04-16-17 THE EMPTY TOMB

Scripture 1 Corintihians 15:12-23

READ: The Case for Christ p 218 bottom - 219

If the tomb isn’t empty, and if Jesus isn’t alive again and still…Christianity is false!

1 Corintihians 15:12-23 But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 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 to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.

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Your Christian belief is not just believing that Jesus was raised from the dead – it is believing that the dead can be raised. It is believing that you can be raised from the dead. If you are like me and you hear of a television faith healer raising someone from the dead – you are skeptical and don’t believe it. Can you not believe a charlatan but still believe the possibility of resurrection? I do! I had a grandmother who claimed Christian faith but was terrified of death – would not look at a cemetery while riding past one in the car and almost didn’t get out of the car for my grandfather’s graveside funeral service. If we believe Jesus was raised from the dead we must also believe that we too, can be raised from the dead.

All of that begins with believing that resurrection itself is possible, second and most important, that Jesus was raised, and third, that we can be raised from the dead and leave behind our own empty tomb.

What if you have been dead for 4 days like Lazarus? Start to smell – what about 4 years? 400, 4000? There is likely no physical trace left. Then who or what is raised? The Jews believe that all that was needed were the bones of a person – therefore the story in Ezekiel about the valley of dry bones that God raises and amasses into a fully living army of people. We will come back top “What” is raised from the dead. Let’s see who was raised according to the bible:

The widow of Zarephath’s son (1 Kings 17:17–24). Elijah the prophet raised the widow of Zarephath’s son from the dead.

The Shunammite woman’s son (2 Kings 4:18–37). The prophet Elisha raised the Shunammite woman’s son from the dead.

(2 Kings 13:20–21). Elisha is connected with another resurrection that occurred after his death. Sometime after Elisha had died and was buried, some men were burying another body in the same area. The grave diggers saw a band of Moabite raiders approaching, and, rather than risk an encounter with the Moabites, they threw the man’s body into Elisha’s grave. Scripture records that, “when the body touched Elisha’s bones, the man came to life and stood up on his feet”

The widow of Nain’s son (Luke 7:11–17). This is the first of the resurrections that Jesus performed.

(Luke 8:52–56). Jesus also showed His power over death by raising the young daughter of Jairus, a synagogue leader.

Lazarus of Bethany (John 11). The third person that Jesus raised from the dead.

(Matthew 27:50–53). When Jesus died, “the earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open”. “the bodies of many holy people . . . were raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people” and became witnesses in Jerusalem of the life that only Jesus can give.

(Acts 9:36–43). Dorcas, was a believer who lived in the coastal city of Joppa. Her resurrection was performed by the apostle Peter.

Eutychus (Acts 20:7–12). was raised from the dead by the apostle Paul.

Jesus was raised by God the Father

If these were raised, then we can be raised but the same power that raised Jesus. But all of these had only been dead a few minutes to a few days. What about someone like the apostle Paul – surely his body, including his bones no longer exist. How will he be raised?

1 Cor 15:35-57

But someone may ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?" How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. All flesh is not the same: Men have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.

So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.

If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven.

I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

LOOK: Matthew 28:1-20; Mark 16:1-20; Luke 24:1-49; John 20:1-21:25 all give testimony to the FACT that the tomb where Jesus’ dead body was laid, was vacant 3 days later because it was not his tomb, it was merely an AirBandB – he had not purchased it, he was only renting for the short term. You may purchase a cemetery lot, a crypt in a mausoleum, or have your ashes spread over a mountain or a great Lake, but the truth for the followers of the way the truth and life – Jesus - is that you are only there temporarily – you will be raised with a new body designed to live in heaven forever. In John 11:25-26 The Christ who was to be raised said this: "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

The tomb of Jesus is empty because Jesus still lives and so can you? Do you believe this?

I am the resurrection and the Life

CHORUS:
I am the resurrection (clap) and the life; (clap clap clap clap)

He who believes in me will never die. (clap / clap clap)