The Incredible Claims of Jesus | John 5:1-29

Hallelujah.

>> Wow, that was a better response than the

church. He is risen.

>> Praise God. Well, happy resurrection

Sunday.

We're taking a break from our passage

and go into the book of John this

morning. We'll be in John chapter 5. I

John 5 · chapter mention

titled this the incredible plan of

Jesus.

Now the word incredible has I would say

two different meanings. One literal, one

hyperbolic I guess is the right word or

paradoxical.

And the literal meaning of incredible is

not believable.

The other

meaning of incredible is believable.

Very believable. Believable to an

exciting degree. So what determines

which definition is usually the tone of

voice?

If someone says, uh, "Dad, I was driving

the car and the car just on its own went

off the road and ran to a tree."

Bobby says, I find that plain

incredible.

I don't think that happened. Not

believable. Not going to believe it. But

if somebody says with excitement, you

know, I just won a million dollars.

and they've got the money in their hand.

That is an incredible claim. Well, the

incredible claims of Jesus, Jesus claims

things in the gospel

that are incredible.

You either believe them or you don't.

But it's very important that you come to

a conclusion about whether or not they

are true.

Because Jesus's claims, one of his

claims is where you spend eternity is

based upon whether or not you believe

him and trust him. That was a very

serious claim.

Jesus said a bunch of claims. We're

going to look at a few of them. We're

going to look at this text in which he

makes some of these claims. But the main

point this this morning is the

incredible claims of Jesus are

vindicated by his death, burial, and

resurrection.

Jesus rose from the dead.

and therefore his claims are true.

Now, you may say, "Well, I don't know if

I believe the resurrection is true."

Well, we'll get to that.

But to start off with, I just want to

point out that this vindicates

everything that Jesus said. Let's look

at some of those claims that we'll look

at a few of them. Jesus claimed to be

the eternal son of God.

Jesus being about 33 at the age of his

death claims that he had an origin

the right to use the word origin. He was

of eternal origin that he was eternal

son of God. He claims that we see it in

this text. Jesus in this text we will

see claimed to be the judge of all

mankind.

That's a serious claim. Not not merely

for being a philosopher or a good moral

teacher, but he claimed to be the one

that will sit in judgment of all of us.

I don't know about you, but if he's not

who he said he was, that is the claim of

a mad man or a liar or a lunatic. As CS

Lewis put it, it's either true or it

makes them a horrendous false prophet

and false teacher.

Jesus claimed that he could give life to

those that believe on him.

Incredible claim that he could change

your spiritual condition from one of

death oriented oriented can't explain

it. You have to experience it for many

who testify in this room that it is

true. Jesus claimed the ability to

resurrect souls and bodies

in this passage. We'll look at it. And

finally, my claim this morning of Jesus

resurrection is the truth that claims

are true. If you stand with me now for

the read of God's word, we'll read in

John 5 starting in verse one. After this

there was a feast of the Jews and Jesus

went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in

Jerusalem by the sheep gate a pool in

Aramaic called Bethesda which has five

roots on these lay a multitude of

blind rain and paralyzed.

One man was there who had been in for 38

years. When Jesus saw him lying there

and knew that he had already been there

a long time, he said to him, "Do you

want to heal. The sick man answered him,

"Sir, I have no one to put me into the

pool when the water is stirred up. And

while I am going, another stepped down

before me." Jesus said to him, "Get up.

Take up your bed and walk." And at once

the man was healed, and he took up the

bed and walked. Now that day was the

Sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who

had been healed, "It is the Sabbath, and

it is not lawful for you to take up your

But he answered them, "The man who

healed me, that man said to me, take up

your bed and walk." They asked him, "Who

is the man who said to you, take up your

bed and walk?" Now the man who had been

healed did not know who it was, for

Jesus had withdrawn as there was a crowd

in the place. Afterward, Jesus found him

in the temple and said to him, "You are

well. S no more that nothing worse may

happen to you. The man went away and

told the Jews that it was Jesus who had

healed him. And this is why the Jews

were persecuting Jesus because he was

doing these things on the Sabbath. The

Jews answered them, "My father is

working until now and I am working."

