easter sunday – gospel illustration john 20:1-9 – resurrection doubts

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Why is it thought incredible? From: Morgan, R. J. (2000). Real stories for the soul Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

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Why Should It Be Thought Incredible?

Why is it thought incredible?From: Morgan, R. J. (2000). Real stories for the soul Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Whatever our philosophy or theology, everyone has moments when we doubt our beliefs and believe our doubts. Even Christians occasionally ask, Is the Gospel really true? Anticipating that, Jesus gave us a massiveamount of evidence for the authenticity of His resurrection and provided many infallible proofs that He had indeed risen bodily from the grave (Acts 1:3). It reassures us that these proofs have convinced even the most skeptical.

Albert L. Roper was a prominent Virginia attorney, and a graduate of the University of Virginia law school, who eventually became mayor of the city of Norfolk. He once began a thorough legal investigation into the evidence of the Resurrection of Christ, by asking himself the question

Can any intelligent person accept the resurrection story? After examining the evidence at length, he came away asking a different question: Can any intelligent person deny the weight of this evidence in support of the Resurrection?

Frank Morison also set out to disprove the Resurrection of Christ.He was an English journalist who viewed Christianity as a collection of mythical stories, he decided that if he could prove that Christs resurrection was a myth, he could discredit all of Christianity.

Not only was he unable to disprove the resurrection, but he was also compelled to become a Christian himself.And his book? It is a powerful argument in favor of the resurrection, called Who Moved This Stone? It is essentially a confession, Morison says, the inner story of a man who originally set out to write one kind of book and found himself compelled by the sheer force of circumstances to write a different kind of book.

Josh McDowell entered university as a young man looking for a good time and searching for happiness and meaning in life. He tried going to church, but found religion boring. He ran for student leadership positions, but was disappointed by how quickly theglamour wore off. He tried the party circuit, but he woke up Monday mornings feeling worse than ever.He noticed a group of students studying the Bible and he became interested in the peacefulness of one of the young ladies in the group.

He asked her why she was so full of peace and joy. She looked him straight in the eye, smiled, and said, Jesus Christ.Oh, for heavens sake, he retorted, dont give me that garbage about religion.She replied, I didnt say religion; I said Jesus Christ.The students invited him to intellectually examine the claims of Christ and the evidence for Christianity. He accepted their challenge, and after much study and research, finally admitted he couldnt refute the proof supporting Christ or Christianity.

Josh was eventually baptized, and his research became the background for his book Evidence That Demands A Verdict.A student asked him, Professor McDowell, why cant you intellectually disprove Christianity?For a very simple reason, replied McDowell. I am not able to explain away a documented event of history -- the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

These stories are but a few of the many times that people have sought to destroy Christianity and the Christian belief in the Resurrection of Christ.In their effort to debunk Christianity their objections led them to the historic truth.Christ is not only

found in the Bible but also in the historical writings of the times.In Acts 26:8 we hear St. Paul ask the rhetorical question, Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead? This life is not the end, but the beginning of eternity with the Resurrected Christ Jesus.Are you ready?

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