Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead?

1. 0:00 Good morning, my name is Luke Drake, and today I'll be reading the scripture that comes from 1 Corinthians 15, 1-11. Please rise for this reading of scripture. Now, I will remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved.
2. 0:18 If you hold fast to the word I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you, as of first importance, what I also received, that Christ died for our sins, in accordance with the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day, in accordance with scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and to the twelve.
3. 0:40 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time. Most of whom who are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.
4. 0:56 Then he appeared to James, and to the apostles. Last of all, as to one ultimately born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of these apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
5. 1:11 But by the grace of God, I am what I am, and his grace towards me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preached, and so you believed.
6. 1:28 You may be seated. If the tomb is empty, anything is possible.
7. 1:49 Not just spiritually possible, personally possible, relationally possible, and eternally possible. And that's why we're starting this new series called, What About? Because while it's incredible that Jesus rose from the dead, we have to ask ourselves, what difference does that make today?
8. 2:09 And if we could be really honest, we all have questions. What about anxiety? Why are we so stressed all the time? What about suffering? If God's good, then why is the world so broken? What about success?
9. 2:25 Why do we achieve the things we thought we always wanted, and yet still feel empty on the inside? And what about purpose? Why on earth am I even here? These aren't just church questions. These are real-life questions. These are the kind of questions that we ask at 2 a.m., in the hospital, in counseling sessions, on deployment, in silence, and certainly when we're in pain.
10. 2:50 And here's the truth. Before we answer any of those questions, we have to answer this one. What about the resurrection? Because if Jesus didn't rise from the dead, then honestly, none of those questions have good answers.
11. 3:08 But if he did rise from the dead, then the resurrection doesn't just change history. It changes everything. It changes our anxiety, our suffering, our purpose. But even more than that, it can change our past and our future.
12. 3:27 Our past and that our sins can truly be forgiven. Our future and that it can be secure in Christ. So today, we're starting where all of Christianity starts, not with advice, not with religion, not with try harder, do better, do more, but with an event.
13. 3:45 Because if the tomb is empty, anything is possible. Will you pray with me? Heavenly Father, we come before you this morning with honest questions, real burdens, and open hearts. Some of us come with faith. Some of us come with doubts.
14. 4:01 Some of us come carrying anxiety, grief, or just unanswered questions. And Lord, we ask that you would meet us here. Open our eyes to see the truth. Open our minds to understand your word. And open our hearts to believe what is real.
15. 4:17 Holy Spirit, speak clearly, remove distractions, and draw us near to Christ. And for those who are hurting, searching, or just unsure, would you graciously meet them, just like you met Mary and Thomas. In Jesus' name I pray.
16. 4:34 Amen. Well, as we open up our text today of 1 Corinthians 15, in verse 3, right out the gate, we read Paul saying, What I received, I delivered to you as the first important. Now, this is massive, because this is early church creed language.
17. 4:52 This message had already been circulating even before the Gospels had been written. Scholars believe that this creed, which was quoted by Paul, was being circulated no later than three to five years after the resurrection. That's why Christianity didn't just evolve over time.
18. 5:10 It literally exploded onto the scene. And here's what the earliest Christians proclaimed. Christ has died for our sins. Christ was buried. And Christ was risen. That's not advice. That's not philosophy. That's not good news. And here's why it's important.
19. 5:25 Just as Tim Keller stated, if Jesus rose from the dead, then you have to accept everything he said. If he didn't, then you don't have to accept any of it. Now, as we keep going, in verses 3 and 4, we see twice in accordance to the Scripture.
20. 5:42 Now, that matters, because after Jesus rose from the dead in Luke 24 through 27, it says he walked with his disciples and explained to them how all of the Scriptures pointed to himself. Can you imagine that? Jesus explaining to you how every time there was a sacrifice, it was about him.
21. 6:03 Or every time a spotless lamb was offered, it was about him. Or when the Israelites put the blood of the lamb over their doors as they left Egypt, it was ultimately about him. Or when the serpent was lifted up in the wilderness so people could live, it was about him. Or when David wrote, they pierced my hands and my feet, it was all about him.
22. 6:22 When Isaiah said he was pierced for our transgressions, it was all about him. When Jonah spent three days in the belly of the fish, it was all about him. The whole Bible was telling one story, and it was always pointing to Jesus.
23. 6:37 And this shows us that the cross was not plan B. It was the plan all along. So we don't have time to cover every passage in the Old Testament and how it whispers Jesus' name. But I do want to show you one.
