First Presbyterian Church of
100 North Hillcrest Boulevard
Telephone numbers: (310) 677-5133 Fax (310) 330-8342
Electronic mail: PRESBYTS@SBCGLOBAL.NET
Easter Sunday, April 8, 2007
Rev. Dr. Harold E. Kidd
Acts 1: 1 - 3
THE CASE FOR
CHRIST
"After his suffering,
he showed himself to these men and gave many
convincing proofs that he
was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the
kingdom of God." Acts 1: 3
The book of Acts opens with
Luke writing to one named Theophilus. Whose name means 'one who loves God'.
Acts is the second volume of Luke's writing concerning the life of our Lord. It
is the companion to his Gospel.
As a historical document
Acts covers the thirty years after Jesus was taken up into heaven and
chronicles the birth and missionary expansion of the Church and the spreading
of the Good news concerning Jesus Christ through out the known world of the 1st
century, following his resurrection and ascension.
Though not an eyewitness of
Jesus' ministry, as a believer and historian Luke was concerned that eyewitness
accounts concerning the life of Jesus and the resurrection of the Lord be
preserved accurately. This is important for our understanding because when
historical information is passed down from one generation to the next by oral
tradition, if that record is not recorded in written form, people can forget
important details, accuracy of what actually did happen can become misconstrued.
So we find that within
thirty years of the Lord's Death, the record of Jesus' life, ministry, death
and resurrection began to be recorded in written form which became known as The
Gospels, Evangeleon meaning 'glad tidings';which has been translated
'Good News'. The good news concerning the Jesus, the Son of God. Amen.
And it is important to
understand that while there are four gospels, there is only one Jesus. Four
accounts but with one purpose. Four sketches but of one person. Four records but
bearing witness to only one eternal truth. Jesus is the Son of God and He
lives. It is estimated that Mark wrote his Gospel between A.D. 55 -65; Matthew
between A.D. 60 - 65; Luke about A.D. 60 and John between A.D. 85 - 90 while he
was imprisoned on the Isle of Patmos. Though it is an ancient document it
remains ageless. Amen. For Luke is writing a historical record of all that
Jesus began to do and teach that would stand the tests of time.
The historian cannot deny
Jesus, because we have the four gospels, and other writings such as the
writings of the 1st century historian Josephus. While the atheist
may deny him the atheist cannot discredit him, because we are the evidence of
his existence in that our lives have been changed. Science cannot dismiss him,
because time by which we understand past, present and future has become
centered by his birth and death. The whole creation bears witness that He
Lives.
So when you read the four
Gospels, Luke's is the most detailed and complete concerning the life of Jesus.
And because truth was important to Luke, he relied heavily upon eyewitness
accounts. This gospel is a document built upon historical truth. Amen. This is
no fairy tale. It may not matter whether or not a man named King Arthur, or a
woman named Snow White lived. But it does matter, it does make an eternal
difference whether or not Jesus lived. Amen.
Christianity does not say,
"Close your eyes and believe." But rather, "Read the gospels for
yourself, check it out for yourself." "Check him out for yourself."
The bible itself encourages us to investigate its claims. The gospel writer
John in the concluding verses of his book writes ,
" Jesus
did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I
suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would
be written." In other words after we have
read about Jesus, we make the choice. We must decide. But we'll never make
another decision as important as the one we make about Jesus.
Now the King James Version
reads, "He showed himself alive
after his passion (meaning crucifixion)
by many infallible proofs." Matthew
27:64 tells us that after his burial, the chief priests went to Pilate
requesting that Pilate make the tomb of Jesus secure, "They said to Pilate
secure his tomb, lest some of the
disciples come by night and steal the
body of Jesus to fabricate a great
deception that he has actually risen from the dead." The New
King James Version adds "So that the
last deception will be greater than the first."
They made this request of
Pilate because they remembered Jesus telling them that if they destroyed this
temple, meaning the temple of his body, that in three days God would raise it
up. So Pilate had them to seal the tomb of Jesus with a great stone and set a
watch, a solider at the tomb of Jesus.
But after the resurrection, He appeared to Mary Magdalene and the
other Mary, and they held his feet and worshipped him. He appeared
to two of his disciples as
they walked the road to Emmaus, and their testimony to the others was, "Did not our hearts burn from within as he
talked with us as we walked along the way." He appeared to the eleven
as they were assemble together, and he said unto them,
"Why are you troubled? And why do thoughts arise in your hearts. Behold
my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit
does not have flesh and bones, as you see me have." And what you and I
fail to connect with in these accounts, is that Jesus is still making
appearance today. Hallelujah! Because if we are one of his disciples this
morning it means that we have seen Jesus in some way.
He may have come to us in
our sin, He may have come to us in a time of crisis, He may have showed himself
alive to us in a time of sickness, or great need, but the fact remains, The
Lord has appeared to us, and by His appearance , without a doubt or a question
we know now for ourselves that Jesus is real. Hallelujah!