This is why the Jews were seeking all

the more to kill him. Because not only

was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was

even calling God his father, making

himself equal with God.

Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say

to you, the Son can do nothing of his

own accord, but only what he sees the

Father doing. For whatever the Father

does, that the Son does likewise. For

the Father loves the Son and shows him

all that he himself is doing. gater

works for me will he show him so that

you may marvel. For as the father raises

the dead and gives them life, so also

the son give life to whom he will. For

the father judges no one, but he has

given all judgment to the son. But all

may honor the son just as they honor the

father. Whoever does not honor the son

does not honor the father who sent him.

Truly, truly I say to you, whoever hears

my word and believes in him who sent me

has eternal life. He does not come into

judgment but has passed from death to

life.

Through him truly I say to you an hour

is coming now. When the dead will hear

the voice of the son of God and those

who hear will live. For as the father

has life in himself so he has granted

the son also to have life in himself.

And as he has given him authority to

execute judgement because he is the son

of man. Do not marvel at this. For an

hour is coming when all who are in the

tombs will hear his voice and come out.

Those who have done good to the

resurrection of life, those who have

done evil to the resurrection of the

judgment. Let us pray. Oh Lord God, we

thank you, Father, that we have an

advocate with you. If any man sate

with the father that Jesus who conquered

death ascended into he is at the right

hand of the father and he now makes

interession for those that trust in him.

We thank you Lord for a way

for we are all sinners. We all fall

short of the glory of God. We have not

loved you as we ought to love you with

our whole heart, soul and mind and

strength. We have not loved our neighbor

as ourselves. We have turned from your

word. We have been ungrateful. We have

all sinned. But you commended your love

toward us. And that while we were yet

sinners, Christ died for us. We thank

you now. Lord, I pray that you would

turn hearts to yourself this morning.

That you would grant life to those hear.

Amen. You may be seated.

This passage ends with Jesus saying,

"The hour is going to come when those

that are in the grave will hear the

voice of the son of God and will come

forth. Some to everlasting life and some

to everlasting condemnation.

Every one of us must appear before the

judgment seat of Jesus Christ. Every one

of us must stand before him. And what

will make the difference in that day on

whether or not we have for death is have

we trust in him and believe on the son

and the father who sends him. This is a

matter of first importance, eternal

importance. And so if you were yet

unlated this morning or even after this

service, what is more important to

investigate than the claims of?

What would it matter if you live a good

life while here? You accumulate much

riches and goods for yourself. You have

many children. You have a lot of fun.

And then you die to spend eternity apart

from Christ in a place of darkness. What

will it matter? It will matter nothing.

Your highest priority if you have not

settled against issue of where you stand

in Christ is not to be like the man who

looks in the mirror and walks away and

forgets what man or man is, but it's to

make this such an important thing that

you search out the truth that Jesus has

claimed. Jesus claims are profound

and important.

And if he had remained in the dead, we

could dismiss him along with all the

other philosophers and talking heads.

Well, this man was a liar or this man uh

was a mad man.

But if either that word is true

and Jesus Christ is who he was and our

eternity depends upon let's look at our

text this morning first verses 1

through3

as of this feast of the Jews probably

now Passover and Jesus went up to

Jerusalem now there is in Jerusalem by

the sheep gate a pool and Aramaic called

Bethesda which has five roots column

And these lay a multitude of

blind lame and

Jesus goes up to the I want you to

notice that in the present tense John

says now there is in Jerusalem by the

gates a

written is still standing

it would be pretty much destroyed and

buried at the destruction of Jerusalem.

What does that mean? That means that

written before the destruction of

Jerusalem.