24. 6:53 If you turn back here to Genesis chapter 22, we're going to read about a man named Abraham. And here's what's shocking. In verse 2, it says, Now feel that for just a second.
25. 7:09 This isn't abstract. This is his son, his promised son, the one he waited his whole life for. And here is where the story gets crazy. Abraham obeys and takes Isaac. And then in verse 4, they go on a, catch this, three-day journey to Mount Moriah.
26. 7:26 Now, where's Mount Moriah? It's where Solomon built the temple, according to 2 Chronicles chapter 3. It's the region of Jerusalem, the very place where generations later, many sacrifices will be made in the temple, and ultimately, Jesus would be sacrificed.
27. 7:42 Then, something incredible happens in our story. Isaac, in verse 6, carries the wood for the sacrifice up the mountain. They reach the top. Abraham's about to offer his son. At the last moment, God stops him and instead provides a substitute, a ram, to die in Isaac's place.
28. 7:59 Now, does that story sound familiar? An only son who is loved, carrying wood up a hill outside Jerusalem to be sacrificed by his father, and then a sacrificial lamb takes away our sin? You can't make this stuff up.
29. 8:15 You see, Isaac was spared because a substitute was provided. But at the cross, 2,000 years later, in the same location, don't miss that, Jesus was the substitute for us. This is just one example of how every story in the Bible is whispering Jesus' name.
30. 8:35 So, when the Bible says, in accordance to the Scripture, that is what it means. Now, in verse 5, back in our text in 1 Corinthians here, it starts to say, And then he appeared to Cephas. Now, some of you might be thinking, who is Cephas?
31. 8:50 Well, Cephas is actually another name for Peter. It's the same guy. Cephas is the Aramaic name. Peter is the Greek name. Both names mean the same thing. And that's why Jesus gave him the name in the first place, the rock.
32. 9:06 So, he is the original superhero, in case you're wondering. Now, why does Paul use the name Cephas here? Well, because he's using the name that was most familiar in the early church, especially amongst Jewish believers.
33. 9:21 Remember, this message is very, very early. This is close to the source, close to the original language, close to the witnesses. Paul is pointing us to the same Peter, the one who ran to the tomb and who saw the evidence for himself.
34. 9:39 If you want to see this in one of the Gospels, turn to John chapter 20. And here's the word of the Lord. I'm going to read this to you so you get the whole story, and I'm going to break it down for us. Now, on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early while it was still dark and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.
35. 9:58 So, she ran. to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him. So Peter went with the other disciple, and they were going towards the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.
36. 10:18 And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloth lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloth lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded up in a place by itself.
37. 10:39 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed. For as yet they did not understand for the scriptures that he must rise from the dead. We actually have some footage of this scene, and John wanted to make sure in verse 4 and 8 to get one thing right.
38. 10:59 Take a look. We were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter. What? And reached the tomb first. John, why are you writing that for? The other disciple... Yeah, John, you can just say your name. People know it's... ...whom Jesus loved... Okay, we get it. ...reached the tomb first. But John, why do you need to mention you were fast?
39. 11:15 Because it's accurate, Peter. John, I'm an old man. Of course you're going to beat me there. Why are you trying to flex? Hey, do you want me to bear false witness? I can't lie, Peter. I got there first. Just say we got there together. Did I get there first? It doesn't matter. Did I get there first? John, I got there right after you. I got to the tomb first. Are you going to deny this as well, Peter? John, I got there right after you. You don't need to go there.
40. 11:31 Peter, listen. You're the rock. You're slower. I got to the tomb first. Let me just write that. Why does it matter? Because the people need to know. Need to know what, John? That I'm faster than you, and I got to the tomb first. John is too funny. And you know, only in his gospel is he known as the disciple whom Jesus loved.
41. 11:47 Bro rule number one, you never get to pick your own nickname, John. Never. All right. So where do we find ourselves? Peter is walking into the tomb. He sees the grave cloth, and then he believes. Now, don't miss this because John is literally slowing down the whole narrative.
42. 12:03 So we see this in verse six and seven. When Peter goes into the tomb, he sees the linen cloth lying there. The face cloth is folded up separately. Now, this might not sound like a big deal to you, but to Peter and John, this was very important.
43. 12:19 Think about it. If someone stole the body, they don't unwrap it first. Jesus was literally a bloody mess. If grave robbers show up, they don't take time to fold the face cloth. They grab it, and they get the heck out of there.
