The Evidence for the Resurrection of Christ | Eric Mtimkulu

Well, good morning, everybody. It's so good to see you all this

morning. If you have your Bibles with

you, please turn with me to 1st Corinthians chapter 15.

First Corinthians chapter 15. And our subject to this morning

1 Corinthians 15 · chapter mention

is the evidence for the resurrection of Christ.

The evidence for the resurrection of Christ.

First Corinthians chapter 15. And we'll begin reading from

1 Corinthians 15 · chapter mention

verse one. Now I want to remind you,

brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you

received, in which you stand, and by which you are being

saved. If you hold fast to the Word I

preached to you, unless you believed in vain, For I

delivered to you as of first importance what I also received,

that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,

and that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in

accordance with the Scriptures. And he appeared to Cephas, then

to the 12th. Then He appeared to more than

500 brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though

some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, and

then all to all the apostles. Last of all, as to 1 untimely

born, He appeared also to me, where I'm also the least of the

apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle because I persecuted

the Church of God. But by the grace of God I am

what I am, and on His grace towards me was not in vain.

On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was

not I, but the grace of God that is with me, whether then it was

I or they. So we preach.

So you believed our gracious Lord.

We do once more come before you this morning, on this day to

which we remember the resurrection of our Lord Jesus

Christ as you remember his victory over the grave, as the

one who will ultimately satisfy the right of the wrath of God,

the one who will ultimately pay the penalty that we rightly

devour. And so, God, as we approach your

word this morning, I pray for humility, I pray for wisdom.

I pray for clarity. I ask Lordy that you will come

and speak to us. Some of you may be perhaps

familiar with Lee Strobel. But before I get there, I do

want to just quickly recommend to you, let's put it up if we

have that, I do want to recommend to you this book.

Some of you may be familiar with the writings of Doctor John

Stott. He was an extraordinary

theologian and writer and wrote to this classic.

This is one of the classic, it's called The Cross of Christ by

Doctor John Stott. And so if you're looking for a

helpful book as you think about the cross and what the cross

means, I would recommend that book to you.

He simplifies all of the difficult theological terms and

he really makes it easy for one to follow his argument on the

cross of Christ. So I would like to recommend

that book to you. And I think this place in

Claremont, I forgot what it's called now, has the book, forgot

the name. I'll remember.

Or you can buy it on Amazon as well.

Christian book discounters. It's called Christian Book

discounters right here in Clemont.

They do have, they do have this book.

Some of you may be familiar with Lee Strobel.

He is an investigative journalist.

Years ago, his wife had converted to Christianity and

she was an agnostic. And Lee Strobel, of course, he

is an atheist. And because his wife had come to

faith and converted to Christianity, this bothered Lee

Strobel very much. He was not happy about this.

And then he decided to do something radical.

He said to his wife, I'm going to investigate the validity of,

of, of Christianity. More importantly, I'm going to

focus on the resurrection of Christ because I want to prove

to you that the resurrection of Christ, it is a myth.

It is a legend. In other words, it never took

place. That's all this trouble said to

his wife. I bet you in two days I will be

able to disprove the resurrection.

Of course, this is an investigative journalist.

He also has a legal background and he started to investigate.

Now this is what he wrote after the investigation.

Please bear with me. This is a bit of a long quote.

He writes the following after having done his investigation.

He says the following. Even as an atheist, I understood

one thing about Christianity. It rises or falls on the

resurrection of Jesus. After all, anyone can claim to

be divine as Jesus did, directly or indirectly.

Yet if Jesus predicted he would die and rise again three days

later and then did it, that would be pretty good evidence he

was telling the truth about his identity.

In other words, Easter is then the ball game.

He says as they law trained the journalist at the Chicago

Tribune, I also knew something else.

Dead bodies stay dead. I have seen lots of cops during

my career as a reporter, and none of them ever regained life,

especially after three days. So I figured it would be easy to

disprove the resurrection and thus liberate my wife from the

newfound faith in Jesus. Give me a weekend, I told her.

I can shred Christianity's central claim.

Well, it wasn't that easy. Maybe I thought Jesus never

really died on the cross as the four Gospels claim.

