Pathway to Victory

Speaker 1

Hey, podcast listeners, thanks for streaming today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.

Pathway to Victory is a nonprofit ministry featuring the Bible teaching of Dr. Robert Jeffress. Our mission is to pierce the darkness with the light of God's Word through the most effective media available, like this podcast.

To support Pathway to Victory, go to ptv.org/donate or follow the link in our show notes.

Now here's today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.

Speaker 2

Hi, this is Robert Jeffress, and I'm glad to study God's Word with you every day. This Bible teaching program on today's edition.

Speaker 3

Of Pathway to Victory. Somebody once said, "Easter is God's Amen to Jesus. It is finished." It is the exclamation point. It is the proof that Jesus did what he promised he would do.

And so today I want to talk about three essential questions about the Resurrection.

Speaker 1

Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor, Dr. Robert Jeffress. The empty tomb stands at the very heart of Christianity. Without the Resurrection, our faith would be meaningless.

Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress answers three very important questions about the Resurrection: What is the evidence? Why is it so important? And what difference does it make for us today?

Now here's our Bible teacher to introduce today's message.

Speaker 2

Dr. Jeffress thanks, David, and welcome again.

Speaker 3

To Pathway to Victory.

Speaker 2

Now, before we hear today's message, I want to bring something to your attention that's very, very important. At Pathway to Victory, we've been surrounded by a family of financial supporters who are becoming the backbone of our ministry. I'm referring to our Pathway partners, and if you're among them, thank you so much for your monthly giving.

This week we're making a concerted effort to add 50 more partners as a means for touching even more lives. And if you're prepared to make a difference through Pathway to Victory, then this is the day to link arms with us. You know, we often talk about changing lives as a pathway partner, and that's true, you will. But there's another benefit. I have found that when I release my resources as an expression of my love for God, the other life that changes is my own. I know you'll find this to be true when you become a pathway partner as well.

So go ahead and take this step today at ptv.org. While you do, you'll see the thank you gift I'm going to send you when you give your first gift as a pathway partner. It's a coffee table book called the Power of the Cross. In this colorful photo album of sorts, I've included some of my favorite pictures of Israel. Each image from Israel tells a specific story about the final seven days in the earthly life of Jesus Christ, from his triumphal entry into Jerusalem to his resurrection on Easter morning.

More details about this later in today's program, but right now it's time for today's message titled "The Three Most Crucial Questions About Easter."

Speaker 3

The three most frequently attended church services in the year are. Can you guess them? In third place, Mother's Day. Now, Moms, don't feel badly. You're still ahead of Father's Day. Number two, most frequently attended service, Christmas. Number one, you guessed it, Easter Sunday.

You know, I've always thought it was a little bit ironic that the most frequently attended service of the church year is the Sunday we celebrate the event in Jesus' life that most people have trouble believing really happened. I mean, everybody believes Jesus existed. There's historical evidence for that outside of the Bible. They concede he was a great teacher who taught some really nice things we ought to do. They will even admit that he died on a Roman cross, though most people can't explain exactly why. But the resurrection—raised from the dead—most people treat that like the legend of Santa Claus. Oh, sure, one day a year it's fun to pretend it really happened, but nobody takes it seriously.

But I want you to look around you today. There are thousands of people who take it seriously. They believe that the resurrection actually happened, that it is a part of the great accomplishment of what God did for each one of us. And the death and resurrection of Christ—well, you can't separate one from the other. Both are essential to our Christian faith. And so today, not only to the convinced, but those who are yet to be convinced, I want to talk about three essential questions. Ask and answer three essential questions about the Resurrection.

Number one, why is the resurrection important? Secondly, how do we know that it really happened? And thirdly, what does the Resurrection mean to me?

First of all, question number one. Why is the resurrection so important? One professing Christian scholar said, "I'd have no problem whatsoever with archaeologists finding the corpse of Jesus. For me, that would not discredit the Christian faith or the Christian tradition," to which the apostle Paul says, "I beg to differ." Paul wrote First Corinthians, chapter 15 to combat the teaching of the Sadducees, the Jews who believed there was no such thing as a resurrection.

In this familiar chapter, Paul begins in the first 11 verses by making the case for the resurrection. Then he talks about the consequences of no resurrection and finally, our connection to the resurrection. Notice in the verses 1 through 11, and if you have your Bibles turned there, he talks about the best evidence for the resurrection. He says it's eyewitnesses. You know, in law, we know that eyewitness testimony is some of the strongest kind of evidence there is.