44. 12:35 Nobody commits grand theft Messiah and then tidies up on the way out. Nobody steals a body and then folds the laundry. This is not theft. This is what victory looks like. The tomb does not look like a crime scene. It looks like a departure.
45. 12:51 In verse eight, John tells us when he saw this, he believed. And this is where it gets interesting because for 2000 years, people have been asking what exactly did those burial cloths look like? Well, there's something known as the shroud of Turin.
46. 13:09 It's a linen cloth that some believe could be connected to this very moment we just read about in scripture. I want you to hear from Dr. Jeremiah Johnston, a New Testament scholar and apologist who has done extensive research on the resurrection and the shroud of Turin.
47. 13:24 In this clip with Dr. Frank Turk, author of I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, he makes a case that the mathematical probability of this being Jesus' burial cloth is pretty high. Take a look. Well, we all have to ask the question, who is the crucified man of the shroud?
48. 13:41 Is it Jesus or is it someone else? Well, the crown of thorns leaves it beyond no doubt for me. But when you look at all of it, the side wound, the calcaneus wounds, when you look at the scourging, the flogging, when you look at the abrasions from holding the batibulum, I asked Bruno on film, I said, Bruno, what are the chances this is Jesus of Nazareth?
49. 14:05 He said, oh, Jeremiah, the probability, this is a mathematician, Frank, one in 200 billion, it's anyone other than Jesus of Nazareth. And I said, now I'm from Kansas. So you're saying there's a chance. This is like Lloyd Christmas.
50. 14:20 Like, are you saying there's a chance it's not? I was like, so Bruno, let me just follow up and ask. And I'm almost embarrassed, but now I'm glad I asked this because of his Italian response. I said, so are you saying you believe it's Jesus? And he looked at me like I was an idiot. And he said, how can I not believe?
51. 14:37 The numbers compel me, you know, in a perfect Italian fashion, waving his fists around. I have to believe based on the probability that it's Jesus of Nazareth. Isn't that fascinating? Well, that's something for all of us to consider. I'll mention that our own Dr.
52. 14:53 Kent Keller also posted an excellent blog about the Shroud of Teren on the Christ Church Miami website. So be sure to check that out. It's a short but powerful read. Now, listen, we don't need a shroud to believe in the resurrection, but it does raise a question.
53. 15:08 Did Jesus take the first selfie? No, I'm just kidding. That's not the question. Here's the question. What happened in that tomb that left evidence behind and nobody? And it was so compelling that John and Peter believed from that moment forward.
54. 15:24 Next up in verse six, we read about the witnesses. Now, Paul's appealing to over 500 witnesses. That's courtroom evidence. Eyewitness accounts of the resurrection because hallucinations don't happen in groups of 500.
55. 15:40 Paul goes on to say that most of these witnesses are still alive. That's incredible. Translation, if you don't believe me, just go ask them. What Paul is saying in 1 Corinthians 15 is simply this. If the resurrection didn't happen, Christianity falls apart.
56. 15:56 It's like a door without a hinge. It doesn't work. Christianity without the resurrection does not work. Don't miss this. Paul's building the Christian faith on a historical event. No other religion does that. Since all truth is God's truth, let's take a brief look at history and make a case for the resurrection.
57. 16:15 Now, I'm going to highlight just a few compelling reasons that make a case for the resurrection of Jesus Christ. There are plenty more that we could look at, but I think these will be sufficient for our purposes this morning. It's not going to build a lock tight case, any one point, but all of them together is quite compelling.
58. 16:34 And while a miracle is usually mathematically the least likely explanation, because it's a miracle, I think given all the circumstantial evidence, you'll see that the most probable explanation is in fact that Jesus rose from the dead. Number one, women are our primary witness.
59. 16:51 Let's start with something most people miss. Who were the first people at the tomb? Answer, Mary Magdalene and other women. Now, that might not seem like a big deal to us today, but in the first century, it was a big deal. This was a terrible way to build a story.
60. 17:09 In a culture where women were not considered reliable legal witnesses, their testimony was not even accepted in court. So if you were trying to prove something, you didn't start with them. So think about this. If you're making up a story to convince people, you don't start here.
61. 17:27 You build your case on witnesses that your audience would believe, not that they would already doubt. You'd say, here, respected so-and-so religious leader saw him, or Roman officials saw him, or someone powerful and credible saw him first.
62. 17:44 But that's not what the gospels say at all. All four gospels accounts tell us women were the primary witness at the tomb. They were the first to see the empty tomb, and they were the first to report it. Why did the disciples report it that way?
