Central UMC Lenoir City
The Four E's of Easter
7:30am Sunrise Service (Pavilion) / 9:00am Modern Worship / 11:00am Traditional Worship Helping People to Find and Follow Jesus
Locations & Times
Central UMC Lenoir City Tn
301 Hickory Creek Rd, Lenoir City, TN 37771, USA
Sunday 9:00 AM
Sunday 11:00 AM
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https://www.centralmethodist.com/connectioncardWhat are some of your Easter memories? Perhaps new clothes, church, Easter Lillies, Egg Hunt, Easter brunch. Have you ever wondered what is Easter all about? Some say Easter is just a spring holiday of rebirth, such as the earth is coming to life.
Christianity claims that Jesus rose from the dead. This has huge implications if it is true. It is the lynchpin of the Christian faith. If Christ did not rise, they we are still in our sins.
What is the evidence that Jesus rose from the dead? Dr. Gary Habermas and Lee Strobel have identified four pieces of evidence for the resurrection. It is easier to remember because they each start with E.
Four Evidences for the Resurrection
1) Execution - If Jesus did not die, there is no resurrection. Historians have reported that crucifixion is an agonizing way to die. It is slow, painful and you die from asphyxiation. Romans were experts at crucifixion. There are no reports from the ancient world that someone survived an execution. The American Medical Association indicated that from all evidence from historical and medical sources that Jesus died on the cross.
2) Early - The accounts that Jesus rose from the dead came early after the event. I Cor 15:1-4 is a creed that Paul wrote about roughly 22 years after Jesus death. He received that from the church at Jerusalem and its leaders by no more than six years after Jesus death. That is like a news flash in the ancient world.
3) Empty - The tomb was empty. Three pieces of evidence include the Jerusalem factor, the criterion of embarrassment, and enemy attestation.
The Jerusalem factor says that if the tomb was not empty, it would be highly unlikely that a movement centered on the resurrection started a few weeks in the same location. The criterion of embarrassment sites that if this was a coverup, you would hide embarrassing details. The fact that women, whose testimony was not admissible in court because of unreliability, were the first people who witnessed the resurrection. If this was a coverup, you would have prominent men claim to be the first witnesses.
Lastly, the Jews could have produced the body but they claimed the disciples stole the body. They conceded the case that the tomb was empty. They just needed a story. The best explanation of the evidence is that Jesus rose from the dead.
4) Eyewitnesses - I Cor 15 identifies Jesus appeared to 515 people at one time. He appears to individuals, groups, at day, at night, to skeptics and believers. There are nine ancient sources from the Bible and from outside the Bible that indicate eyewitness testimony.
In addition, the disciples were persecuted and sometimes killed because they experienced the resurrected Jesus. If this was a lie, they certainly would have recanted.
The Verdict
Execution. Early documents. Empty Tomb. Eyewitness testimony. These are persuasive pieces of evidence that Jesus did rise from the dead. If he did rise from the dead, it would be wise to build our lives on his teaching and accept him as the forgiver and leader of our lives.
Jesus resurrection changed people then, changed people now, and can change our lives too. Put your trust and faith in him.
Christianity claims that Jesus rose from the dead. This has huge implications if it is true. It is the lynchpin of the Christian faith. If Christ did not rise, they we are still in our sins.
What is the evidence that Jesus rose from the dead? Dr. Gary Habermas and Lee Strobel have identified four pieces of evidence for the resurrection. It is easier to remember because they each start with E.
Four Evidences for the Resurrection
1) Execution - If Jesus did not die, there is no resurrection. Historians have reported that crucifixion is an agonizing way to die. It is slow, painful and you die from asphyxiation. Romans were experts at crucifixion. There are no reports from the ancient world that someone survived an execution. The American Medical Association indicated that from all evidence from historical and medical sources that Jesus died on the cross.
2) Early - The accounts that Jesus rose from the dead came early after the event. I Cor 15:1-4 is a creed that Paul wrote about roughly 22 years after Jesus death. He received that from the church at Jerusalem and its leaders by no more than six years after Jesus death. That is like a news flash in the ancient world.
3) Empty - The tomb was empty. Three pieces of evidence include the Jerusalem factor, the criterion of embarrassment, and enemy attestation.
The Jerusalem factor says that if the tomb was not empty, it would be highly unlikely that a movement centered on the resurrection started a few weeks in the same location. The criterion of embarrassment sites that if this was a coverup, you would hide embarrassing details. The fact that women, whose testimony was not admissible in court because of unreliability, were the first people who witnessed the resurrection. If this was a coverup, you would have prominent men claim to be the first witnesses.
Lastly, the Jews could have produced the body but they claimed the disciples stole the body. They conceded the case that the tomb was empty. They just needed a story. The best explanation of the evidence is that Jesus rose from the dead.
4) Eyewitnesses - I Cor 15 identifies Jesus appeared to 515 people at one time. He appears to individuals, groups, at day, at night, to skeptics and believers. There are nine ancient sources from the Bible and from outside the Bible that indicate eyewitness testimony.
In addition, the disciples were persecuted and sometimes killed because they experienced the resurrected Jesus. If this was a lie, they certainly would have recanted.
The Verdict
Execution. Early documents. Empty Tomb. Eyewitness testimony. These are persuasive pieces of evidence that Jesus did rise from the dead. If he did rise from the dead, it would be wise to build our lives on his teaching and accept him as the forgiver and leader of our lives.
Jesus resurrection changed people then, changed people now, and can change our lives too. Put your trust and faith in him.