But unfortunately for me, the evidence of Jesus execution was

so extensive that even the atheist New Testament scholar

heard calls it undisputable. That's because we not only have

multiple other accounts of Jesus death in the New Testament, but

we've also got 5 ancient sources outside the Bible that confirms

its execution. Finally I reach my verdict, the

resurrection. The evidence for the

resurrection of Jesus was clear and convincing.

That is why I repented of my sin received in him as my forgiver

and leader in November 1981. Ultimately, I would see my

morality, my worldview, my marriage, even my career

transformed as a result. Isn't this amazing?

A man who would say, I'm on a journey to investigate the

validity of Christianity. I want to prove to my wife that

she's wrong, and yet God would use that to convert him.

And so as we consider the story of Lee Strobel, there are others

on the other side again, who do not affirm the resurrection of

Jesus Christ, including many theologians and scholars.

Some of them do not affirm the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

I've voted to you one Gert Ludeman, who is an atheist

scholar. He calls himself that anyway.

He's given himself that title that he is a an atheist.

New Testament scholar Richard Dawkins, who's also an atheist,

writes the following. Presumably what happened to

Jesus was what happens to all of us when we die.

We decompose. Accounts of Jesus resurrection

and ascension are about a well documented as Jack and the

Beanstalk. In other words, they are a fairy

tale. That's all he's saying there.

But Bellman, also an scholar, writes the following.

While Jesus likely existed, A maritalized resurrection is a

matter of faith, not historical fact.

And noting that historians cannot argue for a supernatural

explanation of the Mt 2 and so others still argue today that in

fact there is no resurrection. Can I say even in the biblical

text we still find those kind of people who did not believe in

the resurrection? There were a set and sect of the

of the Jews in the biblical text that also did not affirm the

resurrection. They were known as the Sadduces

infected. The Sadduces were a wealthy kind

of Jewish leaders. They were in powerful positions

including high priest as well as the the chief priest as well.

They were ruling in the Saint Harbro.

In other words, they had about 70 seats in the Jewish council

and yet they denied the resurrection.

In Matthew 22 verse 23, it says the same day the Sadducees came

Matthew 22:23

to him who say there is no resurrection.

So Jesus himself encountered people in his own day who did

not believe in the in the resurrection church.

The resurrection is the most thing, most important truth that

you will ever hear, because the resurrection changes everything.

Without the resurrection of Christ, we have no gospel, we

have no salvation, we have no hope, we have no eternal life.

Without the resurrection, there is no reason for us to gather

this morning here. We ought to close shop and go

home. Without the resurrection of

Christ we will face the wrath of God, because the death of Christ

did not satisfy the wrath of God.

The propitiation was simply not enough.

Without the resurrection we have no Holy Spirit, for He must go

and the Holy Spirit must come. So without the resurrection we

have no Holy Spirit, and without the resurrection we have no High

Priest who prays on our behalf. Without the resurrection,

Christianity is simply a dead and cold religion.

The implications of the resurrection are massive for the

Church of God. Without the resurrection, we are

simply wasting our time and I should not be standing behind

this pulpit. The reason for that is if Christ

has not been raised, we are simply worshipping a dead hero.

But the Apostle Paul is going to argue as to why the resurrection

is imported. In other words, what is Paul's

attitude towards that? What would Paul say to the

people of his day who also some of them doubted because we read

in verse 12 of First Corinthians 15.

Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can

some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead?

In other words, there are others at church at Corinth who are

doubting the resurrection of Christ and of course likely

being influenced by the many philosophies and the religious

myth of the day within the Greek culture.

And because of that, they also denied the afterlife.

And the apostle Paul is going to give a well structured A

detailed argument as to why we ought to affirm the bodily

resurrection, but also its implication for our

glorification. And that's what he's going to do

in this few verses. And he's going to do that under

for headings or for ways in which he argues for this, not

just the first argument the Apostle Paul gives as to why we

ought to believe in the resurrection.

He does that in verses 1, verses 2, and verses 3.

And, and, and, and, and I love this because the first thing the

Apostle Paul does, before he addresses the actual

resurrection, the first thing he does, he shows us that the

resurrection itself is part of the Gospel.

He says, Now I remind you, brothers, the Gospel I priest to

you which you have received, in which you stand, by which you

are being saved, and you hold fast to the word I priest you

unless you believe in vain. And he concludes in verse 4A he

was raised on the third day. And so the argument of the

apostle Paul is that the the resurrection is part of the

gospel. In other words, there is no

regeneration, there is no conversion, there is no

salvation without the resurrection.