63. 17:59 Because that's the way it happened. What I'm trying to say is this. This doesn't read like something they invented. It reads like something they recorded. Number two, the empty tomb. Now let's take it one step further.
64. 18:15 Jesus wasn't executed in secret. He was crucified publicly, buried publicly, and everyone knew where the tomb was. So if the body of Jesus is still in that tomb, Christianity ends immediately. Think about it.
65. 18:30 The message the disciples were preaching was simple. He is risen. All the authorities had to do to shut it down was go to the tomb, open it up, and show the body. You don't need an argument if you have a body, but they never produced one because the tomb wasn't full.
66. 18:49 It was empty. Every other major religion, you can go visit the place where their founder is buried. There's a grave. There's a site. There's a body. But in Christianity, there is no grave you can visit that holds Jesus because he's not there.
67. 19:07 He is risen. And over 500 people saw him resurrected. The tomb is empty because Jesus is alive. Number three, the disciples did not expect this. Now, here's something most people don't realize.
68. 19:23 The first followers of Jesus were not expecting a resurrection. The Messiah they expected was a conquering king. When Jesus returns, he will be such. But initially, he came as a suffering servant Messiah who would help us conquer our greatest enemy, death.
69. 19:41 All that to say, they were confused. They were disappointed, and they were trying to figure out what just happened. From their perspective, Jesus had been executed publicly, brutally. And when that happens, movements don't grow.
70. 19:56 They die. Dead Messiahs don't. have followings. So when people say, well, the disciples just created this whole story up, that doesn't fit the evidence because they weren't expecting this. They weren't planning this.
71. 20:12 They didn't even believe it at first. One of the reasons I believe the Bible is true is because it's so real and it's honest and it's foreign to our minds. People don't try to make themselves look good in scripture.
72. 20:27 History is filled with people trying to make themselves look good. If they paid for or wrote it, they try to make themselves look good. But the disciples, they make themselves look a little slow to catch on. Peter denies Jesus three times. And if you were writing history, these are probably things that you would like to omit, but they didn't.
73. 20:45 Why? Because they weren't trying to protect the reputations. They were pointing to him. And not only is the scripture real and authentic, it's also foreign to our minds. The message of the Bible isn't something that people naturally would come up with. A suffering Messiah, a savior who dies for others, the resurrection from the dead.
74. 21:04 That wasn't what people were expecting. In fact, the Greeks were offended by this whole resurrection business anyway. More about that another day. So you have to ask who would make this up? A message that humbles its writers and leaders and challenges the culture it's trying to reach?
75. 21:22 One of the disciples, Thomas, literally said, I won't believe this unless I see Jesus for myself. They were not gullible men. They were skeptical witnesses. And no one writes a story like this unless it's the way things actually happened.
76. 21:38 Number four, transformed lives. Now, here's where it gets even more compelling. Something happened that completely changed the disciples' lives. Before the resurrection, they were afraid. They were hiding.
77. 21:53 They were scattered. After the resurrection, they were bold. They were preaching publicly. And they were willing to suffer and even die if needed. You don't go from hiding in fear to standing in public unless you're convinced something has changed.
78. 22:11 And here's the key point. People may die for what they think is true, but no one dies for what they know is a lie. History tells us that Peter was crucified upside down. James was tossed off the top of the temple.
79. 22:28 Paul was beheaded and Thomas was speared to death. These are just a few of the disciples. These men didn't get rich. They didn't gain power. They didn't become celebrities. They lost everything. You don't give up your life for something you made up. So what changed?
80. 22:44 Why the sudden shift from fear to courage, from hiding to proclaiming, from doubt to conviction? Because they believed they saw Jesus alive. The resurrection isn't just something they taught. It's something they were willing to die for.
81. 23:01 Let me briefly share with you about two unlikely disciples who didn't want to believe in Jesus, but after they saw him resurrected, it changed their lives. In verse 7 of our text here, we read about James, the half-brother of Jesus.
82. 23:18 You see, Mary and Joseph had Jesus, and then after that had other children. James was one of Jesus' half-brothers, and he didn't believe in Jesus. In fact, I get that. What would it take for your brother to convince you that he's the Son of God?
83. 23:36 Can you imagine the pressure of having Jesus as your big brother anyways? Like Mary and Joseph were probably like, come on, James, what would Jesus do? You know, I had a friend of mine, Michael Jr., come in town. He's a Christian comedian, and he did a great job bringing this to life, and I just want to play a little clip for you so you can feel the tension in the text here.
