3. The Empty Tomb
• The greatest evidence of Christianity!
– The atheist, agnostic, nor unbeliever can answer
the dilemma of the empty tomb.
– Many ideas have been advanced about the empty
tomb, but all have failed.
– The resurrection of Jesus is the cornerstone of our
faith and hope!
4. Explanations for the Empty Tomb
• The followers of Jesus took the body
– Risk their lives for what they knew to be false?
• The enemies of Jesus stole the body
– Why not produce it at Pentecost, and end it?
• Jesus merely appeared to be dead
– The soldiers thought him to be dead, and buried
him. He still had to roll the stone away, and walk
past the guards unnoticed.
5. The Only Plausible Explanation
• HE AROSE! HE AROSE! HALLELUJAH, CHRIST
AROSE!
– “Why seek ye the living among the dead?”
(Lk.24:5)
– “He is not here; he is risen” (Matt.28:6)
• “Death cannot keep his prey, Jesus, my Savior;
he tore the bars away, Jesus, my Lord”
6. What if there be no resurrection?
• Have you ever stopped to consider if there
were to be no resurrection of the dead?
• Some in Corinth were guilty of teaching that
there was no resurrection.
• They had failed to consider the ramifications
of such teaching.
• Paul calls their attention to some things which
follow if their teaching was correct.
7. IF there is no resurrection from the
dead, THEN we have…
8. An UNRISEN SAVIOR
• If there be no resurrection from the dead,
then we follow a religion that does not bear a
distinguishing mark.
– “then is Christ not risen” (1 Cor.15:13)
– The resurrection sets Christianity apart
– It is not morality, or devotion, or piety
– The Muslim, the Hindu, the Mormon, the Christian
Scientist, etc. follow leaders who are dead and
buried
9. USELESS PREACHING
• If there be no resurrection of the dead, then
preaching loses its effectiveness, it good news
– “then is our preaching vain” (1 Cor.15:14)
– The gospel is comprised of the death, burial AND
resurrection
– 1 Cor.15:1-4
– To take away the resurrection is to take away one
of the central tenets upon which our faith is built
– What news is so good about a dead Savior?
10. An UNFOUNDED FAITH
• If there be no resurrection, our faith has been
built upon a falsehood
– “Your faith is also vain” (1 Cor.15:14)
– We have been building our spiritual houses on the
sand of lies and deception (Matt.7:24-26)
– Our faith is not built upon evidence (Heb.11:1),
but upon a hoax.
11. An UNTRUE TESTIMONY
• If there be no resurrection of the dead, then
the testimony of inspired men CANNOT BE
TRUSTED!
– “we are found false witnesses” (1 Cor.15:15)
– The apostles and faithful saints of the 1st century
were propagating a fraud
– Nothing these men said or wrote would be
credible/believable
12. UNFORGIVEN SINS
• If there be no resurrection of the dead, then
we remain in our sins!
– “ye are yet in your sins” (1 Cor.15:17)
– While Jesus made the sacrifice for our sins, there
would be no one to make the offering in the
presence of God for us.
– The way to God would be closed (Heb.10:19-25)!
13. UNENDING SEPARATION
• If there be no resurrection of the dead, then
our departed loved ones are forever lost to us
– “then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ
are PERSISHED” (1 Cor.15:17)
– Death would prove to be the end of it all
– We would have no hope, no comfort at the
passing of a loved one
– “we are of all men most miserable” (1 Cor.15:19)
14. HE AROSE!
• 1 Cor.15:20
“BUT NOW IS CHRIST
RISEN FROM THE
DEAD”
15. We serve a RISEN SAVIOR!!!
• The resurrection of Jesus is overwhelming
proof of his divinity
– Rom.1:4– “declared to be the Son of God WITH
POWER”
– Acts 1:1-3– “To whom also he showed himself
alive after his passion by MANY INFALLIBLE
PROOFS”
16. Therefore…
- 1 Cor.15:5-8
•
•
•
•
He was seen of Peter, then the 12
He was seen of over 500 brethren at once
He was seen of James, and other prominent Christians
He was seen by Paul
17. Therefore…
• The foundation of our faith, the cornerstone,
is the resurrected Christ
– 2 Pet.1:16– “we have not followed cunningly
devised fables”
– 1 Pet.1:18-25– “who by him do believe in God,
that raised him up from the dead, and gave him
glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.”
18. Therefore…
• Jesus rose to be our Avocate with the Father
I John 2:1-2
“My little children, these things write I unto you,
that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an
advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the
righteous: And he is the propitiation for our
sins: and not for ours only, but also for the
sins of the whole world.”
19. Therefore…
• We have the promise of life beyond this life!
– 1 Cor.6:14– “And God hath both raised up the
Lord, and will also raise us up by his own power”
– Acts 17:30-31– “whereof he hath given assurance
unto all men, in that he raised him from the dead”
– We have hope of a great and glorious reunion
with those who have gone on before!
– 1 Thess.4:13-18– “wherefore, comfort one
another with these words”
