Bethany Bible Church Resurrection Sunday Sermon Message
Sunday, April 20, 2025
from Various Passages

Theme: The New Testament is filled with trustworthy eyewitness testimonies that Jesus is alive.

(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).

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There are times when the main purpose of a sermon is to share a new insight, drawn from the pages of Scripture, that the people of God may never have considered before. But there are other times when the main purpose of a sermon is simply to remind the people of God of something they already know—so they can draw fresh strength and encouragement from it. And this morning’s message of that second kind. It isn’t meant to share something new, but to remind you of something that you already know.

And what you already know is that Jesus is risen from the dead. It’s the fundamental declaration of the Christian faith. It concerns an event that actually occurred in time/space reality—an event that can be validated in the same way we validate any other real event in history. And my hope and prayer this morning is that the reality of it will sink into our hearts in a fresh and encouraging way.

The apostle Paul put it to us very clearly when, in 1 Corinthians 15:14, he said that, “if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.” But the declaration of the Bible is that Jesus was literally raised from the dead; and that He was seen, heard, and touched in the very same body in which He was crucified. As the apostle John put it in 1 John 1:1-4

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full (1 John 1:1-4).

It’s a fact of history. Jesus Christ—who was born of the virgin Mary, who lived a sinless life, who was betrayed and arrested and crucified and buried—has been raised bodily from the dead. He ascended to the heavenly Father in that same body. He lives and is able to completely transform the life of anyone who places their faith in Him. And this means that no matter what else might happen in this world or in our individual lives, we can know that everything is ultimately going to be alright.

As John said, knowing this—and whole-heartedly believing it—gives us fullness of joy.

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So; this morning, I’d like to simply remind you of the testimonies of actual eyewitnesses who, in real-life experience, encountered the resurrected Lord Jesus—people just like you and me who actually gazed upon Him with their own eyes, who touched Him with their own hands, and who heard Him speak with their own ears. And the Bible doesn’t record the testimonies of just one or two who claimed to see Him alive, but rather of many. Some of them were even willing to suffer great hardship—and even to lay down their lives—for the truthfulness of their testimony.

Consider first …

1. THE WOMEN AT THE TOMB.

Matthew 28:1 tells us;

Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb (Matthew 28:1).

These women—and as the other Gospels tell us, there were more than just these two—weren’t making a mistake. They watched as Jesus was crucified. They watched as His body was taken down from the cross. They watched as He was placed in the tomb. They knew—without a doubt—which tomb to go to. It was the one that was being guarded, and that bore the seal of the Roman governor.

And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.” So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word (vv. 2-8).

Now, that would have been convincing enough on its own. But verses 9-10 go on to say;

And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me” (vv. 9-10).

So those good women saw Him. They held onto Him. They heard Him. They could say, “We have seen the Lord”. They provide eyewitness testimony to the fact that He is alive.

And then, let’s specifically consider …

2. MARY MAGDALENE.

It seems that, at the time when the other women had left the tomb, this tender woman, Mary, was not among them and had not yet encountered the Lord. She had gone to tell the apostles; and Peter and John immediately ran to look inside the empty tomb. But when they left, she stayed. The fact that she didn’t know where He was overwhelmed her with emotion. In John 20:11-13 we’re told,

But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. Then they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him” (John 20:11-13).

But the mystery was about to be solved for her. Verses 14-16 say,

Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” (vv. 14-16a).

I think she knew that voice very well; don’t you? Perhaps there was something in the way He spoke her name. We’re told,

She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say, Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her (vv. 16b-18)

Many people have thought that Jesus was telling her not to touch Him. But in the original language of this passage, our Lord was actually telling her to stop clinging to Him. She was touching Him alright! She recognized Him, ran to Him, and clung to Him as if she’d never let go! Mary saw Him, held Him, and heard His voice. She went and declared it to the disciples. She was an eyewitness to the fact that He is alive.

And then, consider …

3. THE DISCIPLES ON THE ROAD TO EMMAUS.

In Luke 24:13-17, we’re told:

Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him. And He said to them, “What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?” (Luke 24:13-17).

That question must have made them stop in their tracks with amazement.

Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, “Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?” And He said to them, “What things?” So they said to Him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened. Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us. When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see.” Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself (vv. 18-27).

Wouldn’t you have loved to have heard what He told them? What they heard from this mysterious Stranger registered so deeply in their hearts that they didn’t want their time with Him to come to an end. Luke went on to tell us,

Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther. But they constrained Him, saying, “Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.” And He went in to stay with them. Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight (vv. 28-31).