Now archaeology has found this found

where it was and verified just as John

said that there were five colonies. Why

is this important? Because in addition

to the three propositions of Lord,

Laric, there's a fourth one that it's

all legend that these

were made up long after Jesus was uh

lived that hundreds of years later

people said he said these things but the

person that is writing them was an

eyewitness who spoke Aramaic

right when when archaeologists have

uncovered various writing materials with

names there's another interesting thing

the names that are found written in the

New Testament names like like John and

Matthew

uh Peter, Jesus, Mary. There's six Marys

in the New Testament, a few different

Jesus. Why is that? These were common

names at the time. When I was a kid,

there were lots of people naming their

daughter Stephanie. Okay. So, I had

double Stephanie in my class.

How many young baby Stephanies do you

know?

Not many

still. There some names that are are

good and they stick around for a while.

There's some that go off the scene.

Well, when they when they did research

into the names that were popular at the

time of Christ, what they found is the

names in that region in that area at

that time are the same names that we

find in the New Testament.

Compare that to other later.

They're they're using the names that are

common in their time hundreds of years

later. But when John writes and when

Matthew writes and when Luke writes,

they're using the names that were

regionally popular at that time in that

place.

John is an eyewitness

before the destruction of Jerusalem,

which means it was close to the time of

the events that they took place.

These are not the writings of someone

who came hundreds of years afterward.

Even unbelievers testify. Writers like

Josephus, they say what the early

Christians that Jesus worked miracles,

that he was crucified, and that they all

said that he had risen from the dead.

This is not a legend that was invented

later. These words were written when

there were still living witnesses that

could say that's not true. We saw

I want to point out here that John was

an eyewitness. You can look up pictures

of this thing that has been um that has

been uncovered and it's exactly as John

described. He spoke the language of

Aramaic. He spoke the language of Greek

and his testimony is true. This was not

written by author. Now what he says here

in Jerusalem there was this pool and

uh this pool where there were a whole

lot of people had

paralyzed, blind, lame. And they sat by

this pool because they believed that if

when the water stirred, there's

different reason for this. Some say it

was a result of of an angel. Some texts

say that it was angel would go down into

the waters and the waters. Uh, and

whoever would be first into the water

would be healed. And so people believe

this and they stop by this. But here

here's the problem. How do you into the

water. If you're the blind guy and you

don't see the movie, you're probably not

going to be the first in the water.

Or if you're as

read about, he is paralyzed. How did he

get into the water? He doesn't have any

legs.

Who's the first guy in the water? The

guy with a headache.

The people who need it most can't get to

it. Only one can get to it. Let's read

about this one right here. One man was

there who had been

for 38 years for 38 years.

I don't know. I suppose he had no one to

put him under the water. And so

when Jesus saw him lying there and knew

that he had already been there a long

time, he said to him, "Do you want to be

healed?"

The man answered him, "Sir, I have no

one to put me into the pool when the

water

And while I am going another step down

before me, Jesus said to him, "Get up,

take up your bed and walk." And at the

man was healed. And he took up his bed

and walked. This man has been sitting

here for 38 years. And the very thing he

wants healed keeps him from being

healed. As a young man, I found

I found myself in a spiritual condition

with condition. And I I thought, you

know, I need to I need to be righteous.

overcome sin. I got I got to be I got to

work this all out. I need to be holy. Of

course, I believe in Jesus, but I I've

got to get holy. And I kept finding

myself. Um every good thing I did, I

took pride in it.

And and I found my will unable to stop

sinning.

It was very concerning.

One day, God liberated me, taught me a

message of grace, and my heart leapt up,

and I was full of joy. coming down my my

face because what I could not do through

my will and my self-confidence and my

trying harder Jesus did with the word up

and walk. It took a miracle.

Trying harder won't get you there. You

need Jesus to get you there. The man

doesn't even know who Jesus is. Jesus,

do you want to be healed? He does not

answer the question, which I think is he

doesn't say, "Oh yeah, I want to be

healed." He just simply offered, "I have

no one to put me under the water. I

can't be healed. I'm sitting here want

to be healed. I can't be healed. I have

no one to put me under the water." And

Jesus said, "Take up water."

Jesus gives you. He gives life to you.

We'll say that later on.