The gospel writers are clear
to inform us that after His resurrection, after He appeared to His disciples
that Jesus sat down and ate with them. Hallelujah! He sat down and ate with
them. And this is an important record and witness that He lives because dead
men and women do not eat. The dead do not live in community but lay as lone,
isolated lifeless corpses in their graves. But Jesus sat down and broke bread
with his disciples. Luke says, "And
they gave him a piece of broiled fish and honeycomb, and he took eat, and did
eat it before them." In demonstration that He was not a ghost or
spirit, but alive!
If the resurrection is a
hoax, how do we explain that the birth and death of Jesus has become the axis
upon which earth time is measured. Since His resurrection time is now measured
by B.C. meaning before Christ. and A.D. , anno domini latin meaning In the year of our Lord. Since His
birth, ministry death and resurrection have become the central turning point in
world history, AD also carries the meaning after His Death.
If the resurrection is a
hoax, and if Jesus is not a historical person, why we might ask would men and
women, face imprisonment, and subject themselves to beatings, rejection by
their families , be ostracized from their communities? Why would they willingly
take the risk of losing all sources of economic livelihood and the risk of
being herded into large coliseums like sheep for the slaughter to be eaten by
lions, crucified and burned at the stake, if Jesus were not real?
If Jesus were not real, why
would Dietrich Bonhoffer, give his life in witness to Jesus by standing up
against Nazi Germany rather than save his life by remaining silent? If Jesus
was not a real person and the resurrection were not true, why would men and
women risk their lives for something and someone they knew was a fraud? Why
would Dr. King give his life for a person who was not real?
If the resurrection is a
hoax and Jesus has not become Lord and Savior, then how do we explain
transformed lives? For you must be born again. Nicodemus became a changed man
when he met Jesus. The thief on the cross became a changed man after he met
Jesus. Mary Magdalene became a changed woman after she met Jesus. The man
possessed with a legion of demons, over two thousand of them, became a changed
man after he met Jesus, clothed in his right mind and sitting at the feet of
Jesus in worship.
Zaccheus became a changed
man after he met Jesus, no longer a life built of taking, but a transformed
life dedicated to giving. Amen.
If Jesus is not our Savior
how do we explain the transformation of Peter from a denial to a witness. How
do we explain the transformation of Thomas from doubt to faith.
If Jesus is not savior how
do we explain the life of Lee Strobel who was a journalist for the Chicago
Tribune who was an avowed atheist. In his book The Case for Christ he
explains, "For much of my life I was
a skeptic. In fact, I considered my self
an atheist. To me, there was far too much evidence that God was merely a
product of wishful thinking, of ancient mythology, of primitive superstition.
How could there be a loving God if he consigned people to hell just for not
believing in him? How could miracles contravene the basic laws of nature?
"
But then one day he met
Jesus for himself. And ever since that day, Strobel has been serving Jesus by
writing about Jesus and lecturing around the world on the life of Jesus Christ.
To press this point a little further, If Jesus is not the savior he claimed to
be, how do you explain the change that has come over your life since you met
the Lord? If Jesus is not the savior how do I explain the change that has come
over my life?
Some of us could have been
dead this morning if it had not been for Jesus. Some of us might be strung out
on one thing or another this morning if it had not been for Jesus. Some of us
might be crazy this morning, if it had not been for Jesus. Some of us still
might be on sickbeds of affliction this morning, if it had not been for Jesus.
Some of us might be living
on the street, or behind prison bars if it had not been for Jesus. For but for the Grace of God, there go I!
Some of us might be mean and without a heart for others, concerned only about
ourselves, if Jesus had not come into our lives. Some of us still might be out
there in the world trying to get what the world has to offer, if Jesus had not
knocked on the door of our heart saying "I must have fellowship with you today."
There is power to be
transformed in his name. Hallelujah!
All of the money in this
world cannot make us what we ought to be. All of the education in the world
cannot shape our character like we ought to be. All the creaturely comforts and
fleeting pleasures of this world cannot give our hearts the peace and inner joy
they so desire. All of the influences of a cultured and sophisticated world
cannot make us what God would want us to be. We've got to be born again! The
Good News is that Jesus died on the Cross and shed his holy blood that
whosoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life.
His disciples declared, "Did not our hearts burn from within
has he talked with us along the way." Well, a fire started two
thousand years ago, and the enemy has been trying to put that fire out ever
since. But the fire is still burning.
We would be hard pressed to calculate how many lives have come to Jesus in two
thousand years.
It's an old , old story buts
it’s a brand new story. It's an old, old story but its never lost its power.
It's an old, old story, but we love to tell the story of Jesus and his love.
It's an old, old story, but He's touching somebody's life right now! It's an
old, old story, but it still has the power to give you some joy. It's an old ,
old story but it still has the power to give you some hope. It's an old, old
story but it still has the power to make a miracle out of what appears to you
to be an impossible situation! Its an old, old story but it still has the power
to liberate us from our sin.
"I Love to tell the story of unseen things
above
Of Jesus and His glory, of Jesus and His love,
I love to tell the story Because I know tis true,
It satisfies my longings As nothing else can do.
I love to tell the story,
'Twill be my theme in glory,
To tell the old, old story
Of Jesus and His love."