Something in the way he blessed the bread and broke it reminded them of what they had seen Jesus do before. Somehow, the veil over their eyes was lifted. They knew it was Him.

And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?” (v. 32)

We’re told that these two disciples rose up that very same hour and went to the eleven apostles. They saw Him. They heard Him. They sat with Him and ate with Him. They were taught by Him. They, too, were eyewitnesses who could testify, “We have seen the Lord!”

Then, let’s consider what we’re told about …

4. THE APOSTLE PETER.

When those two disciples came to the apostles, those apostles also reported in verse 34 that He is alive “and has appeared to Simon!” Simon was the name that our Lord often used for Peter.

It’s very significant that they specifically said that the risen Lord had appeared to Peter; because it had only been a few days earlier that Peter had done something terrible. At the time of Jesus’ arrest, Peter had denied that he even knew the Lord. Peter must have felt like a complete failure—unworthy to ever be loved by the Lord again. But apparently the resurrected Lord made a special appearance to Peter—assuring Peter of His pardoning love.

And was Peter then convinced that the Lord had been raised and had appeared to him bodily? Here’s what Peter had to say at the beginning of 1 Peter 1;

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time (1 Peter 1:3-5).

I would say that Peter believed Jesus was alive; wouldn’t you? He went on to declare how the reality of Jesus’ resurrection should transform our lives—even in hard times. He wrote,

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls (vv. 6-9).

Peter was so confident that he had met the resurrected Lord Jesus—and that Jesus had completely forgiven him—that he went on to lay down his own life for the One he had formerly denied. Clearly, Peter was a transformed man. From then on, he was an eyewitness to the reality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He, too, could testify that He is alive.

Then consider …

5. THE GATHERED APOSTLES.

After the two travelers on the road to Emmaus came to the apostles, and after they had told those two travelers that the Lord had appeared to Peter also, Luke went on to say to us in Luke 24,

Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, “Peace to you” (Luke 24:36).

No doubt the Lord needed to say “Peace” to them. His sudden appearance in their midst had completely stunned them. We’re told that they were terrified and frightened, and supposed that they were seeing a spirit of some kind. But He then assured them that He was literally in their presence in His resurrected body.

And He said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.” When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, “Have you any food here?” So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb. And He took it and ate in their presence (vv. 38-43).

We’re not told this, but I have always suspected that after He ate the fish, He handed them the bones. And do you realize that, according to later church history, all of those apostles—with the exception of the apostle John—laid down their lives for the testimony that Jesus is alive? John—who was among this group—survived being tortured for his faith, and died in exile for his testimony that Jesus had been raised. They all saw Him. They all heard Him. They all touched Him. They all examined His hands and feet. They all even ate with Him. They all testified that Jesus was alive—so much so that they were willing to lay down their lives for their eyewitness testimony.

Apparently, however, one had been missing from their number. And that leads us next to consider …

6. THE ‘DOUBTING’ APOSTLE THOMAS.

I only say ‘doubting’ because that’s what people have traditionally called him—’Doubting Thomas’. Personally, I think it would have been better to call him ‘Reasonable Thomas’. He was a rational man; and it was hard for him to accept that the Lord—who he had seen crucified—could now be alive. He knew that people don’t just ‘rise from the dead’. He needed evidence.

And he was given the rare privilege of having that evidence. John 20:24-27 tells us;

Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing” (John 20:24-27).

We’re not clearly told that Thomas took the Lord up on His offer. All we’re told is what Thomas said in response:

And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” (v. 28).

Thomas was given this opportunity to test for himself whether or not the Lord Jesus had been raised bodily from the dead. And this is so that his experience would be a testimony to the rest of us—so that we don’t need for Jesus to show usHis hands and feet. The Lord said to him,

“Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (v. 29).

Thomas was a man who needed empirical validation. It was given to him; and as a result, he became completely convinced. He, too, saw with his own eyes. He also heard Him with his own ears. And perhaps he, too, touched with his own hands. He, too, is an eyewitness for us that Jesus is alive.

Now; there was another incident later on. Let’s next consider …

7. THE DISCIPLES BY THE SEA.

We’re told about how Peter and some of the others went back—temporarily—to their old way of making a living. It says in John 21:1-6;

After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself: Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We are going with you also.” They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing. But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Then Jesus said to them, “Children, have you any food?” They answered Him, “No.” And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish (John 21:1-6).