Verse 9. Now that day was the Sabbath.

So the Jews said to men who have been

healed, it is the Sabbath, and it's not

lawful for you to take up your bed. But

he answered them, "The man who healed

me, that man said to me, take up your

bed and walk." They asked him, "Who is

the man who said to you, "Take up your

bed and walk." Now the man who had been

fores

not lawful ordinarily to do

labor on the Sabbath were very about

that and they see him walking and

they're like, "Hey, you what are you

doing carrying your belt? Don't you know

it's a Sabbath?" Now, this is not worthy

of criticism. This is the law. You don't

you don't labor on the Sabbath. This is

known to everybody in the community. And

here we have a a rebel apparently doing

something that is contrary to social

norms and fourth commandments. So, they

they rebuke him for it. And they said,

he says, "The man who healed

told me to take up my bed and walk.

Now the religious people all they care

about is the rules have been broken.

Who is the man? Why are they asking him

what he did?

How did you get They're more concerned

with the rules than the fact that this

man who was in England for 38 years now

has the ability to walk.

Which question would you be asking?

What do you mean you got healed? How did

you get healed? If you got healed in a

notable miracle this way, wait a minute.

Did he use medicine?

Did he use devices? Did he do surgery?

How did you get healed? No, he just

spoke the word. Just like God spoke the

universe into existence. He spoke the

word and I was healed.

They are not concerned about how the got

healed. They're just of the broken and

their disposition let the man know it

but he says I don't know who it was I

never met the man don't know his name

after Jesus found him in the temple and

said to him you were well

no more

healed I think it's interesting he says

no

again

where's the question

who are you

how did you do this I was I was for 38

years what does the man do immediately

he goes and tells who he is and where he

is some people they just don't want to

be healed they don't want to be healed

they don't want to be made whole I mean

that position as an inate perhaps I

don't know his motivations but in that

position he probably had people giving

him free money you know for certain

benefits

he's going to have to go get a job of

society after 38 years not being able to

walk he's going to have to go to work

the man that you can he can help you

find a way to

he didn't you

and Jesus go and let the worst thing

happen. What would be

what wor

there there are greater problems

and

oneity

right it out front you better go through

life one to hell with both your eyes,

right?

What could be more dangerous or damaging

to be on the wrong side of Jesus?

There's nothing there's nothing there's

nothing that's

not seriously taken

investigation of the true claims of

Christ and what he says to you, you

better get on it.

A lot of people put off finding out the

truth about Jesus and they later later

and they find themselves before the

judgment seat without

they find themselves before the judge

without a defense attorney

and and they don't know Jesus and

they're not ready to meet their maker.

So the man went and immediately told the

Lord's enemies that wanted to persecute

him.

And this was why the Jews were

persecuting Jesus because he was doing

these things on the Sabbath.

Jesus answered them, "My father is

working until now and I am working."

This is why the Jews were seeking all

the killing

but he was even calling God his own

father making him equal with God. Their

number one first concern was he broke

our law

to their view God. But there's there's

an exception to this and they knew

God works seven days a week. Yes.

But what does that mean? What did God

stop?

What if one day you just said, "I'm

going to take a break.

particles fly

to the world by

what God just said, "I'm sleeping in the

universe

while

the Jews understood that God God

continues to hold the world together.

God God continues to to work. God is

still at work.

But uh God told Israel that uh that he

would grant them protection that need on

the Sabbath day because he was able to

do that. God would day without any other

work. So Jesus was arguing with them.

My father is working now and I am

working.

This is why

not only breaking the But he was even

calling God his father, making himself

equal with God. Now boy understood he's

not just saying, you know, like we're

adopted sons and daughters of God. We

pray our father which are in heaven,

hallowed be thy name. But this is in a

unique way. Jesus Jesus was saying that

that that God is my father and what he

is I am of the same.

Right? We understand, you know, my I'm

I'm older than my son in my case.

But we're both human. A dog a dog has

puppies. The one is older than the other

in that case, but they're both of the

same. Now Jesus

is a son of God. What he's saying here

is what the father is I am.

