Faith in the Resurrection
Develop Your Faith in Jesus
“Why should I believe in Jesus?”
PART 1 — THE KICKOFF
Time travel movies tease us with the idea that you could step into a phone booth, doorway, or sports car and experience history for yourself. Play piano with Mozart. Battle Genghis Khan. Or listen to Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Maybe if we could see these people with our own eyes, they’d become more real to us than reading about them in a history textbook. But until the laws of physics are broken, we’re left to “witness” the past events through the historical method, interpreting artifacts to piece together the story. And as we’ll get into, those same rules apply when we study Jesus.
But before we get there, if you could spend the day with one historical figure, who would it be and what would you do?
ICE BREAKER QUESTION
PART 2 — LET’S GET INTO IT
Let’s travel back to the first century and develop our faith in Jesus, God’s Son. Why should you believe in Jesus — someone you’ve never seen? How can you trust what the Bible has to say about him? This isn’t about taking a “leap of faith” or acting on “blind faith,” but as the Bible describes it, “Faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen” (Heb. 11:1, CSB). And arguably the biggest proof of what we haven’t seen is how Jesus came back from the dead just three days after his death on the cross.
Someone in Jesus’ inner circle had a hard time accepting the reports that he came back from the dead, refusing to believe unless he saw “in his hands the mark of the nails” (John 20:25). But Thomas’ doubts melted away the following week when Jesus invited him to touch his nail-scarred hands (John 20:26-29). Though Thomas needed evidence, Jesus said, “... Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29). It’s not wrong to want to see for ourselves, but at some point we have to decide what we believe about the evidence available.
We can trust in Jesus because of the historical fact that he rose from the dead.
THE BIG IDEA
Miraculous events in the Bible are often called “signs” (John 4:48). They pointed to something, proving that the person doing the miracle was trustworthy and that God authorized what they said or did. Of all Jesus’ recorded miracles, none stands out like the day his tombstone rolled away three days after his death. That event echoes through time, leaving us a powerful sign that’s hard to argue against. And as John said, “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:30-31).
What role do you think evidence should play in our faith?
REACH OUT QUESTION
PART 3 — INTO THE BOOK
In 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, Paul repeats a summary of the gospel that he received many years earlier, then delivered to others. He calls these facts of “first importance” and specifically argues later in the chapter that if Christ wasn’t raised from death, our faith is useless and pitiful (1 Cor. 15:14, 19). But he closes the chapter declaring that if Jesus arose from the dead, then we can rise, too, making everything we do lasting and meaningful (1 Cor. 15:58). So this isn’t just about historical details. What happened the Sunday after Jesus died changed everything for you and me today. Paul carefully explains the facts because Christ’s resurrection is the foundation of Christian hope. Read 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 together to understand the heart of the good news.
After reading, take some time to discuss it.
What are the basic facts listed? What do you find most compelling?
TALK ABOUT THE READING
PART 4 — GOING DEEPER
Ready to go deeper? While Paul laid out a compelling case in 1 Corinthians 15, what if we examined the events of Jesus’ death and resurrection from a more objective, historical perspective? Many scholars and sceptics, believers and atheists over the centuries have debated these events, attempting to prove or disprove the claim that Jesus conquered death. One survey considered over 1400 sources written about the resurrection, surveying experts covering a full range of beliefs. Did Jesus rise from the dead? Let’s take a closer look at a few of the basic facts on which experts generally agree:
Jesus died by Roman crucifixion — one of the harshest forms of execution ever conceived.
Jesus was buried, but soon afterward, the tomb was found empty. Days after his tomb was sealed with a large stone, several women found the stone rolled away and the body missing.
The disciples experienced resurrection appearances. After Jesus’ death, all the evidence suggests that the disciples’ faith was shaken, and all their hope was lost. Yet days later, everything changed. The movement of the now humiliated, slaughtered, supposed king found new life. The explanation of the disciples was that they saw the risen Jesus, touched his wounds, and ate with him. This wasn’t a belief that developed later. They proclaimed it right from the beginning, in the same city where Jesus had just died and was buried. Over decades of persecution, they never wavered in their testimony. Far from the kind of men to make up such a story, they became some of the world’s most influential moral teachers and willingly died for their belief that they interacted with the man they watched die.
The persecutor, Saul of Tarsus (a.k.a. Paul), was converted after what he believed was an encounter with the risen Jesus. He traveled the world telling people about how Jesus appeared to him and changed his life. Along the way, he wrote more books of the Bible than anyone else, several of which we’ve already read from together. His letters open us to a breathtaking new worldview, based on Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as the fulfillment of the Jewish Scriptures.
Jesus’ skeptical brother, James, was also converted after Jesus’ resurrection. Again, the reason given was that he believed he, too, saw the risen Jesus.
The resurrection addresses our whole being: the overwhelming evidence speaks to our minds, convincing us that God gave a miraculous sign to base our faith upon. The narrative of Jesus’ humiliating crucifixion and triumphant victory over death inspires our hearts with love and confidence in the risen Lord. And Christ’s authority motivates our will, as we realize that Jesus has spoken the truth, turning us to him in admiration, love, and humble obedience.
Do you believe that Jesus rose from the dead?
THE BIG QUESTION
PART 5 — WRAPUP
THE CHALLENGE
So the historical basis for our belief in Jesus is more than worthy of serious consideration. This week, take some time to write down your thoughts on the question, "What does it mean if Jesus was raised from the dead?" As you start the next conversation, take a moment to talk about what you noticed.
NEXT TIME
It’s far more than an academic exercise to consider Jesus’ impact on our lives. He offers the solution to our biggest problems — sin and death — and accomplished it all through his suffering and resurrection. In our next conversation, we’ll build on these discussions to ask one of the greatest questions we can ever consider: how does Jesus change things?
CLOSING BLESSING
As we meditate on all this, may God help us to believe, even though we haven't seen.