February 16, 2000
FAMILY BIBLE SERIES:
Focus on the resurrection is proof of a living faith
___Matthew 27:62-28:20
___By Stacy Conner
___First Baptist Church, Muleshoe
___While surfing the channels late one night, I paused to listen to a man claiming to be an apostle.
___During his discussion, he cast aside the biblical litmus test that apostles are witnesses to Jesus' earthly ministry and also the resurrected Jesus in Acts 1 as irrelevant.
___But during his highly informative and imaginative discussion, this "biblical expert" proclaimed that an Easter faith is a misguided faith. "To celebrate Easter is to concentrate upon the states of Jesus' life, instead of the person of Jesus," he said. In West Texas, we have a slang term for that kind of theological distortion, and it refers to "cleaning pigs."("Hog wash" for those unfamiliar with agrarian slang.)
___The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the watershed moment of our faith. Paul proclaims that without the resurrection of Christ from the dead, our faith is entirely in vain (1 Corinthians 15:12-14). Christ's resurrection from the dead is the single most important event in our faith. It is also the most controversial. The resurrection of Jesus makes a claim never made before in history.
___Other stories of supposed resurrections are mythological stories about figures who never existed. People knew Jesus personally. He had been executed publicly. He was buried and following his resurrection was widely seen.
___Matthew makes an attempt to give solid evidence of Christ's resurrection.
___Even though Jesus was dead, the authorities were nervous about Jesus' power. During the crucifixion, an earthquake had struck, the sky turned dark and the veil in the temple was torn into two pieces. Even when he was dying, strange things happened around him. There also were claims of resurrection which spurred authorities to think of grave robbers. Soldiers were dispatched to guard the tomb.
___Two women, who were considered little more than chattel in first century Roman and Jewish circles, were the first to witness the resurrection. If anyone were trying to fabricate a believable story, they certainly would not have chosen two people of low esteem to give credence to a cover up. As witnesses to the resurrection, the truth is reinforced again that the gospel reaches out to those on the fringes of society.
___Matthew gives further testimony to the truth of the resurrection when he notes the empty tomb, the post-resurrection appearance and the fulfillment of predictions. But the greatest testimony to the resurrection of Jesus is the transformed lives of the believers and the call for a world mission.
___It is an Easter faith that gave evidence that the claims of the gospel of Jesus Christ are true. At Jesus' arrest, the disciples scattered like dandelion seeds blown into the wind. After the resurrection, they became bold preachers, full of strength and courage.
___Focusing on the resurrection of Christ is not a sign of a misguided faith; focusing on the resurrection is proof of a living faith!
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