We're one essence. We're descending

stuff. They understood that he was

making himself equal with God. I'm going

to substantiate that with another

book, but for now they want to kill him

because he called God his father

and he broke the Sabbath is working on

the Sabbath, healing on the Sabbath was

saying my father does it. I can do it.

does not apply to me because this is my

father. I work and by the way what did

he do? He spoke the word and the man was

how how did God work during the

creation? He spoke the word there and he

spoke the word and separated the water.

He spoke the word

God by speaking. Jesus said that he

didn't do surgery on him. He didn't put

a healing conting.

So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly I

tell you, the son can do nothing of his

own accord, but only what he sees the

father doing. For whatever the father

does, that the son does. For the father

loves the son and shows him all that

himself is doing and greater works he

show him so that you may marvel as the

father raises the dead and gives him

life so also the son gives life to him

later

not resurrected

name will be dead in the forth

and he comes forth from the susit

body. Now we don't call that a

resurrection because Lazarus would die

again.

When Jesus rose from the grave, he has a

glorified body and he never will die

again. as he says, "If the father raises

the dead and gives life to the son

in the book of John

22, for the father judges no one but has

given all judgment to the son that all

may honor the son just They honor the

father. Whoever does not honor the son

does not honor the father who sent him.

Truly truly I say to you, whoever

believes him who sent me eternal life,

he does not come into judgment but has

passed from death to life.

I when I was like trying to work a

little harder, do a little bit better,

trying to be more holy, crying out for

holiness day after day,

uh I found myself

You know, I I can't even do a good work

without feeling good about it. There's

pride involved.

I need to

you come to Jesus and Jesus says that

the one that believes in him, who hears

his word and believes in him will not

come into judgment but has passed from

death into life.

from death to life.

The message of grace

about a resurrection. Those that believe

in him are resurrected spiritually. They

have passed from death to life. Now the

first is there are two kinds of

resurrection. Let's look at it.

Truly truly I say to you an hour is

coming and is now here. Now let's stop

there for a second. An hour is coming.

It's been coming

now.

And he said, "The time is coming when

neither in this mountain nor in

Jerusalem will worship the father. But

the time is coming now, when those that

worship him will worship him in spirit

and truth. For the father seeks to

worship him." The time of coming is now

here. phrase one chapter ago here to say

I'm talking about right now okay in his

ministry

between 30 and 33 AD or 27 and 30 AD the

time is coming is now when the dead will

hear the voice of the son of God and

those who hear will live for as the

father himself so he has granted the son

also to have life in himself and he has

given him authority to execute judgement

because he is the son of man.

Do not marvel at this for an hour is

coming here when all who are in the

tombs will hear his voice and come out

those who have done good to the

resurrection of life and those who have

done evil to the resurrection of the

children. Now I can resurrection talks

about the first and second

resurrection is when we come from death

to life.

He just talked about it last week. When

we believe in him, we pass from death

with our 120

to life. When we come into a new

relationship with Christ, when we place

our faith in him and his spirit comes to

live in us and he wipes away our sins

and he cleanses us and we come to a

saving faith in Jesus. At that moment,

we have been resurrected. We have passed

from death to life.

This is something that every believer

has experienced. They went from

nonchalant, not confirmed to all of a

sudden belie

and and he asked Christ to come into his

life and his faith in Christ. And when

he was done, he had been told to say

this. He said, "I feel different." I

said, "Just been taken off of me." And I

had a flashback then there when I was in

like sixth grade and and me and another

young black kid, we were witnessing to

another guy and and this guy was a

sinner's prayer and he said the same

words, "I feel different." He was like

what, 12, 13,

but a noticeable change came. It's like,

I feel different. When you from death to

life. When you go from unbelieving to

believing, when you go from guilty to

forgiven, it is a resurrection. It is

spiritual life out of deadness.

Now, there's a second resurrection here.

The hour is coming. Now, this that

resurrection is available to you today.

