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A decent number of people have asked about any notes I might have on the Reasons to Believe series. I thought I would go ahead and compile them into a blog, in case anyone needed to refer back to them. We will begin with the first message in the series, which is The Resurrection, preached on Resurrection (Easter) Sunday.

 

There is a lot of information here, so bullet points or notes might be best or there would be numerous pages to go through. These notes follow along with the sermons, so they are best explained if you are able to listen to the messages with them. They can be found at:

www.youtube.com/@fbcwortham-texas

www.fbcwortham.com/podcasts/media

 

Remember, the series was necessary for two reasons:

- To build our confidence in the reliability of God’s word
- To have answers for those that might question the Bible’s authority

Overall, as Christians, we need to be able to provide answers for our faith (1 Peter 3:15). In apologetics, they say to be a rock in the shoe of the skeptic.

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Reasons to Believe: The Resurrection


1 Corinthians 15 : 3 - 4


1 Corinthians 15 : 3 - 4

3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 

4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures…

 


3 Reasons to believe in the Resurrection


1. Empty Tomb


Mark 16 : 5 - 6

5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.
6 But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him.

 


2. Eyewitness Accounts


After Jesus rose from the dead, He was out walking, talking to people, and eating food. He spoke to or was seen by many, including over 500 people at one time.


1 Corinthians 15 : 6 - 8

6 …He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep.
7 After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles.
8 Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.

 


3. Disciples Transformed


Example

Acts 2 : 14

…Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words."

 

All of Christianity depends on the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Without it, we just have another sad, dead religion with another dead religious leader. No one had been able to dispute the logical evidence surrounding the Resurrection, though.

Skeptics used to argue and use different alternate therories. None of them were sustainable, however. Many of them now just shrug it off and say, "A resurrection is impossible." Instead, they choose to believe the universe began with a spec smaller than dust and exploded (on it own), resulting in what we have now.

The truth is, non-believers have ever been able to reasonablly explain the Resurrection. They can't reasonablly explain the empty tomb, all of the eye-witness accounts of those seeing Him alive afterward, and how a group of scared disciples were simultaniously transformed into bold witnesses for Jesus.

God doesn't expect us to have blind faith. We can have a faith based on evidence. He has given us many reasons to believe in His word. We can trust it and we can trust Him.