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Happy Easter, He is Risen
22 Reasons to Celebrate
May you have a wonderful Easter Weekend, celebrating the greatest moment in the history of the world. You all know this, but it's a good reminder about what Jesus did for us.
1. He predicted he would rise from the dead and he did! “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” …when Jesus said “this temple,” he meant his own body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered he had said this, and they believed both the Scriptures and what Jesus had said. Jn 2:19-22
2. Jesus really died and Rose again! But when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead, so they didn’t break his legs. One of the soldiers, however, pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out. John 19:33-34
3. His body was embalmed and then buried. Eyewitness. He brought about seventy-five pounds of perfumed ointment made from myrrh and aloes. Following Jewish burial custom, they wrapped Jesus’ body with the spices in long sheets of linen cloth. John 19:39-40
4. The disciples didn’t expect a resurrection, but Jesus said it.
5. The women saw him first -no first century fiction writer would have written that women saw him first.
6. No one believed it at first, it wasn't expected. “but the story sounded like nonsense to the men, so they didn’t believe it. Luke 24:11
7. The Jews tried to cover it up – Matthew 28, but they couldn't.
Why try to cover up the resurrection if the body is still in the grave? The cover-up and the payoff only make sense if the tomb really was empty.
8. The stone was rolled away - to let people see inside. The stone itself was three to six feet in diameter and weighed two to five tons. the seal on the stone could only be broken by a Roman official. Anyone else caught breaking the seal would be put to death.
9. The angels testified to the resurrection – he is not here.
10. The grave-clothes were still in place - he passed through them. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying apart from the other wrappings. John 20: 6-7
11. The tomb was empty. The disciples, the Jews, and the Romans all knew that the tomb was empty.
12. No one ever found his body. The Jews never produced his body.
13. He appeared to many people. He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. 1 Corinthians 15:5-6
14. He showed his wounds to Doubting Thomas – appeared to Thomas a week later.
15. He ate with the disciples - he is alive. Luke 24:42, 43 tells us that Jesus ate broiled fish in the disciples' presence. A ghost doesn’t eat fish. Neither does a dead man.
16. He stayed with them for 40 days. Acts 1:1-3 by “many infallible proofs.” He stayed long enough to convince all his followers that he had returned from the dead.
17. The disciples were utterly transformed. The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus. Acts 4:13
18. The early Christians all believed he had been raised.
19. The resurrection was the centerpiece of their preaching. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. 1 Cor 15:3-4
20. They died testifying to the reality of the resurrection.
21. For 2,000 years, no one has produced convincing evidence that he didn't conquer death.
22. Today over two billion Christians unite to proclaim that Jesus Christ is alive.
What does this Mean?
It validates everything Jesus said. There is a hell; it is a terrible place for punishment. Jesus is God. He is the only way to heaven. Through faith in Jesus our sins are forgiven. Confess Jesus is Lord and believe in him and you will be saved. He is coming back.
LET HIM CHANGE YOUR LIFE!
Jim Smith
President
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