That's his point today that man cannot be saved if Christ

remains in the grave. So you cannot separate then the

our conversion from the resurrection.

First Peter one in fact the Zorba ready this passage this

morning in our prayer meeting. First Peter 1/3 Praise be to the

God the Father follow Jesus Christ in his great mercy.

He has given us new birth into a living hope through the

resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Again, the author connects the resurrection of Christ to our

salvation or to our conversion. Because through the resurrection

only Jesus Christ gives us new life.

Not only new life, He gives us New Hope.

And so if one claims to be a Christian, they ought to affirm

the resurrection. Why?

Because you cannot be saved without it.

If there is no resurrection, you are remaining in your sins this

morning. Without the resurrection, we are

all dead, doomed, and we are all damned.

And so the apostle Paul says, I want you to know that your

conversion story is because of the resurrection.

The second thing it says to them.

For I delivered to you of first importance what I also received,

that Christ died your sins in accordance to the Scriptures.

Not as the apostle Paul is going to argue for the resurrection,

but he argued for the resurrection by first showing

that Jesus indeed did die. Because if Jesus did not die,

you cannot argue for the resurrection because he simply

did not die. But the Apostle Paul wants to

argue that Jesus did die. Jesus, as you know, the story in

the Gospels, he went through flogging, he was beaten

brutally, his flesh was removed, He was bleeding profusely, He

was hungry, he was dehydrated. They spat on him, they

blasphemed him. And as you know, as he is on the

cross, they have a a professional executioner to be

there to ensure that Jesus is declared dead.

They want to make sure, and that's why they have that

particular individual there who will have a spear.

And the biblical text tells us that they did put a spear on his

side. Blood and water came out which

punctured his heart to, to, to guarantee beyond the shadow of a

doubt that indeed Jesus is dead. They wanted to make sure that he

is dead. It was a painful death.

It was a form of humiliation and Jesus breathed his last breath

and he would say to the Father fuck to you I commit my spirit.

Isaiah 700 years before Christ, he would prophesied that, but he

was pierced for our transgressions.

He was crossed for our iniquities.

The punishment that brought us peace was on him.

By his wounds we are healed and that prophecy is fulfilled.

Matthew 27 verse 50. And when Jesus had cried out

Matthew 27:50

with a loud voice, he yelled up his spirit.

John 1930 When Jesus had received the Summer Wine, he

said it is finished. He bowed his head and gave his

spirit. Church Paul wants us to know

Jesus died. John Piper puts it this way.

Commenting on the cross of Christ, he writes the following.

Not just death, death by betrayal, death by abandonment,

death by denial, and death by torture.

Jesus died. Therefore, suppose said, I want

to prove to you that indeed Jesus died, and then he tells us

the reason as well. He did not just that he died and

there's a reason why he died. He tells us what's the reason he

died for your sins, for your sins.

It would be our sin that would take the Son of Man to the cross

and that he would face the wrath of God on our behalf.

It is because our sin is waiting.

The justice of God must be satisfied, and the only way to

satisfy the justice of God was through a perfect lamp.

And Jesus becomes that lamp that will meet all of the

requirements of the Old Testament sacrifice, that

shadow, that picture of a perfect and unblamished Lamb.

He would become that on our behalf.

So the apostle Paul said, I want you to know that Christ died,

but he died as a substitute, taking upon himself what we

rightly deserved. He grounds his argument that the

gospel, that the gospel is, is is faved or grounded in the

resurrection of Christ #2 He reminds us that Jesus died.

Thirdly, he not only died, the Apostle Paul says not just verse

four, he says he was buried and he was raised on the third day.

According with the Scriptures as you know as you read the Gospel

that Jesus is taken off the cross and they take his body to

be prepared for the burial. Matthew 2627 writes the

following. In the evening approach there

came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph who was who had

himself become the disciple of Jesus going to pilot.

He asked for Jesus body and pilot ordered that he be given

to him. Now Matthew gave us a detail

that Mark. Perhaps he does not give but

gives a different one. The first thing Matthew give

tells us is that he was the disciple of Jesus Christ, but

also he was of course a rich and a wealthy guy.