But then, beginning in verse 12, Paul explains why the resurrection is a big deal by examining what would be the consequences if there were no resurrection. What if just—what if the corpse of Jesus is discovered one day? Well, in verse 13, Paul says, "If there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised." That makes sense. He says in verse 14, "For if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain." Every sermon you ever listened to, every sermon I ever preached, was a waste of time. It has no more authority than an Aesop fable.

And not only that, he says, "If there's no resurrection, your faith is in vain." Do you believe your faith has been worthless? It is if there is no resurrection. In verse 15, he said, "Moreover, we are even found to be false witnesses of God because we testified against God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised." He's saying, every Christian who has ever testified of the resurrection and the new life they have in Christ, every one of them is a liar.

Now think about that. For 2000 years, every Christian is a liar. The great church leaders, St. Augustine, Martin Luther, John Calvin—liars, every one of them. Do you believe that? Think of those people, the thousands, the millions upon millions who have testified, "Christ has made a difference in my life." Do you believe they're liars? That's the consequence of no resurrection.

And he says in verse 17, "And by the way, you are still in your sin." We'll talk about this in a moment. But if there is no resurrection, it means Jesus didn't die for your sins. He died for his sins, and you are left in your sins. And then he says, not only that, our loved ones have perished. He says in verse 18, "If there were no resurrection, those you love and have died, they are perishing. They are suffering eternal damnation because they have not had their sins paid for."

He goes on to say, "If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are, of all people, most to be pitied." Have you ever heard people say, "Well, even if I found out Christianity wasn't true, it wouldn't make a difference. I wouldn't regret it because I've lived the best life possible." Hogwash. Paul says, "If we have hoped in Christ in this life alone, we are the most to be pitied. We are the most miserable of all because we based our entire life on a lie."

But Paul says, "But Christ has been risen from the dead." And that leads to the second logical question: How do we know that the resurrection really happened? Let me quickly share with you five of the strongest pieces of evidence for the resurrection.

First of all, the transformation, the immediate transformation of the disciples. People forget this—that by Good Friday, when Christ was nailed to the cross, most all of his disciples had left him. They'd abandoned him. They were scared to death of being identified with him. They were not expecting a resurrection. They departed from Christ quicker than rats off a sinking ship. They didn't want to have anything to do with it.

Now, how do you explain the difference three days after the crucifixion, when they were boldly willing to witness and stand up and testify, even if it cost them their life? How did the disciples have the courage to do it? They had seen the resurrected Christ. That's what made the difference—the transformation of the disciples.

Secondly, the conversion of the skeptics. Think about people who were not just unbelievers, but they were enemies of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I mentioned two of them to you. First of all, James. Now, what happened to James after the resurrection? He became the leader of the church of Jerusalem. He was stoned to death because of his faith. What made the difference? Remember Paul said Jesus appeared to whom? James. James, his half-brother. To say, "James, it is real."

You know, people say, "Well, just because they died for their faith doesn't mean it's real. I mean, a lot of followers of false religions die for their faith. Hindus, Muslims, others—they die for a lie." The point is they think it's the truth. Nobody willingly dies for a lie that they know is a lie. You had the conversion of James.

Think about the apostle Paul, another skeptic. He was an enemy of the cross. He was on his way to Damascus as a zealot Jew to stamp out this new heresy called Christianity. But Acts 9 tells us that on the way to Damascus he was confronted by the living Christ who said, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" And that appearance of the risen Christ is what changed Paul forever and turned him, transformed him from being a violent aggressor against the church to being the greatest apologist ever for the veracity of the Christian faith.

Thirdly, consider the radical changes in Judaism. That is evidence for the truth of the resurrection. What do I mean by the changes in Judaism? Think about this for a moment. Judaism had been in existence for about 2000 years. When Jesus comes on the scene, there was no Facebook, there was no radio, there was no television, no Internet. But after the resurrection, the gospel spread like wildfire. And within five weeks, there were 10,000 people who converted from Judaism to Christianity.

How do you explain that radical transformation of so many devout Jews? One scholar says it this way: "These changes to Jewish social structures were not just minor adjustments. They were social earthquakes. And earthquakes don't happen without a cause." There was an earthquake. It's called the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. That's the only way you explain those radical changes.

Fourth, the ordinances about the Lord's Supper and baptism. I bet you've never thought about this before, but the quick institution of these religious rituals argues for the resurrection. You say, "Well, how so?" Every religion has its own rituals, none like this one. Think about what the Lord's Supper and baptism represent. They represent the death and the resurrection of Jesus. "For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you show what the Lord's death until he comes."

