How Do We Know Jesus Rose From the Dead?

Tom:

This is our Understanding the Scripture segment, we’re in the Book of Acts Chapter 13, we’re going to pick up with Verse 26.This is the apostle Paul on his first missionary journey, and he’s really giving a recap of the history of the Jews.

Dave:

He’s speaking in---it could be a little confusing.He just came from Antioch, the first Christian church, and now it says he’s preaching to a Jewish audience in Antioch, but it’s Antioch of Pisidia, it’s a different Antioch.

Tom:

He says, “Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent.For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every Sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him.Well, we mentioned that in our first segment, Dave.

Dave:

Right.

Tom:

Fulfillment of prophecy, their prophets said this would take place.

Dave:

He’s quite a way from Jerusalem at this point, but the word has gotten around, obviously, and they know what happened.Everyone living at that time knew what happened.So, we’re in the middle of his sermon---I don’t know that he would have called it a sermon---it’s a discourse that he is giving to the Jews in the synagogue and Antioch at Pisidia, and as always how is he preaching Christ, how is he preaching the gospel, what does he have to say to them?He’s not there on a political mission, he’s not there on a do good mission, you know, he’s not trying to change the world, he’s pointing them back to their prophets.We began the first segment with that, that this is the great proof God gives.So, he’s preaching to them out of their own prophets, and that would be the Old Testament, because none of the New Testament had been written at that point.

Tom:
Dave, I want to go back to Verse 23, to tell our listeners how specific Paul is being here.It says:“Of this man’s seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Savior, Jesus.”So there’sno mistaking who Paul is talking about here.Well, picking up with Verse 28, “And though they found no cause of death in him, (that is, Jesus)---

Dave:

And the Jews in Jerusalem.

Tom:

---yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain.”

Dave:

Now Tom, let me interrupt for just a second.The Jews would have stoned Jesus if they could, and they had lost that right somewhere around 7 AD.If you went back to Genesis:49:10The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
See All..., where Jacob, who was a prophet, he gathered his twelve sons together, and he said:Let me tell you what will befall you in the last days, that’s Genesis:49:1And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.
See All....He knew that his descendants would still be all over this world, okay.And then in Verse 10 he says:“The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come.”Well, there was a place called Shiloh, but this is speaking of the Messiah.It’s very clear because it says:“Unto him shall the gathering of the people be” okay.So, the scepter could not depart from Judah until the Messiah came.Well, historians pretty much agree it was around 7 AD that the Jews lost the right to exact the death penalty.They had freedom to practice their religion, Judaism, but to practice Judaism you had to deal with lawbreakers, and the penalty prescribed by the law was stoning.They lost the right to do that, another major fulfillment of a prophecy.Jesus was born, as we know,--- we can’t go back over that---5 AD.Anybody wants to question that, call our 800 number, which I guess Gary will give you, and we’ll be happy to enlighten you about that.Okay, so, what Tom just read, Verse 28 says that the Jews pleaded with Pilate, telling him that Jesus ought to be killed.Remember John 18, they brought Jesus to Pilate, and Pilate said, You take him and judge him according to your law.They said, We can’t, he’s a malefactor, he deserves the death penalty, and of course, they had lost the right.So, very interesting, Tom, I love the Bible---you asked earlier, earlier segment, How did he get born in Bethlehem?Well, I guess that Caesar sent out a decree that all the world should be taxed and you had to go back to your city of origin of your family.How did he get crucified?Well, the Romans had adopted crucifixion as the method that they preferred of executing criminals, and the Jews had lost the right to stone, and so they, as Paul says, well, they asked Pilate:Now Pilate, you’ve got to put this guy to death.So that is why Jesus was crucified.But again, it’s in fulfillment of prophecy.Fantastic, I love it, Tom!

Tom:

Verse 29:“And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulcher.”

Dave:

The tree being the cross.

Tom:

Right.Dave, there’s an interesting fulfillment of prophecy.The scripture says, Cursed any man that hangs on a tree, and he became a curse for us.Back in the Old Testament when God told them to go into the land of the Canaanites and destroy those who were there with kings of the different people groups that were there, they would kill them and then hand them on a tree.

Dave:

Yeah, well, the Bible is fantastic---laid him in a sepulcher, but God raised him from the dead.Now this is exactly as the Bible foretold.Now Tom, we could spend a little time on that verse, Verse 30, God raised him from the dead.What do you mean?I thought he was God!He said, No man takes my life from me, I lay it down of myself---I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again.Well, of course, but he also said, This commandment have I received of my Father.Father, Son and Holy Spirit, one God, three persons and none of them does anything independently.We’re not talking about three Gods, we’re talking about one God three persons, okay.So He is raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, with the Father who accepted the sacrifice He made.But how do we know He was raised from the dead?Tom, I don’t know, I wish we could spend a little time on that but we don’t have any time left.

Tom:

We’ll be back here, Lord willing, next week at the same time, going over these same scriptures.

Dave:

I think we really need to spend a little time on that, because people say, Raised from the dead!Come on!That’s a myth, how do we know that?And we sing the hymn:I know that Jesus lives, because He lives within my heart.Well, that’s wonderful for those of us in whose hearts He is living, but that’s not going to convince an unsaved person.Of course, hopefully, they would see Christ living in us.They would see that we’re different people than they are, we ought to live different lives---By this shall all men know that you’re my disciples because your love one to another, the way we treat one another, and the way we live for our Lord.But that’s not enough, that’s not going to convince other people.Do we have evidence, hard evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ?Indeed, we do!Not just that He lives in my heart, and he has changed me.

Tom:

Which is more than just a spiritual idea, it’s a reality.

Dave:

Right,You see, He had to rise from the dead.Christianity is not a philosophy.It doesn’t matter whether Buddha rose from the dead, or Muhammad or Confucius or any of these people.Jesus had to rise from the dead, He said, Because I live, you will live also.He said that he would rise from the dead, therefore he’s a liar if he didn’t, and Paul said, If Christ isn’t risen from the dead we are all liars, and there’s no hope for you because everything we have is in Christ as our Savior and in his death for our sins and in his resurrection.So, I guess we had better come back and deal with that.