Hope and Transformation Through the Resurrection of Jesus

The world is divided up between the stes and the epicurian and the world tonight is as proud of its knowledge as the Athenians were there's no difference the Athenians were as proud of their culture and their knowledge as we are in this country this evening the people who are outside the church and outside Christ and who boast about the learning and the knowledge and the understanding and the culture. [00:19:19]

The world therefore you see is full tonight of philosophy and of culture and of superstition and of this desire for something new and some fresh excitement anything to get away from the problem anything to escape from life and its harsh reality anything that will give us peace and some hope in a world that's becoming increasingly dark. [00:20:54]

The Apostle preach to him and what did he preach well he just went on doing what he' already been doing in the synagogue and in the marketplace where people met together and discussed things he just again preached Jesus and the resurrection the same thing now the question I've got to ask is this why did he do it why am I trying to do it feebly this evening why should this still be done. [00:22:21]

The first answer is he did so because it's a fact simply because he was announcing a fact in other words you see is a reply to these people who think he's a babler and what they meant by babler was this it was a term to represent a seed gatherer there were lots of hack orators in the ancient world these men who made a profession out of philosophy and out of speaking. [00:23:24]

The fact is that Jesus of Nazareth had literally risen from the dead that he had been there in Nazareth preaching for three years that he'd been condemned by the Jewish authorities and by the Roman authorities and that he'd been nailed on a tree that he had died that they'd better him in a grave that they'd sealed the grave having rolled a stone onto its mouth. [00:24:38]

This Jesus who had died and who had been buried had gone out of the grave in the body and had appeared unto certain of his own followers in various places a fact not an idea not a concept but a literal actual hard brute fact and the apostle was at pains to tell these people in Athens that he rarely was preaching about Jesus and the resurrection simply because it was to him the most amazing and astounding fact. [00:25:14]

He had got proof positive that this was a fact on the road to Damascus he had realized that what he had been saying was a lie a denial of the truth this Jesus of Nazareth who had risen and had returned to Heaven appeared unto him giving him absolute proof that he had indeed risen from the dead and ascended to Heaven un the glory. [00:27:20]

The resurrection proves that here is the first and the only one who has risen from the dead not resuscitated but risen from the dead he's passed through death and up the other side it had never happened before here is the very first and it's a fact Paul knew it was a fact he'd seen him he'd met him Jesus had spoken to him from the glory on the road to Damascus. [00:30:34]

The resurrection is the final proof of the fact that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God the Old Testament prophets in prophesying about the coming Messiah had said that he was going to be crucified that he die but that he rise again here is one who's done it he is the Fulfillment of all the prophecies he is the Son of God. [00:31:46]

God is the Creator and the controller of everything he's made the world for himself he has started I say this time process and he is going to stop the time process he has appointed a day as there was a beginning there is going to be an end this is what Jesus taught and he's come from God he is the Son of God he's proved it in the resurrection. [00:40:15]

The times of this ignorance God winked at but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent because he hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness how do you know that says someone well says the Apostle whereof Heath given Assurance unto all men in that he hath raised Jesus from the dead that's what the resurrection means. [00:41:28]

The message of the Resurrection is this that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life the stes and the epicureans will never bring you to a knowledge of that unknown God believe in Christ tonight and you'll get to know him not only that he'll become your father you'll become his child. [00:54:50]