Resurrection: Hoax or Hope?, Part 1

For some, Easter is nothing more than a conditional home in time to celebrate springtime weather. Family and friends for genuine believers this coming weekend represents the miracle moment when she's under his own power to fight death and redeemed mankind.

Welcome to the special edition of insight during the next half hour. Chuck Swindoll will pose an honest question about the veracity of the Easter story for doubters and believers alike. We need to know was the resurrection of Jesus. A hoax or was it Easter are only about dear father, we thank you for your marvelous amazing love found us when we were not looking for you but you were seeking us and when you found us. You brought us into your family through faith in your son Jesus Christ.

Thank you for your love continues to reach out to others.

Thank you for your faithfulness, your amazing faithfulness and regularly and consistently doing what you do best.

Reaching and winning the lost. Thank you, dear father for your amazing mercy to us in the great difficulty of a pandemic and you continue to do so. You were there with us as we grieve the death of those we love and loss, you were with us during times of suffering during the difficult days in which we waited for the hard times to lift. We might go on with our lives. How amazing is your mercy, but mainly Lord we give you thanks for your amazing grace grace the has found us and saved us people so undeserving we pause to express our gratitude for your love and faithfulness your power mercy for your grace, which continues on even this duty. Use your word by your grace to touch the lives of those who are lost and to encourage those of us who were saved, how grateful we are Lord, you are there and we are here able to trust through Christ our Savior.

Everyone said traditional favorite song by the congregation at Stone Breyer Community Church in Frisco, Texas. You're listening to a special Easter edition of insight for living and now the message from Chuck called resurrection hoax or hope all this stuff about a resurrection is a hoax not hope but a hoax.

Just a boldfaced lie may be the result of the imagination of a handful of disciples couldn't get over their grief.

The thought of losing the master room. They had followed for over three years. Maybe just putting together a story sort of connected and sounded like a miracle would be a lot better than just burying him and going on about their work.

Scholars and been teaching things like this for years around our country and around places of higher learning around the world. In fact, some religions teach things like this that he really didn't die but he fell into an exhaustion and was taken down from the cross and and in the dampness and cool atmosphere of the two. He revived and he slithered out into the night and made his way ultimately fleeing to India and Kashmir there is a shrine built in honor of Jesus. That's where his body as they say no. It's never been produced. Many say that he never done a force. If you don't have a death you you haven't a resurrection so you take away the death you've removed the miraculous from the hours and days following. When he hung on the cross.

I mean think about their theories that have been built around. I thought they claimed that he passed out the theories called the swoon theory. He drifted into unconsciousness and then was thought to be dead. In fact, the report of his death was a surprise. You remember even to pilot the governor and when he was told that he was ready to be taken down from the cross pilot Mark 1544. Check it for yourself was surprised that he had so quickly died so we asked one of his officials to check on that and with a shrug, he released the body to want to miss friends and life went on. But did he really die or did he swoon no death, no resurrection, no hole. I will wait your thinking. This is so ridiculous. Why waste our time what it isn't it when on end of the first century, when the apostle Paul wrote his friends in Corinth after he had founded the church wrote about A.D. 55, you realize there were some in the church that believed there is not been a resurrection and there would be no resurrection.

Is that where did you dream that no I didn't dream it up. It's right here in the book I'm in first Corinthians 15 right here in verse 12. It is for Paul writing his friends says why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead did you know that there are those that were a part of church that Paul had founded that still doubted there would be a resurrection. Paul goes there, let's go there.

Let's let's follow the logic of that and think of it is not a whole but a hoax. Okay, Paul does and 14 through 19. If you will. I think of a stack of dominoes on there in 123456747 right here in these verses.

If there is no resurrection, then this is the result click come off with me. Your Bible verse 13 for there is no resurrection of the dead Domino number one, then Christ has not been raised, so you must begin here deny the evidence. Ignore the words of eyewitnesses who spoke with him met with him ate with him but it's not true. Christ is not raised if there is no resurrection, you must openly deny the evidence written in the Gospels and in the books that follow in the New Testament where it is mentioned again and again Domino number two. Keep reading and if Christ has not been raised that all our preaching is useless, useless.

The word means devoid of meaning. It is smoke and mirrors a lot of hot air all the preaching of Paul and Peter and John and James and Jude and the martyrs and the reformers and the evangelists and missionaries and the preachers and your grandparents in mind and our parents all of those who took that message that he's been raised it's it's all empty message. Nothing to it. Domino number three. Keep reading. Then all our preaching is useless and your faith is useless little different word here though it's rendered the same in English, this means void of effect. It doesn't do for you what you thought it would do you been hanging onto for a human determined to walk by faith and not by sight.

Don't waste your time faith doesn't do for you what you thought it would.

If there is no resurrection, faithful split stop trusting.

