Part of my guest sermon Sunday week from now, since this thread is all over the place:
This morning I'm going to lay out the facts and you can decide what to do with them.
First Jesus was killed. Crucified on a cross after living a life of 33+ years. They took Him down off that cross and wrapped him up in linens totaling 150lbs roughly and stuffed him into a hole in the side of a mountain; can you imagine about 4 feet high and 4 feet wide, shoved him in there and then rolled a rock geologist estimate weighed 1-2 tons. They then placed a Roman Guard unit that's around 16 people that had been trained since they were 12 years old to do one thing. To guard 6 ft of ground against the attack of an entire army. These were mean fellas, and they put 16 of these guys in front of the tomb with one job DON'T LET ANYONE MESS WITH THIS TOMB.
They also put the seal of the Roman Government on it which probably meant it was kind of like two triangles with the points facing each other. Some say that this represented the # of years that the Roman Government was there but what it actually meant was when you saw itthis is federal property. Can you imagine a person seeing this and it signifying that if you mess with this and you'll have Caesar to answer to. 3 days later the rock (whisp) rolled away. The guard unit gone- the body missing. Now how'd it happen. You tell me who Jesus was.
One theorist says I don't believe Jesus was God's son. I think that was a hoax! As a matter of fact what I think happenedand he advanced into what's called "The Stolen Body" theory and this is brilliant. This guy says that the disciplesthis close band of fisherman and tax collectors, ya know, really macho men, came and snuck up on the Roman Guard unit, beat them up, rolled the 1-2 ton stone out of the way snuck in, got the body, got it out of tomb and then got someone to impersonate Jesus in the city, and after doing so they got rid of him and then when knives were put to their throats and they were crucified upside down and told "tell us it's a lie" they said "no, kill us". Now that makes a lot of sense doesn't it, for people to go out and do that.
More than that, even a better theory. People say, no that doesn't make sense but I'll tell you what does make sense and that is Jesus never really died! There's a whole book written about this. That when Jesus was crucified on that cross, and they ran that spear through his side and blood and water poured out it was just a flesh wound! And they took him down, rolled Him up in that linen sealing Him head to toe, stuffed Him into a cold dark hole, sealed up, stale air, no water, no food for 3 days..and He got better.and He nudged the 1-2ton stone out of the way and hopped out, beat up the roman Guard unit and snuck off into town and that's what happened to Him. Now I went to college (haha) I don't buy that.
The best is the "Wrong Tomb" theory. And that's the theory that's been advanced that when they put Jesus in that tomb, sealed Him up.they forgot where they put Him. And they sent those Roman Guards to the wrong tomb. And the Jewish people went to the wrong tomb. Mary and Martha went to the wrong tomb. And that's why they said the tomb was empty. Now none of those make sense.
But then there's a 4th one that makes a lot of sense and that is Jesus Christ was God's son and He came out of the ground miraculously in such a way that it scared nearly to death an entire Roman Guard unit. And that's why this is 2019, based on Jesus Christ around the time of his birth. Now you don't have to believe that this morning.one day, you'll believe it. You don't have to confess Christ today one day you will.the bible says so. My advice is.beat the rush. Do it now because there's going to be a lot of people on that last day who waited to the last minute and I'm not looking forward to seeing my friends, or a teacher or business acquaintance kneeling down on Judgement Day to confess Christ, but it'll be too late. So too will it be for the person who has been baptized into Christ but is living a life of sin. We'll all confess Christ on Judgement Day. Whether we confess Him as Wonderful Savior or as terrible judge, that's our choice this morning.
This morning I'm going to lay out the facts and you can decide what to do with them.
First Jesus was killed. Crucified on a cross after living a life of 33+ years. They took Him down off that cross and wrapped him up in linens totaling 150lbs roughly and stuffed him into a hole in the side of a mountain; can you imagine about 4 feet high and 4 feet wide, shoved him in there and then rolled a rock geologist estimate weighed 1-2 tons. They then placed a Roman Guard unit that's around 16 people that had been trained since they were 12 years old to do one thing. To guard 6 ft of ground against the attack of an entire army. These were mean fellas, and they put 16 of these guys in front of the tomb with one job DON'T LET ANYONE MESS WITH THIS TOMB.
They also put the seal of the Roman Government on it which probably meant it was kind of like two triangles with the points facing each other. Some say that this represented the # of years that the Roman Government was there but what it actually meant was when you saw itthis is federal property. Can you imagine a person seeing this and it signifying that if you mess with this and you'll have Caesar to answer to. 3 days later the rock (whisp) rolled away. The guard unit gone- the body missing. Now how'd it happen. You tell me who Jesus was.
One theorist says I don't believe Jesus was God's son. I think that was a hoax! As a matter of fact what I think happenedand he advanced into what's called "The Stolen Body" theory and this is brilliant. This guy says that the disciplesthis close band of fisherman and tax collectors, ya know, really macho men, came and snuck up on the Roman Guard unit, beat them up, rolled the 1-2 ton stone out of the way snuck in, got the body, got it out of tomb and then got someone to impersonate Jesus in the city, and after doing so they got rid of him and then when knives were put to their throats and they were crucified upside down and told "tell us it's a lie" they said "no, kill us". Now that makes a lot of sense doesn't it, for people to go out and do that.
More than that, even a better theory. People say, no that doesn't make sense but I'll tell you what does make sense and that is Jesus never really died! There's a whole book written about this. That when Jesus was crucified on that cross, and they ran that spear through his side and blood and water poured out it was just a flesh wound! And they took him down, rolled Him up in that linen sealing Him head to toe, stuffed Him into a cold dark hole, sealed up, stale air, no water, no food for 3 days..and He got better.and He nudged the 1-2ton stone out of the way and hopped out, beat up the roman Guard unit and snuck off into town and that's what happened to Him. Now I went to college (haha) I don't buy that.
The best is the "Wrong Tomb" theory. And that's the theory that's been advanced that when they put Jesus in that tomb, sealed Him up.they forgot where they put Him. And they sent those Roman Guards to the wrong tomb. And the Jewish people went to the wrong tomb. Mary and Martha went to the wrong tomb. And that's why they said the tomb was empty. Now none of those make sense.
But then there's a 4th one that makes a lot of sense and that is Jesus Christ was God's son and He came out of the ground miraculously in such a way that it scared nearly to death an entire Roman Guard unit. And that's why this is 2019, based on Jesus Christ around the time of his birth. Now you don't have to believe that this morning.one day, you'll believe it. You don't have to confess Christ today one day you will.the bible says so. My advice is.beat the rush. Do it now because there's going to be a lot of people on that last day who waited to the last minute and I'm not looking forward to seeing my friends, or a teacher or business acquaintance kneeling down on Judgement Day to confess Christ, but it'll be too late. So too will it be for the person who has been baptized into Christ but is living a life of sin. We'll all confess Christ on Judgement Day. Whether we confess Him as Wonderful Savior or as terrible judge, that's our choice this morning.