Raising Jesus from the Dead - Matthew 28
Christians throughout the world just celebrated the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. For many, the salvation message of God’s love reached them, and decisions to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior were made. The Bible tells us that the angels in heaven rejoice when one person makes that life-changing decision. (Luke 15:10)
The resurrection of Jesus was proof that He was the Son of God, He spoke the truth and He came to die for our sins because of God’s love for us. The Apostle Paul wrote in I Corinthians 15 that if Jesus did not resurrect from the dead then the preaching of the gospel was in vain and that our faith was also in vain. But what evidence can we use today to prove that what we read about Jesus was an actual account of fact?
There are over 300 Old Testament prophecies that relate to the Messiah and Jesus fulfilled all of them. Since Jesus had spoken of His death and resurrection before the crucifixion the religious leaders wanted to make sure that His dead body would not be stolen by the disciples. They went to Pilate and said that the body must be secured because Jesus had spoken of being raised from the dead on the third day. (Matthew 27:62-66) Pilate sent guards and had the tomb sealed.
While the guards were doing their duty to watch over the tomb, there was an earthquake and the angel of the Lord came and rolled the boulder from the tomb’s entrance and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning and he was dressed in all white. The guards were so frightened that they trembled and fell over like dead men.
They reported what had happened to the religious leaders who paid them off with a lot of money and told them to say that they fell asleep at night and the disciples came and stole the body. (Matthew 28)
After Jesus arose from the dead He appeared to Mary Magdalene and other women who had gone to the tomb with spices after the Sabbath. They wanted to anoint the body, but there was nobody, the tomb was empty. The women told the disciples that Jesus was alive, but they did not believe them until He appeared to them. Jesus appeared to many including over 500 people at one time.
When Jesus was arrested all the disciples scattered and even Peter denied Jesus three times before the rooster crowed in the morning. The only disciple who was at the cross when Jesus was crucified was John who was comforting Mary the mother of Jesus. After the disciples saw the resurrected Jesus, their faith came back and they all became bold preachers of the gospel. They witnessed Jesus ascent into heaven, they waited for the gift of the Holy Spirit and preached with signs and wonders. They were all willing to die for their faith and all but John were killed as martyrs for the gospel. A great transformation happened between the time of the crucifixion and the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit fell on them. (Acts 1 and 2)
Lastly, the Apostle Paul, who was responsible for the death of many early church Christians, had an encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus and wrote most of the New Testament under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. He preached the gospel of grace through faith in Jesus. These eyewitness accounts were corroborated by historical records not only from the writers of the Bible but other historians as well. As the resurrected Jesus said to doubting Thomas, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
Because of the resurrection, we can believe that all the promises in God’s Word are for us and we are truly loved and highly favored. (John 3:16)
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Personal Development Tip of the week:
It has already been 108 days since the new year. I wanted to bring this up today because I wanted to ask you, how are you doing this year so far?
Reviewing your year throughout your year is important so that you can make the appropriate adjustments.
How is your health, your career, family life, and relationship with God? Take some time this week to review these areas so far so that you can make the appropriate adjustments if you need them rather than wait till the end of the year.
Question for you? What’s one thing this year you need to adjust and start prioritizing more?
Prayer for the week:
Father God, thank you for another great week ahead of me. Bless me to grow this week, give this week, and be a leader to those I love. Help me to remember that you are always for me and have plans to bless me beyond what I might be able to see now in Jesus name Amen.
PS. If you would like to support us consider checking out www.litwithprayer.com and picking up our devotional prayer journal to our new pieces of Christian-based Jewelry.
Do you know Jesus?
If you have never asked Jesus to be the leader of your life and forgive you of all your sins, this is the right time to act. Pray this simple prayer and believe it in your heart: “Dear God, Your Word says that You loved me so much that You sent Your Son Jesus to die on the cross for me. I want to be saved and have all my sins forgiven, past, present, and future. Forgive me now as I receive Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior. You promised me salvation and an abundant life. I believe and receive Your free gift. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit and help me grow stronger in You each day, in Jesus name I pray, Amen.” (John 3:16)
Raising Jesus from the Dead