Author:
Pastor Fred
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Date Posted: 09:02:28 04/20/03 Sun
Thanks Randy!
I hope nobody mind if I put my Easter 2003 Message here in the event you didn't recieve the email.
Many, even professing Christians, believe on Christ, but do they believe Jesus? Do they believe what he said? Do they believe was resurrected and alive today?
What do you believe?
Jesus came to us making an absolute claim that He was God.
He claimed,
"I' am the way"
"I' am the truth"
"I' am the life"
AND He claimed to he would rise from the dead on the third day!
Do you believe him?
There is only one Jesus found on the stage of history. Hardly anybody today attempts to disprove he existed. The fact that Jesus existed is beyond historical dispute.
However what is now disputed are his claims.
Was he the Son of God, the Messiah?
Was he RAISED from the dead?
It boils down to this. Either Jesus an absolute nut and fraud, OR his claims were true and he was exactly who he claimed to be.
Upon this issue of the resurrection is the pinnacle of Christian faith, and as Paul says if Christ were not raised OUR FAITH IS IN VAIN.
What evidence do we have of the resurrection?
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Eyewitnesses and their testimony!
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When Jesus was crucified his disciples were seen in the Bible as a hiding, cowardly, crushed group!
But after the resurrection his Disciples take on a dynamic change. What transformed this cowardly - hiding group of Disciples into people who walked forward with no fear of death to loudly proclaim that Jesus was raised from the dead?
Something happened to them, for after the resurrection they were not the same!
What happened?
They saw the resurrected Jesus! Do you know him as the resurrected Lord, and God? Have you personally as one professing to belong to Christ, settled that Jesus was either a nut or he was ALL he claimed?
Peter, who denied Christ, was arrested and ordered not to preach about the resurrected Christ. But now for some reason he was no longer afraid. He was a changed person, and proclaimed the resurrection. History has it that Peter was crucified upside down on a cross, because he said that he "was not worthy to be crucified like his Lord".
James was beheaded for proclaiming the resurrected Christ. All he had to do is stop preaching and he could have lived a nice little life. But, something happened to James that changed his life. He saw the resurrected Christ!
John was known as son of thunder, because he was selfish, high tempered, fighting with other disciples for the best seats in the Kingdom. Now suddenly this son of thunder becomes the Disciple of Love. What changed him?
Thomas the hardheaded doubting disciple was changed by something! Jesus submitted himself to Thomas's doubt, who then falls on his knees saying "My Lord, My God". Thomas never doubts again and took the Gospel to the Buddhist in India. He never changed his testimony though this would cause him to be cut to pieces by a sword. What transformed him?
Mark was dragged to death in the streets of Alexandria, while Luke was hanged from an Olive tree, and Bartholomew was beaten to death. All the Disciples faced death, persecution and imprisonment for their testimony of the resurrected Christ.
They could have said, they lied and saved themselves! They could have hid, they could have dropped out of site and saved themselves. But this was not the case.
They loudly and boldly proclaimed the Resurrection of Christ! Not one after the resurrection denied Christ ever again, even as they stared death in the face, without fear!
Does this sound like the same disciples before the resurrection?
Do these witneses sound like liars? No!
Something happened that dynamically changed them!
What was it? The man Jesus who died on the cross was resurrected, and ALIVE! They were witnesses who personally saw him, and now knew him as their God!
You don't pay the price that they paid for a lie. The price those witnesses paid is too much for a lie! They paid this price alone. There was no peer pressure. They could have easily said, "We made it up" and saved their lives.
These simple ordinary men either made up the biggest lie in history that stood against the Jewish and Roman authorities, risking their lives to tell the story they made up, being scattered and separated, and put to death for the testimony they held.
Not even ONE of them denied the resurrection, knowing their testimony would lead to their horrible murder. Their words and deeds testify that they saw and knew the resurrected Lord Jesus.
All the claims of Jesus who claims, "never to leave you" ARE TRUE!
What is your testimony of Christ?
Do you know the resurrected Jesus and can say as Thomas "My Lord, My God"?
May we all seek the Living Lord Jesus and have a deep and personal relationship with him.
In Christian Love,
Pastor Fred
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