84. 23:57 Take a look. I don't know. Jesus had a little brother. Anybody know his name? James. When I read that, I was like, how much pressure was that? Jesus, your big brother? How many times do you have to hear, why come you can't be more like Jesus, James?
85. 24:15 Because you know, everybody probably thought that James could do the same thing Jesus could do, but he couldn't. He was just James. He wasn't James Christ. Remember the wedding banquet?
86. 24:31 Jesus turned water and wine. Everybody was amazed, but they don't tell you about the next banquet. Jesus left early. They started running out of wine. Everybody looked at James. It's like, man, last time this happened, your brother made some wine, dude. You just going to stand there with your sandals on?
87. 24:47 You're not going to... Can you make some Kool-Aid or something, man? You're not going to do anything. Well, I'm sure James had plenty to be bitter about, and it takes more than a good sermon to convince your brother you're the Messiah.
88. 25:03 For James, it took a resurrection, and he went on to lead the church in Jerusalem because his life was so transformed. So in summary, James goes from skeptical brother to church leader to eventual Christian martyr. Why? Because he saw Jesus alive.
89. 25:19 And then in 1 Corinthians 15, 8 through 9, we read about Paul who wasn't searching for Jesus, but was trying to shut Christianity down. This is really fascinating. Many legal scholars have said the two hardest facts to explain away are the empty tomb and the conversion of Paul.
90. 25:36 You don't go from killing Christians to becoming one unless you're convinced you saw Jesus alive. Let me give you a modern picture of what we're talking about. In 2015, 21 Christian men were executed on a beach in Libya. They were construction workers, ordinary men.
91. 25:54 They were given a choice, deny Jesus and live, confess him and die. And they chose Jesus. Many of them were heard saying, Lord Jesus, as they were beheaded. Now, here's something to think about.
92. 26:10 Paul started on the other side of that story. He started as one of the guys wearing black, and he ended as one of the guys wearing orange. Paul wasn't a seeker. He wasn't searching for truth. He was hunting Christians.
93. 26:26 The Bible tells us he approved of their execution. He arrested them. He tried to destroy the church. In today's term, Paul looks more like a persecutor than the persecuted. He was opposing Christians.
94. 26:41 He was trying to silence their message. He was convinced that he was right. And then, all of a sudden, everything changed. Paul says, I saw him, the risen Jesus. And the man who once tried to kill Christians becomes a man willing to die as one.
95. 26:59 He went from persecutor to preacher, enemy to apostle, violent opponent to willing martyr. What I want you to feel is that you don't make that kind of turn unless you're convinced Jesus is alive. The same name those men in Libya called on us, they died.
96. 27:18 Lord Jesus is the same name Paul spent the rest of his life proclaiming. So in summary, let's review everything we've covered up to this point. All right. All the circumstantial evidence. Number one, women are our primary witness.
97. 27:35 Number two, the empty tomb and a burial cloth. Number three, disciples who didn't expect any of this. Number four, transformed lives. Number five, over 500 witnesses being appealed to. And number six, two unlikely men who become believers in Jesus and perhaps the greatest missionaries, the church has ever known.
98. 27:58 Why did this happen? The only logical explanation given all the circumstantial evidence is that Jesus Christ, in fact, rose from the dead. But here's what I don't want you to miss about Christianity.
99. 28:15 It's not just about proving something happened. It's about understanding what that means for us. Because if Christ really rose from the dead, then this is not just an event to examine. It's a person to encounter. And that's where Paul takes us next.
100. 28:31 You see, in verse 10, he talks about grace. Now, this is really where our text gets personal. Up to this point, we've been talking about evidence, and I think a lot of it, history, witnesses, facts, and that's important.
101. 28:47 But Christianity is not about proving something happened. It's about meeting the risen Lord personally. Paul says in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, verse 10, by the grace of God, I am what I am.
102. 29:02 Now, let me explain that word grace, because this is where everything changes. Grace means you don't earn it, you don't deserve it, and you don't work your way up to it. Grace means God gives you what you could never achieve on your own. In other words, you don't clean up your life and then come to God.
103. 29:20 You come to God, and then he begins to clean you up from the inside out. Remember who Paul was? He wasn't a good guy trying to do better. He was a violent opponent of Christianity, and yet he says, by the grace of God, I am what I am.