There's another hour coming when all in

the tomb will hear his voice. Not just

believers,

unbelievers, too.

and come out. those who have done good

for the resurrection of life and those

who have done evil for the resurrection

of judgment

that is yet to come that will happen in

John

hasn't come yet

in

Paul speaks of that Jesus is the first

rose from the grave on the first day of

the week on the feast of first fruit

when they would lift up the grain

offering before the Lord rose from the

grave on first fruit and Paul says that

the first

that was the spring that was on this day

on the Hebrew calendar that's what it is

in relation to Passover

Today is first Jesus rose from the grave

on first. He was crucified on Passover.

God said when I see the blood I will

pass over you. And he rose from the

grave on first. And Paul says he's the

first fruit of the resurrection of the

dead. The rest of us will get

resurrected at his coming.

I want to look at a few incredible

claims here. Jesus's claim that he is

the son of God, eternal son of God who

was with the father before his

incarnation. That all judgment has been

committed to him. That he will resurrect

those that trust in him. That he will

resurrect all on the last day, some to

eternal life, and some to death. Those

are

those are some massive frames that Jesus

has made. Not the words of some wise

sage

like

an Aristotle

philosopher.

John 85859

later in the

same book John 8589

with the Jews fellow countrymen fellow

Jews your father Abraham rejoiced that

he would see my day he saw it and was

glad

to not

have seen Abraham

said to them truly truly I say to you

before Abraham was I

That's bad.

So they picked up stones to throw at

himself.

The Jews understood first of all

and he says the very words that the

angel of the Lord said to Moses from the

burning bush

that I am eternalist

that's what I am not I was not I will be

but I am that I am he's eternal he's

selfexistent he's not the Jesus Abraham

was I am. The response of the Jews is

that's blasphemy.

You're claiming to be God.

And they picked up stones to stone him.

All right. Another incredible claim that

I want to concern the book of John. And

there's a lot more. I'm just going

through a few of them.

Jesus said to him, "I am." There's that

I am again. Not I am a way. I am the way

and the truth and the life. No one comes

to the father except through me. Now, is

that the words of a good teacher?

If he's not God, that is arrogant.

He doesn't say, "I know a way or I think

I know a way or some ideas about how

might take place." He says, "Playise

the way

and the truth." Not I know truth or I

have some truth or I've got some good

ideas. That'd be a humble way. You know,

I think I might have some ideas about

what would God and uh I think I know

things that I believe to be true and and

I think I can tell you how to have a

better life. Listen to what he says. I

am the way.

I am the truth.

I am the life.

By the way, the name for God

means essentially

I am. That's what it means.

And Jesus is now saying I am Yahweh

truth light.

Father

is offensive.

That is not pluralistic.

That is not

If you would just amend it a little bit

and say, "I've got some good ideas about

what might be God." We would have no

problem. Good teacher. Those are nice

ideas. We consent. But he claims to be

the way, the truth, the way of life to

get to the father.

Those are incredible claims.

glor

and we have them recorded by an

eyewitness who was there multiple times

in the gospel of John

the one that's lighting these things you

witness to these things

all right now I've gone into all this

this morning because people say well

there's so many divisions within

division all the different churches and

denominations. What I like to tell them

is okay but the essential view that we

together

we should be able to agree on these two

is the right

on that basis

they got the wrong and they got the

Christians

but they

they deny the god they deny that there's

one god and three persons and that's

very

denies that Jesus is god that's

essential we have to believe he is the

way I am the way the truth and life and

the second

which unifies us at large is I have the

right goel right goel you're my brother

different But we're brothers and

sisters. Why? Because because the same

Lord and Father saved us from our sins.

You don't have to go to this church to

be saved, right? But you got to go to

the father through the

so

it simple. I love this passage. I almost

did this whole this morning because I

love this passage. So let me go to

firstians 15

briefly say what is the right gospel.

All right

Paul says now I would remind you

brothers of the gospel tells us what the

gospel is preached to you which you

received and which you stand and by

which you are being saved if you hold

fast to the word I preach to you unless

you believe in vain.