Has it ever struck you as odd that we sit around and celebrate the death, the torture, the execution of the founder of our faith, Jesus Christ? Why do we celebrate the torture and execution of Jesus Christ? Because the story doesn't stop there. Three days later, there was a resurrection that put the cross into perspective. And the fact that the early church started celebrating the death and resurrection of Jesus is a strong case for its veracity.

I've saved the best, the strongest piece of evidence for last: the empty tomb. Think about it. For 2,000 years, nobody's been able to find the body of Jesus. Now you know what skeptics say? They say, "Well, somebody stole the body." But then you have to ask the question, who stole the body? People say, "Well, his disciples stole it." Now think that through. That was the very thing the Roman and Jewish leaders were afraid of.

And that's why on the Saturday after the Crucifixion, in Matthew 27, they went to Pontius Pilate and said, "We were afraid that the disciples are going to steal this body and claim he has risen from the dead. And the last deception will be worse than the first. So please give us a guard to guard this tomb." And Pilate said, "Fine, you have a guard."

And you know, linguistically, there's a good reason to make that. What he was talking about was a Roman guard unit, a group of 16 highly trained soldiers who were charged with protecting the tomb on the threat of death if they allowed the body of Jesus to be stolen from the tomb. "Give us a guard." They had that guard.

So do you think these disciples, who had already fled from Christ because they were afraid to be associated with him, do you imagine when they weren't expecting a resurrection, that they would come and single-handedly defeat an entire Roman guard unit? I don't think so. The disciples lacked the courage to steal the body.

Other people say, "Well, the Romans or the Jewish officials stole it." That makes even less sense when you think about it. They wanted to keep the body right where it was so nobody could claim Jesus is the King of kings who destroyed the power of death and give veracity to his teachings and claims. They wanted to keep that body there.

And just think about it. As Christianity began to grow over the weeks, as thousands began to embrace Christianity, as Peter stood before those assembled Jews on the steps of the temple and said, "Jesus is alive," if those Romans and Jews knew where the body was, that would have been the perfect time for them to roll the body of Jesus down the streets of Jerusalem for everybody to see. And Christianity would have died on the spot. It would have died at its inception instead of being followed 2000 years later by millions and millions of adherents.

No, there's only one explanation for this disappearing body of Jesus. The disciples lacked the courage. The Romans and the Jews lacked the motivation. The only explanation for the empty tomb is that God Himself reached down and rescued His Son from the grave. And he promises to do the same for us one day as well. "I will not abandon my Holy One to Sheol," to the grave, God said.

And that leads to the third and perhaps the most important question we've talked about: why the resurrection is important and how we know it happened. What does the resurrection mean to me?

Well, first of all, it authenticates the Bible, especially the teachings of Jesus. Romans 1:6 says, "Jesus was declared to be the Son of God with power by his what? His resurrection from the dead." The resurrection of Jesus proves that he is who he said he was, the Son of God. And it means we must take seriously everything he taught.

What did Jesus teach about eternity? He taught we don't all go to the same place. He talked about there is a hell, a place of suffering, as well as a place called heaven. There are two destinations that are possible, not just one. Secondly, Jesus taught that there is only one way to heaven, and it is through Christ. "I am the way, the truth and the life," Jesus said. "No man comes to the Father, but by me."

But Jesus also said, and we must take seriously his offer of eternal life. He gave us the best news we could ever hear. He said, "For God so loved the world, for God so loved you, that he sent his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life." The resurrection authenticates the truth of the Bible, especially the words of Jesus.

Secondly, it validates the death of Jesus. If Jesus had remained in that tomb, it would have meant when he died, he died for his own sins. But the fact that he was raised from the dead was God's way of saying, "I accept his payment on your behalf." Romans 4:25 says, "For Jesus was delivered over to be crucified for our transgressions. He was raised for our justification." The way we know we are justified, declared not guilty when we trust in Christ, is the resurrection from the dead.

Somebody once said, "Easter is God's Amen to Jesus. It is finished." It is the exclamation point. It is the proof that Jesus did what he promised he would do.

And thirdly, the resurrection means to me that it eliminates the fear of death. The resurrection is important because it eliminates the fear of death. The greatest problem we all face, the greatest question, is the one Job articulated in Job 14:14, when he said, "If a person dies, will he live again?" Isn't that the bottom line question of the universe? Is this life all that there is, or is there something better ahead?

If a person dies, will he live again? If my father and mother die, will they live again? If my mate dies, will he or she live again? If my child dies, will he or she live again? If I die, when I die, will I live again? The resurrection provides an answer to that question. Jesus is the way to heaven. Paul said in 1st Corinthians 15, "As in Adam all die, so in Christ all shall be made alive."