104. 29:36 If God can change Paul, he can change anyone. And sometimes the most powerful evidence that Jesus is alive is not just an empty tomb, it's a changed life. I want you to see what that looks like. Watch this testimony film of Ike Brown.
105. 29:54 my name is ike i've been in law enforcement been a police officer as a matter of fact this is year 38. i joined in 1986 uh i started in corrections and after a couple of years i decided to go on the streets so you know i went back to the academy the police academy and uh graduated in 1988.
106. 30:20 i love what i was doing you know i love going to the calls i love getting into car chases uh so i i enjoy just being on the street being around the people the community may 27 4 30 4 45 i'm i'm up and i'm kind of slowly getting ready and my doorbell rings and i'm like who is this this time of morning so when i opened the door my sergeant was standing there and my lieutenant was there and my chief was there and as odd as that was it never nothing never dawned on me that something was wrong until i saw the chaplain and i said chaplain crosby why are you here you know what's going what's going on and my sergeant spoke and he told me you know that my my son had been killed police say it all happened here on town square drive three friends were playing video games at the home of one of their girlfriends another man was there too police say he's now charged with two counts of murder police say it looks like the two men that were killed 21 year old ike brown jr and 21 year old jeffrey hicks didn't know their killer all that well these fellas don't have any connection to our our shooter they don't have any connection to anybody except gavin berry who they were visiting and that's why i'm making that that that point is that you know it just seems to be that they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time tacoya kriner was arrested and convicted of killing brown and a friend and wounding another man and you're kind of standing there like did he just say my son was killed he's 21 years old i'm supposed to go you know not not my not my children you know i always said that if you hurt one of my children that i wanted to get you i wanted i wanted you to hurt like i was hurting i wanted you to die i convinced myself that's what god wanted he wanted me to be made me you know he gave me these feelings and emotions and i meant that and all of a sudden you know my son is gone and i walk in that courtroom and i see tacoya the young man who who killed my son and his best friend and i'm telling you for the moment i laid eyes on him i loved it i couldn't and i can't explain it uh never hated him never had those feelings i thought i was gonna have it never transpired you know when i looked at him he he looked like my boys you know just bigger i i questioned god but i questioned him about me you i asked god what was wrong with me you know why didn't why didn't i hate him why didn't i why didn't i have all these feelings you know i'm a father this is my son i'm supposed to be angry at at at this boy for for what has happened you know and and i wanted to hug him forgiveness wasn't even an issue you know he goes off to prison and wherever he ended up i would always be mindful of him i would always be you know praying for him a couple years passed and i'd write a letter and i'd throw it away write a letter you know throw it away you know i'm wondering you know hey what what do i say you know do he even want to hear from me after i think about three years you know i i wrote him a letter and i always let him know i was praying for him i always started off with i hope things are as well as they can be you know i knew it was tough enough you know just being in there and so at the end of the letter i said uh i need a favor from you i said i'm i miss my son ike jr you know and i said i'd like you to fill in for him till we all get to heaven and i said if if not you know i understand and so i i hurry up and i mail the letter you know before i before i take it out again and you know it grace is something that is given to those who don't deserve it mr prowl you know what he offered me the love he gave me the opportunity that he gave me to be a part of his family to be his family you know it's nothing short of grace the bible says if they would have known what they were doing they never would have crucified our lord i tell people if satan would have known what was going to happen out of this tragedy he never would have messed with those boys if the tomb is empty anything is possible our passage ends with paul saying in verse 11 that whether i preach or others preach at least the gospel is advancing he didn't care who got the credit he just wanted this truth to carry on and the message went out from a tomb to a city and eventually to the world and now it is with you and i so let me ask a question what are we going to do with the empty tomb because if jesus is dead none of this matters but if the tomb is empty everything changes that means your sins can be forgiven your shame is lifted your past can be redeemed and your life can be made new not because we try harder but because he is alive like thomas when he saw the risen christ he said my lord and my god you don't have to have every answer today but you do have to decide what you're going to do with jesus because if the tomb is empty anything is possible will you pray with me jesus open our eyes to see you and give us the courage to trust you for those who are searching for those who are unsure would you draw them to yourself today help them to see that you are alive that you're real and that they can place their faith in you and for those of us who believe give us boldness give us compassion give us urgency to go and share this good news with others remind us that this message is too important to keep to ourselves because the tomb is empty forgiveness is real hope is alive and anything is possible we give you our lives use us for your glory in jesus name we pray amen

Transcripts are machine-generated and may contain errors. For the authoritative version, watch the video above. Spot a mistake? Let us know.