Mark gives us another detail which I think is important.

Mark gives this detail that Joseph Aramathea respected

member of the council. In other words, he was part of

the Saint Hunter and he was part of the perhaps had one of the 70

seats in the council, but who was himself looking for the

Kingdom of God, took courage and went to pilot and asked for the

body of Jesus. So this man who is a prominent

member of the council, this man who is rich, who is well known,

perhaps someone who is well known in the 1st century, is the

one who takes the body of Jesus Christ to show that indeed Jesus

again is dead, but also that Jesus will be buried.

He's not only dead, but Jesus will be buried, theologian and

medical doctor Martin Lord Jones writes the following.

You may look at a body that appears to be dead, but if there

is no doubt or query, you do not bury it until we are absolutely

certain that death has taken place.

The reason Jesus must be buried is because he is dead, and so

he's not only dead, but also he is buried.

Burial in the sense is the absolute proof and evidence that

Jesus is dead in the fullest sense of the term.

It is not merely a suspension of life, but death itself.

So this is proof that indeed Jesus had died.

So the apostle Paul says he had died, but also he was buried as

well. And the third, the other thing

Paul is going to show, it says I want to prove to you again that

Jesus has been raised to life. He's saying, I want to give you

another evidence from verse 5 to verse 8.

And the kind of evidence that the apostle Paul is going to

give here is the whole historical account of the

witnesses to the resurrection. Notice the first person who has

been called up, it is Cephas. In other words, it is Peter.

It's going to be. Now I want you not to be

confused. And often, you know, we call him

Peter and we call him Cephas. But Cephas mainly is, is in

Aramaic. But when talk about Peter that

often is in Greek. So it's called here Cephas using

the Aramaic that is dead. But we also have to 1st ask the

question here as we look at Cephas, but also as we look at

the 12th. Now there are a few questions we

ought to ask here because at this point in time Judas had

died. Judas is dead and yet the

apostle Paul is saying he appeared to the 12th.

So who is the 12th? Because Judas is dead.

And we know that Matthias is only chosen after the after the

ascension of Christ. So why would the apostle Paul

says 12 or not 11? Because at this point there are

only 11 disciples, not 12 disciples.

Judas is gone. Matthias has not been chosen as

yet. And yet the apostle Peter Paul

rather says we appeared to the 12 disciples.

It is often important to note the words in the Bible.

Now we must always understand that the word 12 in the Bible,

sometimes it simply means a designated title, not a

numerical number or a numerical count.

So when the apostle P Paul here is saying 12, it doesn't mean

literally that there are 12 disciples that Jesus appears to

you because there are only 11, but rather a title that was

given to a designated group. And in this case, the disciples

were known as the 12. So even if you were to see 10

disciples, people would say, hey, this one is part of the 12

even though there's only 10 disciples.

So 12 does not mean 12 in this case because there are only 11

disciples. So there is example in first in

in John 2024 where it says, but Thomas one of the 12.

So the 12 does not mean that there are 12, but it just means

that it is a a designated title that is given to a specific

group and it's given to the disciples.

But there are only 11 of them at this point in time because we

know from Mark 16 for Jesus appeared to the E to the 11 as

they were eating. He rebuked them for their lack

of faith and their stubbornness, refusal to believe those who had

seen him after he had risen. But the apostle Paul chooses

simply to use a designated type. But also then he appears to

Peter. He appears to Cephas as well,

the one who denied him. And he said Jesus appeared to

him. What a way, or it's such a

beautiful way. God shows his grace and love to

the one who has denied him, and he appears to him.

And so Paul says, I wanted to show you that there are those

who have seen Jesus after the resurrection.

He says Cephas saw him, the 12 saw him.

In other words, the 11 saw him. But he says that's not enough.

I also want to show you that he appeared to more people as well

and not just in verse 6, he says, and then he appeared to

more than 500 brothers at one time, most of whom are still

alive. Jesus is life on earth after the

resurrection. We know it was about 40 days.

And the apostle Paul says, I want to prove to you that indeed

he was raised to life. He appeared to more than 500

people. He appeared to large crowd.

Jesus was not hiding. And he says to them, listen,

some of them are dead, that some of them are alive.

You can go in and ask them about the resurrection.