This must have seemed strangely familiar to those fishermen. After all, didn’t the Lord Jesus once command them to cast out their net and bring in a large catch? The apostle John—who called himself “the disciple whom Jesus loved”—knew right away Who this was.

Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea. But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fish. Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have just caught.” Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken. Jesus said to them, “Come and eat breakfast.” Yet none of the disciples dared ask Him, “Who are You?”—knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them, and likewise the fish (vv. 7-13).

And it’s all made clear to us when we’re told,

This is now the third time Jesus showed Himself to His disciples after He was raised from the dead (v. 14).

They saw Him. They heard Him. They talked with Him. There were fish cooking on the grill when they came to Him. He even enjoyed breakfast with them. He showed Himself to them three times—once without Thomas, once again with Thomas, and now here by the sea. And they bore eyewitness testimony to us that Jesus is alive.

And not just these few disciples. Let’s next consider how He appeared to …

8. FIVE HUNDRED DISCIPLES TOGETHER.

We don’t know exactly when this occurred. We’re only given just a brief mention of it in 1 Corinthians 15. But it’s a powerful testimony. Paul affirmed to us the importance of the resurrection in the first five verses of this chapter. He made it clear that it’s a vital part of the gospel. He said,

Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve (1 Corinthians 15:1-5).

And then he made this astonishing statement in verse 6:

After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep (v. 6).

In saying that ‘some have fallen asleep’, Paul was telling his readers that some of those eyewitnesses had died and had gone on to be with the Lord in heaven. But he made it clear that many of the disciples present at that amazing event were still alive at the time he wrote; and that if anyone wanted to, they could have gone to them personally to ask them about it. I wish we knew more about this event. But we know enough about it to know that a multitude served as eyewitnesses to the fact that Jesus was alive. They all could have said, “We have seen the Lord!”

Then, consider a very significant witness; and that is …

9. JAMES, THE LORD’S HALF-BROTHER.

In that same passage—in verse 7—the apostle Paul wrote,

After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles (v. 7).

Jesus, our Lord, was born of the virgin Mary without the agency of Joseph. But after He was born, Joseph and Mary had other sons and daughters together. James was one of those others. And it tells us this in John 7:5 about our Lord’s half-brothers; “For even His brothers did not believe in Him.” They had formerly mocked him and rejected His testimony about Himself. But after He was raised, we’re told that He appeared to James.

James later became the first pastor of the first Christian church in all of history. He was the pastor of the church in Jerusalem—in the very city where our Lord had been crucified. He wrote one of the most important books in the Bible—the Book of James. And do you know how he introduced himself at the beginning of that book? He wrote,

James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ (James 1:1).

I wonder how many of us here today, who have brothers, would introduce ourselves as our brother’s ‘bondservant’. Not many. In fact, I suspect not any! But James did. And why? It’s because his half-brother Jesus presented Himself to him as alive from the dead. James was a dramatic eyewitness to the fact that Jesus is alive.

And then finally, there’s …

10. THE APOSTLE PAUL HIMSELF.

I doubt that we could find a greater witness to the resurrection than the man formerly known as Saul of Tarsus. He was a vicious opponent of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He arrested Christians and dragged them to their trials and their executions. But the risen Lord Jesus confronted Paul on the road to Damascus; and from then on, Paul was an utterly transformed man. In 1 Corinthians 15:8-11, he wrote,

Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed (vv. 8-11).

There’s just no way to explain how the gospel’s most vicious opponent could have become its greatest preacher, most sacrificial missionary, and most articulate advocate, except by the fact that he had literally encountered the risen Lord Jesus. That encounter completely transformed the entire course of his life.

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So there you have it. We’ve looked at several groups of eyewitnesses from the Bible who all testified that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. Is there any other system of faith that is based on as much eyewitness testimony as ours? Jesus Christ—the Son of God who was crucified—is alive. He lives today and can transform the life of anyone who trusts in Him. That’s not a piece of information that is necessarily new to anyone here today; but it’s a glorious truth that we need to be reminded of—and encouraged by in a fresh way.

And so; what do we do about it? The apostle Paul told us what to do in Romans 10:9-11;

… that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame” (Romans 10:9-11).

Have you personally placed your faith in what all these eyewitnesses have testified?

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