Just stop trusting stop hoping it's garbage. It's a lie there's 1/4 Domino look at we been lied to by those we trusted verse 15 what it says and we apostles would all be lying about God. For we have said that God raised Christ from the dead, but that can't be true wrong falls to hoax all this stuff about resurrection, also called apostles liars. Every one of them. Paul, like Peter lied. John lied Matthew lied. James lied lied, they can be trusted there all the Packer lawyers number five the next verse 15 we apostles would all be lying about God. If we said that he been raised and he hasn't been now 17 and if Christ is not raised in your faith is useless and on and you are still guilty of your sins what you counted on is under five you've not been clearance from within another new creature in Christ. The same old guy Sable woman forgiveness wrong claims with the blood wrong pardon from all your iniquities wrong gets downright personal look at this sixth one right here. Verse 18 all dead believers are lost forever because for yourself. Verse 18, all who have died believing in Christ are lost.

Think of as your blood and lost your partner in life you shared the faith together if it was a faith. If there's no resurrection.

It was a hoax and you counted on death to bring about a transition in the transformation into eternal lot. No, no loss. Although there were lost before no other will smell if there's no resurrection that includes your grandparents that includes those who whose bodies lie under white crosses all around the world who died for their country. Loving the Lord at the same time. That includes your uncle who died in Vietnam. Love the Lord that includes those who gave that last measure of greatness, believing in the Savior that includes missionaries who left Paul and family to go to remote places to learn a new language to acclimate to a new culture that although all lost but died lost, there's no future for them all dead believers gone all those eloquent epitaphs empty words even though drilled into granite on tombstones mean nothing. All pastors were wrong, even those great preachers that are part of your past, the words of Billy Graham as he carried the message around the world and it wasn't the message didn't have content, you take away the resurrection is over 120 was right. You produce the body of that Messiah and Christianity crumbles into ruins another not produce the body, but were going to the hypothetical year.

There's one more catching her throat. Look at verse 19. If our hope in Christ is only for this life we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world totally a hoax. The Christian life is a pathetic cruel joke. This is a precarious point on which to hit the pause button for today.

There's good news ahead, but right now it's important to consider the grave consequences for those who ascribe to fictional resurrection rather than a factual one. You're listening to a special edition of Insight for living and were midway through message from Chuck Swindoll. That's titled with the question resurrection hoax or hope and please stay with us because we set aside several minutes to hear an important closing point from Chuck Swindoll including a grand Easter anthem you won't want to miss. But first, to learn more about Chuck in this ministry. Visit us online@insideworld.org and then let me give you a sneak preview of what's ahead on Insight for living people. Our listing family often get in touch and inquire about finding a strong local church.

So our next series is aimed at helping you identify the signs of a healthy congregation.

It's called the church awakening and you won't want to miss it. Chuck is been teaching from Colossians and today's message came from first Corinthians in both of these letters were written by the apostle Paul did you know that Chuck is written the popular biography on Paul. It's from the great lives series and it's called Paul a man of grace and grit to purchase a copy of this engaging biography on Paul, give us a call if you're listening in the United States. Call 1-800-772-8888 or go directly to Insight.org/offer. Finally, a reminder that when you give a donation you're empowering us to provide a constant source of Bible teaching for you and for countless others who come to rely on Chuck as well so thanks for doing your part to make these daily programs possible to give a donation right now.

Call us if you're listening in the United States, call 800-772-8888. You can also get online@insight.org/donate. And now, let's spend the remaining moments of today's program by listening to this important conclusion from our teacher Chuck Swindoll is subject, the gospel of grace for many years I've heard and often repeated the words you cannot separate truth from the one who teaches it to you the message and the messenger are inseparably linked. That explains why Paul wrote to Timothy to pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching in the same way.

We cannot separate the gospel from the grace that brings it to us and never forget that it's grace that makes our message unlike any other message of religions around the world some time ago I read of a British conference on comparative religions.

World-renowned theologians and religious scholars from all over debated what if any belief was unique to the Christian faith.

They began by eliminating possibilities incarnation, but other religions held the differing versions of God appearing in human form, resurrection again. Other religions have accounts of return from death.

The debate went on for quite some time until CS Lewis wandered into the room what about he asked that he heard and replied that his colleagues were discussing Christianity's unique contribution among world religions. Lewis responded rather quickly. All that's easy.

It's grace. The conferees looked at one another than after some discussion they had to agree. Let's face it left to ourselves were awfully wicked bunch.

God knows that never doubted and he knows were not able to pay back even the slightest amount of debt we owe so when he sent his son there. With this understanding that he would pay our debt and he would pay it in full so that when before the throne.

I stand in him complete. Jesus died my soul to say my lips shall still repeat Jesus paid it all, all to him. I know Cindy left a crimson stain, he washed it white as snow. No wonder the gospel is called good news Bill Meyer inviting you to join us. When Chuck Swindoll continues our celebration of Jesus who painted all listen Friday to Insight for living. The preceding message resurrection hoax or hope was copyrighted in 2021 and 2022 and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2022 by Charles R.

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