1. The Resurrection Mark 16

2. Mark 16:1-8 …When the Sabbath ended, Mary Magdalene and Salome and Mary the mother of James went out and purchased burial spices to put on Jesus' body. Very early on Sunday morning, just at sunrise, they came to the tomb. On the way they were discussing who would roll the stone away from the entrance to the tomb. But when they arrived, they looked up and saw that the stone—a very large one—had already been rolled aside.

3. Mark 16:1-8 So they entered the tomb, and there on the right sat a young man clothed in a white robe. The women were startled, but the angel said, "Do not be so surprised. You are looking for Jesus, the Nazarene, who was crucified. He isn't here! He has been raised from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body. Now go and give this message to his disciples, including Peter: Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you before he died!"

4. Mark 16:1-8 “The women fled from the tomb, trembling and bewildered, saying nothing to anyone because they were too frightened to talk.” l Unnerved! l Terrified! l Lives changed forever!

5. The Resurrection: No Trite Event l Not Easily Dismissed l Not a “Vision” l Not just once! l Not a “Ghost” l Not Resuscitated l It IS: a Tangible, Physical, Bodily Resurrection Acts 1:1-3 After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them Acts 1:3-4 (NIV) “Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it's really me. Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost, because ghosts don't have bodies, as you see that I do!” – Luke 24:39 (NLT) Knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. Romans 6:9 (NASB-U) [17] Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king. 1 Peter 2:17 (NASB-U) [19] That evening, on the first day of the week, the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! "Peace be with you," he said. John 20:19 (NLT)

6. The Historical Evidence l The Strongest Historical Evidence by Ancient Standards “Taking all the evidence together, it is not too much to say that there is no (ancient) historic incident better or more variously reported than the resurrection of Christ. Nothing but the... assumption that it must be false could... suggest the idea of deficiency in the proof of it.” B. F. Westcott, cited by Paul Little in Know Why You Believe (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1971), p. 30. “The appearances of the (resurrected) Jesus are as well authenticated as anything in antiquity...” Michael Green, The Empty Cross of Jesus (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1984), p. 97.

7. The Historical Evidence l The Strongest Historical Evidence by Ancient Standards l A Preponderance of Eyewitnesses n Different people, different events, multiple books and authors: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, 1 Corinthians, 1 Peter, Acts, 1 Peter n Maintained their stories to their deaths n Early Written Accounts (1 Cor.15:3,4) n Authenticity in the Details (Mk.15:43) “The earliest evidence we have for the resurrection almost certainly goes back to the time immediately after the resurrection event is alleged to have taken place…” John Drane, Introducing the New Testament (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1986) p.99 [Quoted in Strobel, p.235] Joseph of Arimathea came, a prominent member of the Council, who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God; and he gathered up courage and went in before Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. Mark 15:43 (NASB-U) "Given the early Christian anger and bitterness toward the Jewish leaders who had instigated the crucifixion of Jesus…it is highly improbable that they would have invented one who did the right thing by giving Jesus an honorable burial-especially while the rest of Jesus' disciples deserted him…” – William Lane Craig, PhD, ThD quoted by Strobel, p.210

8. The Historical Evidence l The Strongest Historical Evidence by Ancient Standards l A Preponderance of Eyewitnesses l The Tomb Was Empty! After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; 1 Cor. 15:6 (NASB-U) “Hallucinations are individual occurrences. By their very nature only one person can see a given hallucination at a time. They certainly aren't something which can be seen by a group of people. Neither is it possible that one person could somehow induce an hallucination in somebody else...” Strobel, p.238-9

9. The Historical Evidence l The Strongest Historical Evidence by Ancient Standards l A Preponderance of Eyewitnesses l The Tomb Was Empty! l How Else to Explain the Growth of Christianity?

10. The Impact of the Resurrection l The Proof that Christ Paid for Our Sins If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 1 Corinthians 15:17 1 Corinthians 15:17 Jesus was delivered up because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification. Romans 4:25

11. The Impact of the Resurrection l The Proof that Christ Paid for Our Sins l New Life Here and Now! Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. Romans 6:4 (NASB-U)

12. The Impact of the Resurrection l The Proof that Christ Paid for Our Sins l New Life Here and Now! l Great Expectations for Eternity Future! “Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep” 1 Corinthians 15:20 n Christianity is the only major world religion with a view of the afterlife based on a concrete historical event.

13. The Impact of the Resurrection l The Proof that Christ Paid for Our Sins l New Life Here and Now! l Great Expectations for Eternity Future! l Delivered from the Fear of Death! [He died to] free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. Hebrews 2:15 (NASB-U)

14. “The earliest evidence we have for the resurrection almost certainly goes back to the time immediately after the resurrection event is alleged to have taken place…” John Drane, Introducing the New Testament (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1986) p.99 [Quoted in Strobel, p.235] Strobel, p.238-9 Hallucinations are individual occurrences. By their very nature only one person can see a given hallucination at a time. They certainly aren't something which can be seen by a group of people. Neither is it possible that one person could somehow induce an hallucination in somebody else. Since an hallucination exists only in this subjective, personal sense, it is obvious that others cannot witness it.

15. Strobel, p.210 l "Given the early Christian anger and bitterness toward the Jewish leaders who had instigated the crucifixion of Jesus…it is highly improbable that they would have invented one who did the right thing by giving Jesus an honorable burial-especially while the rest of Jesus' disciples deserted him! They wouldn't make up specific member of a specific group, whom people could check out themselves and ask about this.” – William Lane Craig, PhD, ThD quoted.

16. Acts 1:3-4a (NLT) During the forty days after his crucifixion, he appeared to the apostles from time to time and proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. On these occasions he talked to them about the Kingdom of God. In one of these meetings as he was eating a meal with them, he told them…