They will indeed testify that Jesus has been raised from the

dead. What wonderful evidence is that?

I think you can dispute it. Maybe if it's one or two people,

I don't know if you can, you can dispute.

I don't know how many were still alive at this point in time, but

surely perhaps because a lot of them were still alive.

And poster Paul says go and ask them.

They will tell you he is raised from the dead.

Says that's, that's that's the evidence.

What else do you need? He appeared to see this.

He appeared to the 12th. He appeared to 500 people.

And the apostle says maybe that's not enough for you.

I'll give you more evidence to show you this resurrection of

Jesus Christ. He says he also appeared to

James and to all the apostles. Quite interesting.

Quite interesting that in verse 6.

So in verse 5 he uses the word that he appeared to the 12.

But in verse 7 he said he appeared to all the apostles.

I love the language there because it does mean something

slightly different. But also he appeared to James.

Now James is the half brother of Jesus.

Jesus had four brothers. So Jesus was not just James

Jesus according to the scriptures he had about four

brothers. But really we know two of his

brothers James. And who knows?

And who was other Jesus brother? Was Jude was his brother Jude

the one who writes the book of Judah's Jesus brother?

So James and Jude are Jesus brother.

And we also know according to the biblical text, that Jesus

also had sisters. He had brothers, four brothers.

We know they were four. We also know he had sisters.

I'm not going to tell you the number because the number of the

sister doesn't come from the text.

It comes from reading other additional sources.

So I won't give you that because it's not in the Bible.

But he had about four brothers, Jude and George.

The interesting thing about Jude and James, it says here he

appeared to James, is that James and Jude, we assume that did not

believe in the resurrection. In other words, when Jesus was

still on earth, they did not affirm his divinity.

They did not affirm that he was God or he was the Saviour, the

anointed one. For it says, I want to read to

you in Matthew 7, verse three, he says, so his brothers said to

him, leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see

the words that you're doing Now verse 7, verse 5 says this is

important. Not even his brothers believed

in Him. So we know in Jesus's earthly

ministry, his brothers did not affirm His divinity, nor affirm

that indeed He was the anointed one.

In fact, as you read other passages, it seems that some of

his family was annoyed by him and what Jesus was doing.

They did not believe his rose from the dead.

They did not believe He was God or He was the Messiah.

But yet we read in the biblical text that now Jesus appears to

his own half brother. He appears to James.

I'm not sure how many of you would worship your own brother.

You definitely have to be convinced of the evidence that

he is what he says he is for you to give your life to your own

brother. Obviously Jesus was the older

brother. We know that probably James.

George was the younger brother, but James is convinced to such

an extent, they are convinced of this resurrection, that James

and Jude become church leaders. They lead churches, both of

them. They write books in the New

Testament, the book of James and the book of Jude.

They become prominent leaders in the early church and pastoring A

prominent church in Jerusalem. We know that from the book of

Acts and the apostle Paul says, do you want evidence that this

guy has been been raised to life?

I want you to know that his own brother and his own family

actually worships him. Now, when Jude opens up his

book, he writes the following Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ

and brother of James to those who are called beloved in God

the Father and kept for Jesus Christ.

What a wonderful way for James to open up that book.

He's not only my brother, but in fact I am a servant of my

brother because indeed my brother has been raised to life.

The King of kings, Lord of Lords, seated at the right hand

of the father. The half brother worships the

Big Brother because the Big Brother is divine and he is who

he claims he is. And so the apostle forces, I'll

give you that evidence. His own family worships him, he

says. Lastly, I want to give you the

last evidence in verse 8 and verse 9.

Last of all, as to untimely born.

He appeared also to me, for I am the least of the apostles

unworthy to be called an apostle because I persecuted the Church

of God. Paul, who was a persecutor of

the church, radically, radically transformed by the grace of God.

For we know in Acts 9 verse 9, it says, so why are you

Acts 9:9

persecuting me? Why are you persecuting me?

Because whoever persecutes my people is persecuting me so.

So why are you persecuting me? And when the eyes of Paul, the

spiritual eyes of Paul, are open to this truth, this realization

that the Savior is speaking to him, and the Savior tells him to

go, He is commanded to go. He says, but rise and enter the

city, and you'll be told what you ought to do.

And I love the words of the apostle Paul that I am least of

the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle.