For I deliver to you as of first

importance. This is first importance.

You can disagree on lots of secondary

issues but this is a first important

this is the main thing of the gospel.

Okay. I delivered to you as a warden.

What I also received that Christ died

for our sins in accordance with the

scriptures. That he was buried. That he

was raised on the third day in

accordance with.

So, so the first importance is Christ

died for our sord.

It was prophes

my flesh

lie in hope. You will not leave my soul

in hell. Neither will your holy one.

That means you're not going to leave me

in sh and the holy one his body is going

to rot. It was prophesied

in 16. It was it was also prophesied in

Isaiah 53.

He made his burial with the rich with

the wicked and with the rich but he

shall see his feet on his face and the

pleas.

It talks about his death on behalf of

sinners and then it talks about his

resurrection.

So his death as a fores

this is right off the beginning of the

Bible. You have the doctrine of we call

it

penalty substitution. But the penalty

stood there is laid on something else.

And there

a picture of laying their sins on the

head of the lamb. And the innocency of

the lamb is lamb is transferred to them.

This is a picture that when we sin our

faith in Jesus Christ, our sins are laid

upon him. His righteousness is laid upon

us. So throughout the Old Testament,

there's this concept of substitutionary.

When we deserve death, the death is

given to another. Christ for our sins on

the cross as we're told. Isaiah 53

his death on the cross is incredibly

where the pierced pierced my hands and

my feet

to the roof of my mouth. I'm thirsty as

a dry punctured

his tongue of his mouth. He's surrounded

by

picture of the crucifixion. Go read it.

Psalm 22. It's a it's a beautiful

a vivid portrayal of Jesus on the cross.

He died for scriptures. He was buried

and he was raised on the third day in

accordance with the scriptures.

He rose from the grave in accordance

with the church. And when he did it

and then he appeared to Jesus

then

he appeared to more than 500 brothers at

one time most of whom are still alive.

Then he appeared to James then to all

the apostles. Last of all to one time he

appeared also to me. And I want you to

notice Paul claimed

that 500 people saw him at the same

time.

Jesus Jesus stayed in his resurrected

body on earth for the next 40 days.

For 40 days he talked with them. He ate

with them. He ate fish cooked on a fire.

And and he they touched him. And Thomas

said, "I will never believe until I put

out my hand to his side that was pierced

into his hands that were nailed." And

when Jesus appeared to him, he says,

"Thomas,

here's the hand.

Put your hands feel where the nails

were. Feel my side."

And Thomas doesn't

say that he

falls to the ground and worshiped him

and says, "My Lord and my God." Thomas

worshiped the risen Jesus. He was a

believer

after he' been an unbeliever and he

worshiped the Lord Jesus and Jesus

received his worship. So Paul is saying

if you don't believe me your father

most of them are still alive

that some of the people are dead and

some of the people are alive and if you

don't believe me you can look them up

and go talk to them. This is a

verifiable thing. Another interesting

conversation about um the empty

why is empty on the first day of

well the Jesus who prophesied that he

would raise again on the first day

put a guard at the entrance

of the to make it secure to make sure

nobody comes.

So there was a significant guard and

they were they around around the pyramid

and they put a seal on it sealed with

pilot steel. If anybody touched that

seal, it was a mass of

and it was a large stone. It was rolled

over the so

on Sunday morning tomb who

raised the right to the body.

Would the Romans they have a motive to

steal the body? No. The last thing they

wanted me from the dead

body. Well, if they did, it would be

very easy later on to say he's not

resurrected. Here's his body. Few years

ago, there was somebody.

Well, why didn't the first century

people present the body of Jesus and say

he rised from the dead body right over

him?

Did did his body? Well, to try to steal

the body

and by their own admission, they were So

scared that they ran away. These were

not brave individuals.

Nobody stole the body. Jesus

and the first witness to the event was a

woman which is really interesting

because people in the east at that time

did not trust the testimony of women.

