The resurrection of Jesus is the cornerstone of the Christian faith. Without the resurrection, faith in Christ would be meaningless. The resurrection was foretold hundreds of years before Jesus' birth. Psalm 16:9-10 says,

"Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, for You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay."

Compare this to Acts 2:29-32 where Paul says, "Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact."

Many theories have circulated over the years concerning the authenticity of the resurrection. Some theories have even been featured in fictional novels such as the Da Vinci Code. Even though theories abound, none have been able to unequivocally prove that the resurrection of Jesus did not occur.

Brooke Foss Westcott, an English scholar said, "Raking all the evidence together, it is not too much to say that there is no historic incident better or more variously supported than the resurrection of Christ."

Professor Thomas Arnold, a headmaster of Rugby for 14 years said, "I have been used for many years to study the histories of other times, and to examine and weigh the evidence of those who have written about them, and I know of no one fact in the history of mankind which is proved by better and fuller evidence of every sort, to the understanding of a fair inquirer, than the great sign which God has given us that Christ died and rose again from the dead."

Accounts written in the New Testament tell us that Jesus was arrested, judged a political criminal, and as a result, was crucified. Three days after His death and burial, a few women went to His tomb and found the body missing. In the following weeks, His disciples claimed that God had raised Jesus from the dead and that He appeared to them various times before ascending into heaven.

The body of Jesus, in accordance with Jewish burial custom, was wrapped in a linen cloth. About 100 pounds of aromatic spices, mixed together to form a sticky paste, were applied to the wrappings of cloth around the body. After the body was placed in a solid rock tomb, an extremely large stone was rolled against the entrance of the tomb.

A Roman guard was stationed to guard the tomb. This guard placed on the tomb the Roman seal, which was meant to "prevent any attempt at vandalizing the sepulcher." Anyone trying to move the stone from the tomb's entrance would have broken the seal, and as a result, Roman law.

Three days later the tomb was empty. The followers of Jesus claimed He had risen from the dead. They said that He appeared to them during a period of 40 days, showing Himself to them by many "infallible proofs." Paul said that Jesus appeared to more than 500 of His followers at one time, the majority of whom were still alive and who could confirm what Paul wrote.

If the resurrection was a lie, why would the disciples go everywhere telling people that Jesus Christ rose from the dead? There was no fame or fortune to be had. No movie deals to make. Instead, they were beaten, stoned to death, tortured and crucified. Every conceivable attempt was made to stop them from talking. Yet, they laid down their lives as the ultimate proof of the truth of their message.

Jesus Christ is alive, and His life is the essence of the Christian experience. John 14:6 says, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me."

For further study see:
Luke 1:1-4, Luke 24:45-49, John 1:14, John 19:33-37, John 21:24,25, Acts 1:1-3, Acts 1:21-26,Acts 2:22-24, Acts 13:29-39, Acts 22:2-21, 1 Corinthians 9:1,13-16, 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, Galatians 1:10-24,2:6, Hebrews 2:3-4, 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8, 1 Timothy 2:7, 1 Peter 5:1-4, 2 Peter 1:14-18, and 1 John 1:1-4.

This artice was published on Associated Content as part of a Sermon Outline Series. For the series version with reader's comments click here.