And he eliminates not only the power of death but even the fear of death. Hebrews 2, verses 14 to 15 says that Jesus Christ came to free those who, through the fear of death, are subject to slavery all of their lives. We no longer have to fear death if we're a Christian because of the resurrection. We know that death is simply a door. It's a passageway we go through to experience the wonderful, unending blessings of heaven.

The late preacher Vance Havner once said, "The hope of dying is the only thing that keeps me alive." That's true for all of us. The only way to keep living is to know that there's something better.

You know, I think about the story of golf pro Paul Azinger. You may remember this champion golfer was diagnosed with cancer when he was 33 years old. He had just won a PGA tournament and 10 other tournaments when he discovered he had cancer. He wrote, "A genuine feeling of fear came over me. I could die from cancer. Then another reality hit me even harder. I'm going to die eventually anyway. Whether it's from cancer or something else, it's just a question of when. Everything I had accomplished in golf became meaningless to me. All I wanted to do was to live."

And then he recounts something a friend told him. He said, "Zinger, remember this. We are not in the land of the living headed to the land of the dying. We are in the land of the dying headed to the land of the living." Paul Azinger recovered from his chemotherapy, and he actually returned to the PGA Tour. But he said his bout with cancer changed his perspective about everything. He said, "I've made a lot of money since I've been on the tours. I've won a lot of tournaments. But that happiness is always temporary. The only way you will have true contentment is in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I'm not saying that nothing ever bothers me and I don't have problems, but I feel like I found the answer to the six-foot hole in the ground."

Have you found the answer to the six-foot hole? The only answer is Jesus, the one who said, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live again." Aren't you glad we have a savior who conquered death once and for all?

Speaker 2

Easter weekend may come and go, but gratefully we have reason to celebrate every single day of the year. Our Savior Jesus Christ conquered death once for all.

At Pathway to Victory, we've committed to coming alongside you every single day as your companions in Christ. We make it our mission to walk with you no matter what you face, to infuse the hope of Easter into your heart and soul.

Along those lines, we need men and women like you to support us in this endeavor. And this week we're asking God to help us add at least 50 new pathway partners. As a pathway partner, you agree to send a generous gift every month in the amount that best suits you.

Speaker 3

Would you help us reach that goal?

Speaker 2

When you do, I'm going to send you a beautiful and exclusive coffee table book, *From Pathway to Victory*. It's a photo album of sorts we're calling the *Power of the Cross*.

Let me clarify. This is not just a picture book. Each image from Israel tells a specific story about the final seven days in Jesus' earthly life, from his triumphant entry into Jerusalem to His resurrection on Easter morning. With every image, I've offered thoughts, reflections, and Biblical insights on why these moments are essential to our Christian faith.

You're going to receive your copy when you give your first gift as a new Pathway Partner. Those who give to Pathway to Victory are like missionaries who take these daily programs to places we'll never be able to visit.

Thanks so much for joining us as together, God uses our collective efforts to pierce the darkness with the light of His word.

David, thanks Dr. Jeffress.

Speaker 1

You can become a Pathway Partner simply by following the easy steps online at ptv.org. When you give your first monthly gift or a generous one-time gift in support of Pathway to Victory, you're invited to request the Power of the Cross. It's a beautiful large print book that outlines the week leading up to Christ's death, burial, and resurrection.

Plus, as an added bonus, we'll also include the brochure called Three Days that Changed the World. Just call 866-999-2965 or visit our website at ptv.org. When you give $75 or more, you'll also receive the eight-part teaching series called Live from Israel. These dynamic messages were preached on location in the Holy Land and they come on both DVD and MP3 format audio disc.

One more time, call 866-999-2965 or go to ptv.org. If you'd prefer to send your donation by mail, write to P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, Texas 75222. That's P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, TX 75222.

I'm David J. Mullins inviting you to tune in next time when Dr. Jeffress explores the dangers of relativism. Hear a message called Wimp Free Christianity when you listen Tuesday on Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas.

You made it to the end of today's podcast from Pathway to Victory, and we're so glad you're here. Pathway to Victory relies on the generosity of loyal listeners like you to make this podcast possible. One of the most impactful ways you can give is by becoming a Pathway Partner. Your monthly gift will empower Pathway to Victory to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and help others become rooted more firmly in His Word.

To become a Pathway Partner, go to ptv.org/donate or follow the link in our show notes. We hope you've been blessed by today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.