Central Assembly
JOHN: JESUS AMONG US - Resurrection's Questions - Dr. Jim Bradford - April 20, 2025
Locations & Times
Central Assembly
1301 N Boonville Ave, Springfield, MO 65802, USA
Sunday 10:30 AM
* A two-ton stone was somehow moved from the tomb entrance while a Roman guard stood watch.
* A highly disciplined Roman military guard fled their watch and had to be bribed by the authorities to lie about what actually happened.
* The undisturbed grave clothes no longer contained a body.
* Both the Jews and the Romans admitted that the tomb was empty.
* Christ subsequently appeared to as many as 500 witnesses at one time in a variety of situations.
* Because of the low Jewish view of the reliability of women, manufacturers of a resurrection story would never have selected them to be the first witnesses to the fact.
- Josh McDowell, The Resurrection Factor
* A highly disciplined Roman military guard fled their watch and had to be bribed by the authorities to lie about what actually happened.
* The undisturbed grave clothes no longer contained a body.
* Both the Jews and the Romans admitted that the tomb was empty.
* Christ subsequently appeared to as many as 500 witnesses at one time in a variety of situations.
* Because of the low Jewish view of the reliability of women, manufacturers of a resurrection story would never have selected them to be the first witnesses to the fact.
- Josh McDowell, The Resurrection Factor
Luke 7:47b
[Jesus]…whoever has been forgiven little loves little.
[Jesus]…whoever has been forgiven little loves little.
* Have you been forgiven?
JOHN BEAT PETER . . .
Jeremiah 29:13-14a
13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity.
13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity.
* Have you been forgiven?
* What are you pursuing?
* What are you pursuing?
“[On Easter] I always say to my skeptical, secular friends that, even if they can't believe in the resurrection, they should want it to be true. Most of them care deeply about justice for the poor, alleviating hunger and disease, and caring for the environment. Yet many of them believe that the material world was caused by accident and that the world and everything in it will eventually simply burn up in the death of the sun.
“They…care about justice without realizing that their own worldview undermines any motivation to make the world a better place. Why sacrifice for the needs of others if in the end nothing we do will make any difference? If the resurrection of Jesus happened, however, that means there's infinite hope and reason to pour ourselves out for the needs of the world.”
- Tim Keller, The Reason for God
“They…care about justice without realizing that their own worldview undermines any motivation to make the world a better place. Why sacrifice for the needs of others if in the end nothing we do will make any difference? If the resurrection of Jesus happened, however, that means there's infinite hope and reason to pour ourselves out for the needs of the world.”
- Tim Keller, The Reason for God
JOHN BEAT PETER . . .
BUT PETER BEAT JOHN . . .
BUT PETER BEAT JOHN . . .
* Have you been forgiven?
* What are you pursuing?
* What's holding you back?
* What are you pursuing?
* What's holding you back?
2 Corinthians 6:2b
I tell you, NOW is the time of God’s favor, NOW is the day of salvation.
I tell you, NOW is the time of God’s favor, NOW is the day of salvation.
“My Christian conversion has granted me no simplicity. It has complicated all of my relationships, changed how I feel about money, messed up my public persona … Obviously, it's been very beautiful.”
- Nicole Cliffe, "How God Messed Up My Happy Atheist Life"
- Nicole Cliffe, "How God Messed Up My Happy Atheist Life"