Women's testimony was the worst

testimony. Why would the New Testament

writers say that the first tomb was a

woman? Why would they do that? because

that's what happened.

It's not what they would have done if

they were making the story up. It's what

happened. A woman was the first of the

tree in the Garden of Eden. And a woman

was the first tomb in the Garden of

500 witnesses saw him. Well, maybe he

wasn't really dead. when when he was on

the cross

the soldier who was crucifying him who

apparently later became a believer

or not

he pierced the side and out of the side

blood and water which meant that his

heart had brok

the paricardia and the water and the

blood and the water from the lungs and

the blood from the heart flow out of his

side. I think he was dead before he was

if he hadn't been he would be now Jesus

was dead and he was buried

after being

beaten with the Roman ninetail. He was

buried

and he rose from the grave indicating

everything that he ever said.

Everything he ever said and there were

eyewitnesses. Peter says

that we did not follow

my known to you the power and coming of

the Lord Jesus Christ but we were

eyewitnesses of his majesty.

Peter would be crucified upside down

to the faith. Yes.

Peter

was crucified upside down for something

he knew to be alive. Do you find that to

be credible?

It's incredible in the other way.

Incredible.

John,

John, the writer of the gospel of John,

he said

one that which was from the beginning

which we have heard, which we have seen

with our eyes, which we have looked

upon, touched with our hands, concerning

the word of life, the life made and we

have seen it. Testify to it. We proclaim

to you the eternal life which was with

the father and was made manifes.

John and Peter were willing to suffer

and die because they wanted you to

experience eternal.

They wanted you to prepare for that

first resurrection when you come to a

saving faith in Christ and you place

your faith in him and your sins are

forgiven and your spirits made new and

you're spiritually washed and you're

whole again.

They were willing to suffer greatly to

bear witness to God. I have one more

scripture

and it's not being true.

I proclaim to you this morning the right

God and the right gospel that he died

for our sins that he was buried and he

rose again for our

satisfy.

What's the take? Romans 10 8-10

asking the question what must lead you

to be saved

in Romans 10. But what does it say? The

word is near you in your mouth and in

your heart. That is the word of faith

that we proclaim because if you confess

with your mouth that Jesus is Lord

and believe in your heart that God

raised him from the dead you will be

saved for the heart when believes and

justified and with the mouth when

confesses

what do you do first of

We need to confess that we're sed

and and second we confess that Jesus is

our Lord.

The phrase don't appear in the Bible.

Give your heart to Jesus in the Bible.

It was an illustration on a mission

sermon. It was an illustration in the

1800s. heart. It's your hopes, your

dreams, your ambitions, and everything.

What does it mean to give it to Jesus

metaphorically? Well, what we're saying

is when you give your life to Christ,

you confess that he is Lord. You're

giving him totally. I belong to you,

Lord. You're the Lord.

My life belongs to you. That's what

repentance is. It's giving ownership

back to the one that created you.

If you believe with your mouth, if you

confess with your mouth that Jesus is

Lord, he's your boss, he's your own,

he's yourvereign, and believe in your

heart that God raised him from the dead,

you will be saved.

So I invite you to do that.

church.

But nevertheless, while we all have our

heads and we're all thinking about our

life to us,

this is a good time to have a

conversation with the Lord.

If you're not persuaded that he's God or

nothing, then I want to ask you

to

simp.

So I I I want to recommend as we bow our

hearts as believer father heart

of communion. I invite you to bow your

head in your heart.

You use your own words. There's no magic

words. I believe in you. You're the

Lord. Save me. If you don't believe him,

say, "God, reveal yourself to me." Then

start it first. You better not put it

off. You put it off,

you may never come.

If you cry out to him, if you seek, you

will find

the door open. God, we thank you that

you have made a way for us to be new

again, to be forgiven, to be saved.

Lord, I pray for anyone in here this

morning

that you would reveal yourself to them.

That as they cry out to you, Father, and

confess you as Lord, that they receive

the gift of your spirit and forgiveness

of s.

We thank you father that you made the

path to you simply.