is I’d like to talk through the authenticity of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Really for edification purposes. For education purposes. Not to prove anything… Not to prove the objective fact of the resurrection. I don’t need to prove that. Anyone who would reject Jesus has the burden of disproving the resurrection, which we will see today is a heavy lift. But I was thinking about this, what would I say if someone asked me to prove that Jesus is alive. I wouldn’t crack books or pull from my rolodex of Biblical knowledge (my holy-dex, HA), my simple answer would be, I know Him and He has done something in and with me that nothing, no one, I could have never done for myself. He has given me everlasting and eternal life… So, this is not for proof. Proof is simple. It’s obvious. It’s plentiful. This is to encourage you and bless you as we focus today on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Nine things to consider that solidify the authenticity of the resurrection… Things to consider about the resurrection that perhaps you haven’t before but are encouraging… First, the early accounts. The four Gospels, which all detail the resurrection of Jesus, were all written within just a few decades of the event. Most of Paul’s letters were written prior to 60 A.D. Additionally, Paul notes in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, the appearances of Jesus to individuals and groups; this creed can be traced all the way back to within a few years of the resurrection itself. The sources for Jesus are remarkably early, especially in comparison to sources for other ancient historical figures. For example, consider Alexander the Great, one of the greatest leaders and military minds in ancient history. The earliest sources for Alexander are nearly 300 years after his life; the best sources (Arrian and Plutarch) are even later (400+ years after his life), yet they are readily considered trustworthy. With Jesus, we have sources within 10 years of his life, and a number of other sources within 20-70 years. Second, eye witness accounts. According to 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, over 500 people saw Jesus alive, in addition to Peter, James, Paul, Mary, and the rest of the disciples. At the time Paul reported these events around 55 A.D., many of the individuals Jesus appeared to were still alive and could be interviewed. In addition to the people who saw Jesus alive after his crucifixion, eyewitness testimony is foundational for the New Testament as a whole, with every book either being written by an eyewitness or by someone under the direction of an eyewitness. One of the greatest examples of this is 2 Peter 1:16, which reads, “For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.” Peter wasn’t just reporting news that he heard, but rather something he saw with his own eyes. Third, chalupas! I mean they are so GOOD God must be the truth! HA! Just kidding! Third, extra-biblical accounts. The events surrounding the resurrection of Jesus are mentioned by numerous individuals (Christians and non-Christians) from outside the New Testament. For example, the crucifixion of Jesus and the disciples experiences with the risen Jesus are referenced by more than ten ancient sources including Tacitus, Josephus, Mara-Bar-Serapion, Lucian, Talmud, Clement of Rome, Ignatius, Polycarp, Barnabas, and Justin Martyr). Fourth, embarrassing details. When dealing with historical events, one piece of evidence that lends credibility to an account’s authenticity is the inclusion of embarrassing details. All four Gospels mention that several women were the first to find the tomb empty, which makes them the primary eyewitnesses. This is significant because in first century Jewish and Roman cultures, the testimony of women was frequently regarded as untrustworthy. If the writers of the Gospels were making up a story that they wanted people to believe, they would have stated that men were the first to find the tomb empty. Fifth, enemy attestation. Even Jesus’ enemies didn’t deny that the tomb was empty. They had an alternative explanation for how the tomb became empty (the disciples stole Jesus’ body), but they acknowledged that the tomb was empty nonetheless. Enemy attestation is a powerful form of testimony that involves an enemy stating something in favor of the opposing view. Enemies have nothing to gain when they do this. In the case of Jesus, the enemies of Jesus certainly didn’t have anything to gain by reporting that the tomb was empty – but they did so anyway. Sixth, the empty tomb itself. There are a number of reasons to believe that the tomb was empty one of which involves its location in Jerusalem. The Romans, Jews, and Christians knew where Jesus was buried; the location of his tomb was no secret. When news began spreading in Jerusalem that Jesus had risen from the dead, the Romans and/or Jews could have simply removed the body of Jesus from the tomb and displayed it in order to shatter the “hoax.” However, Jesus’ body was never produced; if it was we would have certainly heard about it from the critics of Christianity. Seventh, the emergence of the early church. No historian would deny that thousands of people began following the life and teachings of Jesus in the first century shortly after the resurrection. Acts 2:41 which takes place almost immediately after the resurrection reads, “Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.” This number continued to grow rapidly throughout the remainder of the first century as we read in Acts 2:47, “And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.” On top of that, there are several extra-biblical accounts to verify the emergence of the early church including Tacitus, Pliny the Younger, Trajan, and Suetonius. How can the sudden emergence and numerical explosion of Christianity be explained apart from the resurrection of Jesus? Eighth, thousands of years of entirely changed lives. Prior to Jesus’ death, and for three days while he was in the grave, the disciples were skeptical and afraid. However, after Jesus’ resurrection, the lives of the disciples were entirely different; all of them were persecuted and many were martyred as a result of their belief in the risen Christ. James (the brother of Jesus) and the apostle Paul experienced radical conversions as well. Like the disciples, James and Paul also subjected themselves to persecution and martyrdom because Jesus had risen from the dead. Skeptics may comment that the transformation of these individuals (the disciples, James, and Paul) is insignificant, since it is normal for people to convert from one set of beliefs to another. However, the cause of these conversions is different. People usually convert to a particular religion because they hear the message of that religion from a secondary source and believe the message. The reason for the transformations of the disciples, James, and Paul is quite different; they are the result of what they actually saw with their own eyes: the risen Jesus. Finally, ninth, impossibly fulfilled prophecy. On numerous occasions throughout his ministry, Jesus predicted that he would die and rise again. In fact, Jesus predicted these events so frequently that his predictions actually became common knowledge. It’s one thing to make a prediction; it’s another thing to predict something that actually happens. Jesus’ fulfilled predictions regarding his own death and resurrection demand that he really is the Son of God and risen Lord. Ok, pretty cool stuff. Informative, educational, encouraging…, and I’d like to leave you with something quick and simple but hopeful and helpful. Many people say on Easter Week or Holy Week, “A lot can happen in three days.” What’s meant by that is on Friday, Jesus was being destroyed. Literally. He would die on the cross, a criminal’s death, not for His own sins but for the sin of the world. Rejected and suffering…, and…, three days later He would rise again, just like He predicted, never to face death or sin again but resurrecting in triumph over them both. Over the span of three days…, that is a HUGE change… So, I introduce to you and give you and give even to myself what I am calling “The Three Day Play.” 2 Corinthians 2:11 says, that we are taken advantage of when we are ignorant of Satan’s devices, his playbook…, so here’s a trick play to run against him in your own life. Remember the resurrection. Something is happening, going wrong…, perhaps has been going wrong for years…, for three days, press into the Lord…. I don’t know what that looks like for you. Probably for everyone its going to look differently… But before you panic, react, lose hope, make things a ton worse, remember The Three Day Play…, a lot can happen in three days. In three days, Jesus changed complete death into everlasting life. Pray hard for three days. Spend time in the word. Call your friends and have all of them pray for you for three days…, seek the Lord with your whole heart and see how much can change in such a short amount of time through honest and humble and ferocious faith… I look back on the major plays the enemy has ran against me in my past…, and man, if I had run the three-day play, things could have been so vastly different. Even circumstances and consequences that I am still living within today from hardships years ago… So, God bless you, God strengthen you in the authenticity and hope of the resurrection, and may the Lord lead you through your series of three-day plays going forward. A lot can happen in three days…