That's the power of the resurrection.

It looks for unworthy people. Paul, one who persecuted the

church that perhaps would have been written off by many people

as one who would not come to fight.

And yet he's the one who received the grace of God.

Church, No one is beyond the grace of God.

No one is beyond salvation. Moses as a murderer was not

beyond salvation. Gideon as a coward was not

passed by by the grace of God. He received the grace of God.

The grace of God is for unworthy people.

All of us, as we stand here this morning singing those wonderful

songs and, and sitting here this morning, we ought to remind

ourselves that when we came to Jesus, we came as unworthy

beings. For there was nothing good in

us. There was nothing attractive in

us. We are wretched sinners.

That's what we are. And yet just like the apostle

Paul, we have received the grace of God.

We did nothing to deserve it. We did nothing to earn it.

And yet God gave us this wonderful grace drew us to

himself and we experienced that resurrection power to such an

extent that the apostle Paul as he shares his resume in in

Philippians chapter 3 saying from the tribe of Benjamin, from

Philippians 3 · chapter mention

a Hebrew of Hebrews, according to the law, a Pharisee, He says,

now I, I have gained Christ. I consider all of those things

rubbish that I may gain Christ and be found in Christ order to

experience the very resurrection of Christ.

The resurrection of Christ is for unworthy people.

And so the Apostle Paul as he gives his resume, he says I too

was not worthy and yet I experience the grace of God

towards me. And so the apostle Paul's point

is this, as he shows this argument, he's saying if you

don't believe exhibit one, maybe you may believe 2.

If you don't believe 2, maybe you may believe three.

He gave this argument to shows that indeed Jesus has been

raised from the dead. But he argues then furthermore

that if Jesus has not been raised from the dead, they are

dire implications. Notice those implications from

verse 14 to verse 19. And if Christ has not been

raised from the dead, then our preaching is in vain and your

faith is futile. And if we even found to be

misrepresenting God because we testify about God that he had

been, that he raised Christ whom he did not raise.

If it is true that the dead are not raised, and if Christ has

not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your

sins. Verse 18, then those who have

fallen asleep in Christ have perished.

Verse 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life, we are all

people mostly to repeated. So he's saying if Christ has not

been raised, that's what's going on.

In other words, if Christ has not been raised from the dead,

you are still in your sins. You do not hope.

We don't do not have hope for the final resurrection.

Our preaching is useless and our preaching is in vain, and our

preaching is futile. He says if Christ has not been

raised, those who have fallen asleep will are not sharing

eternity with him. But because Christ is raised,

your preaching is not futile. So I want to say to us in

closing this morning as we consider and process and reflect

on this resurrection, what it means to us.

And so this morning, if you're feeling weary as a Christian, if

you're feeling exhausted as a Christian, when I say to you,

Christ, he is risen. If you are grieving this morning

and morning, this morning I want to say he is reason.

If you're feeling lonely this morning, He is reason.

If you're feeling unsure about tomorrow and doubting your

faith, He is reason. If you doubt His love this

morning, if you doubt His Shepherd in care this morning,

he is reason. To the one who is weak, to the

one who is weary, to the one who is discouraged this morning, He

is reason. And because of that, we have

hope, eternal hope of victory over sin and death.

We remember that wonderful old hymn sung by the Methodist

Church. Nothing in my hand I bring

simply to thy cross I cling. Our gracious Lord, we come

before you this morning to thank you for the resurrection power,

to thank you, Lord, for the evidence that the apostle Paul

gives us, the evidence that you appeared, that you were not

hiding, but you appeared. You appeared to Cephas, you

appeared to the 12th, you appeared to James, you appear to

all the apostles of God. They, the wider group of

apostles, you appeared to them, but also, Lord, you appeared to

the 500, perhaps even less. We're not sure, our Lord, we

know that you appeared, but we are also grateful that you

appeared to the apostle Paul himself, who through your

appearance experienced a radical transformation in his life.

And so, Lord, we pray this morning, appear to some of us

here this morning, save those who are far away from you.

Lord God, may they see you. May they know that you are one

who is alive, the one who's reigning and ruling, the one we

love to serve, the one we have given our lives to.

And so, Lord, we pray that appear to those this morning who

may be doubting, who may be seeking, We say, please Holy

Spirit, appear to them as well.